Garage Floor Painting?

[Jon-Mike]

I am getting into a new house soon and since it is new, I would like to do the garage floor in something before I have to do a lot of prep work. As an aside, the slab is about 10 months old (so hopefully it is dried out enough?).

After having searched the archives and the many opinions on different garage flooring options, I was hoping to revive the topic to get more opinions. Also hoping to hear back from some others on their experiences as they were beginning to undertake the same project.

Cost IS an object, so I know that I lean towards doing an epoxy or maybe a good vinyl tiling. A checkerboard effect is also something I would be inclined to go with.

A couple of possibly good options I noted from the archives are:

---Valspar (or other) 2-part epoxy. (also, has anyone had success with putting a masonry or something to add traction?)

---1/8" thick Vinyl tiles. (advice on using an extra epoxy, etc.?)(this also would seem to be easy to do the checkerboard thing?)

Finally, my garage will not really be a working garage , so I don't have to worry about it standing up to tools dropping, jacks sliding, etc. The only extreme would be the San Antonio heat.

Thanks for any input!!!!!!!!!!

JMK

 

[jimandela]

Cheap option,
Sears garage floor paint.
no mixing .. no headache.
also consider painting the basement floor of the new house.
i used Sears floor deck, patio. Acrylic oil baeed and it worked out well.
just make sure you have a respirator.

 

[Jeff Torrey]

Painting Concrete is not a simple project. Paint Companies will tell you to etch the surface. There are 2 ways to do this; a) With an acid, b) With an abrasive. The easier is the acid but if you do not nutralize with plenty of water it will cause a paint failure. If the floor is not completely dry throughout when you paint that could cause a failure.

Best place to buy epoxy paints for concrete is Sherwin- Williams. They have like 5 different products to choose from. Keep in mind your going to want to add sand to the epoxy (no-skid). When exoxy floors get wet they are slippery.


I am sure you will hear from people that have had good results. Moisture and heat are the biggest concerns. I don't know how much moisture there is in San Antonio. The heat coming off your tires can cause a problem just because they stay warm for a long time.

Good luck

 

[FLX109]

Concrete stain also works well, I've used it on warehouse floors, inground pool patio's, definately needs an acid wash though

FLX109

 

[plumcrazy]

www.chemrex.com is a great epoxy mfg.

 

[SylvanSRT]

find an industrial coatings contractor use 100% epoxy about the only thing that can mess it up is acetone, or being scratched by a sharp object or dropped tool. my contractor used glass beads to create a traction surface. clean up on the finished floor is as easy as hosing or brooming. definitely get multiple prices as the guy locally here were all over the place. AFTER getting a price work out a deal for cash w/ the owner of the company, assuming thats who you are dealing w/

 

[Jay Herbert]

So far I have been pretty happy with the Valspar two-ppart Epoxy I put down. It has been really tough and even sliding metal steel case desks across it has not stratched it.

Only issue so far has been I managed to stain it with few unknown items. I chose a mixed color, beachcomber tan, which pretty light. It seems pretty impervious to auto fluids if you clean them up and do let them sit. I think it was some antifreeze that got under a piece of cardboard that may nave stained the floor. It did not lift or damage the paint though.

Acid etch is a must for paint. My floor was pretty old and took a LOT of prep. I did a VERY aggressive etch, so the floor actually has a little texture and has not exibited an issue with slipperyness. I neutralized the acid with lots of water, a pressure washer and a good scrub with tri-sodium phosphate (TSP).

I used a latex based floor paint for my storage area addition, UGL Latex Base DryLok Concrete Floor Paint. I etched and neutralized prior to painting. It is a no-mix one part paint and seems to be working pretty well. The first coat needs to be thinned with water per instructions an brushed in. The finish is mat, so it is not slippery. So far it seems surprisingly tough, But I've only had it down a month. I went with the latex for the addtion as it was easier cleanup, and except for the lawn tractor foot traffic was pretty much all it would see.

I did consider concrete stain, you do need to etch before staining. Stain look AWESOME, I have several friends that have went that way.

Sherwin Williams Industrial Epoxy paints are top-notch but pricier too. I plan to use commercial vinyl tile (about $.98/sq. ft.) for the non-working part of the shop, if you put a nice Garage Mat on top of the tile, that might be the best since you are not really planning on using your garage for work.

 

[FRANK]

None of it works. It will always come up regardless of how you prep it. That is why painters wont guarantee it period. Ever wonder why people are always recoating their garage floors? I have done a few and prepped them with acid etc. only to find out that the tires lift the paint eventually. Sorry but it's the truth!

I have used concrete paint, epoxy paint, and concrete stain. All have come up at some point. I have considered tiling my residential garage with those .59 cent industrial tiles from Home Depot that you see in schools etc.

The heat of those tires is what pulls up the stain/paint. It is obvious. When I would drive a car, I would leave it outside for a few hours until the tires cooled off. Then I would pull it in. You'd be surprised how long the paint will hold up if you do this...which is not practical at all. Heat combined with the weight of the car combined with the stickiness of tires is what ruins the surface of the floor.

Kind of like those places that do iron on tee-shirts - pressure/heat/stickiness...whallaaaa!

 

[1MEANSNAKE]

I have also thought about using those cheap black and white tiles, my question is what type of bonding agent would work best with them to keep them down for a nice long time? I realize i would have to acid clean the cement before laying them down.

