Building a home in a coastal environment has a fewer important considerations, such as how you will strengthen and harden the concrete used for the slab foundation, the garage floor, and the driveway. Seawater damages concrete when the water permeates its pores and the salt corrodes rebar inside the concrete, according to Concrete Construction. A wave does not have to make contact with the concrete; winds carry saltwater spray to the cement.

Continual exposure to seawater results in leaching damage and expansion. Over time, concrete used at the beach erodes unless treated with a protective layer that enhances its impermeability. Just as some concrete bridges and overpasses begin to disintegrate, so can concrete areas of a home if they don’t receive proper protection.

Additives and Sealants Block Water

Rather than use concrete alone, have a flooring professional add epoxy to these areas of the home. Epoxy blocks water from entering the concrete, according to Purdue University. Epoxy also beautifies the cement, adding a gleaming seal to it. A flooring professional who applies garage epoxy in Coastal Carolina can also treat the driveway and other concrete flooring of the home.

When to Add Epoxy

Although it’s easier to treat flooring with epoxy during the construction of a home, a homeowner can also have epoxy added to a home’s concrete after construction. Epoxy adds strength to the cement and hardens it further, as well as closing its pores. If you recently purchased an older home, consider hiring a mason to repair the concrete’s cracks, then have an epoxy expert add a layer of epoxy to the garage floor and driveway.

Epoxy Transforms Concrete

Flooring professionals add epoxy to floor paint, so an epoxy additive can take on any color you like. Using this method, a homeowner can quickly revamp a garage, giving it a new look and providing the concrete with new life.

If the concrete structures of a home have already begun corroding, epoxy cannot save them. Instead, have a mason demolish the existing concrete and replace it with a new floor and driveway, then add the epoxy.  This method ensures the new floor will last. When constructing a new home, have the contractors add epoxy to the concrete slab foundation and other concrete areas of the home to create a stronger substance with decreased permeability.

Determining Your Home’s Risk

Most homeowners can’t tell if their concrete has a layer of epoxy on it or not, so search for “garage flooring near me” to find an expert in epoxy application. This professional can determine the state of the concrete and whether it already has epoxy on it. If it doesn’t, they can work with you to determine which paint or epoxy effect you want to use on the floor. You can mix epoxy with any color of paint, including those that look like marble, granite, or metallic.

Shore up your concrete on the shoreline. Add a sealant that hardens it and decreases its permeability. Transform your garage floor with colorful epoxy.