Garage Floor Paint

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I did mine with the epoxy floor paint from "Lowes" I did buy extra flakes. it required 3 small kits to do my 30' x40' garage. it has never been as clean since I did it (or empty) :D I promptly filled it beyond capacity. it can chip and or scratch if you drop a cylinder head on it or drag an engine across it(yup did that already)
this is the one I did on a friends garage and it came out looking just like mine. but his garage was "bigger" 60' x60' (I am so jealous) my floor is going on 8 years and just now requiring me to touch it up where I spilled Base coat paint on it when painting my 66 dart. no wear problems just spillage and oops from this person with 2 clumsy hands.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_373305-2137...ntURL=?Ntt=garage+floor+epoxy+kits&facetInfo=


or you could have for smaller kits (this is the one I did in the pictures) now I want a bigger garage. hmm where can I add on to it?
http://www.lowes.com/pd_16820-90-25...ntURL=?Ntt=garage+floor+epoxy+kits&facetInfo=

the prep was the most most important of the process for sure. I had one area that was greasy from the hi-lift I used to put the roof on leaking fluid and the paint didn't stick good the first try using the bio degradable supplied mix even though it looked like it got all the fluid removed. I marked off that section and re cleaned it really good using a muratic acid water mix and it (the epoxy paint) grabbed hold just as good as the rest of the floor and it blended in extremely well. Durability is good with no hot tire peeling no random lifting or cracking. just "operator" errors for the chips and scratches which can be painted and flaked over after cleaning again.
View attachment my Garage yeah!! 019.jpg

View attachment my Garage yeah!! 021.jpg

View attachment my Garage yeah!! 022.jpg

there are a lot of other options.
but this one for me was " "lowes store close" and "cheaper" than commercial grade floor epoxy.
 
I used a product called "U coat it" it was a little pricy but it was well worth the money! I did my shop floor 6 years ago I have painted many cars changed motors and transmissions. lots of brake fluid,laqiuar thinner,gas,oil,anti freeze,automotive paint you name it it has been on the floor! now you understand it is showing wear but it beats a oil soaked concrete floor!
 
If you're going through the trouble of coating it, DO IT RIGHT!!! I went through this with my parents garage two years ago, my father has a tight grip on his wallet and wanted to skimp on a few things. Do the prep work RIGHT!!! Get quality EPOXY!!! The concrete at my fathers was pitted and cracked, he didn't want to pay to get it grinded and re-topped, so I prepped it best I could. He also only wanted to use the Rustoleum product. After one weekend of prepping and painting, it held up for all of 6 months.

DO IT RIGHT!
 
X2

It's just like painting a car. 99% is prep and 1% is coverage.

I prefer the simple grinding and polishing of concrete as a finish. Only have to polish it once every a few years or less and It holds up since there is nothing over it.
 
DNasty777 said:
If you're going through the trouble of coating it, DO IT RIGHT!!! I went through this with my parents garage two years ago, my father has a tight grip on his wallet and wanted to skimp on a few things. Do the prep work RIGHT!!! Get quality EPOXY!!! The concrete at my fathers was pitted and cracked, he didn't want to pay to get it grinded and re-topped, so I prepped it best I could. He also only wanted to use the Rustoleum product. After one weekend of prepping and painting, it held up for all of 6 months.

DO IT RIGHT!
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Rustoleum was what I used on my floor. yep prep is key,that might be why it only lasted 6 months for you if you couldn't get the deep stuff out. one area on mine did not like it when I put the first coat down on mine and I had to use the muratic acid/water cleanup on that area to make it grab hold solidly. mil range was less than high solids epoxy, but I really have not seen much difference in the rustoluem product Vs the High dollar stuff we put on a friends garage floor at 5 times the price. Yeah the mill thickness was higher and it might have a little better hardness on the high dollar stuff, but if you dragged a block across the floor or spilled "purple PVC primer on the floor would stain or scratch and epoxy primer painting overspray sticks just as good on the big dollar stuff just like rustoleum.

Rustoleum is a mid range epoxy coating for sure, but done correctly it will last a long time.
mine has been on for over 10 years and now it is in need of a little touch up from spills during painting the car and where overspray from the epoxy primer and paint settled and dragging heads and engine blocks around. overall it's been an excellent coating ... plus another 60$ kit with flakes should overcoat the 20'x40' sections I want to redo using the kit and muratic acid to clean the coatings before repaint since it's just a topcoat and not going to soak into the pores of the concrete but just to cover the spills and scratches and it does bond well to itself.

I really wanted to grind and polish mine then use a sealer(clear) to give it an awesome look similar to terrazo flooring, but I couldn't find a company to do it for a reasonable price. they heard 1200 sq ft and the price went through the roof to do it.
 
