Garage floor questions

PDoyle · May 23, 2013

Every now and then I get a white powdery build up along the cut in lines in the cement on my garage floor. Sometimes there are damp spots on the concrete floor as well, and it hasn't been sealed.
I reside in Upstate New York.
I want to cover the floor using epoxy garage paint.
Will it be a waste of time?
Should I look at garage flooring?
Looking forward to hear from you guys. Thanks.

hh76 · May 23, 2013

Look in the flooring section, tons of epoxy information.

pattenp · May 23, 2013

Sounds like you have a moisture problem from beneath the slab. Epoxy paint may not be the best thing to use because moisture will make it peel off. What's the age of the slab?

pmiranda · May 23, 2013

We got that in our old house all the time. I guessed that the previous owners had spilled something on the floor at some point since anytime it rained hard the moisture would cause a fluffy white powder to come out of the concrete.

If the powder is coming from the concrete itself then I guess there isn't much you can do about it, other than make sure the earth is graded to move water away from the garage?

PDoyle · May 23, 2013

pattenp said:
Sounds like you have a moisture problem from beneath the slab. Epoxy paint may not be the best thing to use because moisture will make it peel off. What's the age of the slab?

Looks like salt. The slap is a 6" pour, built in 2004.

PDoyle · May 23, 2013

pmiranda said:
We got that in our old house all the time. I guessed that the previous owners had spilled something on the floor at some point since anytime it rained hard the moisture would cause a fluffy white powder to come out of the concrete.

If the powder is coming from the concrete itself then I guess there isn't much you can do about it, other than make sure the earth is graded to move water away from the garage?

And lean towards a flooring rather than an epoxy. I'll have to get a payment program for a 30x40. :scared:

pattenp · May 23, 2013

Yep, it's most likely efflorescence. The salts in the concrete are being brought to the surface by moisture. If the slab is that old then it's a moisture problem that's coming from underneath the slab. There is probably no vapor barrier. Or moisture is being wicked in from the edges of the concrete.

PDoyle said:
Looks like salt. The slap is a 6" pour, built in 2004.

Modifieddriver · May 24, 2013

No vapor barrier =s moisture on top.

My buddy in upstate NY has the same problem. His floor also cracked. His concrete man said it didn't need any cuts. That's a crock. Usually means the concrete man is just plain lazy to make the cuts the day after the pour.

BigSteve63 · May 24, 2013

pattenp said:
Yep, it's most likely efflorescence. The salts in the concrete are being brought to the surface by moisture. If the slab is that old then it's a moisture problem that's coming from underneath the slab. There is probably no vapor barrier. Or moisture is being wicked in from the edges of the concrete.

^ This - more than likely, nothing will stick to it for long...

Garage floor questions

PDoyle

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hh76

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pattenp

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pmiranda

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PDoyle

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PDoyle

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pattenp

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Modifieddriver

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BigSteve63

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