Hello, i searched the site and elsewhere and could not find anything regarding this yet…
A few houses on a street where we washed several homes all had a floor coating that looks like rubber installed in their garages less than a year ago. About 4000$ CA for a 1-car garage size. It is turning yellow where exposed to the sun. They seem desperate for a solution and say they tried to contact the company that installed it and never got a response. I tried to contact them as well for cleaning instructions but never got a response.
I tried small tests with a little water pressure/ surface cleaner, but material looks too soft. Tried 10% acetic acid, sh, and many other things, no luck. It seems it’s not that it’s dirty but rather that the top has reacted to sunlight and changed color. That and tire marks.
Then i ran out of ideas and tried a piece of steel wool, it worked. So did brushing with a stiff brush but the results are not so great and it takes too long. Works on the top of it but not in the cavities/pores as the surface is not smooth. Should i try something like a buffer they use for cars? Once again I don’t want to damage the material, it is rather soft.
Anyone has experience with this?
Oh and the edge outside the garage door did not turn yellow but the first half inside where sunlight shines when door is open does.
Thanks for your ideas.
Styrene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C₆H₅CH=CH₂. This derivative of benzene is a colorless oily liquid, although aged samples can appear yellowish. The compound evaporates easily and has a sweet smell, although high concentrations have a less pleasant odor.
Styrene is primarily a synthetic chemical that is used extensively in the manufacture of plastics, rubber, and resins. It is also known as vinylbenzene, ethenylbenzene, cinnamene, or phenylethylene. Many workers, including those who make boats, tubs, and showers, are potentially exposed to styrene .
Could be the issue, uv rays speed up the yellowing. I’ve seen this a lot in high solid floor wax that contains styrene. It yellows over time. Just my thoughts anyway…not sure how to clean it though. We used to strip old wax off and start new?
Run away before you make there problems your problems. Just a FYI if you want to stay out of a law suit or insurance claim. Never use a product on a surface endless it’s approved by the manufacturer.
If you start experimenting with different chemicals and it end up looking worse. It’s now your problem to fix it
Give them a quote to remove it and epoxy paint the floor. Sherman Williams 1800 is water based, like the home depot crap, so it’s pretty easy to use and clean up but it is higher quality and there are thousands of color options.
