garage floor coatings

[barlowc]

Hi guys. I just closed on a new-to-me home today and will move in the week of 09/21. My first planned improvement is the garage. It doesn't need much work. It's already drywalled but was never painted so I'll do that before I hang my wall cabinets. It has a very noisy chain-driven garage door opener, so I'll replace that with a nice Chamberlain belt drive. I'm just not sure what to do with the concrete floor.

I was going to epoxy it using those latex-based kits that Rustoleum and Quikrete offer, but I've had a few people tell me that I'll regret it. They say it'll look great initially but won't stay that way more than a few years. And I don't want to invest the money into a commercial-grade job right now.

Really I'd be satisfied if I could just clean it up so that it doesn't dust as much. Is there a sealer or something that'll clean it up, last, and not cause problems if I decide to invest in a good epoxy job later?

 

[xfactor9]

I epoxyed my floor a few years ago and it still looks good. I did it with materials from an online merchant. I recommend you use a solvent based epoxy as opposed to the water-based ones that HD/Lowes sells. Don't use the 100% solids epoxy because it has a very short working time. I recommend a light color because dark colors show dirt and mud very easily.

Google "Devran solvent epoxy"

Do an acid wash followed by primer coat, 2 thin coats of epoxy, flakes, then clear coat. This will last the life of the house

 

[spk2000]

+1 to no water base

 

[xfactor9]

BTW -- One issue with epoxy floors is that it's harder to drive cars onto car ramps. Even w/ the anti-slip flakes in the epoxy, it's more slippery than bare concrete. I use ramp extenders and it's still impossible to get a RWD car onto the ramp. FWD will be ok though

 

[blupupher]

When I moved into my house almost 20 years ago I was planning on doing something to my garage floor, looked into the options and cost and said I am not going to spend that much to cover concrete. I still have a bare concrete floor in my garage and really see no reason to spend a penny on it now.

As for the garage door opener (not that you asked), look at Home Depot for the Chamberlain Model # WD850KEVG. HD only model with battery back up, included MyQ gateway (usually another $50 add on on other units), 1HP motor and is super quiet, all for $200. Only thing it did not have that I wanted was the auto close after 1/5/10 minutes, so I ordered a LM881 wall control from Amazon for $20.

 

[Al]

I like drylock concrete floor paint. Relatively cheap

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: blupupher
As for the garage door opener (not that you asked), look at Home Depot for the Chamberlain Model # WD850KEVG. HD only model with battery back up, included MyQ gateway (usually another $50 add on on other units), 1HP motor and is super quiet, all for $200. Only thing it did not have that I wanted was the auto close after 1/5/10 minutes, so I ordered a LM881 wall control from Amazon for $20.

Funny... that's the opener I already bought.

Though the cost when I purchased it was $210. There's probably a way for me to get the $12 difference back, but may not be worth the time to try.

 

[tom slick]

I would look at Amerlock or Sherwin Williams Macropoxy. Both are super tough industrial paint that is also suitable for floors.

 

[BRZED]

I'd love to know if there is a clear, non-yellowing concrete floor coating.