# Recommendations for finishing garage floor?



## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

What kind of floor are we talking about here? Is it just plain, completely unfinished concrete? Is it new concrete or old concrete? These will be factors involved in the preparation of your floor for a new finish.


I'm pretty sure (someone please confirm/disapprove this) that the final sealing, regardless of what you choose for your floor, will be what influences its stain resistance.


You could do a number of things though:
- just seal your plain, grey concrete floor
- stain the floor, either for a mottled effect or straight uniform color
- use paint on it (special concrete paints)
- epoxy coat it (from what I hear, it's relatively difficult and improper installation frequently results in failures such as peeling or hot tire pickup of the epoxy)


Now, all of those things I mentioned could be done to an existing concrete slab (if the slab is okay enough for the proper preparation work), or you may need to pour an overlay (kind of like a new cement floor, only it's a thin slab directly over your old one; this also allows a new option, one that can be combined with most of the above ones - stamping patterns)


Here's some pics I have of cool finished concrete. I've gathered these from various sources, as I'm in the same situation as you are (new house, hideous green painted concrete slab garage/front stoop area).

My guess is that I'll be doing one of the following to mine:
1) just paint it over to a color I want (because this is much easier than other methods)
2) put an overlay on it, and once the overlay is ready, do a mottled tan stain, then seal it.


Good luck, keep us posted. I'll try to remember to put a link in this thread to pics of mine once it's done.


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## bhpizza (May 13, 2007)

Once we get into the house we're going to probably get a quote for the Rust-Oleum Ultra Epoxy-Shield. Hopefully it won't be too expensive. Home Depot has an installation service. You said that improper installation can cause peeling but, if the materials can be purchased for DIY install, his grandfather may be able to help us do it. He has a lot of experience and is a true all-around handyman. Anybody have any experience with Rust-Oleum Epoxy-Shield, especially with DIY installation.

Oh yeah, here's a link to the material we're talking about. Check out the photo gallery, beautiful garage floors:
http://www.premiumgaragefloors.com/rosc_product.asp?DN=ULTRA


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## HAASEMAN2003 (Feb 12, 2007)

Just my opinion but don’t use HD or Lowes for install they use external contractors and it’s a bugger to get them to come back and fix if you have problems.


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## Jeekinz (Jan 29, 2007)

JoeyBoy,

I have two concrete slabs: one for a patio (16x20) and the other is an extension of the blacktop driveway (12x15). I'm still in debate whether I should completely remove the patio and replace it with some sort of natural stone pavers. The driveway extenson is flush with the drive and is a pretty massive piece of concrete.

Are there any DIY'er methods that can produce the same results as your photos?


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

I just checked that link - they only warranty the stuff for 1, 2, or 3 years (dependent upon which 'quality' level you choose). My guess is non-professional installation voids any warranties. And I've read in contractor forums that these epoxy systems have high failure rates. It's what I actually wanted to do in the first place to my garage. Only I want to do everythign diy (well, almost everything anyways), and what I read made me certain I wasn't making the right choice doing it as a diy for the first time I've ever seen teh process done.


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

ah you posted while I was responding - are you saying you have asphalt in your garage? confused..


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## armyguns (Feb 14, 2006)

Two years ago I moved into a 5 yr old home with a 3 bay garage. The previous owner had painted the concrete garage floor and it was peeling in spots. I hated it. I looked at the various options to include the HD/Lowes epoxy paints. I had a local (NJ) professional floor coating company come talk to me and got a quote from HD for them to do it. In addition I talked to three people who did the job themselves using HD/Lowes product. 

Of those who either did it themselves or had HD/LOWES do it, NOT ONE was happy with the results after less than 2 years. The professional floor coating company do industrial jobs where truck and fork lift traffic is commonplace. 

After all that, I decided to go with the professional floor coating company. It took them 5 days to complete the job. First day was spent steel bead blasting all the old paint off. Then they used an electric hand grinder to get right up to all edges including the steel lolly columns. Then they started applying the coating which took 3 1/2 days in all for the base coat, texture coat and sealing coats. 

The results are amazing. People are absolutely stunned with the floor. It appears to be completely stain proof. In fact, if you spill water on it, or water drops off the cars from rain, that water will be on the floor until you wipe it up or it evaporates days later. It just will not go anywhere. I do vehicle maintenance to include oil changes in the garage and nothing stains it. One word of caution is that the surface WILL scratch if you drag heavy rough stuff across it. However it doesn't appear the scratches penetrate anything beyond the top coat. I guess if you really worked at it you could screw it up. 

The cost for the pros was right around $4 sq.ft. LOWES/HD price was like $3.75 for their BEST job. 

After watching the pro do it and after having 2 years experience with the results, this was money well spent. Your mileage may vary.


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

ya that's the impression I got. I figured it couldn't be that hard, and was gonna do it myself, but after reading lots online I decided it'd be a hard project for me and would have such a high rate of failing that it wouldn't be worth the time/effort/cash. It's the only floor finish in my garage I wouldn't undertake myself.