Whatever you put on there, if it is not vapor permeable, it is guaranteed to fail if there is not a vapor barrier under the slab. Do your research on this. If you don't know if their is a vapor barrier, there are ways to check.

If there is a vapor barrier, go with the two part epoxy. Nothing beats it. This is what's used commercially in stores, warehouses and factories with heavy forklift traffic, chemical spills, etc.
 
X2 on the Vapor barrier and even Vapor permeable epoxy has it's limits. I have it (VP epoxy) in my basement and there are areas that have a cloudy patina from vapor being trapped under the epoxy. There are kits you install on your floor to test for vapor or water content prior to doing the floors and they are not terribly expensive. Well worth the money.

Lots of prep work and homework or you'll just be pissing money away.

http://www.epfloors.com/moisture-testing/

Good reading here.
 
bighammer said:
Whatever you put on there, if it is not vapor permeable, it is guaranteed to fail if there is not a vapor barrier under the slab. Do your research on this. If you don't know if their is a vapor barrier, there are ways to check.

If there is a vapor barrier, go with the two part epoxy. Nothing beats it. This is what's used commercially in stores, warehouses and factories with heavy forklift traffic, chemical spills, etc.
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I had forgotten all about that , I was surprised to see how thick the vapor barrier was when they poured my concrete, seems like my county wants 15 mill or better.(yeah what contractor is going better) And the stupid termite spray they required under concrete. the vapor barrier did make a difference since the small shed pad(without the barrier) that got poured for the wife's garden tools got painted too and it has peeled in spots and it has never had a grease or oil spill problem.
 
ceramic based floor coatings will out last epoxies by a bunch but it is very expensive.
 
So what type floor treatment would also act as a vapor barrier?
 
tqfastfish said:
anybody have any suggestions? Pics and info on brand and price would be awesome! thanks a lot
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All I want to say is if you paint/coat your garage floor, you'll be doing it for the rest of your life. High traffic areas will wear thru, it will be chipped, scratched, gouged, possibly lifted due to vapor migration which will become areas that need re-coating. I readily agree when first done it will look great, a nice piece of eye candy; I don't think you built your shop to just look at it, I suspect you wish to do some serious work on your car. Do you wish to work on your car, or do you want to paint/coat the floor?


You asked for suggestions...........


What ever you do, good luck!
 
I worked at a place 15-20 years ago for a while , not sure what the product was, a concrete sealer of sorts. applied once a yr in the fall, with mops. smelled real bad. the mechanic hosed it off EVERY day. it did a great job of sealing, but had no color like a epoxy .

for lots of folk, the garage is the man cave, full of all kinds of tools, many never used!? it looks better and fancier than my home! I do LOVE looking at those pretty garages and tools, though, I admit!

i'm thinking if I buy me a "metal nibber" (25 ?) again, I will be pooping in TALL cotton!!?????
 
H20loo said:
What a dumb question.

Everybody knows it's the Color of the last parts you painted
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LOL..you are so right.Mine is black like the trailer i just finished welding.
..if you must coat it i would just use a concrete paint,cheap and easy to touch
up or re-coat....and you will!
 
RustyRatRod said:
So what type floor treatment would also act as a vapor barrier?
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I don't think there is such a thing. The vapor barrier is the 6+ mil plastic that gos down prior to the slab being poured. If there is no vapor barrier, the slab will wick up moisture from the ground. (Think of concrete as a very dense sponge) As far as I know, nothing, no coating will stop it.

As far as the comments that nothing will hold up, I disagree, As long as the vapor barrier is in place. I have seen slabs with epoxy coatings that have lasted many many years, and still shine like a waxed floor.

There are no band aids. It has to be done right from the start.
 
bighammer said:
I don't think there is such a thing. The vapor barrier is the 6+ mil plastic that gos down prior to the slab being poured. If there is no vapor barrier, the slab will wick up moisture from the ground. (Think of concrete as a very dense sponge) As far as I know, nothing, no coating will stop it.

As far as the comments that nothing will hold up, I disagree, As long as the vapor barrier is in place. I have seen slabs with epoxy coatings that have lasted many many years, and still shine like a waxed floor.

There are no band aids. It has to be done right from the start.
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my garage was just a shed . floor was done by amatuers back around 1976. very poreous uneven and cracked . have no idea what was under it either. brought home some paint that was going in the trash where I worked. cleaned the oil spots somewhat w/ laquer thinner, and really laid the paint on heavy. the poreous concrete soaked it up like a sponge. best thing I`ve done to the place ! way easier to keep clean . one paint was grey 2 part epoxy, the other was tile red industrial concrete paint. both holding up well after a couple of yrs..
 
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