One of the most used materials in building construction is concrete. This is for a very good reason, concrete has high compressive strength, and doesn’t warp like wood. This high strength means that both commercial buildings and residential buildings use concrete slabs for areas that hold a lot of weight. Warehouses and garages both use concrete as they are utilised for storing heavy objects and materials.
This isn’t to say that concrete is perfect. It can trap dirt, stain easily and spall. There is a fix, though, and that’s painting concrete floors! Whether you do it yourself or search for commercial painting contractors in Perth, first consider the benefits of painting concrete floors.
Do you own a garage and find that you’re always having to sweep away dirt trails? You sweep and sweep, but no matter how hard you try the dirt just seems to never end.
There is a reason for that, concrete surfaces are porous. Dirt and sand grains love to fill up these porous holes and get stuck to boots and wheels which drag it out everywhere.
If you own a workshop or warehouse, any products being stored on shelves will accumulate dust, which is generated from concrete. This will be especially bad for any stored food products. If this is happening, it’s a good idea to get on top of it before it becomes a health risk.
Painted concrete surfaces are perfect for keeping everything clean. Typically, concrete is painted with a latex paint, which has a non-absorbent surface. Your garage, workshop, or warehouse will be kept so much cleaner with a quality paint job that covers the entire floor. A regular sweep or vacuum will ensure those pesky dirt trails are a thing of the past.
It may seem like an oxymoron, but concrete needs protection. Concrete does have a very high compressive strength, but doesn’t have very good resistance against chemicals and water drips.
Have you ever seen a concrete footpath below a dripping gutter? The water drips always drill a hole into the concrete. As we said before, concrete is porous, which means that any liquid substance will feed its way through the minuscule air pockets found within the cement. If there are any chemicals or consistent water spillage, your concrete will be slowly eaten away. Therefore, leaving ugly holes and marks in the concrete. Painters in Rockingham and other coastal areas often see these problems because it rains more along the coastline.
Painted concrete floors will be protected from chemical and water damage, making them both more attractive and safer. Any holes in concrete could lead to cracking, which can become a safety hazard in the future and cost a lot of money to fix.
If you run a business in a warehouse or workshop, it’s a good idea to delineate areas. Concrete floor paint is perfect for marking out areas for a certain kind of work. If your warehouse has forklifts, then having a walking aisle for pedestrians (painted in bright colours) is a useful and great way to decrease the risk of accidents. Having easy-to-read and understandable markings will keep people within your place of business safer.
Anyone with a garage is going to see stains on their floor in no time. Without concrete paint, any kind of oil drips are going to soak into the concrete and stain it. Applying paint will stop the floor from being porous and getting permanently stained. This way you can keep your garage floor looking fresh and clean for years to come.
Maybe you don’t know what spalling is. Well, it’s cracking and peeling caused by rebars within the concrete. Inside a concrete slab designed for heavy loads, there is a network of reinforcing steel bars, known as rebars. These rebars are there for added strength and tension that helps prevent any load failures. However, any corrosion or rusting on the rebars causes the metal to expand and crack. This is why the bars have an alkaline coating to prevent it. But sometimes, once the concrete sets, atmospheric gases and salts can seep in and strip the alkaline coating and corrode the steel. Corrosion on rebar causes cracking and flaking on the surface concrete.
Spalling is not only ugly, it can compromise the structural integrity of the concrete, resulting in a massive amount of money being spent on repairs or replacement. Concrete sealer paint is a great cost-effective way to prevent this from happening. The paint acts as a sealant to prevent anything from getting into the concrete and causing damage.
There isn’t anything wrong with wanting your garage or place of business to look good. Not only is it appealing to you, but it may encourage customers to come in. They will see your workplace is clean and tidy, boosting their confidence in your services and products.
Painted concrete is also a great way to improve the pricing of your house, especially if you’re looking to sell. It will give a sense of cleanliness and roominess, as painting concrete floors makes a room look larger than it is because it reflects light.
Perhaps, you spend a lot of time in your garage on hobbies, like working on a car. By getting a new paint coat, it will feel like you’re in a spacious area, removing that cramped feeling you may get.
Now you know some of the great benefits of painting your concrete flooring. The next important step is getting it done. Now it may seem easy enough to just get a tub of paint, and slap it out on the floor. But here is more to it than that, and we recommend getting professionals to do it.
Elite Painting Services are amongst the best residential and commercial painting contractors in Perth. We use only the best paint to make sure your property gets the quality paint job it deserves. Our services cover all of Perth. You can hire painters from Rockingham to Joondalup to paint your concrete floor.
