A Census Bureau Survey on Construction Data, conducted in 2019, found that three-car garages were most popular in the West North Central Division out of all the Divisions. Over the years, garages have become an important part of the home. Fifty-five percent of homeowners use it as an entry and exit point.
If you are one of them, your garage must be safe and uncluttered, not just for your cars but your family as well. Flooring is an essential aspect of this. When considering the best option for your garage, choose a reputable residential garage flooring company that suits your needs.
Read on to learn about the things you should consider when choosing garage floor coating contractors.
The Importance of a Well-Installed Garage Floor
You may be tempted to move garage floor installation to a lower spot on your priority list. However, whether you use your garage for storage or to keep your cars secure, it’s an important part of your home. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t ignore this often neglected room of your house.
Keep Your Family Safe
A neglected garage floor can become a safety hazard. It can result in slippery, uneven, or damaged flooring. This is usually due to:
- General surface erosion from your cars, spill, leaks, and even foot traffic
- Soil displacement under the garage floor’s surface leading to a sinking floor
- Natural settling of the floor’s surface
- Residual issues as a result of foundation or flooring that was improperly prepped or installed
- Water drainage issues
- The expansion or contraction of the concrete due to temperature changes
Professionally applied garage floor coating can prevent these issues.
It Protects Your Floor
How your garage floor looks are important. Add functionality to that, and you have a winner. Epoxy garage floor coating protects your floor.
High-quality floor coatings are durable because they bond well with cement floors. The material doesn’t evaporate as much as other coverings. This facilitates the application of a thick coating over the surface of your floor that will last even longer.
This also means it can withstand scraping or scuffing, chemicals, and any severe impact. Some coatings are heat resistant. This characteristic makes it waterproof and minimizes tire markings.
Increase Your Home’s Value
You now know that garage flooring that is well installed can last for years. So do potential homebuyers. This can make a huge difference in their interest in your home as it’s one less thing they have to think about upgrading.
Believe it or not, potential home buyers also want a functional, safe garage. You can impress them with an organized garage with a well-applied floor coating. There’s no discoloration, peeling, or flaking, and most importantly, they’ll know the garage is safe.
It’s a great way to let your garage stand out just as much as the other rooms in your home. Prospective homebuyers will be happy to pay a little more for this seemingly simple addition to an already great package.
It’s Less Work For You
Your vehicle can track in mud, dirt, and debris from your travels. It can also leave a trail of oil or coolant on your garage floors if it isn’t working well. No matter how well you maintain your car, these things are often unavoidable.
The solution lies in finding flooring that can take the pressure of cars leaking fluids or foot traffic and from becoming the dumping ground for unwanted stuff or seasonal items. This translates into less work for you and less money spent repairing your garage floor.
Great garage flooring requires a minimum amount of maintenance. The surface is generally easy to sweep, mop, or clean. What’s also great is that if you don’t have time for a thorough clean, dust and dirt aren’t obvious, depending on the coating you use.
Garage Floor Options
There are various interior flooring choices that provide you with many options to create the home of your dreams. Garage flooring is no exception. You can choose garage flooring that works best for your needs. Options include:
- Epoxy flooring
- Floor mats
- Floor paint
- Plastic garage floor tiles such as RaceDeck flooring
- Wood composite tiles
- Rubber tiles
- Concrete stain
- Concrete sealer
The options may seem straightforward enough. You may even be tempted to do it yourself. However, no matter what type of flooring you choose, especially if it’s epoxy flooring or RaceDeck flooring, two key elements will ensure you get a long-lasting garage floor.
The first is the prep work done before application. This includes removing stains, fixing damaged flooring, and taking care of any moisture issues. The second is choosing a reputable, experienced garage floor coating contractor.
Things to Consider When Choosing a Residential Garage Flooring Company
Not sure where to start when it comes to finding a good residential garage flooring company? Here are a few things you should consider before hiring one:
Level of Experience
One of the first things you should do when looking for a company is to find out the number of years the company has been doing flooring. Older companies usually have more experience. But it would help if you also found out the experience level of their team members, especially those working on your project.
Be specific when inquiring. Find out how much experience they have with:
- Subfloor repairs
- Refinishing
- Floor repairs
- Installation
They should be able to give you advice about the best flooring for your space include type and color choices. More importantly, they should also have lots of experience installing the flooring you want.
License and Insurance
Although Missouri doesn’t issue contracting licenses at the state level, flooring contractors must have their business registered. Each city or county will have varying licensing requirements. Check your city or county to find out the requirements.
Once you do, find out if the company you’re thinking about hiring has the relevant paperwork. You can also view information about the company using the state’s business search directory. It will give you general information about the business and information about the company’s length of time in existence and current standing.
It’s also important to find out if the business has general liability insurance. This will cover you if anything with your project ends up going wrong.
Flooring Options
The company should not only have experience installing the flooring you choose, but they should also have easy access to it. This should include high-quality products.
Some companies have established partnerships with flooring providers such as RaceDeck flooring. This means that they can provide you with a good product at a reasonable price.
Pricing
The final cost of your flooring will depend largely on the size of your garage and the flooring material you use. Epoxy flooring for a 250 square foot, one-car garage can range from $1,000 to $1,700. This cost will increase to about $3,000 to $5,100 for a 750 square foot, three-car garage.
This is a substantial investment, but because epoxy flooring is durable, it lasts longer and will eventually pay for itself. However, you should ensure its application is done right the first time.
Don’t be afraid to compare the pricing of various companies. Most will provide a free estimate making it easier for you to shop around.
Customer Service
Reviews are a great way to find out about a company’s level of service. Check various listings such as the Better Business Bureau or your local chamber to get reviews on flooring contractors.
You can also ask for referrals from family and friends. Chances are if they had good work from a garage floor coating contractor, they’d be happy to let you know. Ask about the quality of work done, pricing, how well the company communicated, and how knowledgeable they were about the product.
They’ll also be just as honest about bad experiences as they wouldn’t want you to have to go through that as well.
Refreshing Your Garage
It’s easy to use your garage as a storage space. It’s also easy to let it become cluttered or overcrowded with the things you don’t use often. However, you can avoid safety hazards by organizing your garage to store your stuff still and make it more functional.
Think of it as an investment in your home. You’ll be happy you did when you’re ready to put it on the market. One easy way to make your garage not only stand out but safer and cleaner is with a new floor coating.
Whether you choose epoxy flooring, RaceDeck garage flooring, or any other flooring option, your next choice should be an experienced residential garage flooring company.
Garage Designs will not only give you superb flooring, but they can also cater to your other garage needs, including storage cabinets, car lifts, and more!
Start refreshing your garage! For a limited time, save on your garage floor project, then request a free in-home estimate!
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