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## Josh the Jenius (Jun 20, 2007)

*Regarding the DIY kit*

I just finished the garage- patched the holes, gave it a coat of exterior paint, & coated the floor with a DIY epoxy kit from Lowes. I needed two kits for a two car garage, and they ended up costing less than $250. 























I've heard that these DIY epoxy kits start to fade and peel after a couple years, but so far, it looks fine to me. We moved the washer & dryer back in the room, and had to slide them around the floor a little bit to get them in place, but this stuff didn't scratch. I've also moved those steel shelves around, and the epoxy doesn't scratch. 

Then again, this is a brand new job, so who knows how it will look in 5 years. 

It was also extremely easy to do. 

1. Power wash the garage floor
2. Scrub the floor (cleaner included in kit)
3. Once floor is dry, mix epoxy together, paint it on
4. Shake those little flakes on 
5. Let dry for 72 hours before moving anything back into the garage

Took me about 4 hours to clean, and another 4 to paint (and I work pretty slow)

Food for thought. From where I sit, this kit was a bargain.


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## bhpizza (May 13, 2007)

Wow. Looks really nice Josh. Couple questions for ya. Did you use the Rustoleum Epoxy Shield kit? If so, which kit did you use, (standard or premium)? How long did you have to let the floor dry between cleaning and painting? Did you use the anti-slip additive? What did you use to spread the paint chips evenly?

I'm pretty sure I'm just going to try this myself for starters. If it comes out horrible I can just pay somebody else to do it but I'm not about to pay a company $1200+ to come and do it without trying it myself first. We have a ton of things we want to do to our new house and if the garage floor is going to cost that much it's going to be bumped way down on the list. That's $1200 that I'd put into a whole-house air filtration system long before I used it to shine up the garage floor.


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## Josh the Jenius (Jun 20, 2007)

Here is the kit I used:

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=224198-4-50020&lpage=none

Even cheaper than I thought: $62 /each (I needed 2 for a standard 2 car garage). 

>> How long did you have to let the floor dry between cleaning and painting?

Overnight.

>> Did you use the anti-slip additive? 

No. The floor texture feels like rubber. It was actually kinda sticky for the first week.

>> What did you use to spread the paint chips evenly?

They come in a small container, just like fish food (small holes in cap). You just paint a small area, sprinkle, and repeat. 

Also- this kit included a DVD containing step-by-step video instructions. 

Very easy stuff. 

Like others have mentioned: the type of floor make a difference. We were working with plain cement, and powerwashed it thoroughly before we did anything else. If the floor has already been treated, the epoxy may not set properly.


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## bhpizza (May 13, 2007)

Thanks for the fast reply. I'll be looking into this for sure. Thanks for all your help Josh.


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## Josh the Jenius (Jun 20, 2007)

Happy to help. Let us know how it turns out.


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

Josh - did you acid etch the floor first? Bonding agents? Or just cleaned the floor and directly appied the epoxy?


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## Josh the Jenius (Jun 20, 2007)

Because we applied direct to cement, the kit claimed we did not need any special bonding agent. The epoxy comes in two containers, and must be mixed together (activated) before use. 

We did use the cleaning agent provided, but that was only to remove oil and other stains before application.


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## dcaudill (Jun 29, 2007)

*A Review and warning on Rustoleum Epoxy Shield*

We purchased 2 of these kits for our garage floor. It Stated that each kit would cover 500sq feet on a sealed surface, 250sq ft on bare concrete. Our garage is roughly 450 sq ft. with bare concrete so according to their specs, 2 kits should have well covered it. We spent 3 days preparing the floor, cleaning it, removing grease spots, etc. Finally it got time to use the product. We applied it according to directions and waited for it to dry. We were expecting to see a beautiful floor, however what we ended up with was horrible. You can clearly see the roller strokes around each section that we did, it's evident it needs another coating. We were very upset about this, so I went to their website and tried to email them. At that time their email wasn't working properly. So I then went to Planet Feedback and left them email. I explained to them that their coverage description was lacking, it was misleading. I told them it looked horrible and requested either they refund my money or send me the product to place another coat on it. I heard nothing back from them. My husband then 3 days later got on their website and the email was working. He asked about painting over it and explained why. Again no answer. So this morning we called them. The woman then told him that the kits do not state that they will cover a certain amount and that to paint over it we would have to sand the entire floor. She also stated that it is not the products fault. I guess we're all illiterate or we are hallucinating about what they state the product will cover. I will not ever buy anything from rustoleum again and if you are planning on using the product, I suggest you buy more than what the box states it will cover. In fact, I would suggest doubling it. And you have my prayers should you need customer service.


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

http://www.contractortalk.com/showthread.php?t=20592

I was going to do the epoxy coating on my garage, until I read this thread. I now have no desire to do all that work, spend that cash, when this is what the pros are saying about these systems.


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

I guess what I mean to say is that originally I thought 'hey, how hard could it be, just spread the stuff out, right?'. I had no idea how intricate this procedure is, and how extremely important proper installation is to ensure you don't waste so much time/money, only to have it fail on you in a year or two and start lifting from the floor.

I think I'm either gonna just paint my slab (hate doing it, but time/cost effective), or doing an overlay and using acid stains for a mottled effect, then shiny/satin sealer.


