garage floor coating ?

T

tomcat27

Joined
Jun 25, 2009
Messages
4,085
Location
Chicago, IL
my head is spinning: I am looking for a durable, non-slippery garage floor coating that wont peel or lift.
certainly floor prep is very important
I have a 30 x 30 garage and a 30 x 40 garage. I'm surprised how much this will cost!
Every product that I have researched gets: great reviews and also "fails"

I'd prefer to use a clear in one, and a dark color in the other.

I'm trending towards Rust Oleum - although it sounds like I may need/want to add a topcoat with grit in it.
 
I used a solvent floor stain. Recommended by user demarpaint. I used an H&C brand solvent floor coating. It can be a bit slippery when wet. Prep is everything.

Before

[Linked Image]



After


[Linked Image]



[Linked Image]
 
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My brother has a box even bigger than spasm's really nice one. He's got more wrapped up in his box and tools than most people outside of major cities spend on their houses. The Snap-On, Matco, and insurance salesmen are his biggest fans!
lol.gif
 
At a motorcycle dealership I once worked at we recoated the floor prior to closing down for Christmas with a two part paint made for the purpose, it was tough as nails. We may have mixed in sand to provide traction as a safety measure.
 
The garagejournal forum has massive threads on this topic. A lot of those guys try to find floor stores selling discounted/clearanced porcelain tile which is supposed to be much better than any coating. If I was going to dive into a big project like this, I would see if I could do tile first.

Every time I've used an epoxy coating, hot tires eventually killed it.
 
The nice thing about the H&C solvent stain, is you can smooth out marks with xylene. It will melt the coating. It holds up to moving things around. If it leaves a mark, just wet blue cloth with xylene and smooth it out.

I let it set 3 months, tires do not mar it.
 
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There is a lot of prep work involved. I mean a whole lot. Including grinding. The companies that do this professionally charge a fortune. My current garage is carpeted. Not sure of the long term life of a carpeted garage.
 
Originally Posted by Donald
There is a lot of prep work involved. I mean a whole lot. Including grinding. The companies that do this professionally charge a fortune. My current garage is carpeted. Not sure of the long term life of a carpeted garage.


It is a good bit. I did not grind. I have even had a large used oil spill in the past. I degreased with simple green and stiff brushed it ( the whole floor). Pressure washed, degreased again and rinsed. Acid washed it, rinsed 3 times.

Used a large floor drum fan to dry it. Painted the edges/corners of the garage in with a brush, then rolled on 2 coats.

Only down side is it is a touch slick when wet. If you leave the garage door up when raining or humid, water will condense on the floor, but thats not often. I have a large entry mat at the garage door.
 
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Forget the box store garbage and go to a company owned PPG paint store that makes coatings used in industrial settings, U.S. navy warships... .
Google "PPG Megaseal coatings" and explore the many different coatings they offer.
 
And there's always the interlocking floor tile, thick vinyl I think. Maybe from Weathertech? My neighbor has it in the RED/Black squares, but he gas more money than God! Nice though.
 
I had 3-coat commercially applied epoxy applied in my new house in 2003. In basement too.

- Absolutely zero tire pickup
- I don't recall if they did the acid or grinding approach for prep
- Dang slick when wet. Strategic use of mats, at least in winter... some grit in the top coat helps a bit, but only a bit in our experience
- If you drop a heavy tool, it will chip. If you have extra material or even a '1 part' expoy in a good match it will touch up ok

I would still go this way again. Also have it on the basement floor... with that and the poured walls painted the basement is semi-finished


Dean
 
I did my garage 6 years ago. I used the Rustoleum solvent based epoxy product (not the water-based one). Prep is the hardest part: used their epoxy patch for cracks and some spalling from winter salt AFTER using an acid based etch to get the surface rough. Applied with a 18" (or was it 16"?) paint roller. Even with the door open, you need to use a respirator with cartridges for solvents. I also doubled up on the fine sand to make sure it wouldn't be slippery when wet. IMO, the vinyl chips are nice for appearance but are a hindrance when trying to sweep or mop the floor.
 
there are many options BUT they have one thing in common $$$$$$ to be dine right. if you know how DIY could save $$ as well. putting a rough finish on the newly poured floor + using a clear sealer saves $$$$ but not as nice as a well done pro job, as always it depends on the $$$$$ you can spend
 
I have multiple friends with coated garage floors. Mine is not, nor will I. I just don't see the benefit. Can anyone explain WHY you would do this?
 
Originally Posted by Ws6
I have multiple friends with coated garage floors. Mine is not, nor will I. I just don't see the benefit. Can anyone explain WHY you would do this?


- Prevents damage to the concrete from road salt dripping onto and attacking it. I have several neighbors who've had to replace their garage floor because it spalled and crumbled from the salt.
- Appearance. Can brighten the garage. Tends to resist stains from oils, etc.
- Easier to clean (at least in some respects). Again, oil spills can be washed off.
- Because it is sealed it doesn't absorb (part of the above items) this can be both good and bad. Water has to evaporate or make it to a drain (if there is one). Regular concrete will absorb a good amount of water.

How much any benefits are valuable to you are up to you. It's why I did it myself - it was worth it for a couple of hundred $ to me but not worth $1000+.
 
Originally Posted by Touring5
Originally Posted by Ws6
I have multiple friends with coated garage floors. Mine is not, nor will I. I just don't see the benefit. Can anyone explain WHY you would do this?


- Prevents damage to the concrete from road salt dripping onto and attacking it. I have several neighbors who've had to replace their garage floor because it spalled and crumbled from the salt.
- Appearance. Can brighten the garage. Tends to resist stains from oils, etc.
- Easier to clean (at least in some respects). Again, oil spills can be washed off.
- Because it is sealed it doesn't absorb (part of the above items) this can be both good and bad. Water has to evaporate or make it to a drain (if there is one). Regular concrete will absorb a good amount of water.

How much any benefits are valuable to you are up to you. It's why I did it myself - it was worth it for a couple of hundred $ to me but not worth $1000+.


Same here, easier to sweep clean. Clean up and oil drips or spills, looks cleaner.

But i get if you don't want that. Mine is a touch slick when wet. Its just personal preference.
 
I know a few people that have had this done or done it themselves. It seems that they start to show wear around the 2 to 3 year mark.

One person I know trashed theirs in short order when they discovered that studded tires and these coatings don't like each other.
 
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