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Can anyone recomend a good product for coating the garage floor?

Thanks.

Mark

I have done alot of research into this subject because the manufacturing facility where I work is re-doing all of the floors.

There are MANY coatings available with a wide variety of characteristics... Wear resistance, gloss, colors, texture, traction... Etc.

As a rule, most of them represent themselves pretty accurately... that is to say they do what they say they do.

When they do not perform well, it is usually because the directions for surface preparation and/or application are not followed correctly.

BEWARE of coatings that recommend "washing" the surface in preparation for coating! Also BEWARE of products that are water based!

Moisture is the ENEMY when it comes to concrete coating. It will eventually work its way to the surface and cause the coating to delaminate (peel).

Coatings need a textured surface to adhere to. Smoothe concrete will not hold a coating very well. The recommended way to prepare the surface (in most cases) is to Shot Blast it. This method removes any surface laitance and gives the surface a coarse texture for the coating to adhere to. However, due to its nature, you tend to end up with a striped pattern in your finished floor. High end coaters will grind the surface after shot blasting to even it out, thereby eliminating the striping.

Shot blasting equipment is EXPENSIVE and requires a good deal of maintenance. Because of this, many equipment rental places don't carry such equipment (although some do).

I would recommend that you hire this job out to a professional... Get several quotes... I have found vast differences in price per square foot for the same product. Also, price goes down as area goes up. I would guess that you could expect to pay in the neighborhood of $6.00 to $9.00 per square foot for a good coating job on a 1000 Sq. Ft. floor.

As for what product to get... I highly recommend "Tennant" brand products. We use their ECO-MPE as a primer and surfacer. It can be applied anywhere from .010" to .125" thick. We then topcoat it with their ECO-HTS high traffic urethane. Both products are clear, but they have a variety of colorants available that could go in either product.

It depends on what you are doing. Anything I have seen on a concrete floor in a shop comes off w/chemicals used there(brakleen,carb cleaner,thinner, brake fluid). I have found nearly nothing will stand up to lacquer thinner. Brian

MY EXPERIENCE IN MICHIGAN IS THAT HOT TIRES PARKED ON THE FINISH REMOVES IT BETTER THAN LACQUER THINNER. TRIED 3 DIFFERENT PRODUCTS, PREPED AS RECCOMENDED AND STILL HAD PROBLEMS

I used some sealer stuff on my floor before the building was built, new concrete- no oil etc, prepped as per directions, looks worse than if I had left it alone, now it is splotchy where the stuff comes off. I feel concrete is best left alone I guess, stands up to nearly anything in its natural state. Brian

You may laugh but I have a friend that Carpeted his garage. NO really he used a indoor outdoor commercial grade carpet. It is a tight weave and you can roll a creaper over it. He has drip pans for oil leaks and what not. Winter it the worst. But in the spring he will sweep/facuum it out and if really bad rent a cleaner and clean it. Just a thought.

I am looking at a product by ARDEX for my garage as the floor has lost the top (smooth) part and has agregate exposed. Just don't have the cash.

Good luck

There are some rubberized tile products for concrete floors that are not terribly expensive. They interlock, and you just lay them down and trim the edges.

I'm thinking about eventually laying a brick floor over the uneven concrete in my garage. I would have to adjust the door height but the man door is already high enough that it would actually match once the bricks were install. My garage has a 10 foot ceiling so I wouldn't miss the space. I've paved smaller areas with brick and it is pretty easy to get good results. It looks great, too. You don't need to bed brick pavers in mortar, if you provide a good stable base you can sweep fine grade sand in between the bricks to lock them together once they are laid.

I used 20% epoxy right out of the bucket on my new floor. I think it was $27 a gallon from Lowes. I think it was American Traditions. My floor was new. The key to a good sticking job is to make sure its etched good.Muriatic Acid is cheap and you really have to pour it on to get it to etch good. The floor should feel like a piece of 220 sandpaper or little coarser. After I rolled on the first coat I let it set a day or two according to directions and then I put on a second coat. YOu then wait 7 days (?) before driving a hot tire on it. I have had a couple real small spots come up but its well worth the money.(about $85)It brightens up the shop, easy to clean up spills, and sweeps up clean easy. My nephew used the TWO part expoxy on his 1600 sq ft shop.($550) and had a spot or two to peel up. He called the company, sent a sample of what peeled up and they sent him a refund check!! The floor is still very good and hasn't came up anywhere else. Lowes carries both types as well as Home Depot. I recommend you look at both, even the Sherwin Williams etc and them make a decision that suits you. I really like mine and can touch it up if needed. I've waited years for a nice shop so dont' short cut yourself. I even the ceiling tile and insulation to go up to. I already have the grid up. Do it once..do it right.

I used the stuff from Lowes and it is great. Just be sure to get it rolled on evenly. This is more important with their product than with the fancy (expensive) U-Coat-it. I've applied both to different shops. You might use some liquid drano to etch the surface as well. A tip I got from an interior design concrete guy.