Why Are Roll-Out Mats Not Ideal for Garage Floors?

On January 12, 2023

While homeowners primarily use garages to store their vehicles, these spaces offer far more potential. Some people use garages for DIY projects or hobbies, which can result in spills and other damage. Installing garage floor coatings in Santa Maria is an excellent starting point for improving your garage.

However, many people use roll-out mats to protect their garage floors. These items can’t withstand the weight of vehicles, chemical spills, and dirt tracked in from the outside. We’ll consider the main issues of using roll-out mats and why polyaspartic concrete coatings are the better solution.

The Main Issues of Using Roll-Out Mats for Concrete Surfaces

While roll-out mats are cheaper than garage floor coatings, they present many issues:

Trapped Odors

While a garage serves many practical purposes, it’s far from the cleanest area of a house. Even with regular cleaning, a garage generally has dirt and debris that produces foul odors. Homeowners who replace their roll-out mats with polyaspartic floors are often shocked to discover the foul odors coming from their mats.

Constantly rolling up mats and cleaning the floor underneath is a major hassle for most homeowners. As such, many residents leave the floors underneath their mats untouched for weeks or months. This issue doesn’t exist with polyaspartic-coated floors.

Trapped Moisture

Alongside dirt and grime, foul-smelling odors wafting from roll-out mats can come from trapped moisture. Although many companies advertise their roll-out mats as water-resistant, trapped moisture is a common issue.

Homeowners pulling up their roll-out mats for cleaning typically discover a slimy surface underneath. In extreme cases, it takes a week or more for a homeowner’s concrete floor to dry fully.

Besides producing foul odors, trapped moisture can cause mold and mildew. Homeowners may also find cracks in their concrete floors due to water damage.

Awkward to Handle

Your typical roll-out mat for a garage measures four feet or more across and ranges up to 20+ feet long. Given these dimensions, installing roll-out mats proves challenging for many homeowners. Mats also tend to shift due to tires and other heavy-weight objects moving over them.

It is cumbersome to readjust your roll-out mats and put them back into place. Many residents refrain from trying due to frustration with the process.

Lack of Visual Appeal

Polyaspartic garage floor coatings are significantly more visually appealing than roll-out mats. You can even choose coatings in various color schemes or designs, bringing life to an otherwise dull concrete floor.

Another issue with roll-out mats is that they often highlight a floor’s imperfections, like ridges or cracks.

Bulging or Curling

Sometimes homeowners install roll-out mats to hide flaws like cracks, ridges, depressions, and more. Unfortunately, mats can bulge over ridges and crevices. They can even start sinking into large depressions.

The bigger issue homeowners contend with is a mat’s edges curling. When these edges curl, debris, liquids, and other substances can get underneath them. Curled edges also create tripping hazards.

Keeping edges flat generally requires strong adhesive tape or glue. Besides requiring extra money, this solution isn’t the most effective. It can also look unsightly.

The Top Reasons to Choose Polyaspartic Concrete Coatings Instead of Roll-Out Mats

Now that we’ve examined the many pitfalls of roll-out mats, let’s explore why polyaspartic concrete coatings are a superior alternative.

Robust Strength and Durability

Polyaspartic is typically six times stronger than epoxy. It can hold its own against elements like:

  • Chemical spills
  • Grease
  • Oil
  • Vehicles or other heavy-weight items
  • Dirt and debris
  • Moisture

This material’s excellent durability and chemical resistance make polyaspartic coatings ideal for areas with plenty of traffic. As a result, this coating is the preferred choice among many restaurants, retail stores, parking garages, malls, hotels, and more.

Fast Curing Time

Polyaspartic coatings generally don’t use volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Besides being more sustainable, this coating cures much faster than epoxy and other coatings. Businesses and homeowners alike can resume normal activities within a day or sooner.

Slip Resistance

You can expect excellent grip resistance when you add a grip additive to your polyaspartic floors. This added texture is ideal when you have children or elderly family members prone to slipping.

Get Top-Quality Garage Floor Coatings in Santa Maria Today

While roll-out mats can be a cheap, temporary solution, they can’t compare to polyaspartic garage floor coatings. Turn to SLG Concrete Coatings for the top-rated concrete coatings in Santa Maria, CA.

Call SLG Concrete Coatings at (805) 934-3881 to learn about our 20-year residential or five-year commercial warranty! 

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