Updated on December 4, 2020
Black tire marks are an unfortunate reality of a car on your concrete driveway or garage floor. Here, we discuss how to remove tire marks from concrete or epoxy surfaces.
The method you use to remove tire marks depends on where the mark is in your garage or driveway.
RELATED: How to Clean Concrete
Removing tire marks from a concrete driveway
If your driveway has a decorative concrete coating, follow the following steps. This information also applies if you’re looking into how to get burnout marks off concrete.
See SUNDEK’s Maintenance Guide for detailed information on removing black rubber marks and grease or oil stains.
Get a cleaning estimate
From your local SUNDEK dealer
Removing tire marks from an epoxy garage floor
If your garage floor has an epoxy finish, follow these cleaning steps.
Caution: When searching online for how to clean tire marks off concrete, you might see alternate remedies such as Goof Off.
From experience, we have found Goof Off to be too harsh, so we do not recommend it to remove tire marks from concrete or epoxy.
If you have an alternate product you’d like to try, or you want more information about how to get tire marks off concrete, contact us.
Although you can’t prevent tire marks, you can prevent buildup that will make the tire marks harder to clean. We recommend hosing off and cleaning the affected area on a regular basis to prevent a heavy buildup.
Some customers place mats on the floor where their tires will be resting while parked in their garage.
If you’re curious why tire marks happen, Chris Sullivan provides a summary of the chemical process behind tire marks (from an article on ConcreteNetwork.com):
“This is a phenomenon called “plasticizer migration.” Plasticizer are polymer compounds added to rubber, glue and plastic to make them flexible. The rubber used to make car tires contains plasticizer to improve traction.
But when the car is driven, the tires heat up, causing the plasticizer to soften and leach out of the tire. When a hot tire is parked or driven on certain types of sealers, the plasticizer migrate into and discolor the sealer. The better the tire quality, the higher the quantity of plasticizer —and the greater the chance for hot tire marking. Lower-quality tires are harder and contain less plasticizer, so they usually result in less hot tire marking on sealers.”
Related: Sealing Concrete Driveways
If your tire marks are especially stubborn, or you can't get rid of them completely, consider stripping and resealing your concrete or even resurfacing with a concrete coating.
It's time to get rid of that pesky tire scuff you've been meaning to clean up but haven't gotten around to. You've decided today is the day and you're wondering how to get tire marks off concrete.
The answer is not as obvious as it might seem, but you may have realized that already if you've tried to wash it off to little avail. Luckily we've put together this guide on the best way to remove tire marks from concrete.
Here's our step by step guide on how to remove tire marks from concrete and get your driveway or garage floor looking pristine again.
Step 1. Clear the concrete floor of any debris
You'll want to make sure that you get all items off your garage floor or driveway. Make sure to cover up anything that might be in the way and could get wet or damaged. You'll also want to make sure you cover up any delicate plants in the surrounding area to ensure they are protected.
Step 2. Pour degreaser on the tire marks and let it sit
Use some concrete degreaser, like our CSP Degreaser, and pour it onto the scuffs and let it set for about 30 minutes while ensuring that you don't let it dry.
The key here is to not let the degreaser dry, so continue adding more as needed to keep it saturated wet. During warmer months try to do your work in the cool part of the day and with less sun so it does not dry out as quickly.
Step 3. Scrub the area with a stiff straw brush
While some people say that they only need to pour on the CSP and allow it to sit a few minutes and then it will power wash right off, we still find that scrubbing it with a straw brush usually gets it up better. Scrub the area using our high quality Straw Concrete Scrub Brush to move the degreaser around as it soaks in, and after the 30 minutes aggressively scrub it once more. You can also use a floor scrubber or floor buffing machine with the black aggressive scrubbing/stripping pad.
Step 4. Apply some more degreaser and continue scrubbing
You should apply some more degreaser after a few minutes and scrub some more.
You won't usually need to do too much scrubbing at this point, but it's best to apply some more and give one last scrub.
Step 5. Wash it off with a power washer
You can use a power washer or a sprayer nozzle to wash off the degreaser. If you are indoors, you can use a mop to wash it off.
Things to keep in mind
The CSP degreaser/cleaner is great for normal tire marks. Especially in garages, homeowner driveways, and the such. For really intense and massive tire marks such as on a commercial driveway or parking lot, while it usually works fine, if the CSP degreaser isn't strong enough, then you may need to move towards a harsh chemical such as Xylene.