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## dcaudill (Jun 29, 2007)

joeyboy said:


> http://www.contractortalk.com/showthread.php?t=20592
> 
> I was going to do the epoxy coating on my garage, until I read this thread. I now have no desire to do all that work, spend that cash, when this is what the pros are saying about these systems.



It's not worth the time and effort......it doesn't coat what they say it does, nothing works the way they say it will....just another lie from a manufacturer to get your money.....and once they have it, forget you...........


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

I wouldn't go that far, I do believe it's worth the time and effort, if you're a pro. However, as a DIY guy myself, I researched it, and just decided it wasn't a flooring option that is suitable for DIY. I saw that guy's pics (from this thread), and they looked great, but I don't imagine that it'll come out poorly once applied, you're more concerned about the system failing after a year or two, which is a horrible outcome considering the time/money spent doing it. I'm all for overlays/working with current slabs now, as opposed to epoxy stuff. I loved the idea, but I can't in good faith do it, because I won't be able to convince myself I'm capable of doing it (barring doing extensive research. But with the time I'd need to feel capable of doign it like a pro, the time wasted could've just been used to have a pro do it from the start. It's not as simple as you'd think it was at first glance, like I had thought.)


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## kmccreadie (Aug 30, 2007)

*No trouble with EpoxyShield...*

I used the EpoxyShield garage floor coating about one year ago and it has held up great. Here are some helpful hints:

First: Clean, clean, clean! Use a mild degreaser, then use the etching mix.
Second: Don't put it on too thick and make sure you back-roll just like you were painting drywall. If you cant make a gallon go 200+ square feet, you are using too much. If too much is applied, it will not cure correctly. For example: My garage is 441 square feet, the two gallon kit worked perfectly.
Third: Take your time, especially when cleaning the floor. This is a two day job, take your time. 
Fourth: Let the floor dry for a day or two. Some concrete holds moisture.
Fifth: Roll the epoxy on when the humidity is below 50%
Sixth: USE ANTI-SKID! If the floor gets wet, you will break your neck!:thumbsup: 

Of course, there are many more factors which are indicated in the directions. Good luck getting those little flakes to spread out evenly!!!:thumbup: 

Here is a pic of my garage before and after. The after pic is a year later, so the floor is a little dirty - It does clean up good with the mop!


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

After 1 year, do you have a single spot that's peeling, chipping, problematic, etc? If so, please show! Otherwise, that's a solid looking epoxy job!!


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## Concordseeker (Aug 5, 2007)

Another way to go is removeable garage floor tiles or garage mats. Cost effective and you can take them with you when you move. Check out at www.calcarcover.com.


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## kmccreadie (Aug 30, 2007)

*No problem...*

No peeling or anything. I park my vette on one side and the wife parks her Cadillac on the other - The caddy is driven every day.

I like the idea of the floor tiles! Too expensive for me. 

Home Depot in Cincy has the EpoxyShield for 500 sq. ft. (2 gal kit) for $99


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## ITguy (Oct 8, 2007)

*Quikrete kit*

I also used the quikrete kits from lowes, the real pain of course was the prep work! I did use the cleaner as instructed before rolling on the epoxy, and after applying the base and flakes I waited 2 days then applied the quikrete topcoat. I went through 3 color kits and 2 clear kits. for my 3 car garage. so total $310.00 and I love the results so far (1 month).:thumbup: 

btw: thats my daughter's fine chalk drawing in front of the garage, and surprisingly not my sloppy painting.


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## ITguy (Oct 8, 2007)

*closer shot of the floor*

here you can see a close up of the coating.


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## ltcobretti (Oct 10, 2007)

Joeyboy - nice work on that concrete


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## joeyboy (Apr 10, 2007)

I didn't do my concrete yet :no: 

Still haven't found any advice on painting concrete slabs...


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## nevadajacks (Dec 13, 2010)

I saw some self draining tile floor that was is fairly cheap. It is interlocking garage floor tiles so it is easy to install. They have a video on the site where a guy installs 20 square feet in just under 2 minutes. The tiles come in various colors so you can get pretty creative if that is your thing.


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## Sam Luettke (Jan 29, 2011)

I rented a floor grinder because I had paint on floor from before. I used the rustoleum epoxy from Lowes and it lasted about three months then peeled I could also see the concrete texture, no build-up at all. I had some vacation time coming up so I did it again but bought all the epoxy floor paint from www.adpolymers.com. I went with the recommended primer high solids and urethane. 2 car was less than $400 bucks plus shipping, but it is awesome. Much more of a floor than needed for a garage but I can tell you this is permanant. Doing back garage next but only gonna acid etch the floor. Contractor wanted over $1400 to do my small two car. And he said no primer needed but not takig the chance for the little extra cost. I can tell you it really soaked in the floor. We tried getting it up off driveway where my son over rolled and hit the driveway. We had to use xylene and a wire adapter on a drill to get it up. ADpolymers AD144 epoxy floor primer unbelievable stuff.
How is you floor holding up so far? I love my floor. Your floor looks real nice too.


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