Questions about sealing my garage floor

Sam_Fear · Jun 2, 2013

I'm wondering if using some kind of epoxy sealer or such would help keep my floor dry. Our garage floor seems to sweat a lot - to the point where I get pooling water. It has been raining way above normal, but this isn't water leaking in, it either condensating or is coming up through the concrete itself, not the cracks. I don't think it's condensation since the temps haven't been varying that much. The floor was poured in the 60's and I would guess it is at best 4" thick.

Any opinions or ideas?

kenny c · Jun 2, 2013

garage floor can be sealed with epoxy paints such as a two part system from u-coatit or can be bought it at lowes or home depot. that being said if the floor is not clean of oils,grease and dirt it won't stick. the other thing is if there is a condensation problem it could be caused by year of cars being driven in with snow and salt or calcium chloride or other ice and snow melting agents dripping on the floor. it is best to get rid of these things before sealing the floor. degreasers,detergents and a hot water or steam pressure washer for grease and oil. I don't know of a really good method of removing the ice melting agents. after it is clean it is a good idea to etch it with a solution of muriatic acid and water but i don't recall the ratio to mix it. after the etching you should clean it again with a detergent like simple green. and remember do not mix chemicals, the fumes can kill you the same goes for painting you need plenty of ventilation. good luck. i'm sure some one knows a lot more than me on this. so please feel free to chime in.

dmw56 · Jun 2, 2013

If moisture is coming up from the ground through the concrete it will probably just lift any coating you put on it. Try a small area and see what happens.

Dr Crankenstein · Jun 2, 2013

I'm with dmw on this one.

I suspect there's no vapor barrier under you slab, allowing moisture to "wick" thru the concrete. I've seen garages with sumps and automatic pumps to alleviate the problem but that's a project in itself.

Have a look at this stuff. I don't know how it works with 50 year-old concrete but it sounds like the cat's meow...

http://www.radonseal.com/radonseal-mitigation.htm

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