fordforlife0225

I think this is the right section. Anyone here paint or do anything cool to their garage floor/ in general? I just built a new house and want to do the garage up nice. The garage is 2.5 car under the house in the walk out foundation.

SpeedViktm

I did my 2.5 car garage with the Rustoleum kit almost 4 years ago, turned out pretty good and has been fairly durable. I did it when my house was new too. I scrubbed the floor good a couple of times with Simple Green the night before and coated the next day. I forgot the etcher step but it's held up pretty good anyways, just a couple of small spots are peeling.

Tip I learned from someone else... that stuff is slicker than snot when it's wet, those flakes don't do jack for traction. Look in the paint section at your hardware store for the fine sand texture to add to it. I got mine at Home Depot, comes in little plastic bags. Just mix it in when you mix the coating, it'll give the floor a very fine sandpaper texture. A little rough while you're laying on it but beats the Hell outta busting your ***.

Aggie*86

I used a comercial product called Armorcoat. It turned out perfect. This stuff is a little pricey bit tough as nails. My entire cost imcluding all the prep work was about $1.25 per square foot. More expensive than paint but really tough stuff. That said, I helped my brother paint his for less than half the price of mine and it turned out well but not as durable. The key is in the preparation. Make sure the floor is super clean. Rent a sander if you have too to completley remove any oils from the surface before you begin. If water beads up on the surface there is still oil present. Water should absorb into the concrete. Also, DO NOT skip the acid etching process. It is one of the keys to durability. Ensure the concrete is wet when you etch but do not habe standing water on tje floor as it will dilute the acid too much and you wont get a good etch and adhearance of the coating material. Also, as an option, they sell a clear coating material, kind of a shelack or wax like looking product. I recommend using it. It is added on top of the dried floor coating and really adds to the long term durability, especially over paint. I only used the sand material in the area often walked on for added traction. It works well for that purpose and detracts just a bit from the gloss of the material. It also makes it a bit harder to clean because of the roughness. The colored chips really add to the attractiveness. I always get positive comments on the floor. It really makes it nice to clean up any oil or fluid mess. No more soaking into the concrete, wipes up completley with a shop towel. If you are a "garage guy", this is one of the best and most economical upgrades you can make.

fordforlife0225

Great tips thank you, I'll be looking into all that. Yea. I work in the garage a lot, and I'm sure I will be more now that I live in snow country. Any pictures you guys have would be great.

jdjam

I used the Quikrete kit about 3yrs ago. Still looks like I just put it down yesterday. I also added the clear coat which made a big difference in a quality look. Definitely use the sand for traction. The stuff is slippery if your feet are wet. Hardest part was moving everything out of the garage for 5 days or so.

All Hat No Cattle

I did the epoxy paint route, and it was cost effective. But after some years, the floor hairline cracks still showed thru, and the light gray showed stains and tire marks.

Seven years ago I got this stuff, 1,000 sq. ft, at Costco, and have never looked back. No floor prep, other than sweeping it, and it went in in less than a day. It comes in 2'x2' modules, so it goes down fast. Your wife can put it down, it is that easy. The only technical part is cutting the edge tiles with a utility knife. Make sure you get the 10 year warranty brand, not some cheap knockoff.

When friends ask me about it, I have a loose piece that I spray with brake cleaner. No effect, that is what I use to clean up paint drips in the garage.

Shop it for price, I recommend black, unless you don't care about tire marks showing. When Costco has a sale on the stuff, and they regularly do, you can beat the Ebay price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Modular-Gara...-/310543863443

Aggie*86

That looks like very nice material. If I had alot of prep work to do, (old dirty concrete with cracks) I would opt for that vice a coating. Price is lower than having a coating professionally applied, but more than a DIY. Nice middle ground price wise.

Indyhead

does anyone one have pics of finished projects?

ccc150

If you use the bag of sand mixed into the paint, be sure to stir often because the sand wants to rise to the top of the can.

I painted my front cement porch without the sand and it was slick as ice. Had to do it a second time with the sand and it took care of the problem.

Aggie*86

Would like to provide a pic but Im away from my home for the next month. I used a tan color (matched the color of my exterior siding ) with dark gray color chips. If you use a coating heavier than paint, be aware, it will run off of verticle surfaces. I painted the verticle six inches of foundation footing that the walls sit on a nice contrasting brown color.