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Cleaning garage floors is done for a variety of reasons, including:
- You want to change the room into a livable space
- You are preparing to lay down new flooring
- Just to improve overall appearance and safety.
With housing costs skyrocketing, it only makes sense to look to what you already have for more living space rather than purchasing a newer and bigger home. And if you already live in a warmer climate (or don’t mind scraping the car windows in the morning), why not park the cars outside and make your garage into a new living area?
If you’re thinking of painting the surface, simple scrubbing and cleaning may not be enough. While you might think the surface is ready to apply a coat of paint and see great results, residues from stains or grease can leave a layer between the floor and the paint causing a lack of adhesion. (If you still park your car in the garage, the tires may peel the paint off.)
Cleaning garage floors is also necessary to ensure tiling adhesive or other flooring materials will stick. While the adhesive will initially stick one surface to another, any stains or deposits that remain can slowly break down these bonds and create problems with flooring adhesion, so you want to be sure to clean the garage floor as thoroughly as possible.
Lastly, while there are many basic and practical reasons to clean garage floors — including that clean floors simply look better than dirty ones — you also want to clean the garage floor to prevent slips and falls. Grease and other contaminants can cause slips; obviously, you don’t want anyone falling on concrete.
Getting it Done
To really clean the garage floor, you’ll need solvents and proprietary cleaners. You can find these kinds of products in hardware and paint stores. Be sure to follow the instructions completely to help ensure stains and dirt are removed.
Pressure washers are excellent for cleaning garage floors, too. These washers power water onto the surface at about 1200-2000 psi. These are a great option when the garage floor is extremely stained or it has been stained for a long time. If you can’t find a pressure washer, a steam cleaner can be just as effective. In either case though, you may want to incorporate a detergent to help break up the grease and other stains.
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