Best Ways to Make That Garage Floor Shine

Your garage shouldn’t become the typical damp, musky, and neglected space that defines most garages.  Flooring plays a big role in the overall feel of a garage, and a floor that’s damaged, unclean, and dulled can make a garage seem outdated and uncared for.  There are a few tricks in keeping a garage floor nice and shiny, regardless of what material it’s made out of.

For Concrete Garage Floors

Concrete is one of the most common materials used for a garage floor.  It’s durable, functional, and tough against the abuse of car tires, heavy equipment, and foot traffic.  If the concrete floor isn’t cared for, then it can suffer cracks, and exposure to liquids, water runoff, and melting snow can further damage its structural integrity.

Quick and Easy: Concrete Floor Polish

Concrete cleans up rather quickly.  If your flooring is dulled from scuffling feet, heavy objects, or faded from the harsh rays of the sun, then grab a mop and get ready to polish.

You’ll be removing the dingy layer to make your floor shine, so what you’ll need is a mop with a microfiber cloth head and cement floor polish.

These are both items you can grab at your local home improvement store.  All you have to do is follow the instructions, apply the polish to the floor, and slowly and diligently work to remove the layer of grime with your mop.

Make sure you have a window or the garage door open when working with chemicals.  Start in sections no bigger than 3 square feet at a time, working from one corner toward the opening of the garage.  Stubborn areas may require that you throw down some baking soda (about a quarter cup), using a microfiber cloth to scrub out tougher scuff marks.

Stubborn Stains: Pressure Washing

For very dull concrete floors, grab a pressure washer to blast away seriously stuck debris and dirt from the surface and crevices.  You’ll notice a huge difference in the surface color and sheen, although test an area first to determine if the concrete can handle high-pressure steam.

Clean your concrete floors every other month to keep them sparkling.

For Epoxy Garage Floors

Epoxy is a popular option for garage flooring.  It’s an attractive, sensible, and can withstand plenty of abuse.  Epoxy is extremely durable, easily maintained, and sealed to withstand surface damage and cracking.  But just like concrete, epoxy can lose its shine over time.  However, it’s not hard to get it shine like new once again.

Quick and Easy: Ammonia and Water

For a fast cleaning you can accomplish in a matter of an hour (or less), grab a bottle of ammonia, a bucket, a mop, and some hot water.  Epoxy floors are scratch and stain resistant, but over time they can appear dull due to friction and wear.

Your mixture should be a gallon of hot water to five ounces of ammonia.  Like you would with concrete floor polish, make sure a window or the garage door is open and start working at a back corner, mopping the floor towards the entryway.

Avoid using abrasive cleaners on your epoxy floors.  Instead, use a soft but effective kitchen scrubbing brush to buff out stains and scuffs.  Keep your epoxy floors shiny with this method by cleaning them every season.

Stubborn Stains: Reapplying Epoxy

Is your epoxy floor in bad shape and mopping it down isn’t helping it shine?  What makes epoxy flooring so attractive is that you can potentially reapply the top layer to reinvigorate its shine.  It’s more work than simply grabbing a mop and a cleaning solution, but as long as you take care of your floors you shouldn’t have to reapply epoxy for years to come.

You can apply a clear coat of epoxy over older, cured epoxy flooring, just as long as the old product and new products are compatible.  Applying a new epoxy coating is like painting—you’ll want to use sandpaper to rough up the surface, so the coating has something to cling to.  Vacuum and wipe the floor down to prepare the surface, then follow the manufacturer instructions to apply the new coating on your floor.  Remember to use proper safety gear when working with these mixtures and make sure you have a window open for circulation.

Easy Solutions, Long Term Care

As long as you clean up your garage floor every once in a while, you’ll see that simple cleaning can go a long way.  Your floors will keep their shine with a quick routine cleaning that doesn’t call for much other than standard household chemicals, warm water, and a mop.  It’s when the garage floor is neglected over long periods of time where you’ll need something with more muscle, like a new coating or more serious chemicals.

Do you need a new garage built? If so, Danley’s wants to help you. We’ve been building garages for Chicago homeowners since 1959. Join the 100,000 happy homeowners who had their garage built by Danley’s and get a free quote now.