When choosing a new garage floor coating for your home, safety is often a top priority. While these coatings are durable, stain-resistant, and enhance the aesthetics of your home, many homeowners are weary about the potential health effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These can be concerning, but with the right research, you can keep your home and loved ones safe from potential health complications.

If you’re considering investing in a floor coating, keep reading to learn more about what VOCs are, how they impact air quality, and how to choose the safest option for your space.  

What are VOCs

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that evaporate at room temperature and are found in paints, refrigerants, pesticides, aerosol sprays, and floor coatings. When you install a floor coating in your home, VOCs are often released during the curing process. Although these chemicals are found in a variety of products across your home, they can contribute to the worsening of indoor air quality, leading to potential health risks. 

Health Risks Associated with VOC Exposure

Exposure to high levels of VOCs can cause a range of short- and long-term health problems. Some of these health risks include: 

• Short-Term Effects: Upon initial exposure to VOCs, you may notice eye, nose, and throat irritation. You may also experience headaches, dizziness, and nausea. 
• Long-Term Effects: Individuals who experience long-term exposure may deal with liver and kidney problems, loss of coordination, and certain cancers. 
• Further Respiratory Conditions: If you already have respiratory conditions, like asthma or COPD, you may experience aggravated symptoms when exposed to VOCs. 

How Garage Floor Coatings Impact Indoor Air Quality

Garage floor coatings vary in their VOC content, and their impact on indoor air quality depends on several factors. These factors include the type of coating used, the size and ventilation of your garage, and how well the coating can cure before you reenter the space. Traditional epoxy and polyurethane coatings can release significant VOCs during curing, contributing to poor air quality in and around your home. 

If your garage is poorly ventilated or attached to a living space, these fumes can infiltrate your indoor air, leading to prolonged exposure and subsequent health effects. Additionally, VOC off-gassing can continue for an extended period, even after the coating appears dry. The rate of emission depends on environmental factors such as temperature and humidity.

High concentrations of VOCs indoors can exacerbate respiratory conditions and cause discomfort for individuals sensitive to air pollutants. Understanding these factors can help homeowners make safer choices when selecting an appropriate garage floor coating for their space. 

Your Low-VOC Alternatives

While you may be concerned about your risk of VOC exposure, there are safer alternatives for your home. Many manufacturers now offer low-VOC garage floor coating options that minimize harmful emissions. Some of the most common options include: 

• Epoxy Coatings: An epoxy floor coating is a durable, protective surface applied over your concrete floors to enhance their strength, appearance, and resistance to damage. While these are popular among homeowners, these floors are not UV-resistant. This lack of UV resistance means the floors may become yellow with prolonged sun exposure. 
• Polyaspartic Coatings: If you love the appearance of epoxy floors but want a more reliable option, Polyaspartic is a more modern, dependable choice. These floors are durable and UV-resistant. Unlike their epoxy counterpart, these floors are cured in 24 hours, allowing you to return to regular use of the space.

If you’re struggling to find the right floor coating for your home, it is always best to reach out to a floor coating professional for support. Their expertise can help you determine which floor coating is the right fit for your lifestyle. Whether you use your garage as a parking spot, storage, or weekend hobby space, they’ll ensure your floor coating is prepared to handle it all. 

Minimizing VOC Exposure During Installation

If you’ve chosen a garage floor coating that contains some VOCs, there are a few things you can do to limit exposure and protect yourself during off-gassing. If you want to reduce VOC exposure, follow these steps: 

• Improve Ventilation: Keep your garage doors and windows open during and after installation to allow fumes to dissipate. 
• Wear PPE: If you’re installing a floor coating, it is essential that you wear protective equipment, including a respirator mask and gloves.
• Allow Proper Curing: Avoid using your garage until the coating has fully cured, between 24 hours and two weeks, to ensure fumes have dissipated. 
• Schedule Professional Installation: The best way to avoid VOCs is by working with professionals to install the coating. With their experience, they can protect you and your loved ones from potential exposure. 

Your Expert Floor Coating Partner in Denver, CO

Garage floor coatings can be a safe choice for your home when chosen correctly. If you’re considering installing a floor coating in your home, it is best to turn to a team of professionals for support. For homeowners across Denver, CO, who want to install a garage floor coating, turn to our team at Solid Custom Floor Coatings for support. 

