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Anybody know anything about garage floor coatings?

JeepFreak21

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Cameron Park, CA
The wife just bought me a new garage, it was built in 2003 and it's 1400 sq ft. The floor looks to be untreated concrete and it's got some oil stains that I have not tried to remove. What I'm looking for is something that will make cleaning up spills easier and if it was easier to sweep up dust and dirt that would be a bonus. It will definitely see abuse (welding, cutting, jack stands, dropped tools, etc) and I'm not looking for miracles, just the best option.

I'm really trying to keep this on the cheap since we just dropped a bucket of money on the garage (and house above it)... is a concrete sealer what I want? How is the "Seal-Krete Epoxy Seal" (which isn't really epoxy, right?) at my local home improvement store?

Finally, looks/style is far down the priority list here, but if I wanted to stain the concrete before sealing it, how will that effect things? Can I use iron sulfate on an older slab? Can I use commercially available concrete stain on an older slab? Will either hold up to welding (and by "hold up", I mean "not look worse than it would if the product wasn't there")?

Thanks a bunch!
Billy
 
I have used the rustoleum brand epoxy garage floor coating kit in both my washroom and just recently my workshop and have had good results with it. Stands up to dropped tools and oil anyway, I have not tried welding on it. Proper prep is key...the directions have you clean and scrub the floor several times and then etching the floor and rinsing it again before aplying the epoxy coating.

For a garage that large it may not be practical to buy a bunch of the kits though. May want to look for something similar in a 5 gallon bucket size.
 
I have used the concrete acid and a pressure washer to clean/ prep the floor. There was a clear coating I used that is insanely durable. I cant remember the name of it but I got it from hd. It was in the concrete section not the paint section. I'll see if I can find it.
 
I was on a jobsite where a company was epoxy sealing an entire grocery store roof top parking lot..... and one day i notice theyre chipping/scrapping up a rather large section of the flooring... apparently they mixed it wrong, and it didnt fully cure for this one batch....

Moral of the story? When dealing with epoxy's, MAKE SURE you mix it to spec, the results of doing things half assed.... can take DAYS of work... And even the pro's can make mistakes.
 
Rustoleum epoxy all the way!!!! we did out parts dept/shipping bay and two of four mechanics bays, this stuff is great. no wear at all even with forklift/pallets, oil, antifreeze, solvents. Highly recommend
 
Get on Garagejournal.com and look at the flooring section.

The big box store brands (rustoleum, etc) are not quite up to the task of heavy use. They work ok, I have it in my shop where I do a fair amount of fabrication and mechanic work, and it has taken a beating over the past 3 years. Chips pretty easily, and I put down two coats on properly prepped, brand new concrete.

For concrete that is used, you would be MUCH better off getting it shot blasted.

Do your research if you want it to last... unless its gonna be a museum, then it wont matter as much. If you plan to do actual work in it, the good stuff makes a difference.
 
As a professional painter for the last 20 years, I would recommend finding your local professional paint supply company and asking them what they sell in a "Pro
" line of products. I have coated everything from garages to 10,000 sqft hangers with two part epoxy in an industrial line, smells really bad when applying but works great with the right prep.
 
10 yr commercial painting experience backs up Elkwagn's comments. I used Sherwin Williams Tile-Clad 2 component epoxy on warehouse floors, shipping bays, garage floors, wash bays and never had a call back to repair it.
I haven't been in the painting business for 16 years, but my buddies who are still use this product, as well as some new products that hold up well to abuse.

Prep is 85% of a good, lasting paint job. Acid etch and pressure wash the floor with ample dry time is key to good adhesion and a durable finish. Any residual oil or grease will prevent proper adhesion.
 
Like almost everyone else has said, PREP. Nuff said there. I'm actually in the middle of coating my garage floor and I'm using the Seal-Krete that you referenced. The garage is around 25 years old and has its fair share of oil stains and cracks. Yes, the Seal-Krete is an epoxy. However, it is a single part epoxy which is inferior to a two part epoxy. However, it is an acrylic based epoxy, which holds up better than water based. I picked it because of how much cheaper it is than the two part epoxies (Rustoleum) - I have a big garage (1200 sqft). I plan on treating it gingerly though, and buying mats to actually drive on. I have half of it done and I've tried to scratch it with a nail and on sections where there was no previous oil stain or wet spot from a crack, it's rock hard. Not so much on the other sections. It looks about a million times better than the bare untreated concrete did though.

My recommendation if you wanna spend the money and do it right the first time, would be the Rustoleum "professional" series. It's a two part epoxy but it's acrylic or solvent based rather than the water based stuff you get in the kits at the box stores.

Something else to think about:

stained.jpg


Acid stain plus a tough clear coat.
 
do not buy the crap home depot stuff. it chips and comes off no matter how well you prep. mine looks horrible after 4 years.
 
I bought a house that had the floors already painted with the one part garage floor paint. Parking on it with warm tires would pull it up, as would standing water. A pressure washer and aircraft stripper wouldn't remove it. Don't use the one part floor paint!!!

I have painted a couple garages and shops with the 2 part expoxies and have had great results. As mentioned, go to a professional paint company and ask for the 2 part industrial floor expoxy. Welding will burn it, but it will still work better than bare concrete.
 
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