It's also important to note that the CSP degreaser will work to strip concrete sealers. So while it's great for cleaning and prep, you shouldn't use it on sealed concrete unless you intend to strip the surface of the sealer for re-sealing. Just be aware that you should only use the CSP degreaser sparingly on sealed concrete and understand that you are still slowly stripping the sealer.
Planning to reseal? Make sure to check out our guide on sealing concrete and our Clear Shield water based sealer to ensure you get a long lasting finish on your newly cleaned concrete floor.
Add To Cart
View Product
| Chewing gum has to be one of the most annoying inventions ever made. It sticks to everything you wish it would be, including concrete, and then is very difficult to raise. Spying a piece of dirty chewing gum in your path can make you grind your teeth in rage, but once it's there, there's nothing you can do other than try your best to get rid of it. However, taking the gum off a particular path or road doesn't have to be a day-long chore. You need to do a bit of scrubbing, and have some patience, but you'll soon be able to get rid of the gum with a few household utensils and some helpful guidelines. nine0009 Step 1 - Dry the Gum Before you can get rid of the gum, you need to harden it and dryer. You can now start removing the gum using an old spatula. You should saw in the chewing gum until it starts to come loose and then you can get rid of it fairly easily. You may need to repeat the first step a few times to allow the spatula to get rid of it all. If you're unlucky, you may find the rubber snatch leaving you with a small piece of yourself left on the concrete. Step 3 - Wipe off the rest of the You can then add some WD-40 to your mix. Spray it directly onto the gum, and let it sink through for one or two minutes. Once this has happened, you should be able to use a putty knife to get rid of the remaining bits of gum. To remove any gum that may be stuck in the tiny pores of your concrete, you need to take a small pot of vinegar, and coat the area where the concrete has been. You can then dissolve the gum by scrubbing it out with a toothbrush. Leave at about 5 minutes, and then scrub again using some water. When this has been done, you can clean the rest by using a pressure washer to hose down the area. nine0018 |
How to remove concrete and cement with acid Dried concrete is difficult to remove from surfaces, inventory and equipment without special chemicals. For this purpose, potent aggressive acids and multicomponent products based on them are most often used. Acids are more effective than mechanical removal, which leaves scratches, dents and chips. They are able to soften adhering concrete, efflorescence, traces of cement, grout and masonry mixture. Manufacturers produce a wide range of acids for concrete. The compositions differ in effectiveness, level of safety and scope. nine0009
Concrete removers, in addition to acid, may contain surfactants, alkalis. Upon contact with the surface, the product starts the oxidation process, the concrete softens to a loose slurry, after which it is easily removed with a scraper or brush.
How to use acid for cleaning concrete:
The most popular acids for concrete removal are hydrochloric, phosphoric, acetic. They are used in high concentration. Safety precautions must be observed during use, hazardous fumes may be released during the reaction. Should not be allowed to come into contact with the skin. Concentrated aggressive acids are not suitable for all surfaces: they can leave marks on plastic, glass, destroy rubber, etch metal and accelerate its corrosion. nine0009
The main disadvantages of acids:
After using a working solution with acids, neutralization with alkali is necessary.
This complicates the cleaning process and increases the duration of the procedure.
Detergent as a plasticizer for concrete
Instead of aggressive acid for removing concrete and cement, manufacturers offer modern and safe products based on substances that are similar in action to acid, but are not. They also allow you to effectively remove cement mortar, efflorescence and tile adhesive, while not having a destructive effect on surfaces made of any materials. They contain patented synthetic acid and biodegradable surfactants. nine0009
Benefits of synthetic concrete cleaning acid:
nine0020 Concrete removal can be done safely and effectively with American brand EMS products. Synthetic acid gently dissolves the cement mixture without damaging the substrate.
Synthetic Concrete and Cement Remover is included in:
While the gum is still soft, it can stick to almost anything with a lot of strength, so you'll need to start by freezing it. Use an ice cube to make it cold, or try one of those freeze-dry aerosol cans that can be purchased from mechanics stores. This will hold the body parts of the rubber long enough to pick up the rubber quickly. You will probably have to freeze the gum more than once to get it all off. nine0009 Step 2 - Scrape the Top 
Be sure to dispose of the gum carefully once it has all been removed. nine0009 Step 4 - Clean the Concrete 
