Garage Flooring Choices
- Thread starter awatkins
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I'm with Doc Kaler on this one. I cleaned, acid etched and neutralized after renting a concrete grinder for a weekend. Stained with concrete paint and I'm getting bleed through all over because of moisture coming up from underneath the concrete. Decided to wait and do it again using Doc's methods.
Doug - The Sherwin Williams product was acutally Drylok concrete floor paint (Drylok is owned by SW). See the attached picture of the can and also a couple of the floor. I think I paid about $30 per gallon on sale. This is probably the only paint I have ever bought where the coverage listed on the can was actually the coverage I got. They recommend you thin the first coat with 50% water and the second coat full strength. I followed this recommedation. The stuff goes on very easy, dries quickly (although they recommend 5 days curing before heavy traffic) and makes a big improvement in the overall look of the shop. Like I said previously, I couldn't see spending $1000 on this, but $100 seemed reasonable (this part of the shop is about 1,000 sq ft). The other half of the shop (the "car" side) is another 1,000 sq ft and after I get done remodeling it I will use the same stuff on it. Might not be the right solution for everyone, but I am happy with it and would make the same choice again.
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Seymour Snerd
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It occurred to me that maybe just the chalky top layer of a concrete floor (the slurry floating on top that gets spread around in the final step to make it smooth) might be the source of the dust, that by grinding you remove that and get down to a combination of cement and aggregate that does not deteriorate, and that's why grinding and polishing makes a durable floor.
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Cliff I think I said it wrong. She new she had to do some thing with the floor. The floor is 30 some years old. It was pitted and cracked. With snow, salt, sand, and water. The floor was a mess. So I talked to some any one that had one. After I got the info I told her the good stuff about it. She likes how good it looks. She also like how easy it is to clean. PLus with the floor it added a few grand if not more to her house.
But as munch as I use the floor. I am helping her at home more. I mow her lawn 3 times a week plus trim. I clean her house for her. I get grocery's for her. I do more for my grandma then I will ever do for my mom. My friends know how munch my grandma means to me.
As for the cost. It was about 2200 in a 24x24 garage. That included them grinding down the slab. Filling holes and cracks. Then the coating. It took them about 4 days to do every thing. Since we did it in the fall it took more time to dry. I think it was about 3 days to dry in total. If you do it in the fall or spring like we did. They said you could use the gas heaters to excel the drying.
But as munch as I use the floor. I am helping her at home more. I mow her lawn 3 times a week plus trim. I clean her house for her. I get grocery's for her. I do more for my grandma then I will ever do for my mom. My friends know how munch my grandma means to me.
As for the cost. It was about 2200 in a 24x24 garage. That included them grinding down the slab. Filling holes and cracks. Then the coating. It took them about 4 days to do every thing. Since we did it in the fall it took more time to dry. I think it was about 3 days to dry in total. If you do it in the fall or spring like we did. They said you could use the gas heaters to excel the drying.
Tnank you very much, Bill! Becky and I are very interested. She has one fairly small irregular area (about 8"X10") where there is some degradation of the floor leaving a "divot" about 1/4" deep, and another area where the previous owner allowed oil to puddle on the concrete. When she bought the home, she and her son got out in the garage with every sort of concrete cleaner they could buy, spent hours scrubbing on the oil stains to see if they would come up, but all to no good end, the stained area remains. I suspect a good washing and then a muriatic acid treatment to create a good "tooth" would prepare her floor to hold the paint very well.
Becky says she thinks this is the route she will go....thank you VERY MUCH for taking the time to get the information for us.
One question...between the first diluted coat and the second full-strength coat of paint did you have to wait the 5 days, or was that only after the finish coat?
This looks like a great solution for us!!!
Cheers, and thanks again!!
Doug
Doug,
You can put the second coat on in a few hours (however, I did it the next day), the five days is their recommendation for cure time before driving and parking hot tires on it. It is dry enough to walk on the next day. Also, I am not sure that this is actually a Sherwin Williams product, the guy at the SW store said it was but when I looked at the can it shows UGL as the manufacturer (maybe SW owns or acquired them). It comes in about 6 premixed colors and they can tint it to just about any color. It does not leave a gloss finish, more of a satin or eggshell.
Bill
You can put the second coat on in a few hours (however, I did it the next day), the five days is their recommendation for cure time before driving and parking hot tires on it. It is dry enough to walk on the next day. Also, I am not sure that this is actually a Sherwin Williams product, the guy at the SW store said it was but when I looked at the can it shows UGL as the manufacturer (maybe SW owns or acquired them). It comes in about 6 premixed colors and they can tint it to just about any color. It does not leave a gloss finish, more of a satin or eggshell.
Bill
I have a somewhat offbeat solution in my own garage--wall-to-wall indoor carpeting!
This has many advantages, not the least of which is that it's extremely comfortable to lie on the floor underneath a car when it's cold and dark outside. Also, when you drop a nut or a washer, it doesn't bounce off in random directions; it normally just lands silently and remains within inches of where it was dropped.
Ah, but what about fluid spills? Well, it's carpeted in sections, so if I know that I will be spilling fluid (draining a radiator, for instance), I'll roll up that section of carpet before placing the car in position, then cleanup is easy. Accidental fluid spills can be sorted out with a wet-dry vac and/or old bath towels.
