Before laying down a urethane or epoxy coating in a garage, you may need to create edges for the garage door or other entrances. Otherwise, if you don’t have an edge, the coating may show on the exterior when the doors are down. While this may not seem serious, you want a clean line for your coating, plus, you don’t want any dust, dirt, or windblown debris landing on the epoxy as it cures. Instead of simply using a taped line, we recommend creating a defined edge before installing a coating in your garage.

To see our concrete preparation professionals do this, check out the video below before reading our step-by-step guide.

Creating a Clean Traffic Edge

When you want to place an edge where the garage door is, you’ll first want to make sure to mark the door edge. Make sure the door is all the way down, then using a pencil, create a straight line across where the door meets the floor.

Once this step is complete, you’ll raise the garage door and have someone hold a raised, straight edge along the pencil line. In the video, we simply used a straight board to hold in place. Then, you’ll want to use a handheld concrete grinder to create your line. Simply angle the grinder down and follow the board in order to create a groove in the concrete. This may require several back-and-forth passes to get a deep enough groove. For the best results, connect your grinder to a dust collector to keep the area clean and safe as you work.

It’s important to note that the system thickness you’re using will also determine the depth of the cut. If you want a more extreme edge along your garage door, you’ll want a more aggressive grinding tool, whereas if you want a more subtle edge, a lighter tool will be adequate.

Order Your Concrete Grinding Tooling and Equipment Today

Whether you need a floor grinder for smoothing concrete or creating an edge or you need tooling that will help you meet the needs of your next project, Substrate Technology, Inc. has exactly what you need to get the job done right. Call us today at  +1 (815) 941-4800 or fill out the contact form to get started.