Garage Floor finishing

[LE BARON]

If you are looking to paint your floor there are a few MUST steps. Its all about the surface preparation. You first need to degrease and steam clean the concrete. Next you should really have it shot blasted or sand blasted to create an anchor pattern to promote good adhesion. My firm does industrial epoxy floors for the likes of Fait Chrysler and for other industrial service conditions.
You can buy a good 100% solids 2 part epoxy from PPG (Dulux Stores) or Sherwin Williams. Ask for an industrial sales rep. Lighter duty water based epoxies are ok too but will definitely not perform as well as the solvent based coatings. Treat the cracks first with epoxy filler then sand with floor maintainer. Apply a 3 to 5 mil prime coat of the epoxy by roller. Back roll five minutes after application. Sand out and off gassing bubbles. Apply a second coat. Add # 30-60 sand broadcast to make the floor non skid. Sweep off excess sand after the paint has cured. Apply a topcoat 3 to 5 mils.
We don't perform work Business to direct public but here is a good link to how to restore concrete and application of epoxy floor coatings:

Great description of "how to do it the right way". Lots of work but if it is done right it will (hopefully) last.

 

[Blu427]

I agree prep work is the secret to success on floors. I put my shop up in 2001, the floor is 40 x 50, 2000 square feet.
I had a quote on epoxy at that time it was $4.00 per sq. foot. I elected to paint myself using the Behr product. It went
on easily and I did 2 coats. 18 years later it is showing signs of wear in highly travelled areas, but overall was very good for
the first 10 years. The biggest problem was hot tires peeled the paint off, so I tried to let them cool before parking for
the night. (not always convenient)
I should have used the epoxy then, I just had a guy out to quote epoxy and I'm sure it will be considerably more now.
I hope it's not $10 sq. foot or I will probably have to go to a tile.
I'll let you know what he quotes when I get it.
His procedure is, - grind to a rough bondable surface
- patch cracks
- epoxy colour coat
- silica sand broadcast
- epoxy colour coat
- epoxy clear coat

 

[BlueZ51]

Swiss Trax!
I did the two part Epoxy first. Hot PSS tires didn’t peel it but left rubber compound that was hard to get off, finally used two mats to roll in and park.
The mats eventually ate away at me, not meeting the Men’s Cave standards and installed Swiss Trax.
The hot PSS’s still track rubber, but a quick pass with the pressure washer easily gets rid of it and any other stain for that matter. Jack stands or full swings with golf clubs

don’t leave marks and I can walk in bare feet during the winter months. Create your own pattern, looks awesome all the time, easily removed and works well as a dance floor on the weekend...

 

[Blu427]

Looks really nice, I like the cleaning with the pressure washer part! I saw Swisstrax when I googled floor tiles.
It was about $4 square foot if I remember correctly.

 

[KevinB]

View attachment 25876 Costco roll vinyl garage flooring cleans the area up. I had a quote of 3k for epoxy....too much for me.

 

[LE BARON]

View attachment 25876 Costco roll vinyl garage flooring cleans the area up. I had a quote of 3k for epoxy....too much for me.View attachment 25879View attachment 25880View attachment 25879

Nice garage and Quikjack

 

[Blu427]

Got my epoxy floor coating prices yesterday.
To do my 2000 sq. foot shop in flecked epoxy he wants $6000.
To do the 900 sq.foot garage $3000
Thats $3.00 sq. foot which seems reasonable for the labour it takes.
Both prices are tax extra.

 

[rockitman]

My quote to do 750 sq was over $4000 for epoxy. I would like trax or a similar product, but so far I still have bare concrete.
Biggest problem with any floor is the sand and gravel in the winter.

 

[Rruuff Day]

I love the look of the finished floors but I also have bare concrete. I do too many things in my garage for fancy tiles, even if I wanted to spend the money. It is my workshop as well as where my Vette lives. I tear small motors down, I paint, I woodwork, I drink beer... errrrr.... anyway.... it doesn't hurt near as bad when I spill glue or paint or oil and gas on the floor as it would if I had tiles.... My last garage was concrete too and also worked fine for me...

 

[Cariboocreek]

I had a nice finished floor in a previous property. Never again. Looked good, lots of compliments, totally useless floor. If I did anything it would be something like the Swisstrax.

It’s a garage....the things in the garage are important, the floor not so much.

 

[2010 corvette]

I am re-finishing my garage and am thinking about finishing the floor. What kind of paints or sealers is everyone using. Don’t think I want to use tiles. Just had a new floor poured and would like to use some kind of paint.

Thanks in advance!

I used tiles best choice

 

[Hotrodron]

I did the Tiles, love them, very easy to keep the floor clean now.................

 

[Phil]

if the OP is still shopping around, try looking into JEWEL STONE. its like patterned concrete and lasts forever. usually some retired guys do it on the side. i paid $2k a few years back