Why prep decides how long a floor lasts
Nearly every peeling garage floor comes down to poor prep. Coatings need a clean, open concrete surface to grab onto. Professional installers use diamond grinders (usually with dust collection) to remove the smooth top layer, old sealers, and stains, then repair damage before any coating goes down.
Common slab problems in Utah County garages
- Spalling and scaling: flaking concrete where salty snowmelt has sat through freeze-thaw cycles, often near the garage door and where tires park
- Cracks: shrinkage and settlement cracks are common in both older homes and new construction
- Oil and fluid stains: need to be removed or treated so they don't keep the coating from bonding
- Old coatings or paint: usually have to be ground off completely
- Moisture: some slabs let moisture come up from below, which can lift a coating; installers can test for it
What repair looks like
Cracks are typically cleaned out and filled with a repair material made for coatings. Spalled areas are ground and patched. Joints may be filled or left open depending on the slab. Ask the installer to point out every repair they plan to make and whether it's included in the price.
A floor that's already badly damaged can still be coated in most cases. Prep and repair just become a bigger part of the job.