For years, we’ve provided homeowners with the highest-quality floor coatings on the market. Whether you want a shiny, sleek epoxy floor or are interested in a more modern Polyaspartic option, we provide them all. With our support, you can trust that you’ll have the best floor coating in your home. 

If you’d like to schedule floor coating installation for your Denver home or have any questions about our services, don’t hesitate to contact us today. 

If the floors in your garage are beginning to look worn down, you may find yourself considering ways to protect the concrete. If paint isn’t enough to restore your floors, you may gravitate toward floor coatings. These expert products are a great way to protect your floors from drop damage, chemical exposure, and everyday friction.

But, while DIY floor coatings may seem like a quick and easy solution, they are far more complex than they appear, leading to a headache for homeowners. If you’re considering attempting a DIY floor coating, keep reading to learn more about how this may hurt your floors and wallet down the line. 

Essential Floor Prep

Although you may be tempted to throw a DIY floor coating down when you purchase the product, concrete floors need essential prep to be the right canvas for coatings. While this prep starts with sweeping and mopping, it is far more complex than it seems and difficult to perform without the essential tools and training. 

Professional floor coating installers will patch minor cracks and imperfections across your concrete to ensure the coat applies smoothly. Once these imperfections are addressed, they’ll begin etching the concrete surface. Without proper training, etching your concrete can lead to the weakening of the entire slab. 

Experts know how to properly apply and neutralize the etching agent, making it essential to rely on their experience when starting this project. By relying on professionals instead of attempting DIY floor coating, you guarantee that the project starts on the right track and the coating has an adequate base to adhere to. 

The Application Process

Once the floors have been appropriately prepped for your floor coating product, the problems with DIY floor coating really begin. While everything may seem like it is going according to plan as you begin the installation, this can quickly take a turn. Applying a floor coating takes a great deal of expertise and training.

Without the proper experience and training, you may struggle to install a complete layer of coating before parts of it begin to cure. This uneven cure time can lead to premature peeling, bubbling, and a decrease in durability. Because durability is such an important part of these coatings, this is especially frustrating. 

Additionally, if you attempt to add flakes to your floor coating, it can be hard to install them without overusing the product or applying it in a way that doesn’t appear cohesive. This may leave your floor with gaps where you run out of product. On the other hand, professionals have the experience to apply the coating and flakes quickly, ensuring full coverage and durability. 

Exposure to Harmful Fumes

One major risk of installing DIY floor coatings that you may not think about is your risk of exposure to harmful fumes. While many floor coating products on the market are low VOC, there is still a risk with inhaling these fumes. Although you may have appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), you still run the risk when installing these yourself. 

Instead of attempting to install these products yourself and exposing yourself to harmful chemicals, it is best to rely on professionals. They’ll have professional protective equipment, fans, training, and experience to install these products without risk. If you need new floors but don’t want to put yourself in harm’s way, it is always best to turn to the pros. 

Moisture Problems

The final risk you run by attempting to install a DIY floor coating is moisture problems. Moisture can be incredibly detrimental to concrete floors, especially in spaces with a history of flooding. When your floors have dips in them, where water may pool, this can compromise the integrity of your new floor coating. 

If water is allowed to collect in one spot on a floor coating, it may seep beneath the coating. This seepage can cause your coating to peel, flake, and bubble prematurely. Additionally, excessive moisture in your concrete floors may lead to efflorescence. This increased damage can be costly and frustrating to repair.

When you work with professionals, they ensure your floor is appropriately sloped to allow adequate drainage if there is water exposure. If you’ve dealt with flooding or pooling in your space before and want to avoid dealing with damage down the road, it is best to contact the professionals for support. 

Skip DIY Floor Coatings and Invest in Professional Products Instead

If you’ve ever been tempted to install a DIY floor coating in your home, it is best to avoid these products, as they do more harm than good. Instead of purchasing a DIY coating product, consider relying on professionals for a reliable floor coating installation. With their experience and professional products, you can trust that your floors will look their best. 

If you’re looking for a floor coating provider in the Denver, CO, area, turn to our team at Solid Custom Floor Coatings for support. Whether you want an epoxy or Polyaspartic coating, we provide it all, ensuring your space looks exactly how you want. With varying colors and finishes, our floors are perfect for your home.

