Coating floors in Boise
Boise has a semi-arid climate with real seasons: hot, dry summers and cold winters. Garage floors here deal with both, along with whatever the winter roads send home on the tires. Those conditions shape which system makes sense and when to schedule the work.
Freeze-thaw and winter roads
NOAA's engineering weather data for Boise records an average of about 78 freeze-thaw cycles a year. Water that soaks into bare concrete and freezes can scale the surface, and salty water makes it worse. The Idaho Transportation Department uses salt-and-sand mixtures and salt brine in its winter highway maintenance, and that material comes home in the wheel wells. Over a few winters, an uncoated garage slab can start to scale near the door and under where the car sits. Before coating, damaged areas need to be ground back to sound concrete and repaired. A well-bonded coating then keeps water and salt out of the surface.
In a Boise garage, look for a topcoat with good abrasion and chemical resistance, add texture for grip when the floor is wet, and put a walk-off area at the door. Rinse salt residue off during the winter so it doesn't build up as a film.
Summer heat
Boise's all-time record high is 111°F, and hot summer days shorten the working time of two-part coatings. Crews working in summer should start early, keep material cool and mix smaller batches. Ask what time of day the work will be done and whether the slab will be too hot in the afternoon.
Winter installation
Every coating has a minimum air and slab temperature, and cold slows curing. An unheated garage in January may be too cold for many products. If you want the work done in winter, ask whether the crew will heat the space and the slab, which products tolerate cold, and how they'll measure temperatures during cure. Many owners schedule garage coatings for spring or fall.
Dry climate, damp slab?
The National Weather Service describes Boise as semi-arid, with only about eleven inches of precipitation a year at the airport. That doesn't mean a slab is dry. Slabs without a vapor barrier, or next to irrigated lawns and beds, can give off plenty of moisture. Test with ASTM F1869 or F2170 across the floor, and use a moisture-mitigating primer if the results call for it.
Sun through the garage door
Standard aromatic epoxies yellow in sunlight, which matters in a garage with the door open on summer afternoons. A polyaspartic or aliphatic polyurethane topcoat is the usual answer.
Checking a contractor in Idaho
Idaho's Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses publishes a free registration lookup. Check the business's status before you sign, and make sure the name matches the contract.