If you use your garage to store your car, there’s a good chance that your garage floor gets really messy in winter. Salt, ice and standing water can do damage over time. You can prevent this from happening by taking steps to winterize your garage floor. Following these tips, you can protect your garage floor from the elements. Here’s what you need to know.
Lay Down a Garage Mat
Install a garage mat to protect your concrete floor from ice and de-icing salt. Garage mats are large and made of rubber, and can withstand the weight of a vehicle. A good garage mat can also prevent slips in the garage because the mat provides traction when the garage floor gets wet.
Unless your garage mat is large enough to extend to the edges of the space, you may want to install a rubber runner from the pedestrian door to the garage mat, to provide further protection.
Seal Your Garage Floor
Concrete needs to be sealed periodically, or it will absorb moisture and may eventually crack. This is especially true in winter when water and salt sit on the surface of your garage floor for weeks or months at a time.
You can tell if your concrete garage floor needs to be sealed by pouring a few tablespoons of water on the floor. If the water is quickly absorbed by the concrete, then it needs to be sealed. If the water beads up on top of the concrete, then it’s been properly sealed.
Concrete sealant is sold in hardware and home improvement stores. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to install the sealant.
Replace the Garage Door Rubber Gasket
Your garage door should be equipped with a rubber gasket on the bottom. This gasket is designed to fill the space between the garage door and the concrete garage floor. The purpose of the rubber gasket is to prevent moisture from seeping under the door into your garage. The gasket also prevents pests from entering your garage under the crack in the door.
The rubber gasket under your garage door can become brittle over time, so it needs to be replaced periodically. To determine whether your garage door gasket needs to be replaced, check it for gaps. To replace the gasket, raise your garage door halfway, then pull the old gasket out the side of the door. Install a new gasket the same way you removed the old one: by sliding it in the channels under the door, through the side.
Contact Us To Maintain Your Garage Door and Opener
Just as it’s important to maintain your garage floor, it’s also important to maintain your garage door and garage door opener. To get the job done, contact Overhead Door of Oklahoma City to schedule your garage door tune-up and repair. Call today to make an appointment or discuss your garage door repair concerns.
