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

Garage Coating Maintenance

How to Clean a G-F One Garage Floor Coating

by Joe Sheehan

October 6, 2010

One of the biggest wants / needs we hear from our customers is this, “I want a Garage Floor that’s easy to clean. How easy is your garage coating to clean, and how do I do it?” Here’s the answer to all of those questions.

Firstly, all floors get dirty. Due to water, dirt, debris from outside and from the vehicles that are parked on it, it’s inevitable that your floor will get dirty – with or without a garage floor coating. However, our coating is extremely easy to clean. Unlike concrete, which soaks up moisture and retains dirt, our garage floor coating is waterproof and stain resistant, allowing for quick and easy clean-up. In a few quick steps, you can have your floor looking like it was put down that day.

Here’s what you need.

1. Five gallon bucket
2. Clear ammonia
3. Soft-bristle push broom
4. Soft dual-head floor squeegee
5. Joy – for cleaning grease spots
6. Warm Water
7. Wet / Dry Shop Vac

Step 1 – Clean all grease, oil and/or dark stains – Pour warm water into the bucket. Pour the water onto the affected areas and apply a few drops of Joy onto the surface. Use a small hand brush to clean the surface and wipe clean after. DO NOT USE TOO MUCH SOAP – too much ends up creating a thin film build that will make your floor look hazy or cloudy and also makes it slippery when wet. It doesn’t hurt the floor, but it does create a safety hazard and makes it difficult to clean up since soap attracts dirt. Our advice – just don’t do it!

Step 2 – Add 10% ammonia to warm water / Agitate With Broom – Pour out the water with ammonia evenly over the garage floor. Then take the soft bristle push broom and scrub and agitate the dirt. This mobilize the dirt into the water.

Step 3 – Squeegee the water out of the garage – Next, take the foam squeegee and pull toward the garage door. Be sure to rinse off driveway with a garden to prevent dirt / debris build up. In the winter pull it to one area and pick up the water with a Wet / Dry Shop Vac.

And just like that, your floor is restored to it’s original (clean) condition. We recommend that you clean it or broom it off as often as possible (weekly). Dirt and debris create extra abrasion which can cause premature wear on a floor – depending on the amount of traffic it sees.

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

Spancrete / Weatherproofing

How Spancrete is Constructed – Why it Matters for Garage Coatings

by Joe Sheehan

October 6, 2010

Spancrete floors are common in Minnesota homes. They offer a great way to create additional living space at a low cost to the home-owner. The concept of spancrete is straightforward, however, older installations have considerable challenges, such as leaking and/or deterioration of the garage floor surface. This article is designed to give you a better understanding of how spancrete is constructed and how G-F One Coatings is able to permanently repair failing spancrete garage floors.

Step 1. Footings are poured and Walls are placed

Foundation Walls

Step 2. Spancrete planks are placed horitzontally across foundation walls

Placing Spancrete

Step 3. Spancrete waterproof membrane is installed (newer installations)

Spancrete Membrane

Step 4. Concrete is placed over spancrete planks and membrane

Pouring Concrete onto Spancrete

Step 5. Concrete is hand trawled or power trawled

Concrete Surface Finishing

Our Minnesota environment is devastating to a garage floor surface – especially spancrete. Freeze / thaw cycles, road salts, and constant moisture from snow melting and wet vehicles begin to break down and deteriorate the surface causing cracking, spalling and pop-outs.

G-F One Coatings specializes in repairing and protecting your spancrete garage floor. We do this by diamond grinding off the damaged surface, repairing all cracks and flaws and installing a pure polyurea/aspartic elastomeric (flexible) waterproofing surface membrane. We even offer highly decorative finishes. All backed by a long-term, no delamination warranty.

Visit GFOneCoatings.com for more information or call us at 612.919.4414

Before and Afters, Cold Weather Applications, Concrete Preparation, Garage Floor Coatings

Installing Concrete Coatings in Cold Weather

by Joe Sheehan

June 19, 2010

Like many Minnesotans, many of the city dwellers have a cabin up north.

Here’s the story: a family had built a log style detached garage near their cabin about 100 miles north of Minneapolis. With Christmas on the way, the family wanted to have their garage coated before the holiday for a holiday gathering. This wouldn’t be a problem for us at G-F One Coatings. Our coatings can be applied anywhere from below freezing and as high as 100 degrees, something many garage floor contractors can’t do with their products.

To start, we ground the surface smooth to remove all the latents in the surface of the concrete garage floor. Once the concrete had been ground, we filled all of the cracks with our “flexible” vertical crack filler. We also repaired all spalling and pop-outs in the surface. Once the crack filler had cured in the repaired areas, we ground it smooth again.

Once the garage floor was completely smooth. We applied our polyurea/aspartic elastomeric coating material. Once the material was down on the floor, we threw in our decorative vinyl composite chip, which is available in a variety of color choices.

Once the base coat was dry, we collected the remaining chip and applied our long-term, ultra-wear resistant pure polyurea top-coat with slip-resistant additive. See G-F One Coatings for more information or call us at 651-748-5999