Penn State Pride is Apparent in this State College Garage
When we go to State College to meet a homeowner interested in a garage floor coating, there is a 1 in 4 chance they want a color scheme that shows their support for the local college’s sport teams. In fact, since 2004, we have coated at least four homes that are not the primary residence, but used when the owners come into town for a Penn State football game. These party garages sometimes feature fire places, wall-mounted televisions, and wet bars. To support these Nittany Lion fans, we have a decorative chip blend that often hits that sweet spot for the Blue & White Society.
Knocking Out this State College Epoxy Coating
For these homeowners, they had the usual issues with the garage floor (see Common State College Area Problems with Concrete Garage Floors – below). The floor had some road salt and ice melt damage (even though the floor had originally been sealed – most likely with a cheap Cure-N-Seal style acrylic sealer). The zip strips (joints created when the concrete pad was poured) had the usual efflorescence around the joint lines.
Steve went over the installation process (1.5 days) and reviewed which options they wanted:
- Coat the concrete apron (the concrete extending beyond the garage door)?
- No – they wanted the coatings to terminate under the garage door.
- Coat the wood step going into the main home?
- Yes – they wanted the coatings (with the chips) on both the tread and riser. The wood kick plate above the step was to be left alone (they would paint it white later).
- Chip blend?
- Our Penn State Enthusiast blend – of course!
Steve also advised the homeowners that our installation crew would remove the silicone caulk from the zip strips (joints) in the floor and replace it with epoxy joint fillers. This would allow our coatings to create a monolithic surface.
Our crews arrived in late September and installed the coatings in the two car garage of this home in the Toftrees development.
Common State College Area Problems with Concrete Garage Floors
Whenever we look at a State College garage floor, you can expect to see some of the following:
- Road salt and ice melt damage to the surface – displaying as minor pitting or rough surface areas outlined by the original smooth concrete.
- Cracks are outlined in road salt residue or efflorescence (a whitish, powdery deposit on the surface formed when mineral rich water rising up the concrete capillaries evaporates).
- Numerous harsh winters (freeze and thaw cycles) and chemical attacks have promoted spalling.
