Garage Floor Coating in Bismarck, ND

A garage floor coating does the most work of any floor in a Bismarck home. From the first snow in fall until spring, every trip home brings in a layer of slush, beet brine, salt brine and sand. The meltwater pools under the vehicle, soaks into bare concrete, and freezes again on the next cold night near the door. A coating closes off the surface so that water stays on top, where you can push it out with a squeegee.

What the city's winter mix does to concrete

KFYR-TV reported that Bismarck had used nearly 38,000 gallons of beet brine, more than 17,000 gallons of salt brine, 190 tons of salt and more than 2,300 tons of sand on its roads partway through the 2021 to 2022 winter. Salt and brine work into concrete pores. A 2008 literature review for the South Dakota DOT, prepared by the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute, describes sodium chloride causing severe scaling of concrete under freeze-thaw cycling. The sand works from the top down, grinding into whatever surface it lands on. Bare garage slabs show both: a flaky, rough strip inside the door and a dull, gritty finish everywhere else.

Signs your slab is ready for a coating

• Flaking or pitting near the overhead door and under the tire paths
• White crust or rings left where meltwater dried
• Oil, transmission fluid or antifreeze stains that have soaked in
• Dust that comes back no matter how often you sweep
• A store-bought coating peeling where the tires sit
• Cracks along control joints or across the slab

Prep is the whole job

Most failed garage coatings never bonded properly. Acid etch kits clean the surface but leave behind cure-and-seal products, old paint and weak, salt-damaged concrete. We diamond grind the entire floor, including the edges along the walls, so the base coat bonds to sound concrete. Then we vacuum the dust, degrease oil spots, and fill cracks, pits and spalls. If an old coating is still on the floor, it comes off before anything new goes down.

New builds and older homes

Many Bismarck homes went up after 1985, and the newest neighborhoods on the north side and in Lincoln have large attached garages. Those slabs are usually flat and sound, but builders often apply a cure-and-seal that blocks a coating from bonding, and shrinkage cracks show up in the first few years. Older homes closer to downtown and in Mandan more often have detached garages with thinner concrete, patches, and slopes that hold water. We plan the prep around the slab you actually have.

Picking a finish

Most Bismarck garages get a full flake broadcast floor. The chips hide sand and dried brine between cleanings and add texture underfoot. Some owners prefer a solid color with a light flake or an anti-slip aggregate for a cleaner look. Either way, we finish with a clear polyaspartic or urethane topcoat for abrasion and UV resistance. We bring samples to the estimate so you can see them in your own garage light.

Caring for the floor in winter

A coating makes winter cleanup easier, but it still needs attention. Squeegee meltwater out the door, rinse the floor a few times during the season, and use a containment mat under each vehicle if you want less mess. Sweep sand often, since it is what dulls the topcoat. Keep metal snow shovel blades and tire chains off the surface.