One of the few happy accidents of recent years has been that spending more time at home has driven a DIY renaissance. Now that people are spending time in the home with their family more than ever, they’re seeing ways to make a better, more comfortable and more beautiful home. The current generation of parents are introducing kids to the joy of working with their hands and creating something in a way that hasn’t existed in decades.
However, there are certain projects that you simply shouldn’t do on your own. Installing an epoxy garage floor is one of them.
The Risks of DIY Garage Floors
Contracting a professional to handle your garage floor project can seem expensive, but it’s well worth the long-term value of epoxy. When anyone but an expert who’s familiar with the nuances of garage flooring attempt the project, though, there’s a major risk of failure. When this happens, you’re worse off than you were to start with as you need to tear up the floor to avoid the safety risks and poor appearance that come with substandard flooring.
DIY Flooring Misses Important Details
When an expert handles epoxy flooring, they know exactly how to properly handle key details like drying and chip flooring. Without this expertise, it’s almost certain that you’ll miss a certain nuance of the process.
Improper Drying Techniques
Using the correct amount of acid wash, maintaining a suitable temperature, and timing the different steps of the process right are essential. If you don’t dry out the concrete properly or leave it laying too long, it can cause moisture or air bubbles to become trapped beneath the surface. These and other risks are bad news for the long-term integrity of your garage floor.
You Run Out of Materials
A big part of the reason for doing a DIY project is saving money. The do-it-yourself kits for epoxy flooring have a set amount that may not be enough for your project in practice. As such, you’ll either have to defeat the purpose of DIY’ing by buying more than you need or risk not having enough.
Bad Epoxy Flooring Can Look Deceptively Good
The look of epoxy garage floors is as much a part of the appeal as the durability, but this presents two risks for DIY jobs. For one, errors can ruin the look and prevent you from having the appearance you want. What’s worse, though, is that some mistakes are almost invisible to the average person. It might look good but actually have internal problems that will force you to replace it before long.
The Consequences of Substandard DIY Epoxy Garage Floors
While the problems that can occur during DIY epoxy garage floor installation are clear, the question is what this means to you. The main risks are:
- Floor chipping and cracking. Improper installation makes the epoxy surface more susceptible to wear and tear that can create tripping hazards
- Moisture and air bubbles undermine the seal between the epoxy and the concrete, which undermines the integrity of the floor. It can break at a faster rate, and this can create hazardous situations when using heavy machinery that puts more pressure on the floor.
- Tearing up flawed garage floors and then replacing them is considerably more expensive than simply hiring a professional in the first place.
Call Garage Floorz
The DIY boom is a beautiful thing, but some jobs are meant for professionals. If you’re interested in Murfreesboro epoxy garage floors, reach out to Garage Floorz to schedule a free consultation.