Garage Floor Options

[SCWDP911]

I am cleaning up and remodeling my garage. Looking at garage floor options. Looking at everything right now and keeping an open mind. What have you done? Material? Where purchased? Cost? Ease of install? How well has it held up? Pros and Cons (or would you do the same again?)?

Thanks,

[Porsche84]

I just did my shop floor with Sherwin Williams Rexthane. Here is a link to the PDF. It seems very good, easy to apply. Thinners and brake fluids do not hurt it. It has not lifted due to tires. It is recommended for aircraft hangers. Time will tell, but it has been great so far. It is about $100 per gallon, but I negotiated $82 for 5 gallons.

http://www.paintdocs.com/webmsds/webPDF.jsp?SITEID=STORECAT&doctype=PDS&lang=E&prodno=B65H60

[Oh Haha]

I used Rust-Oleum Epoxy shield last year and while it looks ok it has pulled up a bit where our van's tires rest. It doesn't seem to very durable in regards to brake cleaner, either.

My problems could be due to the prepwork although I did follow the instructions.

[Noah930]

Subscribed. In the process of re-doing a garage, too. It has lifting paint (where tires have sat) on concrete. When I think of the PITA labor involved in removing the old paint, prepping with muriatic acid, neutralizing the acid, and then applying the epoxy (and how that can be screwed up) or paint (Griot's has a special paint for this use)...I'm almost ready to get someone to tile the garage.

[SCWDP911]

I am with you Noah. I did the epoxy thing last time (the Rustoleum junk). I am wanting to go the tile route this time if I can afford to. I like the snap together grid type tiles, but also wonder about the commercial grade floor tiles as well (linoleum maybe?)...

[Noah930]

Griot's has a bunch of flooring options, including paint (which they say does not lift), snap-together plastic/rubber tiles (which I imagine must be kind of like the ones you see in professional racing paddocks at the track), and a ceramic tile. The tile looks gorgeous, but I'd need professional help in getting it installed. For my two-car garage, the tile alone would be about $2400 (plus shipping). And then I'd have to factor in the installation costs. Epoxy/paint would be about $500 in supplies, plus the labor to do it right (or time to DIY, in which case you worry about the F-up factor).

[SCWDP911]

Here is one possible option for the tiles...

http://www.floorjunkies.com/garage-flooring/garage-tiles.html

[CBRacerX]

Subscribed. Want to do this before the fall.

[SCWDP911]

here is another option... looks like these come in rolls...

http://www.jnkproducts.com/garage-floor-mats-index.htm

[Noah930]

Not so keen on the rolls of garage flooring. I'm imagining it lifting at the edges and curling, in which case I'd be tripping over the edges all the time (and it looks like crap), or it would be so thin that it would feel like a sheet of plastic over concrete, in which case it would feel like crap. Either way, unless someone has some FHE and can vouch for its utopian perfection, I'm not into the rolls of flooring.

The snap together tiles may be a better way to go. They're DIY friendly. But I'd want a plastic/PVC/rubber tile that's hefty enough for floorjacks and jackstands. And if the plastic tiles are going to cost me $1400-1800 bucks or so (what I priced out in the Griot's catalog, depending upon which plastic tile chosen), do I just splurge and go for the showroom quality ceramic stuff?

[SCWDP911]

Noah, check out Lowes online. Thye have some that are PVC and made for the garage supposedly. The cost seems reasonable but not sure how it compares to what you have already looked at. They are 20" tiles, 8 to a box...

[neilca]

I just went through the epoxy floor peeling up blues. The guy at Home Depot suggested a concrete stain. I bought a gray opaque stain. Looks like the epoxy paint but soaks into the concrete so it cannot peel. Be sure to etch the concrete first.

[Dantilla]

I'm a big fan of a solid-color epoxy, in white or very light colors. Absolutely amazing how every tool, nut, washer, yada yada jumps out visually. No more "where did that bolt go...?" when working under the car.

I used an inferior product at home- Never again. I have an airplane hangar where I went with the expensive (and stinky) stuff. Proper prep, two coats primer, followed by two coats of hi-gloss finish, couldn't be happier.

[sballard]

I painted the floor of my garage 2-3 years ago with an epoxy floor paint from Griots. I am very happy with it. I have been very hard on it and I haven't seen any lifting to date. The key is apparently getting a good acid etch on the concrete before painting. I did that in August w/o AC and it was brutal, but the paint has been perfect ever since.

[ChemMan]

I put down racedecking. Expensive but nice. My floor is in pretty rough shape so U coat it or similar products were ruled out.

[jsteve340]

Check out www.premiergarage.com .I used them about 4 years ago and could not be happier.
It is a 3-4 day process,but it has held up perfectly and has a 10 year warranty against lifting.They repair any cracks and it is very reasonably priced.
If I remember correctly,they had 3 options on finish that ranged from around $3-$5 dollars per square foot installed.

[scottrx7tt]

have you guys ever thought of polished concrete? I work for a company that sells concrete polishing equipment. BTW, premier garage is one of our customers. If you go the floor coating route, it really needs to be ground or shot blasted in order to put the proper profile on the floor for any coating to adhere properly.

Here is our website, it tells you every thing you need to know about polished concrete.

[Scott R]

2 base coats of 3M epoxy 3 coats of 3m clear. The floor was cleaned for a day, etched the second day, painted on days three and four. I was able to use it after 7 days of drying. I can drop and OXY torch on it, hit it with a hammer, burn gasoline on it and nothing makes a dent.

My neighbor does these floor professionally, when the engine went in his work truck we traded, the floor for an engine replacement and an upgrade to fuel injection. I did my work in one weekend, so I think we came out equal.





After cleaning and prep:

[LM3929]

Don't do the Rustoleum junk thing , I had it installed professionally? in my garage and shop and the chair wheels from my office chair cause it to lift.

Lorne M.

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[stevej37]

http://revereproducts.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=pioneer&Product_Code=F252GY1&Category_Code=urethane-c

I used this on mine. Very tough and oil spills wipe up easily with paper towels.
The most important part is the prep.