Your Winter Prep Checklist: How a Garage Floor Coating Completes the Job

As temperatures start to dip in Maryland, homeowners know it’s time to get their homes ready for the season ahead. A few simple steps now can prevent major headaches later—and while most people focus on sealing drafts and cleaning gutters, there’s one often-forgotten area that deserves a closer look: the garage flooring.

Here’s your complete checklist for winterizing your home and protecting it from the ground up.

Seal and Insulate to Keep Warmth In

Start with the basics: inspect weatherstripping around doors and windows, and apply fresh caulk wherever you feel a draft. Check that your attic insulation is intact and pipes in unheated spaces—like the garage—are wrapped or insulated to prevent freezing. Small gaps can lead to big energy losses once the temperature drops.

Clear and Clean Before the Cold Arrives

Next, take care of your home’s exterior. Clean gutters and downspouts so melting snow and rain can drain freely. Trim back branches near your roofline to prevent storm damage, and make sure outdoor faucets are shut off and drained. Taking these steps now helps prevent ice buildup and costly leaks later.

Protect the Surfaces You Stand On

Now for the step most homeowners skip: the garage. Even though it’s not a living space, your garage takes a heavy beating during winter. Road salt, water, and grime get tracked in on tires and shoes, breaking down concrete over time. A garage floor coating provides the protection your concrete needs—creating a seamless, easy-to-clean barrier that locks out moisture and prevents staining.

At Garage Floor Coating of Maryland, each installation begins with a 100%-solids, moisture-mitigating epoxy primer to seal the surface from below. It acts as your moisture vapor barrier. We then apply a full broadcast of decorative flakes for traction and finish with dual UV-stable polyaspartic topcoats engineered to withstand salt, spills, and tire heat.

Inspect, Repair, and Reinforce

Winter prep is also the perfect time to look for cracks, gaps, or weak spots in your garage floor or walls. Installing a garage floor coating ensures those flaws are repaired and sealed, preventing drafts and moisture intrusion that can lead to bigger issues down the line.