Garage floor coating options?

Chris

Chris

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Well, the wife and I just bought a new house, and one of the first things I want to tackle is the garage. Aside from paining it and setting up my shop in there, I want to address the floors.

What do you guys recommend for a nice, easy to clean, but good looking garage floor? I like the white / black checkered look, but being as though I've never delved into garage floor coatings before, I don't know what the best option is in terms of longevity, durability, and of course, ease of cleaning.
 
I like that shop floor epoxy paint that has the color chips in it. Light brick red with white, grey and black chips. Pretty durable and easy to clean and patch. The only issue is sometimes small parts get lost on it. Light grey epoxy is good as well. You can put is down with a roller.
 
I think I may have to rent a concrete sander or something since prep is key.
 
Chris said:
I think I may have to rent a concrete sander or something since prep is key.
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When we put this stuff down in the shops, we had a hot water pressure washer that really blew all the crud off and out of the floor. If you're leaning towards the epoxy coatings, some of them act like a self leveling flow coat. That'll give you a nice level, smooth surface to work on. They do get a little slick when wet or oily though, so adding a traction enhancer is nice. Might be worth checking out.
 
From what I've read though, the correct way to prep the surface is to sand it big time, so that it's porous and therefore the epoxy adheres to it much better. I talked to a local company that does commercial coatings in the Portland/Salem area and he told me it would be roughly $5 per sq/ft.

Damn... 480 sq/ft at that rate is going to be a small fortune.
 
I'll probably hold off for a while. Perhaps the temporary solution is vinyl flooring, but only in the portion of the garage where my motorcycle will go. That's all I am concerned about, is a very fancy and good looking spot to park the motorcycle!
 
I parked my Kawasaki 500 MKIII in the corner of the living room. On the carpet. There was an old school Chevy LT1 on an engine stand in the dining room that was getting built for a Vega install. Remember the V8 Vega hotrods? Ya, they really were as fast and as quick as rumored. That was before I got married though. I'm much more civilized now. (ahem) :p
 
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Chris said:
From what I've read though, the correct way to prep the surface is to sand it big time, so that it's porous and therefore the epoxy adheres to it much better. I talked to a local company that does commercial coatings in the Portland/Salem area and he told me it would be roughly $5 per sq/ft.

Damn... 480 sq/ft at that rate is going to be a small fortune.
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At that price you could do a garage/vinyl floor for less than half the price, something like this.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/G-Floor-...ct_203450706&gclid=COr81Ku8_csCFQckhgodvOEP9A
 
TJ4Jim said:
At that price you could do a garage/vinyl floor for less than half the price, something like this.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/G-Floor-...ct_203450706&gclid=COr81Ku8_csCFQckhgodvOEP9A
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Yep, this is the route I may go. I would like half of the garage at least to be sort of a cool 'work shop' for my motorcycle where I can place all my nice tools, my motorcycle lift, etc. The vinyl may do the trick since the motorcycle is never dirty, and I don't turn the tires back and forth (to cause black marks) like my wife would with the car.
 
Timely subject. My garage floor came with nice glued down indoor-outdoor carpeting as the previous owners used it as a rec room. I naturally pretty well destroyed the carpeting over the past 13 years of TJ projects.

So instead of seeing a nice smooth concrete floor when I lifted up somesome of the carpeting, I found an extremely rough concrete surface. So rough it almost seems it had to have been made that way since concrete normally sets up very smooth.

Two questions... 1) Might that ultra rough finish have a name or purpose? It's kind of a cheese grater finish, raised sharp ridges, like it'd tear your skin off if you slid on it.

2) It's a typical 3-car garage, does anyone know what it might cost to have someone power grind/sand it smooth? I don't think I want to do that myself and have to deal with the issues of the massive amounts of concrete dust.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Timely subject. My garage floor came with nice glued down indoor-outdoor carpeting as the previous owners used it as a rec room. I naturally pretty well destroyed the carpeting over the past 13 years of TJ projects.

So instead of seeing a nice smooth concrete floor when I lifted up somesome of the carpeting, I found an extremely rough concrete surface. So rough it almost seems it had to have been made that way since concrete normally sets up very smooth.

Two questions... 1) Might that ultra rough finish have a name or purpose? It's kind of a cheese grater finish, raised sharp ridges, like it'd tear your skin off if you slid on it.

2) It's a typical 3-car garage, does anyone know what it might cost to have someone power grind/sand it smooth? I don't think I want to do that myself and have to deal with the issues of the massive amounts of concrete dust.
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Jerry,

That sounds like some type on anti slip surface that you might see used around the walks for an in-ground pool. Is it raw concrete or is there a finish on the surface.
 
