Unlike many garage coatings companies, we are not a “one size fits all” installation company. We tailor our garage coatings systems to the use model and installation environment – no different than we do for our commercial coating customers.
Throughout the year, we utilize several variations of our base coat materials (the layer that is applied directly to the concrete & often is the binder for a layer of decorative chips). Our winter variant can be applied to concrete slabs that can be as cold as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. We also have the ability to temper our materials in our trucks – allowing us to heat or cool the products as needed. We also seal off the garage opening using framed plastic and use heaters to manipulate garage temperatures.
Preparing your garage floor during winter temperatures
Unlike a home improvement store kit or typical painter, we do not acid etch the concrete to prepare it. In the professional concrete coatings world, to achieve a Concrete Surface Profile of 2 or better, the concrete surface is normally prepared via mechanical diamond grinding or shot blasting.
Artistic Polymers mechanically prepares every garage floor. Nearly all are prepared by our planetary surface grinders. On special circumstances, we will prepare with our shot blaster.
Will a new garage floor coating cure properly?
We utilize various polymer materials that will cure in low temperatures. It’s true that the epoxies we use in summer would not cure properly in normal winter temperatures. That’s why we use multiple products and multiple versions of those products to ensure everyone receives a high quality, warrantied garage floor coating – regardless of the time of year.
While the floor will cure slower, there are actual advantages about this. The polyaspartic materials we use have more work time when it’s colder, so larger rooms can more easily be coated.
How long must the coating dry before a return to normal use?
The short answer is “It depends on just how cold it is.” Unless it’s extremely cold, the garage can usually return to normal use in as short as 48 hours after our teams complete the coatings. In cases where the garage requires a lot of surface repairs or filing of joints/cracks, the timeline may be extended by a day or two.
Our team can provide a more definitive timeline based upon the exact conditions of your garage floor.