‘Rubbery’ floor in garage may need diamond blade grinder
Concrete work will raise dust, debris; get a pro to do this.
Q: Is it possible to remove the finish on a concrete garage floor (applied by a painter) that has a rubbery texture? Rainwater from car and tires stand for days, and the floor is slick and slippery even when dry. We’d like to return the texture to the original rough finish.
A: Depending on the “rubbery” finish on the floor, you may be able to remove it with a diamond blade floor grinder. Concrete floors that have been poorly painted, severely cracked or have a rough finish can be ground to a smooth surface with the grinder. Although concrete grinders and extra blades can be obtained from rental companies, I would strongly recommend having a professional perform the work.
A rubbery surface coating on the floor might stick to the grinding blades and damage the equipment. You would also need a hand grinder to expand and clean cracks. If there are chipped and damaged sections of the floor, you will need a specialty mixed concrete to adhere to the existing floor.
There will also be lots of concrete dust and debris that will need to be controlled with specialized equipment to protect both the home and the workers. Once the floor has been prepared for a new covering, you can then decide whether or not to do it yourself or have it professionally finished. There are several videos on YouTube showing how to grind a concrete floor.
Q: My house has soffit vents on the eaves, gable vents on each end of the house and a ridge vent. I live in North Carolina. Is this too much ventilation? Also, should the vents to the crawl space be open in summer and closed in winter?
A: I have received sev- eral questions and comments since writing about attic ventilation.
The answer to your questions can be found on the website of one of the major ridge vent manufacturing companies. At cor-a-vent.com they state: “The ridge vent should not be used with other roof mounted or gable end vents. They can disrupt the air flow through the attic.” When you have gable vents, the airflow coming in through the soffit or overhang vents can be disrupted by cross-ventilation from the gable vents. The venting works by air entering through the soffit vents, then traveling up each rafter space to exit the roof through the ridge vent. The website also explains how much ventilation is needed: “The ridge vent must have at least an equal amount of soffit ventilation to balance the airflow. There can be more soffit ventilation, but NEVER less soffit ventilation than ridge ventilation.”
For new and remodeled construction, I recommend installing a ridge vent and that all the soffits should be made of vinyl and all should be vented. Solid vinyl soffit material costs the same as the vented material. If the home already has a fan, roof vents or gable vents, these should be blocked and sealed from the attic side of the home.