Your garage stands up to a lot of abuse. From extreme temperatures to chemical spills, your garage floor has to be tough to keep going strong, year after year. Sometimes, though, this abuse, as well as other factors, may cause your garage floor to begin to warp. To help protect your garage, it’s important to address a warped floor as quickly as possible. Here are a few methods you can use to correct this issue.
Replace the Floor
If your garage floor has become exceptionally warped to the point that other options aren’t viable, you can opt to start from scratch and replace the floor entirely. While this is the most expensive option, this will provide you with a fresh start that you can then maintain to help prevent future warping. Just be sure you use a qualified mason to do the job so that you don’t run into issues shortly after installing your new floor.
Repair the Foundation
In some cases, a warped garage floor is caused by a problem with your home’s foundation. These problems can be caused by water damage, seismic activity, or normal settling that takes place over the years. Whatever causes the problem, though, it’s important to utilize foundation repair services to level the foundation and hold it steady using polyurethane foam or slurry. While the technicians address your garage’s foundation, it’s a good idea to have them inspect the rest of your home, as well.
Utilize Spot Leveling
If there are only a few spots that are slightly warped, you can utilize spot leveling to make your garage floor even again. Spot leveling involves using concrete leveling compound to raise areas that have become too low as a result of the warping. It’s important to note that this is different than applying leveling compound over the entire surface of your garage floor, as this can be difficult to do accurately when you also need to provide for proper drainage.
Remove Excess Weight
Warped garage floors need to be carefully monitored until they can be properly repaired. Prior to the repairs being completed, it’s important to remove excess weight from the warped floor sections to protect the floors from further damage. Plus, a warped floor tends to be quite uneven, which could put items that you place in these areas at a greater risk of toppling over.
Photo by Case Design/Remodeling of Indianapolis
Don’t Ignore It
Whatever you do, don’t ignore a warped garage floor. Due to the underlying causes, a warped floor will not get better by itself over time. In fact, it will likely get worse, which will only make it more expensive to fix the longer you wait. Therefore, as soon as you notice an uneven garage floor, it’s important to take quick action to help protect your investment.
Author Bio
Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan