It's not very often that you encounter an original concrete garage floor in Boston that doesn't exhibit signs of use and abuse. Whether your car leaks a few quarts of oil a year, you spilled the oil pan the last the time you changed the oil, or the previous homeowner was careless and sloppy, there are ways to spruce up your old garage flooring in Boston and make it look better than new with a single, easy, home improvement project.
Boston Garage Flooring Basics
When it comes to garage flooring in Boston, most homeowners gravitate toward one of two options. The first is an epoxy-based floor coating. These coatings add protection and a fresh look, can be installed by homeowners or contractors, and have an excellent track record both in the looks and performance department. A second option, quickly gaining in popularity, is to lay down garage tiles on your garage floor. These flooring tiles are installed over the concrete and look great, though a wide range in styles and quality means you need to shop carefully if you choose garage tile as your garage flooring solution.
Boston Garage Flooring: Epoxy Coatings
Epoxy coatings are an attractive and effective way to protect your cement slab and breathe new life into your garage flooring in Boston. They do require you to follow a set regimen of application, however, if you want them to last.
Clean the Slab—The first thing you'll need to do is clean the slab and remove, to the best of your ability, all those stains that have been driving you nuts (they may prevent the new epoxy coating from adhering properly). Many companies sell combination degreaser/etching compounds that not only clean the slab, but prepare it for the epoxy as well.
Etching—Etching refers to the process of creating a rougher surface for the epoxy to adhere to when applied. Chemical etching is the norm, is often combined with the degreaser, and should leave the floor feeling like sandpaper when the process is finished.
Apply a Sealer—Most epoxy flooring products require that you apply a special sealant to the floor before you apply the coating itself. Don't use a regular cement sealer, however. They can actually seal the concrete too well, and prevent the epoxy coating from adhering properly. If your slab is already sealed, you should check with a contractor who specializes in this sort of work to find out what your options are and whether an epoxy floor coating is even in the cards.
Apply the Coating—Once etched and sealed, you can apply the epoxy using a sprayer, a roller, or a brush. Usually several coats are applied to reach an optimum thickness, so be sure to follow the product guidelines. Finally, make sure the conditions are right. Painting over a damp floor, in extreme humidity, or in temperatures below 50 degrees, can negatively affect the drying time and curing process, and lead to poorly performing coatings.
Apply a Top Seal—Once the epoxy floor coating is on, finish the job with a top seal for an added layer of protection.
Boston Garage Flooring: Flooring Tiles
Other than epoxy coatings, flooring tiles top the list of garage flooring solutions used by homeowners in the greater Boston area. As garage flooring in Boston, it's hard to beat the good looks, easy installation, and strong performance of most garage tile products. Usually made of a rubber, garage tiles form an interlocking, "floating," floor in your garage. Be sure to shop around and make sure you get a product that suits your needs, however. Not all flooring tiles are equal, so the quality and style of tile needed by somebody who spends their weekends working on their car is vastly different than that of a family of four who uses their garage for storing bikes and parking the family car out of the weather.
Choosing the Right Garage Flooring for You
If you're wavering on which product to install, your best bet is to find a retailer/installer who specializes in garage flooring in Boston. That way, even if you choose to do it yourself, you can get a good idea of which product they'd recommend, what kind of prep your garage floor is going to require, and how to go about it. Installing new Boston garage flooring is one of the easiest ways around to improve the looks, and performance, of your garage overnight. Finding the right product, and person, for the job is the key to enjoying those good looks and quality performance for years to come. 
Matt Goering, formerly a carpenter and house painter, is a freelance writer for the home improvement industry who has published over 600 articles.
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