Keeping Concrete Garage Apron Clean

[hd54kh]

What do you all do to keep the parking area free of oil stains?

In the near future I am going to have roughly a 35' x 50' area in between the house and garage poured. I can get messy, 2 of my cars mark their spot and car/engine cleaning will be done.

Wifey is now questioning what it will look like down the road. So.... what does the group here say.

Seal it, let it run it's natural course and live with it or ????????

When I did my center bay of the garage and the third bay will be poured in a couple of weeks I use Legacy Flooring's HD40 product. Still looks good after 4 years in the center bay and I do keep up on any spills. But the rough outside concrete surface will not be as easy to maintain.

Thank in advance - Terry

 

[twistedstang]

Get rid of the german cars and harleys?

(Kidding, I have germans too. I just live with the stains)

 

[BillK]

What do you all do to keep the parking area free of oil stains?

Fix the oil leaks ??

 

[Kaizen]

Uv will take its toll on a lot of finishes outside. You can seal it for some protection. Dripping oil will make it bad quick. Thought about blacktop instead?


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[hd54kh]

twistedstang - thinking maybe the wife should go first

BillK - Well....... this would be the right thing to do, however the Harley case halves must have been machined by an oil company to assure future sales.
One of the other cars has a number 8 bearing O ring leak, needs the case split.


Kaizen - My father in law has black top here in North Carolina and boy is it a sneaker melter.

But thank you guys for replying.

I had a couple of fluid stains on my carport and brake cleaner, Dawn soap, pressure washer and time did erase them. They were form a contractors power steering and a old friend that seems to always have some kind of leaking issue as well as his trucks.

Terry

 

[kaymccampbell]

I have bricks. They don't show much. Have them pour 17 different colors of concrete, all splotchy n mixed up. You'll never notice the staining.

 

[CraigStu]

How about staining the concrete? Stain and seal it? Thinking a medium to dark grey would at least make oil leaks etc less noticeable. Even a brown of green could work and might fit in better.

 

[hd54kh]

kaymccampbell, CraigStu - I am having the third bay of the garage poured with in the next 2 weeks, I'll see what the cost is. Pay up front now or spend money on brake cleaner, power washing and mad wife later.

She didn't like my idea of parking mine and other leakers in different spots until it looked like it was a design.

I always only had gravel driveways and aprons so this is new to us. Never really payed attention to other driveways so to me it is just a normal process of patina.

Terry

 

[mjeff87]

A temporary work-around is a large plastic washing machine leak pan placed strategically under the offending vehicle(s). One of my vehicles has a small oil leak that's been driving me nutz trying to locate and fix and it drips one or two drops every other night or so when parked. I just slide the catch pan under it and then pull it out the next morning and wipe it off. I was using large sheets of cardboard but those don't do well in high winds and/or rain. The catch pan is heavy enough to stay put, doesn't scratch the driveway, and I tied a little pull handle on it so I don't have to crawl underneath to retrieve it. I'll eventually find the leak and fix it.....I hope.

I hate oil stains on concrete.

 

[TractorJeff]

The sealer on my shop floor is dark and doesn't really show oil stains