Why Does Your Garage Floor Crack When It Gets Cold Outside?
Winter is here again. There is snow on the ground, the trees are suspiciously shiny with ice, and suddenly a crack is appearing in your garage floor. Oh, don’t worry, your garage isn’t the only one affected; this happens to many people once temperature starts to drop.
Your Concrete Garage Floor Will Happily Absorb Any Liquid
Your concrete garage floor acts like a very, very slow sponge. Any liquid that comes in contact with it will be soaked up, albeit slowly. Those of us who have changed their own oil know this as the smallest bit of motor oil will create a tiny, but permanent stain. All concrete garage floors are the same, so you’re not alone here, either. Any garage flooring that has no cover will absorb water as well. Water doesn’t sound very threatening, I know, as it would be a clear stain, right? Unfortunately, when the temperature gets low enough, water does something that many other chemicals don’t do…
Water Is A Frigid Saboteur
It freezes. Although things generally contract when they become cold, water included, ice is obviously much more solid than water. Concrete is definitely much stronger than ice, of course, but having tiny pockets of ice throughout the concrete adds solidity where there generally is none. This makes the concrete garage floor a lot more rigid than it generally is. This rigidity is a very bad thing when the concrete begins to contract, as it naturally will when it becomes cold.
Moisture Is Very Tenacious
Your first thought will be to always make sure the garage door is closed. That won’t always help, though. Humidity is also in the air, and will find ways to seep in to the garage floor, no matter how well sealed it is. There is no such things as a waterproof garage (is there?), so every garage floor can be compromised by moisture, no matter how protected they seem. Moisture will also get to the concrete from the ground, on the underneath and the sides, but that largely depends on the area you are in, how often it rains, and if water tends to stand against the garage, as well as the height of your area’s water table.
A Garage Floor Covering Can Prevent This!
Garage floor coverings, like tiles and mats, will help to protect the concrete, keeping cracks away. There really isn’t anything that can be done about moisture coming from the bottom and sides of the concrete slab, but generally that’s only a very small part of what needs to be addressed. For the most part, the moisture will come from above. If there’s not too much moisture coming from underneath, you can use an epoxy garage floor coating to seal the garage floor from moisture, which will almost completely keep it out. Although not as effective, a garage floor covering like tiles or a mat will also help since they can absorb a lot of moisture as well.
Will A Garage Floor Covering Help If I Know Moisture Wasn’t To Blame?
Yes, it sure will. Aside from the sun heating it from above, which isn’t very likely if your garage is kept closed up, your garage floor’s main source of warmth comes from underneath. With a covering or coating of any kind, this warmth will be retained far more effectively, and keeping your garage floor warmer means keeping it from contracting, and hopefully cracking.
Need more information before you choose your garage floor? Check out Sweet Garage Floor.
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