How Road Salt Can Damage Your Concrete Garage Floors
If you live in an area that experiences harsh winters, then you are no stranger to everything that comes along with all that snow. But did you know that road salt can do tremendous damage to your garage floors?
Millions of tons of rock salt is sprayed on roads and driveways each year to melt ice and snow and driving in and out of your garage brings in this salt from your tires. Even if you do not use your vehicle that much during the winter, you can still bring in road salt with the soles of your boots. Salt can leave nasty stains on your concrete garage floor and may even lead to structural damage by causing corrosion to occur underneath the surface of the concrete.
What You Can Do To Prevent Road Salt Damage
Give your concrete garage floors an initial cleaning with a strong solution, there are plenty of pre-mixes available in the market. Plain old water is not going to be enough to get salt stains out of concrete and by clearing away any winter grime or snow, you can assess the extent of the damage that may have occurred. Scrub away any stubborn stains but resist the urge of using a pressure washer. This can do more harm than good because pressure washers can drive salt deeper into the concrete and may cause it to crack or crumble later down the line.
After the initial cleaning, check for any spalling that may have occurred on your flooring. Pay special attention to any large pores on the concrete itself as salt can get into these pores and expand when frozen causing large cracks or even entire sections to chip off. You can use a polymer-modified cement when dealing with these pores as it creates a strong bond to the original concrete and leaves a smooth finish.
Consider Polyaspartic Garage Flooring
Polyaspartic coatings are derivatives of polyurethane and possess special properties that make them very effective in countering salt damage. They are very easy to install and are also stain, fade and scratch resistant. They come in a wide variety of colors and is backed by a lifetime guarantee so you know you are making a solid investment.
Need to have your garage flooring checked or replaced after a harsh winter? Give Guardian Garage Floors a call at (615) 278-9900 or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation with one of our expert technicians. We serve the areas in and around Nashville, TN.
