Garage floors do NOT receive the same vapour barriers as house slabs. Garage slabs are poured directly over packed earth. That means the stains are salt deposits coming UP from the ground. This is normal. This is natural. This is what concrete does when it sits directly over raw earth.

If you are looking to etch/seal the floors you will need to figure out the hydrostatic pressure and then figure out which professional grade product can handle that type of pressure.

A concrete professional who deals with 'wet basements' will be able to handle garage floors. They will shot blast the surface, then seal it with the highest level moisture barrier they have, then top it with microtoping (high-end concrete) and allow it to cure. Once cured they come back and then stain/etch the surface and then add a 'finish' like clear coat epoxy...etc.

A 'basic' blast and seal (without the etching/finish) is around $5/sf. The more you ask them to do the higher the costs go up. A coloured concrete+finish will add another $2-$3/sf.

The MAIN thing for your garage would be the blasting and sealing with a topping of concrete. That's what you are looking for (to get rid of the 'staining' look that is bugging you). Once that is done, you might be able to do the 'finish' on your own...at a later date.

But remember: concrete specialists LOVE it when homeowners try their own 'fixes'. It means more money in the pocket of the professionals because it costs more money to 'fix the fix' than if they were brought in at the beginning of the project.

wow!!!!
so you are saying...in lay man's terms...a professional needs to access the pressure exerted to force the salt to the surface and then (simplifying) must use proper means to coat so salt cannot get back thru.

sounds expensive. we have a 2 car garage....u r talking thousands...never heard of anyone going to this extreme so does everyone else just ignore it?

I could care less about the stain but when I start tracking it in the house...that's what bothers me.

Hi andrelaplume2,

We're not specialists in this arena but what SJ McCarthy provided is sound advice. You really only have two options here:

1. Call the professionals and let them handle it correctly the first time around

or

2. You can do it yourself using random internet advice that you find on the World Wide Web and hope that their advice won't damage the surface any further.

Your request for advice above is simply asking for the impossible, especially if you're asking whether the stain is coming up through the floor. In all likelihood, you should assume worse case scenario and go from there.

The simplest solution would be to dig up and replace with new flooring but ultimately that depends on what your budget is.

By the way, if you have any lighting, home decor, and/or accent furniture needs, we can certainly further assist you on that.

We hope this information will help you make a more informed decision on your home needs.

Very Best,

Tai Truong

Elements of Design

3400 Medford Street

Los Angeles, CA 90063

tai@lusivedecor.com

www.elementsofdesign.com

@ andrelaplume2

Not many people go to such serious lengths for a garage floor. And yes, thousands of dollars is just about right. Adding in moisture mitigation (stopping the ground salts from being brought up through the slab and then left on the surface after the water has evaporated off) after a slab has been poured is expensive/serious business.

It is *possible that you can get a DIY level product down on the concrete....but you run the risk of full failure in a very short amount of time. Where you live, how old the slab is and how high the local water table sits (how close to the surface is the ground water...Florida and Louisiana are examples of REALLY HIGH water tables)?

If you are simply trying to get rid of the salt deposits, it might just be easier to power wash every 6 months. It is cheap (cost of a sprayer) and easy and DIY friendly (just remember to wear safety toe shoes when working with 'real' power washers...re-attaching toes is not something you want to have to deal with at your local ER/hospital).

A DIY level garage paint or Home Depot Epoxy kit have issues with adhesion if there is too much salt in/on the concrete, or motor oil, or tire rubber, etc. Even the DIY option requires ++++cleaning (with chemicals that require special clothing because it is caustic), then +++++rinsing (because the caustic chemicals are also bond breakers which means they absolutely must be removed = excessive rinsing. Then the concrete must dry (you will need to know how to measure concrete moisture levels) before applying the garage paint/Epoxy.

And as I said before, concrete sealing specialists LOVE these DIY jobs. They give them SOOOOO much business they are worth as much as 25% of their yearly business.

If all you're worried about is tracking something into the house, it would be easy and cheap to just buy a small rug and wipe your feet before entering.