If you would like to learn more about our professional floor coatings or need help remedying a DIY floor coating, don’t hesitate to contact us for support. 

Concrete is an incredibly popular building material because of its resiliency. However, as strong as it may be, it isn’t infallible. Over time, untreated concrete in high-traffic areas is prone to degradation, including concrete spalling. But what exactly is spalling, and how does it impact your home? 

In this blog, we’ll discuss what this common concrete occurrence is and what you can do to protect your concrete slab from harm. 

What is Concrete Spalling? 

Concrete spalling is the chipping, flaking, or breaking of the surface of a concrete structure. You may notice this spalling on older concrete surfaces as the top layer begins to crumble away, exposing the rougher materials underneath. There are many places where homeowners may notice spalling across their property, including walkways, driveways, patios, garages, and foundations. 

The Risk of Spalling

While concrete spalling might seem like a minor cosmetic problem, it can pose a significant risk to you and your loved ones if left unaddressed. Structurally, spalling weakens the integrity of your concrete over time, leading to an increase in damage as this goes unchecked. Concrete spalling may also allow increased moisture absorption, accelerating degradation.

In more extreme cases, spalling can pose a safety risk. If there is spalling in high-traffic areas like walkways, you may notice an increase in trip-and-fall accidents as people walk across this surface. This is especially concerning for young children and elderly individuals, who are more prone to potential trip-and-fall incidents. 

Finally, concrete spalling can majorly impact the appearance of your home. If you take great pride in your curb appeal, spalling can take away from your efforts. It may make your home look less than ideal and can lead to potential fines if you live in an HOA. 

How Does it Happen? 

There are a number of reasons why you may be experiencing concrete spalling. The most common include environmental factors, improper installation, and chemical reactions. Some major causes of spalling include: 

• The Freeze-Thaw Cycle: If you live in a place that experiences below-freezing temperatures throughout winter, water may make its way into the cracks in your concrete and freeze. As it freezes, your concrete slab expands, increasing your risk of experiencing spalling. 
• Poor Mix or Installation: If you use an inexpensive concrete mix, don’t follow the provided instructions when mixing it, or don’t provide adequate time for the surface to cure, you may be at an increased risk of spalling. 
• Chemical Exposure: Untreated concrete is incredibly porous, and exposing this surface to harsh chemicals like rock salt and acidic substances can cause the surface to break down, leading to premature deterioration. 
• Physical Impacts: If the concrete on your property deals with frequent foot traffic, heavy loads, or accidental drops, this can weaken the surface and lead to an increased risk of spalling over time. 

How to Prevent Concrete Spalling

There are a few things you can do if you’re going to install a new concrete slab on your property and want to prevent future spalling. Some of the best ways to minimize your risk of concrete spalling include: 

• Proper Installation: The easiest way to prevent spalling is by ensuring you use a high-quality concrete mix and that it is poured and cured correctly. If you are installing the concrete yourself, make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid improper concrete-to-water ratios. 
• Cut Joints Early: Joints are an essential part of your concrete slab, allowing movement and preventing cracks. However, when pouring a new slab, it is essential that you cut joints between 6 and 18 hours after pouring. Choosing to cut into the slab after this point may result in crack formation. 
• Ensure Proper Drainage: If water sits stagnant across a concrete slab, it can lead to concrete spalling. When pouring a new slab, ensure the surface is properly slopped and there are no low points in the center to allow water to drain adequately, preventing this unsightly and frustrating damage. 
• Seal the Concrete: Once the slab has had adequate time to cure, consider investing in a floor coating. Polyaspartic and epoxy coatings protect your concrete from drop damage, prevent cracks, and help you avoid spalling. However, remember to allow at least one month of curing time before installing the coating to avoid compromising the structural integrity. 

Preventing Concrete Damage with Professional Coatings

Whether you’ve just invested in a new concrete slab or you want to protect an existing surface, our team at Solid Custom Floor Coatings is here to help you every step of the way. Our top-of-the-line products are the perfect solution to help you prevent unsightly and costly damage to your concrete floors. For years, we’ve helped homeowners and businesses across the Denver area protect their floors from unsightly damage. From your garage to commercial spaces, we’re equipped to treat it all. 

When you’re ready to install a floor coating to prevent concrete spalling, don’t hesitate to contact our team for support.