Best of all, it's FREE. My first garage carpet project was instigated by a neighbor who had his whole house recarpeted. He was happy to let me have his cast-off carpet to do my garage--it was just that much less junk for him to take to the dump. And every few years, somebody in the neighborhood does their carpet; when they do, I get their castoffs and my old garage carpet goes to the dump.
This has many advantages, not the least of which is that it's extremely comfortable to lie on the floor underneath a car when it's cold and dark outside. Also, when you drop a nut or a washer, it doesn't bounce off in random directions; it normally just lands silently and remains within inches of where it was dropped.
Ah, but what about fluid spills? Well, it's carpeted in sections, so if I know that I will be spilling fluid (draining a radiator, for instance), I'll roll up that section of carpet before placing the car in position, then cleanup is easy. Accidental fluid spills can be sorted out with a wet-dry vac and/or old bath towels.
Best of all, it's FREE. My first garage carpet project was instigated by a neighbor who had his whole house recarpeted. He was happy to let me have his cast-off carpet to do my garage--it was just that much less junk for him to take to the dump. And every few years, somebody in the neighborhood does their carpet; when they do, I get their castoffs and my old garage carpet goes to the dump.
No, I don't think I'd put the plastic tiles everywhere. They would let fluid spills drip through underneath. I suppose out of sight, out of mind... but I'd rather be able to clean it up.
I have had my engine stand with engine sitting on them and there's no real problem with it. I dropped something heavy and it dented that tile in the place where it hit.
When I dropped something heavy on the concrete, it knocked a hole in it, as you would expect. Trivial to repair with the epoxy though. Just dump some in it after cleaning. It fills it no problem.
Cost no object? Hmmm.... I'd probably stay with what I have now that I consider it...
FWIW,
Kirby
Mike,
The only down side I can foresee is that you might have a problem with a creeper. You might need some different rollers for it, like hard rubber wheels on swivels. Mine is partially carpeted. In the area of the work bench. My crane and welding cart roll pretty good on it.
Bill
The only down side I can foresee is that you might have a problem with a creeper. You might need some different rollers for it, like hard rubber wheels on swivels. Mine is partially carpeted. In the area of the work bench. My crane and welding cart roll pretty good on it.
Bill
I used Rustoleum epoxy Ibought at Home depot for about $65 a few years ago. RustOleum.com I just had a new garage flor put in so I only had to mop it a few times to get up the concrete dust. Each box does approx. 200sq. ft. For $150 I couldn't be happier. My wife and I did it in a couple of hours. One mistake I made was to mix the second batch to soon and by the time we were about 3/4 of the way through the second side of the garage the epoxy was setting up to much and when I would roll it on and pull the roller back the epoxy would come back with it so just had to roll in one direction. When we do the garage at our new house I won't make the same mistake. Link to Home depot: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/cat...d=10051&catalogId=10053&Ns=None&Ntpr=1&Ntpc=1
Roy
Roy
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I went with Racedeck because I had a new floor poured in the bottom of a bank barn. I wanted to use it within a few weeks of pouring it. It would not have been fully cured in that time. The Racedeck flooring is great. You can hit it with a hammer, move vehicles on rollers, jack up cars, spill just about anything and it won't hurt it.
I used Ucoat-it epoxy. It wasn't hard to put on, but because of the size of the area 30x60, it did takes some time. After five years of use I have not had any problem. No lifting of the coating. I plan to do the basement floor under this floor with the same material minus the color chips. (can't find parts that get dropped easily)
I have a friend who has coated two of his large shops only to have lifting. That coating came from Lowes. He is a slow learner.
I have a friend who has coated two of his large shops only to have lifting. That coating came from Lowes. He is a slow learner.
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Get a mop on that floor will ya Doc!
Without reading all of the above- my 24'x19' garage floor is simply covered in 8'x4''s 3/4" rubber horse matting. If a one ton horse can stand on it, then a rubber-tyred car can and it's so easy to put down, with little or no preparation, is warm, damp-free and softish to lie on. All for about £350.00 Regards.. Andrew
DIY is a great idea but it's up to you if you consider less spending on the garage flooring or better have someone to do it for you. i've done my garage floor by myself just last year and i just bought garage floors from americangarage.com. so far they're good products.
I used Behr Epoxy Acrylic Garage Floor Paint 1-Gallon Satin 1-Part Epoxy Acrylic Concrete and Garage Floor Paint Base-93001 at The Home Depot
Without hesitation, I can say do not use this stuff. I had just built my home, and made the decision to not drive on the concrete for a year (to allow it to properly cure/remain clean in preparation for coating). I prepped and applied the coating per directions.
It looked great for the first 6 months. After that, sand/salt and hot tires wore the coating off. Motor oil and contact cleaner would turn the coating to a jelly, which could be completely wiped off of the concrete. Despite adding the recommended amount of "sand" to the coating, it became extremely slippery when wet or snow covered.
Without hesitation, I can say do not use this stuff. I had just built my home, and made the decision to not drive on the concrete for a year (to allow it to properly cure/remain clean in preparation for coating). I prepped and applied the coating per directions.
It looked great for the first 6 months. After that, sand/salt and hot tires wore the coating off. Motor oil and contact cleaner would turn the coating to a jelly, which could be completely wiped off of the concrete. Despite adding the recommended amount of "sand" to the coating, it became extremely slippery when wet or snow covered.
