Garage Floor Epoxy in Bloomington, IN

Garage floor epoxy is the job we are asked about most in Bloomington, and it starts with how a garage slab gets used here. In winter, your car brings in slush from treated roads. The puddle sits under the tires, soaks into bare concrete, and then freezes and thaws as the temperature moves around 30°F. Wikipedia lists Bloomington's January daily mean at 28.8°F, which puts many winter days right at that line. After a few seasons, the slab near the door starts to scale and pit. An epoxy coating seals the pores so that water and salt stay where you can squeegee them out.

What a worn garage floor looks like

• Thin flakes of concrete coming off near the door and under the tires
• Pitted spots and exposed gravel where the surface paste is gone
• Dried white rings where brine puddles evaporated
• Dark oil and coolant stains that have soaked in
• Dust that is back a day after you sweep
• A store-bought coating peeling in the tire tracks
• Cracks, low spots where water stands, or a broken joint at the door

The prep is the job

Most garage coatings that peel were never bonded well in the first place. Store kits rely on an acid wash, which cleans the surface but leaves weak, salt-damaged concrete and old sealer in place. We use diamond grinders on the whole floor and along the walls. That removes the weak top layer and gives the epoxy an open surface to grip. Dust is vacuumed as we go. Then cracks and pits are filled, oil spots are cleaned out, and the floor is vacuumed again before any coating goes on. If the garage has old paint or a failed kit coating, we grind it off first.

Cracks in karst country

Much of Monroe County sits on limestone karst, and slabs here crack for more than one reason. Thin, random cracks are usually shrinkage from when the concrete cured. They are filled and ground flush, and the coating covers them. A crack that has opened wider over time, or has one side lower than the other, points to the ground moving underneath. A coating will not stop that, and it will crack along the same line. We point those out during the estimate so you can decide what to do before you invest in a floor.

Finishes we install in garages

The most popular finish is a full flake broadcast: colored chips spread into the base coat until it is covered, then sealed with a clear topcoat. It hides salt film and dust between cleanings and adds texture underfoot. A solid color with a light flake or an anti-slip grit looks cleaner and suits a workshop corner. For garages where the coating runs out past the door into sunlight, we use a polyaspartic topcoat that resists UV yellowing. We bring samples so you can see the colors in your own garage.

Detached garages and older slabs

Bloomington's older neighborhoods and many rural lots in the county have detached garages. Their slabs are often older and thinner, may slope toward the door, and sometimes were never sealed. Some have a lip or broken edge at the apron. We check slope and drainage, since a coating should not trap water at the back wall, and we repair the threshold so the coating has a clean edge.

Taking care of it

A coated floor still needs some help in winter. Squeegee meltwater out after storms, rinse the floor every few weeks while roads are being treated, and put a containment mat under each car if you get a lot of slush. Keep metal shovel blades off the surface and do not drop heavy jacks on it. Clean spills with a mild cleaner and water. Strong solvents and acids are not needed.