 

[FRANK]

Some sort of floor/tile glue you spread on with a trowel with small "teeth" These tiles are cheap enough and will never come up etc. Mop the floor and sweep relatively easily too!

 

[SylvanSRT]

NOT epoxy paint! 100% epoxy coating, floor must be prepped correctly. will not lift flake or peal. my floor was shot blasted before application of finished product along w/ all cracks being filled. this is the same stuff in industrial plants and car dealership service and write up areas. quite strong and durable, really. Do not confuse this w/ regular paint products.

 

[Shelby3]

I have also thought about using those cheap black and white tiles, my question is what type of bonding agent would work best with them to keep them down for a nice long time? I realize i would have to acid clean the cement before laying them down.

The cheap black and white tiles come with the peel and stick glue already on them from Home Depot and will hold very well on a clean floor. Installing them is a piece of cake. They will however discolor from the heat of the tires as mentioned several times in this thread.

 

[FRANK]

NOT epoxy paint! 100% epoxy coating, floor must be prepped correctly. will not lift flake or peal. my floor was shot blasted before application of finished product along w/ all cracks being filled. this is the same stuff in industrial plants and car dealership service and write up areas. quite strong and durable, really. Do not confuse this w/ regular paint products.

And let me guess you paid someone like a thousand dollars or more to do this?

For what you paid to get your floors coated, I could ceramic tile my garage and have it look like a new car showroom! Some ceramic tiles are under $1.50 per sq. ft., and the mastic is cheap for a large bag.

The average joe here isn't looking to spend big bucks to have a company come in and do the work and hand over a bill for a grand or so to have their floors done.

Every dealership I have been in gets their floors done every couple of years unless they dont care about appearance.

If you're worried about dust etc., the best thing to use in my opinion is clear coating it. Isn't as noticeable once it gets worn.

 

[Bill B]

I had used U-Coat it on the original part of the garage. That stuff held up to anything I threw at it. It is water based and (if I remember correctly) was about $.70 a foot. After the addition I put down Race Deck.

 

[DrumrBoy]

I went with the Valspar epoxy and have been happy with it.

As others have said, prep is everything. Don't count on it being a weekend project, you need to allow alot of dry time....and maybe two or three washes to get all the etching stuff off.

Regarding anti-slip stuff, I used the little blue, white, black an gray paint chips you get in the Rust-o-leum kit (I don't recomment the rust-o-leum, its water based stuff and come up easily; not good). They break up the color nicely but don't do as well as sand.

I was advised against sand because once its in there, it makes cleaning the floor REALLY difficult; some say it never gets 100% clean when you add sand.

my $0.02

 

[PhoenixGTS]

This is an easy one . . .

Floor paint is a total waste. Worse yet, once you realize it sux, you will have to strip it before putting an effective coating on the floor, which could easily double the cost (see P.S. below). You MUST get your garage floor done with a two-part epoxy coating rated for car parking. I have Sherwin Williams "Tile Clad" in my garage. It is absolutely fabulous. Two years old and not even a hint of thinking of coming up. BE CAREFUL as there are two-part epoxy coatings that are for indoor use and will not hold up to parked cars. For example, I wanted to go with clear, but could not find a clear that was rated for car parking. The "Tile Clad" I ended up with comes in a large number of colors, and my painter merely cut the edges in with a brush then rolled the field (two coats but I would recommend a thicker application than I have). It is dry to walk on in a few hours, but you are supposed to wait a week before parking on it. I believe it was $1.50/square foot, so without prep, my three-car garage was $900. Money VERY well spent.

P.S. Notice I quoted the price without prep. Someone who owned my house previously had put floor paint in the garage. Of course it lifted everywhere that a tire ever touched it. My painter and I discussed chemically stripping it but I did not like that option. I'm an attorney and luckily I was working on a case at the time related to a failed floor in a clean room (DVD production facility). I met a contractor who had a guy come out on the side and blast the floor with a big propane powered machine to remove the old paint. Well it worked too well, and I ended up with a profile that would have taken huge amounts of epoxy to smooth out. So the next weekend they came out with a diamond grinder that they use for finishing terrazo. Got the profile down so that coated it is not glas-smooth, and has some tooth so it is not slippery. Doubled the price of the floor, but money VERY well spent. Great news for you is with a brand new floor your prep is almost zero.

 

[RoadKing]

Re: This is an easy one . . .

J/M, I've painted both garage floors now, with 2 different processes. I'm assuming you're coming to the BBQ on Saturday so we can go over the differences. DG

 

[ruckdr]

Re: This is an easy one . . .

http://www.samsclub.com/eclub/main_results.jsp?main_search=1&t=a&n=0&BV_SessionID=_SC_0835837985.1090262244_CS_&BV_EngineID=cccladclmmjdffecfkfcfkjdgoodfkg.0&ftv=&search_string=garage+floor&x=7&y=7

Go to my photos - select link on left under avatar, and look at garage floor pictures.

Later,

 

[Jon-Mike]

Re: This is an easy one . . .

Thanks for all the input/suggestions!!!

RoadKing - looking forward to seeing how you've done it.

JMK

 

[Jay Herbert]

Just heard of this new product at www.wonderpaint.com: "WonderPaint"
It is a product that has been in use buy "Industry" for many years, they are just beginning to market to the general public.

Ed Combs is putting it down on his new shop. First car to be worked on the new floor will be my never ending project!