Question:
The surface of my concrete floor in my garage is very eroded - I
assume from years of road salt. Any way of resurfacing it without
completely replacing the concrete?
Can anyone in the group help me please?
Answer:
One problem with deterioration of concrete caused by salt is: How deep does
it go? You can certainly resurface with a material called Miracote
(www.miracote.com), but nothing is going to work if there's not something
sound to bond with. A high pressure (2500-3000 psi) washer may reveal the
extent of the damage. If concrete comes out in chunks, it's going to be
hard to do anything, but if the pressure only removes a shallow layer, it
should be possible to resurface it. The Miracote can be placed with a large
(24") shop squeegee as well as by brush, trowel, and roller. Since the
damage should be localized to the areas under the car, you should have
undamaged concrete on each side and the ends that will help you keep it
level if you use a straightedge.
I've used Miracote to resurface a section of an industrial road (resurfaced
area still there after 6 years), a porch, and a sidewalk. With the last
two, I put down a smoothing coat on top, let it dry, then laid out a grid
with strapping tape. Then, I colored another dose of Miracote and put it
over the whole thing. After the second coat was pretty much dry, I pulled
out the tape to reveal the pattern. On both of those, the grid was to
simulate the joints of running bond bricks with the topcoat becoming the
brick. It turned out very well and I've gotten a lot of compliments on it.
Currently, I'm planning a similar project for my garage floor, but I'm
planning on laying it out with 16" square to resemble quarry tile.
If you should use the Miracote, be sure to double seal the floor afterwards
to prevent any damage from salt.
