Best garage floor coating/paint

[G-RELL]

Moving on to the garage soon.

Any finished garages here with sealant/paint advice? i.e. Epoxyshield

any one brand/kit better than the other?

 

[Kumba]

Regardless of what you use, it's all about the surface prep. Some stuff sticks better then others, but if the concrete isn't prepped right none of it will stick. Also, if you don't have a LOT of ventilation in the garage you need to get a respirator mask from an autobody supply store or borrow one. You will need it during the etching and cleaning. You'll also want some good chemical resistant gloves for the prep work as the stuff is nasty if you get it on you.

You can also save a lot of work for yourself by renting a floor buffer and getting an abrasive (or stripping) pad for it. The pad will look and feel like a scotchbrite pad you use to wash dishes. This is used during the etching process to rough up the concrete and get any oil/stains/etc out of it. If the concrete has a sealer on it then you'll need to use a chemical stripper on it to remove the sealer before you etch it as well. In that case you want to get a second abrasive pad so you have one for stripping the sealer off and a second for etching the concrete.

Short version of work:
1) Use mild degreaser/soap (I liked dawn) and pressure washer to clean concrete surface of normal gunk
2) If sealed, use chemical stripper and abrasive pad to remove sealer (google for ways to test for sealer)
3) If any large cracks, chips, etc, correct with mortar/thinset and a grinder so that floor is relatively smooth
4) Use muriatic acid diluted in water to etch the concrete and scrub with abrasive pad, rinse with water good
5) Let dry for a few days, don't let anyone or anything on concrete as it'll contaminate surface
6) Working your way to a door and sweeping the floor vigorously as you go, apply your epoxy/paint/etc

You could do it over a weekend if you did the cleaning and etching Friday night and the epoxy on Sunday. You definitely want to give the concrete a good day to dry out so you don't have moisture trapped behind the epoxy. The moisture will prevent it from adhering good and you'll get ripples or bubbles from the water as it tries to evaporate. But stripping the concrete and etching it is the most important part. Any stains will bleed through the epoxy and any oil or other contaminants will cause the epoxy to not stick and lift up.

What we put down was a commercial floor epoxy that we got from our autobody supplier. It had a primer coat, base coat, and top coat. It was a real PITA to work with cause you had around 40 minutes from when you started mixing until it started to set. Good part was once you got it down and it cured it was pretty indestructible. I think it was around $200 for 200 square feet of coverage. No I don't remember the brand. I just remember it being a pain to work with.

 

[05ls]

I used Pittsburgh paint called mega seal high performance

I used a Pittsburgh paint epoxy called mega seal self leveling I coat at 30 mils and then I used medium flake and then 2 coats of psx clear to retain the color from uv rays and to protect from any chemical that might fall on it it looks beautiful

Regardless of what you use, it's all about the surface prep. Some stuff sticks better then others, but if the concrete isn't prepped right none of it will stick. Also, if you don't have a LOT of ventilation in the garage you need to get a respirator mask from an autobody supply store or borrow one. You will need it during the etching and cleaning. You'll also want some good chemical resistant gloves for the prep work as the stuff is nasty if you get it on you.

You can also save a lot of work for yourself by renting a floor buffer and getting an abrasive (or stripping) pad for it. The pad will look and feel like a scotchbrite pad you use to wash dishes. This is used during the etching process to rough up the concrete and get any oil/stains/etc out of it. If the concrete has a sealer on it then you'll need to use a chemical stripper on it to remove the sealer before you etch it as well. In that case you want to get a second abrasive pad so you have one for stripping the sealer off and a second for etching the concrete.

Short version of work:
1) Use mild degreaser/soap (I liked dawn) and pressure washer to clean concrete surface of normal gunk
2) If sealed, use chemical stripper and abrasive pad to remove sealer (google for ways to test for sealer)
3) If any large cracks, chips, etc, correct with mortar/thinset and a grinder so that floor is relatively smooth
4) Use muriatic acid diluted in water to etch the concrete and scrub with abrasive pad, rinse with water good
5) Let dry for a few days, don't let anyone or anything on concrete as it'll contaminate surface
6) Working your way to a door and sweeping the floor vigorously as you go, apply your epoxy/paint/etc

You could do it over a weekend if you did the cleaning and etching Friday night and the epoxy on Sunday. You definitely want to give the concrete a good day to dry out so you don't have moisture trapped behind the epoxy. The moisture will prevent it from adhering good and you'll get ripples or bubbles from the water as it tries to evaporate. But stripping the concrete and etching it is the most important part. Any stains will bleed through the epoxy and any oil or other contaminants will cause the epoxy to not stick and lift up.

What we put down was a commercial floor epoxy that we got from our autobody supplier. It had a primer coat, base coat, and top coat. It was a real PITA to work with cause you had around 40 minutes from when you started mixing until it started to set. Good part was once you got it down and it cured it was pretty indestructible. I think it was around $200 for 200 square feet of coverage. No I don't remember the brand. I just remember it being a pain to work with.

 

[G-RELL]

Great stuff Kumba!!! Thanks

I used a Pittsburgh paint epoxy called mega seal self leveling I coat at 30 mils and then I used medium flake and then 2 coats of psx clear to retain the color from uv rays and to protect from any chemical that might fall on it it looks beautiful

did the flakes give texture? how slick when wet guys? (kid(s)) running around....

 

[roncoinc]

I used VCT,,easy to clean,shines well,cheap.

 

[Kumba]

did the flakes give texture? how slick when wet guys? (kid(s)) running around....

If the epoxy floor is a thinner one then the flakes will cause some irregularities in the surface which would give some slip resistance. Typically they are decorative though. If you are using a water based epoxy floor paint then the flakes might be enough. It would depend on how many top coats you plan to do. Obviously for longevity and durability more coats yield a better floor.

So if you want to look at something specifically for anti-skid in an epoxy floor you can look at micro-beads for thinner floors or fine grain sand for thicker ones. The micro beads give a softer feel to the floor but only really work with the thinner water-based epoxy paints. If you are using a true epoxy coating then it will be too thick and you'll need the sand. The sand you embed under the last top coat. Usually in the second to last coating you will lightly dust it with sand when it gets tacky and then put on the last top coat after it's dry enough to be workable.

There is a third option which is Aluminum Oxide Grit and yes it's the same stuff literally used in sand paper. I would not recommend the aluminum oxide as it will turn the floor into sandpaper. Great for anti-skid, bad if you ever slip or fall on it. You'll end up looking like you just crashed on the sidewalk out front. We did the entryway to the shop years ago with this because people would bring boats up full of water between the hulls. It will tear up your feet, non-pneumatic hard tires, any skin, etc. Also doesn't let things with small wheels like a jack roll very well on it. However, you can walk around in standing water on it without slipping.