Garage Floor Coating in Missoula, MT

Garage floor coating is the floor job we do most in Missoula, and winter is the reason. From the first snow until spring, every trip home brings in slush, traction sand and deicer. The meltwater pools under the car, dries into a gritty film, and soaks into bare concrete. Missoula sees snow on the ground about 120 days a year by Wikipedia's figures, so that cycle runs for a long time. A coating closes the pores in the slab so the mess stays on top, where it can be swept and squeegeed away.

Two kinds of wear: grit and chemistry

Missoula garages take two different kinds of punishment. The first is abrasion. NBC Montana reported that city crews spread sand when it is colder than about 18 degrees, and that sand rides in on the tread. Each time a tire turns on it, the grit scours the floor. The second is chemical. Missoula County uses a magnesium chloride brine and a salt and sand mix on its roads. A 2008 study by Sutter and colleagues for the South Dakota DOT found that concentrated magnesium and calcium chloride solutions react with hardened cement paste, leading to cracking, more permeable concrete and lost strength. The answer to both is a hard, chemical-resistant topcoat bonded to sound concrete.

Signs your garage floor is ready for a coating

• Flaking or a rough, sandy surface inside the door and along the tire paths
• White or gray rings where meltwater puddles dried
• Oil, coolant or transmission fluid stains that have soaked in
• Dust that keeps coming back no matter how often you sweep
• A store-kit or painted floor peeling where the tires sit
• Cracks, broken control joints or a low spot that holds water

Prep is where garage coatings succeed or fail

Most failed garage floors we see were never bonded properly. Acid etching, the method many store kits rely on, cleans the surface but leaves weak concrete, old sealers and deicer residue in place. We diamond grind the entire floor, edges and corners included, to remove that top layer and open the concrete. Dust goes into a vacuum, not the yard. Oil spots are degreased, and cracks and pits are filled. If an old coating is on the floor, we remove it before anything new goes down.

Picking a finish for a Montana garage

Most garages here end up with one of three finishes. A full flake floor is the most forgiving: the speckled pattern hides dried brine, sand and tire marks between cleanings, and the chips add texture underfoot. A solid color with a light flake or a grit additive looks cleaner but shows dirt faster. Either one can take a polyaspartic topcoat, which resists UV and abrasion and shortens the wait to park. We bring samples so you can see them under your own garage lights.

Older detached garages and newer attached ones

About 13 percent of Missoula's homes were built in 1939 or earlier, according to American Community Survey figures summarized by Point2Homes, and many older lots have a detached garage off the alley. Those slabs are often thinner, sloped, cracked or patched. Newer subdivisions mostly have attached garages with flatter concrete, though the surface may carry a builder's cure-and-seal that blocks adhesion until it is ground off. We plan the prep around what is actually in front of us.

Keeping it clean through the winter

A coated floor is much easier to look after, but it still needs a little care. Sweep out sand often, since grit is what dulls a topcoat. Push meltwater out with a floor squeegee and rinse the floor every few weeks while the roads are being treated. A containment mat under each car helps in deep winter. Keep metal-edged shovels and tire chains off the coated surface.