I did my garage floor myself using the two part epoxy I got from Home Depot. It was about 140$ and had enough for a typical 2 car garage. Yes prep is key. I was lucky in that it was new concrete that I let age for several onth to make sure I got the water out. Right after I used muratic acid to etch the floor I read the paint direction and found it said do not use muratic acid:confused:. The kit has a solution to use I ended up on my hands and knees with that solution and a bristle brush.
It was not really that hard just boring! Did small sections at a time and rinsed well with just a low pressure hose.
After drying for a day I mixed the paint and applied it with a roller on a long handle and applied the chips for traction.
So now approaching two years with 2 vehicles parked on it it still looks great and no sign of it lifting.
My shop will get the same coating this summer when it warms up a bit.
 
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TJ4Jim said:
Jerry,

That sounds like some type on anti slip surface that you might see used around the walks for an in-ground pool. Is it raw concrete or is there a finish on the surface.
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The garage floor's concrete surface is totally and dramatically rougher than the concrete that surrounds my pool. I'll get a photo of it this weekend.
 
Ceramic tile.
DSC06122.JPG
 
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Unless you're putting the Home Depot 2 part epoxy down on new concrete, even with muratic acid it will peel up where you regularly park. Stuff from your tires leach into the concrete and prevent good adhesion. The floor needs to be sanded for any epoxy to stick well.
 
Yes, I've been doing my research on this and the bottom line is that unless it's brand new concrete the will need to be a large amount of sanding / prep work involved. I can rent the sander from Home Depot and do it myself, but like Jerry said, I'm not so sure I want to deal with that and the massive amount of dust / mess it's going to leave behind. That might be something I'd rather pay someone to do for me.
 
I prefer onwall solutions polyurea garage flooring coating products. They are

  • Environmentally safe – extremely low odor during and after installation; no dust residue; virtually no VOC vapour (Volatile Organic Compound); LEED certification (“green” excellence) -

  • Fast “cure time” - beyond the super fast curing time, multiple applications can be installed over previous layers in a short time period. The floor dries into a tough and durable finish.

  • Decorative and beautiful - Polyurea floor coatings are available in colours, shades and finishes to add beauty to every environment – residential, commercial, or reNon-sensitive to moisture - with exceptional adhesion properties, the Polyurea coating seals concrete and steel surfaces, and prevents moisture penetration even from walls and edges. -
 
As several have already said, it's hard to get a durable surface with DIY products. In my neighborhood here in AZ there is a neighbor that has extensive experience putting down the Home Depot/Lowes product. The garages all look great when he is done.

However most everyone parks on a runner since the hot tires seem to lift the product in all cases especially if the tires are turned back and forth. These garages are all less than two years old. He uses murtatic acid on the floors followed by a powerwash rinse. As you well know summer in AZ is an extreme case but the coatings just don't seem to hold up.

I saw the results from just a little brake fluid while a neighbor was working on his motorcycle. The fluid softened and lifted the coating and just made a general mess. My .02 is if it's going to be a real working garage talk to the pros.

I had my basement floor in my Michigan house acid stained. It was as durable a surface as regular concrete. I never did greasy vehicle work down there but did do extensive woodworking as well as a couple snowmobile engines down there. It was a breeze to keep clean. One of the neighbors has done this to his garage but I've not seen it up close nor talked to the homeowner. I did however hear him using an air impact the other day so his might be a real working garage.
 
jgaz said:
As several have already said, it's hard to get a durable surface with DIY products. In my neighborhood here in AZ there is a neighbor that has extensive experience putting down the Home Depot/Lowes product. The garages all look great when he is done.

However most everyone parks on a runner since the hot tires seem to lift the product in all cases especially if the tires are turned back and forth. These garages are all less than two years old. He uses murtatic acid on the floors followed by a powerwash rinse. As you well know summer in AZ is an extreme case but the coatings just don't seem to hold up.

I saw the results from just a little brake fluid while a neighbor was working on his motorcycle. The fluid softened and lifted the coating and just made a general mess. My .02 is if it's going to be a real working garage talk to the pros.

I had my basement floor in my Michigan house acid stained. It was as durable a surface as regular concrete. I never did greasy vehicle work down there but did do extensive woodworking as well as a couple snowmobile engines down there. It was a breeze to keep clean. One of the neighbors has done this to his garage but I've not seen it up close nor talked to the homeowner garage flooring peoria. I did however hear him using an air impact the other day so his might be a real working garage.
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Hello. this is a question about a garage floor. I have a 2 1/2 car garage, with a workshop and my 2 Corvettes. The floor is concrete, about 40 years old. It is stained and has several cracks. A summer project I would like to do is to either paint, seal, or cover this floor. Noe the options 1) clean, seal, prime, and coat in Epoxy Paint 2) clean, seal, prime and use a garage flooring paint, not epoxy 3) use one of the many snap-together floor systems Now, for one I thought of. The floor is pretty level. What would you think of my covering the floor with Marine grade 4x8 3/4 inch plywood? Prime the plywood, and paint it? I never get water inside the garage in the 6 years I am here. I eliminate the crack fix, and sealing issues. What has anyone else on here done as far as this is concerned? thank you in advance.
 
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