Garage Floor Coating/Flooring recommendations

[mferris]

I'm looking to epoxy/cover my 700sqft 3-car garage and need recommendations for something I can apply myself, won't wear off with normal (non-industrial) use, and can be cleaned or replaced easily.

After a few years of what my wife considers "disgusting" work in our shared 3 car garage - she has now proclaimed that the garage floor is ruined and she doesn't even like going out there to get in her own car in anymore.

Ignoring the positive effect of having her presence deterred in my private church - I'd like to find a very durable coating where I can continue to do occasional grinding/suspension/grease/oil work - but where I can either easily clean it up, or recoat in the places where disasters happen.

I am wary of some of the epoxy coatings which I have seen wear off in very lightly used garages. I'd rather leave my greasy floor greasy if it meant the HomeDepot/Lowes stuff would wear off quickly.

 

[alpine_64]

Mike,

I can tell you regardless of the product you choose the big issue you will face is the preparation of the floor so that the coating will bind to.

Ideally these should be applied to fresh concrete, once oil and grease are in the surface they impact the ability of coatings to last. You need to get as much of the surface as clean as possible and use something to try and lift the contaminants out.

Another option is to get one of the garage floor tilling systems. They look good, hard wearing and it doesn't matter what's under them .. Just a thought.

 

[Alpineracer8]

Mike:

Michael is right; the prep work on your existing floor will absolutely determine how well any paint product will hold up. Having said that, a big difference exists between some floor coating systems. Some evidently are oil-based, while others are water-based. The basic rule of thumb here is that the oil-based product is a bit more difficult in the application stage but, if the floor is prepped correctly, it will stick like glue and look good for years. The water-based coating, on the other hand, is much easier to apply but it doesn't have much staying power after it is dry. I have had direct experience with both of these products, both in my old shop and my current shop, and I can tell you from experience that the water-based product will not hold up nearly as well as the oil-based paint under any kind of working conditions. In other words, I would steer clear of products such as "U-Coat-It" and others like it, especially if you're wanting to do some serious work in your garage.

I made the "U-Coat-It" mistake when I built my current shop in 2011. Wow, what a waste of time and money that was!! The very first time I tried to work on the Tiger, I dropped a wrench at some point and it chipped the paint right off the floor. Scratches stared appearing in the coating under what I would call a normal work load and I was majorly dissatisfied. So, rather than strip it all off and start from scratch, I simply researched the snap together floor tiles and ended up ordering a bunch from Race Deck. I can tell you from experience now that, as far as I'm concerned, a product like Race Deck is the only way to go. I have spent the last 1.5 years doing a mechanical and light cosmetic restoration of my Tiger and the floor shows very little wear. I've spilled stuff on it, dropped stuff on it, rolled loaded engine stands and hoists on it, and nothing has damaged it. The nice thing about it, however, is if you do manage to damage a tile or two, just pop them out and replace them!!! It's simple and much less frustrating than trying to deal with chipping paint.

I still have the "U-Coat-It" on the floor in the two bays where I store my other two cars that see more street use ('04 Thunderbird and '89 Saleen Mustang), but the two work bay stalls have the Race Deck down in them and I wouldn't trade it for anything (see the attached pic taken last February, not too long after we put the motor/tranny back in the Tiger. I am absolutely astounded that the floor still looks as good as it does!!!). Of course, the other advantage to this is that the Race Deck is dead simple to install. Granted, it's not the cheapest flooring system on the market, but as a friend of mine always says, "buy the best you can get and you'll only cry once."

Keep us posted on what you decide to do,

 

[mferris]

Thanks guys - I'm thinking Tile is the right choice. I was concerned that it would collect dirt (which is rampant currently in the corners of my garage).

I'm presuming $3 to $4 a sq ft is a likely cost?

-M

 

[alpine_64]

Different systems and brands cost different amounts... This supplier has it on sale and full range from racedeck
http://www.bigfloors.com/product-category/garage-flooring/racedeck-garage-flooring/

 

[Alpine 1789]

This probably won't help you, Mike, but I want to share my experience the the Rustoleum 2-part epoxy garage floor paint for anyone else reading this for advice. We used that about 8 years ago on our then new garage and had excellent luck with it. But, even with the floor being new, we still spent a full day prepping before painting. We didn't etch the concrete because it was new, but we pressure washed it multiple times in order to get everything clean. And then pressure rinsed even more, to be sure all detergent was off the floor. I know there are other products on the market now - I think this was the only one readily available back then - but it worked great for me.

My neighbor, on the other hand, had the same paint professionally applied on a garage floor that was about 5 years old and it started flaking off within weeks. I think the differences were the amount of prep I did and the dirt and grease that was on the floor by the time he had it painted. For a new garage I wouldn't hesitate to use epoxy paint again. For an old one, tile is probably the only way to go.

 

[mferris]

Considering that is pretty much a unanimous "Tile" - then I think that's what I'll do. Now if only someone would empty the garage for me so I could paint the walls before doing the floor!

 

[Chuck Ingram]

To paint relatively new concrete is not hard. First pressure washing is necessary
When dry etch with Muratic acid at 20 percent. Let dry 48 hours . First coat thin down 50 percent and apply generously. Second coat thin down 25 percent and again apply generously. Let dry 24 hours and apply a finish coat not thinned down? As soon as its dry enough to walk on apply one more coat.
We painted around swimming pools this way and the paint was excellent in long lasting.

But as was mentioned. PREP.PREP and the PREP.