Painting a Garage Floor?
- Thread starter Matt89
- Start date
- Status
I was sold a so called"single part epoxy" dont go that route,tires are lifting it and any water left on for a day or so wrinkled it.I follwed instructions to the letter ,hole prcess took a week with washing,nutrelizing,cleaning ,prep wash,priming then washing that no parking for 3-4 days all a waste as far as Iam concerned
I used a two part epoxy (Rustoleum, I believe) on a basement floor last year. More expensive than one part systems, but only took one coat so it saved a lot of time. I was impressed with it. I can't say about hot tire pick up, though. Supposedly the stuff made for garages is resistant to that.
I used a roller on a pole and application was very quick.
I used a roller on a pole and application was very quick.
I used the Rustoleum 2 component epoxy on my shop floor and it's holding up great. It's been on for about 3 years now and sees some significant abuse.
There is always a little oil on the floor under the lift. I park my tractor there and it sometimes leaks a little. The oil wipes up and the floor is still perfect under it. I've spilled gas, antifreeze, grease, kerosene and just about any shop chemical you can think of. It doesn't bother the floor at all.
The only time I had a problem was changing the winter tires on the tractor. The tires are about 600 pounds each and I leave the tire chains on them. I spun the tires around once and the chain sort of scratched the floor under it. It's really hard to see unless you point it out.
Make sure your current floor is not sealed. My garage is sealed and I can't apply the epoxy in there. When I built the shop I made sure they didn't seal the concrete specifically because I wanted to paint it. I allowed the concrete to cure for about a year before I applied the paint.
The only other objection that I have is during the winter-if you walk into the shop with snow on your boots it can be a little slick. I plan to paint the area in front of the pedestrian door with some floor enamel and throw some traction sand in it sometime in the future.
I really like the ability to lay on the floor while working on something and not get covered with concrete dust or other dirt/grime. If there are any drippings left over from a piece of equipment that I've worked on I throw a little paint thinner on it and mop it up.
There is always a little oil on the floor under the lift. I park my tractor there and it sometimes leaks a little. The oil wipes up and the floor is still perfect under it. I've spilled gas, antifreeze, grease, kerosene and just about any shop chemical you can think of. It doesn't bother the floor at all.
The only time I had a problem was changing the winter tires on the tractor. The tires are about 600 pounds each and I leave the tire chains on them. I spun the tires around once and the chain sort of scratched the floor under it. It's really hard to see unless you point it out.
Make sure your current floor is not sealed. My garage is sealed and I can't apply the epoxy in there. When I built the shop I made sure they didn't seal the concrete specifically because I wanted to paint it. I allowed the concrete to cure for about a year before I applied the paint.
The only other objection that I have is during the winter-if you walk into the shop with snow on your boots it can be a little slick. I plan to paint the area in front of the pedestrian door with some floor enamel and throw some traction sand in it sometime in the future.
I really like the ability to lay on the floor while working on something and not get covered with concrete dust or other dirt/grime. If there are any drippings left over from a piece of equipment that I've worked on I throw a little paint thinner on it and mop it up.
JHZR2
Staff member
A bit OT: what would one use if their garage/basement was painted/stained/sealed YEARS ago... like a very long time ago?
I was thinking of using an epoxy, but the sherwin williams guy told me that if a coating was ever previously used, to not go that route... but he also told me that their paints wouldnt do a job that Id be happy with, given the previous paintng on my floors.
Is concrete stain the way to go? Or is there just some sort of a clear sealer that I could put on to help protect the floors?
Thanks!
JMH
I was thinking of using an epoxy, but the sherwin williams guy told me that if a coating was ever previously used, to not go that route... but he also told me that their paints wouldnt do a job that Id be happy with, given the previous paintng on my floors.
Is concrete stain the way to go? Or is there just some sort of a clear sealer that I could put on to help protect the floors?
Thanks!
JMH
I've always wanted to do this also. Thanks for the feedback. Of course this project has been delayed a few years due to interior/exterior painting.
I used Behr concrete cleaner to clean mine. Then I worked the oil stains really hard. Once I had the oil stains as good as I could get them I sealed them with Kilz.
After 3 years and a lot of abuse the paint is nearly perfect.
My father in law had a similar situation when he did his shop floor. It had been painted years ago. He had it professionally done with outstanding results. The company that he contracted with did a lot of surface prep. His is now a couple years older than mine and still looks like new.
Some do, some don't. But that is the secret to longevity, getting it clean, I mean really clean. Some of my friends went that route and there main cussing was that it left the floor too slick if it got wet. Sure they have "sprinkles" that you put on while your applying, but it is still slick and they don't give you enough of those things in the first place. My neighbor painted his garage floor with a well known paint and it is now coming up with the tires. I say paint it if your trying to sell it, if not, leave it alone. It will develop "character" when you spill some oil on it from all the massive number of OCI's that you do!!!!
Keep in mind most of the Rustoleum kit are for a 1-car garage so you'll need two kits. Home Depot and Lowes used to carry a "Value Kit" that saved you $20, giving you enough to do a 2-bay garage, but it looks like it's being discontinued around here as it is never on the shelf. When I checked with Customer Service, they always say "none in stock, none on ordered."
- Status
