Garage fooring

I just finished a new garage and am still undecided about the floor. Can anyone recommend a coating that works well for a hobbiest type garage? Sorry, I meant FLOORING.

Thanks,
Jim

 

Damn that thing is nice. i could definitely store some shit in there if you wouldn't have moved to Nashville. I need a place for my '54 too hahah!!!! Great work!

 

I dont konw on the flooring question I was hoping to find some anwsers myself, I think alot of people use u-floor-it. Thats a petty awesome shop

 

BLACK AND WHITE CHECKER BOARD....... ;o)

 

I used a Quikrete brand coating......It is a light gray and I used the sprinkles to give the floor a little different look than just plain gray.....As far as the durablity, I am very pleased....I have rolled around engines on engine stands as well as cherry pickers to pull engines out....All without a blemish to the finish......I have a 22X36 garage and I used 3 boxes which comes to about $180.....Easy to put on and looks good too!!

 

Bought some epoxy garge floor paint from Home Depot.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

Can you post pics of how that looked after you applied it to your garages floor?

 

I've used Sherman Williams 2 part epoxy floor paint It looks good for years FLOOR MUST BE CLEAN before apply. No I don't work for them either!

 

Look at the bottom of this page, click on The GarageJournal link below! That'll give yasome answers

 

Quality 2 part epoxy. Preparation of the floor is an absolute must. If you skimp on anything, the paint will lift off sooner rather than later. Make sure concrete cured as long as the paint requires. Make sure you do it in the right temperature range. Make double sure it is cleaned exactly right. You will be happier if you don't skip any steps.

 

Actually the time to think about the floor would have been before you started.

Before pouring the floor you could have had a powdered color-hardener mixed into the concrete.

Lots of colors available and when finished nicely it gives a nice colored smooth and hard and durable floor.

Most coatings are a compromise and wont live for long if you are cutting welding or grinding or rolling heavy objects around on equipment with steel caster wheels.

 

X's 2 and mine is going on 10 years and used daily.

 

garagejournal.com not here...

 

I used the Rust-Oleum 2 part epoxy. I would definitely recommend an epoxy covering.

It is great for oil spills. The oil can just be wiped up with a rag.

The most important part is the floor prep. If you are applying the epoxy to a new floor, that would be the best. If you are applying the epoxy to an existing floor, then you will need to do a lot of prep work to get any existing oil or liquids that soaked into the floor.

 

Just wondering and thinking about coating my floor.are they kind of for show or can you actually work on them ?
How do these coatings hold up using jack stands, pulling a floor jack around, beating pcs. of metal to shape ,etc.

 

Don't epoxy if your going to use a plasma or welder it leaves burn marks , I would user a good paint so its easy to touch up

 

They won't , and will quickly fail and peel etc., especially when welding grinding or cutting over them.

 

I'm an architect for the Air Force and have done several hangers and shop floors. I'd recommend a grey epoxy or just a simple clear sealer. Sherwin Williams, Dunn Edwards, and Pittsburg paint all make decent products and several others, like U-Coat-It, offer decent do it yourself applications. Most recommend a fully cured, 28 day minimum, slab and a Ph test for alkilinity. The colored sprinkles hide chips and spills, but are not necessary, and can make finding that widget you dropped difficult. Black and white checkerboard actually increases eye strain as your eyes are constantly adjusting to the contrast. If you want to go that route, use grey and white. Your main concern after application is having hot tires lift the coating, so do your warranty homework with whatever manufacturer you choose. Some are water based, some two part catalyst based, and for down and dirty cheap, you can use alkyd based grey paint.

 

Amen. Weld and grinding spatter does a number on those coatings!

 

It's a place where you'll be working, and abusing, the floor. Forget fancy floor coatings. Treat it with a liquid concrete floor hardener before you get it dirty. Plenty of info available; just Google "concrete floor hardener".

Bob

 

I promptly parked my leaky model a on my new concrete work shop. My buddy told me i should just pour a quart of oil on it and get it over with. He was right. The oil seems to soak through of up and go away after a while.

 

Thanks Storm King for the great advice.

Thanks to all the rest for the help. Ill look into U coat it stuff as well as the standard sealers. I do like the epoxy flake as well as the stains.

 

As stated in previous posts- make sure the concrete is cured at least 28 days. There are a number of products out there that work just fine, although welding and sliding heavy stuff over it will tend to mark or pull it up. The 2 part epoxy is recommended over a one coat product, oil and grease are easily wiped up. I recommend etching the concrete first- this will rough up the concrete and will accept and grip the epoxy much better.

The one product I would stay away from is Seal Krete made by Convenience Products, I think they sell this crap at Lowes. I built a shop for a customer who insisted on using it. It's the cheapest and he was at the end of his budget, I told him not to use it but did he listen- no. It's a one part paint and it started peeling within 6 months!!! Stay away from it.

 

I put a white two part epoxy on mine before I moved anything in. you do not want any oils or chemicals spilled on the floor before coating it, if at all possible. BTW those epoxies are nasty smelling; wear protective clothing and mask when applying. ...and maybe have a fan behind you blowing the fumes away from you while you are painting it, then give the garage time to air out after it is cured before you go back inside. If it is a working garage, like mine, I would not worry too much about it staying perfect forever, it won't, so what. ...but the white coating is more reflective than regular concrete grey, and that was really important to me, and it is easier to clean up spills and ordinary dirt. I really like the white, even though it can look ratty and dirty between moppings, because it is like putting a lot more lights on because of the reflectiveness. With a 4' x 8' skylight near my main work area, I do not need to turn on the lights most days.

 

If you are going to WORK in the shop, buy Sherwin Williams clear sealer and follow the directions. Seal the shit out of it. If you weld, roll steel castered jacks, lifts, etc around on it, then painting it is a waste of time and angst.

 

the last thing anybody should be looking at in your garage is the floor

 

I acid washed my floor a couple of months after I built the garage and then cleared over it. It does scratch and get banged up but it just gets better looking the more I use it. But then again I aint no pretty boy.

 

Good to hear no one is talking about those snap together floors in pretty colors. They are super hard on your knees and you can't sweep or squeege them. Gary

 

I tried to keep it simple and not overthink it or over spend on it......

Good old Rustoleum standard smoke gray enamel. The concrete drinks in enough of it so most of the gloss is gone so it won't be slippery. Worked great on the foundation of my house also. It has worn well and a few drips of oil wipe off.

Just a good cleaning with Simple Green and let is dry well.

Very happy with it at $31.00 a gallon, took 3 gallons.....

 

what happened to good old new cement???? i know some of you hate spilling oil and stuff, but come on! if cement worked back then, it will work just fine now! save your money for something you really need, or coat it?