Before and Afters, Garage Floor Coatings

The Ultra Top Coat for Garage Floor Coatings

by Joe Sheehan

October 18, 2010

Question: How thick is your garage floor top coat? We hear this question all the time.

Answer: Every coating manufacture and blender has a recommendation for the thickness of the coating wear surface or D-F-T (Dried Film Thickness). This recommendation is minimal at best and is based on keeping the cost down for the applicator/contractor. We, at G-F One Coatings, know it’s simply not enough.

Result: We only apply, for our Minneapolis, Minnesota area customers, a top coat that has a D-F-T that is twice, 2 times or 100% MORE than the manufacture’s recommendation.

Conclusion: We add more value to our customer’s garage floor project by increasing the thickness of the top coat. Our customers can see the difference. Over time, we hear comments about their appreciation for the “rich, deep, thick top coat” and it’s long term performance.

So we, at G-F One Coatings, named our top coat “the ULTRA TOP COAT.” It’s on every garage floor we do. Call us anytime at 612.919.4414

Before and Afters, Garage Floor Coatings

Joe’s Garage: A Unique Example of a Garage Done Right

by Joe Sheehan

October 11, 2010

Here’s the story: A pending kitchen remodel in 2003, forced us to move our kitchen temporarily into the garage. We built out the East Wall with a “pizza kitchen” with cabinets, refrigerator, microwave and sink. We also didn’t forget the stereo and TV. After eating our meals in the garage for so long (the kitchen remodel was a long process), we eventually coined the phrase “Garage Food.”

With winter fast approaching, we realized that in order to eat comfortably, we needed heat and ventilation. We installed patio doors for natural light along the North Wall and insulated the remaining walls.

With winter departing, still eating “garage food,” (the kitchen remodel had already been completed) the boat and four wheelers needed maintenance, along with the sleds in order to put them away for the season. So we installed a wall of shop cabinets and tool boxes (the tool crib) on the last remaining wall.

Then came the one thing that we at G-F One Coatings specialize in and will always have a passion for – garage floors. After some deliberation and planning, I had graphic inlays printed – a company logo, and a Dale Earnhardt Jr. race car. We prepped the concrete floor with “The Prep Perfect System” and then applied our polyurea/aspartic elastomeric full-chip, granite look (color: saddle tan) garage floor. Here are some of the pictures of the results.

What started out to be a place to eat, evolved into a garage restoration gone wild. Today, the primary use of the garage isn’t for parking cars. It’s my office, which allows me more time at home with my family. It’s our computer room, it’s where we catch Sunday’s big game, it’s where the family gatherings are held. In the winter, it becomes a game-room for the kids.

garage floor coating garage graphic inlay
Throughout the whole process, I could have never foreseen what this garage would end up being. And everyday, our customers echo similar sentiments. To me, the term “garage” no longer is just a place to park cars. On special occasions we still serve “garage food.”

Questions? Comments? Call us at 612.919.4414

Concrete Crack Repair, Concrete Preparation

Repairing Concrete Cracks in Minnesota

by Joe Sheehan

October 6, 2010

When it comes to prepping a concrete floor for polyurea/aspartic coatings, properly filling cracks and saw-cuts is critical to the long-term success of the flooring system. Improperly filled cracks, either with poor process or product, is a recipe for failure.

Cracks are challenging for a number of reasons. The first reason, is cracks are vents for moisture release from the slab. They also collect moisture, debris and may expand as concrete freezes and thaws – especially areas, such as Minneapolis, where the seasons change so drastically. All of these factors make concrete crack repair challenging.

So how do you repair concrete cracks?
After extensive testing, of all the existing products and processes, we have found a method with proven, long-term results. It comes down to two things; the process and the product.

The Process
First, all cracks must be jackhammered open (or chased). This opens the crack and creates fresh concrete for guaranteed adhesion with our crack filler. This also removes weak spots or soft spots in the path of the cracks in the concrete. Once the cracks have been opened, they are cleaned and vacuumed out to remove dirt and debris.

The Product
Next, we mix a two part polyurea quick cure crack material. It is then poured / filled into the crack creating a vertical fill. You can see this in top-most picture. We fill the crack so that it is level with top of the concrete floor surface and let it cure.

Once the crack-material is cured, we grind off the excese material and grind the surface so that it is uniform and smooth. It’s now ready for our pure polyurea/aspartic elastomeric coating system.

Contact G-F One Coatings for more information or call us at 612.919.4414

Before and Afters, Concrete Crack Repair, Concrete Preparation, Garage Floor Coatings, Spancrete / Weatherproofing

Case Study: One Rough piece of Spancrete in Minneapolis

by Joe Sheehan

October 6, 2010

Here’s one for the record books.

This case study was designed to show you how we seal and coat a spancrete. Below are some pictures of the job.

History: The home was built in Roseville Minnesota in the late 60’s on a lake. Underneathe the spancrete garage they had built a theater and exercise room. Soon after they had completed the new rooms, the spancrete had begun to leak – causing considerable damage to the new investment.

The leaking had started in the late 80’s. At that time, there were no coating technologies available to correct the problem. The only solution at the time was to caulk shut all the cracks. After that, the coated the floor with a heavy layer of epoxy and glued directly to the epoxy “old-school,” heavy duty linoleum sheets. It lasted 20 years.

Challenges: The first step would be to remove the existing linoleum, epoxy and caulk. After which, the concrete had to be ground smooth. Once the material had been removed and the concrete ground, we then had to identify and repair any existing cracks.

Solution: The solution was to fill all the cracks with a flexible, “membrane-like,” vertical crack filler. Once the cracks had been filled and ground smooth, we had to apply our polyurea/aspartic, elastomeric coating system.

Conclusion: Harsh Minnesota winters and freeze / thaw cycles can wreak havoc on garage floors – including spancrete. Since spancrete tends to flex and move more than conventional garage floor, the choice of the coatings is absolutely critical to it’s longevity. G-F One Coatings has specialized in repairing, waterproofing and coating spancrete garage floor since 2005. See GFOneCoatings.com for more information or call us at 612.919.4414