Garage floors are usually made of concrete because it is very hard and durable. Also, a slab of concrete is an almost perfect flat surface which is great if you want to park your car inside the garage or if you have to do some repairs or maintenance. Most people don’t think about the concrete anymore once it is poured and becomes the floor of their garages.
This may be a very big mistake. It is extremely important to put on a garage floor sealer if you want your floor to be long lasting. Since concrete is very hard, a lot of people come up with the assumption that it is indestructible but this is actually false. There are so many possibilities how a garage floor can be harmed and, once it is damaged, patching it is extremely difficult.
To be specific, water can be the main source of several problems especially if you live in an area where the climate is very cold. If the floor of the garage is not protected by a sealant, the water can seep into the surface of the floor and, when the weather is very cold, the water freezes and it expands. The expansion of the frozen water or ice can create cracks on the surface or even through the whole concrete slab.
There are two popular methods for sealing a concrete slab. The first method is known as a film former. This means that the product provides a coating on the surface through a film that can seal and fill in minor abnormalities. For this method, a good example is a garage floor coating based on epoxy. These coating are very easy to use because you only have to roll it out the way you paint a floor. Make sure you do not use an asphalt sealer in your garage. Even the best asphalt sealer will not adhere properly to the concrete surface.
The second known method for sealing a concrete is penetrate. Sealers like this one do not just stay on top of the surface but, as implied by its name, they can penetrate the surface by up to four millimeters. These products are great if you want a surface sealant that does not need any more maintenance.
The film former will need maintenance after a few years if applied in a garage and it needs to be waxed every six months if it is applied to a concrete floor inside the house such as in the basement.
If you want to have a floor that looks great, you should use a sealer.