STEPS TO STAIN A GARAGE FLOOR

There are mixed opinions about the practicality of staining garage floors, especially concrete. With your car being driven in and out of the garage, some people have found the stain just doesn't hold up. In the summer your car can come in with very hot tires and this can also cause some problems.

However, staining your garage floor is one of those garage flooring ideas that many people can easily do themselves and it can make your floor look great. There are certain steps you should take to get it done properly as you don't want to go through all the effort and find out later the job wasn't done correctly.

First you want to determine if there is anything on the floor at the present moment. If your garage floor is already sealed, water will bead up if you sprinkle some on it. It the water does not bead and is absorbed into the concrete, you will know that you can go ahead with the staining.

Next you need to thoroughly clean the floor by sweeping it and then by using some kind of degreaser. This will get all the grease, dirt and grime off the concrete so that you can start with a clean surface. Will then want to rinse the floor and let it dry.

You should then use an etching cleaner to do a better job of cleaning the floor. In order for the staining to last, you want to do a really good job of getting the garage floor clean before you stain it. The etching cleaner will also help to open the pores in the concrete so that the stain you will be applying will penatrate and stick. Try to clean all areas of the floor evenly sot they have the same amount of etching solution on them. Again, you will want to rinse and dry.

Most of the hard work is over now and all you have left to do is to apply the stain. You can use a brush for the corners and sides and a roller for the middle parts of the floor. After you put on the first coat of the stain you should let it dry and then apply a second coat. After that, all you have to do is let it dry for 24 to 48 hours and the job is done!

GARAGE FLOOR PROTECTOR IDEAS

One of the most popular garage flooring ideas is to cover it with some sort of protector. Most people use a vinyl floor covering they can roll out over the floor and cut into the right size. What this kind of floor cover does well is hide all the cracks in the cement as well as any stains and marks.

Putting a garage floor protector down is akin to installing carpet in your home. A house that has carpet is so much nicer to walk on and completes the look of the house. Likewise, a floor protector in the garage may be the finishing touch you need to turn your garage into a real room where you don't even have to put your shoes on.

Most garage owners never do anything with their floors and they remain the cold, hard, cracked concrete. Whenever they go into the garage shoes are necessary as it is almost like walking outside. However, a garage with a floor protector has a totally different look and feel under foot, and the garage becomes and extension of the home. Garage floor protectors provide insulation, cushioned comfort, a nonslip surface that is easily maintained and cleaned, as well as some noice reduction. You can even see in the picture below how nice the floor protector looks as they turned part of the garage into a garage workout room.

GARAGE FLOOR PAINTING / PAINT IDEAS

One of the best garage floor ideas is to pait it. One of the advantages of painting your garage floor is that you can paint it a pattern if you like. Many sports fanatics may like to paint their garage floor in the logo of their favorite team.

In order to paint your garage floor, you will need to prepare and clean it carefully first. Obviously you need to sweep out all the dirt and clean any grime or oily substances on the floor. Your garage floor paint ideas will only work if the floor is dry so you may have to have some sort of heater / blower in there first to dry it out. Getting rid of the moisture is easier in the summer so that is the preferalble time to garage paint.

Many garage floors develop crack in them after a couple of years and for the best painting, you should fill those in. This is not absolutely necessary but it helps to keep moisture out and the paint job will obvioulsy look better too.

Ideally it is best if you first put on some sort of an adhesive on the garage floor surface and then the paint on that. Of course that will take more time and money but that is the best way to protect the garage floor and to keep the paint on. Not all paint will bond the same way with a concrete floor and by using an adhesive you are raising your odds that the paint will apply well.

These are some of the garage floor painting ideas you need to consider before you go out and paint your garage. The most important is to do the very best job you can cleaning and drying the floor before you start painting.

GARAGE FLOOR CRACK REPAIR IDEAS - CRACKS

Is your garage floor cracking? Do you have some new cracks that run throughout your cement garage floor? If you buy a new house that has just been built, chances are the concrete garage floors are in perfect condition. Within a year or two though, you may notice that garage floor cracks start to emerge and your once perfect floor is no more.

Cracks in the cement of your garage floor look ugly and at first might alarm you. But if they are real thin cracks, they are caused by the house settling and there is no need for alarm. The floors of most garages that are made out of cement will crack sooner or later and there is nothing you can do about it.

Most people choose to leave the cracks alone and do nothing as they are not harmful to the floor or the house. You might decide to get some sort of a garage floor mat or covering that will cover up the cracks and you can put it over the whole garage floor if you want to. No only will this type of floor mat hide the cracks but it will make your garage look more finished and stylish as well.

If your garage floor cracks are big cracks then you might look into making sure that nothing else is going on other than normal settling. Big cracks might need to be repaired not only because it is best for the floor but because it could become a safety issue as well. For instance, the crack below would need to be repaired.

GARAGE FLOOR PADS AND MATS IDEAS

Garage floor pads and mats are usually only for protecting part of the garage floor. For instance, if you have a lawnmower and want an absorbent pad to park it on to protect any oil leaks you can go here to get one - garage floor lawnmower pads.
Another kind of garage floor pad would be a motorcycle oil spil pad or mat. This would be a good thing to have to park your motorcycle on in the garage so you could avoid all the dirt and grime your bike will come in with. You can get a great price here for a motorcyle oil spill pad.

If you want you can get a garage floor mat for your car as well that you can park over or on that will catch all the oil drips and anything else that comes from your car. Some of these pads are great because if your car is all wet they will catch the rainwater and it will stay on the pad until it dries rather than run all over the garage.

VINYL GARAGE FLOOR IDEAS

If you have cracks and stains on your garage floor, you might think about some vinyl garage floor ideas. By choosing a to install a vinyl floor for your garage, you are doing something that is much easier and quicker than painting or putting something like an epoxy covering on it.

A vinal garage cover for your garage floor will give you the great looking floor you want along with something that is very easy to maintain. It will also protect your floor from some of the elements such as water, snow, and other kinds of dirt.

Before you install a garage floor vinyl covering, you should do your best to clean the floor first. This will make sure there is nothing that will be trapped there and start to smell later.

There are multiple benefits of vinly floor covers for your garage. They make the floor softer than the concrete that used to be there and thus safer to play on. These types of vinal garage floors are also more quiet and provide a space that is more like the inside of your home.

Vinyl garage floor ideas come in many colors, patterns, and textures so the options to find just what you want are numerous.