Everything You Need to Know about Rubber Surfacing for Garages
Garages are an important feature of a residential property as they bring a lot of utility and value to homeowners. Besides serving as a space for parking your vehicle, a garage can double up as a storage space, a home gym, or even a workspace. No wonder, finished garages are treated as an extension of residential real estate. Also, garage remodels add living space to the property. So, they not only boost property value but also pay for themselves in the long term.
Whether you plan to convert your garage into an office or a gym or want to use it as a ‘garage’ (to park your car), the first thing you’ll need to consider is the flooring. Because this space can be used for a variety of purposes you need versatile and high-performance flooring like rubber surfacing here. Rubber is a durable and high-performance flooring option that can make any space functional while elevating its aesthetics.
In this post, you’ll find everything you need to know about rubber flooring for garages.
Factors Affecting the Garage Surface
From the weight of vehicles to the chemical spills, your garage flooring has a lot to endure. Knowing what factors impact the garage floor can help you understand your surfacing needs better.
1. Weight of the Vehicle Parked
The primary use of a garage is to store vehicles. So, naturally, that’s the most important factor influencing the longevity and functionality of the space. The average weight of a vehicle is about 4000 lbs. Whether you own a small car or an SUV, it’s crucial to note that the weight of a standing vehicle greatly impacts the garage surface.
Add to this the regular vehicle traffic. These factors affect the integrity and functionality of the garage surface, causing it to crack or crumble. Hence, garages need a durable and resilient surface that can withstand such heavy loads.
2. Foot Traffic
If the garage is your home’s main entryway or you are using this space for your gym or home office, the surface will see everyday foot traffic. It’s ideal to install a surface that’ll not just stand up to such wear but also offer adequate cushioning and traction underfoot.
3. Engine Oil and Chemical Spills
Garage floors are often exposed to corrosive chemicals like engine oil, petrol, diesel, and chemical leaks from car batteries. Such spills and leaks can damage the surface.
For instance, the lead, lead oxide, and sulfuric acid present in these batteries react and deteriorate concrete garage surfaces. Hence, garages need a surface that’s resistant to such damage.
4. Environmental Factors
Factors like temperature fluctuations, snowfall, and frost can put a lot of stress on the garage surfaces, damaging surfaces like concrete.
Why Rubber Surfacing Is Ideal for Garages?
When we consider the factors affecting the surface of a garage, rubber surfacing seems like an ideal choice because of its unique properties. Moreover, a properly-installed rubber surfacing can transform an unattractive garage into an eye-catching extension of your home.
Here are a few reasons why rubber surfacing is a great flooring choice for your vehicle port.
1. Versatile
Garages, for American homeowners, almost work as an extra room. They can use it as a workshop, a storeroom for old furniture, a game room, or a gym. Rubber surfacing proves to be a suitable flooring material for such spaces because of its versatility. Being elastic, resilient to wear and tear, weather-proof, water permeable, frost-proof, and slip-resistant, the surface can practically serve any purpose.
For instance, if you plan to convert this space into a play area for kids, rubber surfacing will be a perfect fit. Being soft, the surface offers adequate cushioning to protect the little ones from serious injuries due to a fall.
Similarly, if this area is to be used for workouts, rubber surfacing can absorb shocks and hold up to heavyweights being dropped around.
2. Durable
Rubber surfaces can withstand anything from high volumes of traffic to heavyweights and intensive activity. That’s a big reason why rubber surfaces are preferred in gyms and weight rooms. By nature, rubber is an elastic, self-healing, and resilient material.
Hence, using rubber surfacing in your garage is the best decision you can make. Once installed, the surface will last you for several years. Whether you plan to park your vehicle here or use it as a garden shed for heavy tools and lawn supplies, rubber surfaces can take it all.
3. Easy to Clean and Maintain
Garages tend to gather a lot of grime and dust because most of them have large doors. Constantly opening and closing the garage allows the outside dirt to be blown inside. Further, if your garage is being used as a workshop, chemicals, and oil spills can make the surface greasy and messy. Not to mention, the accident risks such floors carry.
No one wants to spend hours scrubbing garage floors. That’s where installing rubber surfacing can help. The surface is easy to clean and maintain. All you need is a mild soap water solution and a mop. So, say your goodbyes to laborious cleaning days!
4. Comfortable Underfoot
Rubber is the only flooring material you’ll find that’s resilient and offers a cushioning and comforting effect underfoot. Hence, unlike hard surfaces, rubber surfacing doesn’t cause muscle fatigue and backaches.
So, if you are using this space for activities that involve long hours of standing, the surface is quite forgiving. For instance, if the garage is your mechanic shop or gym, rubber surfacing can ease the stress of standing or high-impact activities.
5. Skid-Proof
Rubber has a high coefficient of friction, which means it resists motion and materials do not slide past on its surface. Hence, rubber surfaces offer high traction and are skid resistant even in wet conditions. This makes rubber surfaces safe flooring for seniors, kids, and pets who can move around without slipping or falling.
Even if anyone slips, rubber surfaces are known to create a “bruise not break” environment, thus reducing the risk of serious injuries.
6. Shock-Absorbent
High-impact activities cause considerable damage to the floor and the subfloor. In such a case, using shock-absorbing flooring can transfer the energy from the impact into the material, thus protecting the subfloor. Rubber surfacing is designed to absorb shocks and isolate and dampen vibration from intensive activities.
7. Sound-Absorbent
Floor soundproofing is a critical aspect to be considered when refurbishing any space. More so, if you plan to use your garage as a workshop or a gym. If that’s the case, you’ll need a surface that reduces the sound impact of the heavy tools and machinery or the dropping of weights.
Rubber possesses noise-abatement properties that reduce the transmission of impact sound (foot traffic, tools, and machinery) and airborne sound (people talking or sound from speakers). River Rock Resurfacing offers durable and resilient top layers with shock and sound-absorbing underlayments. So, even if you convert your garage into a band practice space, your family and neighbors will not be disturbed.
8. Aesthetics
Besides offering the above-mentioned benefits, rubber surfacing is known to elevate the look of a space. Modern rubber surfacing can be tailored as per your needs and to complement the overall decor.
River Rock Resurfacing offers a wide range of colors for you to choose from because we don’t want you to sacrifice aesthetics for functionality.
Summing Up
Owing to its durability, versatility, comfort, and other features rubber is proving to be an ideal flooring material for garages. No wonder, most American homeowners undertaking a garage flooring project opt for rubber surfaces.
If you want to boost the functionality and aesthetics of your garage, get in touch with the River Rock Resurfacing team. We’ve been in this industry for more than three decades and know rubber surfacing like the back of our hands.
Write to us at info@riverrockresurfacing.com or call us on + (1) 303 424 7905 now. We cannot wait to hear from you!