So I put a 3 coat with flake epoxy system in my garage. Lessons learned
 

So I did my usual over analysis of anything I'm going to buy and decided to go with a 3 coat epoxy system with a heavy flake on my garage floor. The first coat was a water based epoxy bonding primer with activator. The second part was a 100% solids epoxy paint that is applied with a squeegee and then back rolled. Then paint flakes go down and finally a 2 part Urethane clear that is UV resistant is put on over the floor.
Lessons Learned:
1. A Diamabrush head on a floor sander/polisher is not the tool to use if you have any imperfections in your floor. I spent 15 hours stripping an old coating that was a Latex based Behr stain/sealer. That didn't get the job done because my floor had some low spots that the diamabrush would not get to. I ended up going to United Rentals and renting a Husqvarna floor grinder that has diamond heads that could be put in the head of the unit. I went with 60 grit which stripped the floor nicely BUT like a bonehead I went in straight lines thinking I could overlap and not leave noticeable lines in the floor. WRONG. So I had to go back over the floor using a circular motion which turned out to look pretty decent.
2. Bought a cheap diamond head for my 4" grinder at Menards. Returned it after using it for about 10 minutes because it wasn't balanced well and was gouging the floor and got a Bosch turbo wheel that did a really nice job for edging.
3. Don't buy a primer that is the same color as your epoxy main coat. When spreading the epoxy it makes it hard to tell what is covered and what isn't
4. When spreading the epoxy use a regular flat squeegee if your floor isn't perfectly smooth. I bought a squeegee that was serrated which is supposed to act as a thickness gauge but if the floor has any dips it doesn't do well picking up the epoxy that is in the low spots.
5. Apply the epoxy on a cooler day to give you more workable time. I did this and it made the job pretty easy considering I was the only one mixing, applying, back rolling and applying the flake to 800 square feet of garage floor.
6. If you use a Urethane top coat, have a lot of air circulation because this stuff has a very strong odor. And use a paint respirator when putting the top coat down.
7. Have a LOT of beer on hand! This can't be stressed enough.

One reason I went with Urethane for the topcoat is that it's not as thick as an epoxy and costs less than a UV resistant Epoxy. I wanted to use the flake for slip resistance which the supplier said would work if I used the Urethane.

Finished product!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1494984925.jpg

Looks good in the photo.

Inspite of the learning curve; the final finish is awesome!

What will you do if you drop a tiny litle important screw on the floor?

Hey, I like my oil stained concrete floor!

Dropped screws - I can tell you - you get down on all fours and get your cheek about as close to the floor as possible and try - try - to see it from the side. It's amazing how hard those suckers are t find on flake epoxy floors.

And thanks to the OP for the insights.

I was very happy with mine, especially wiping up the occaisional drip from my 911 - it was completely impervious to oil.

But my lessons learned:

My 3 part epoxy floor failed after maybe 5 years. Not horribly, but in places it began to either de-laminate or - in some places - a dropped tool "cracked" it and it eventually peeled a bit in those spots. I think my surface prep was part of the problem, but at the time I thought it was perfect. it was a 20 year old floor, which was part of the problem, and I've since been told I should have used a better primer.

Another issue (besides lost screws) that I didn't care for was that it was slick. I could be wearing brand new tennis shoes, and if there was any standing water it was slick as hell. Cleaning it was a joy, but I bought a 3' wide double sponge squeegee to make sure I got all standing water off of it in a hurry. I thoughtt he flakes would take care of that, but since they were under a clear coat I've since learned I should have added one of three of the different grits they offer just for this reason.

If I had a new garage slab I was do it again in a heart beat. But I've recently paid to ground off all the epoxy, and I'm considering a porcelain tile this time.

Finishing my new garage and considering an epoxy floor.

For everyone who has DIY epoxy floors - with the grinding/ sanding- what do you estimate your cost per square foot cost? .. with or with out beer:D

Living in CA , estimate I have received is $6.25 per sq foot. Guy claims he has been doing epoxy floors for 20 years. Said I should plan on redoing topcoat every 5 years.

This is a garage that I will roll floorjack on, drop tools, spill oil etc. Am I wasting my money should I just leave it as bare concrete ???

Looks great. I am tempted to do this to a client's house, but on the inside like a modern kitchen, bath or something. I bet it will hold up to bare foot traffic pretty well.

Softening compound in new(ish) tires is known to damage epoxy pain on garage floors. Basically, you park your car couple of days and when you move it out the paint will let loose of the floor.

This prompted me to use garage tiles instead.

The other issue is welding / grinding sparks and heaven forbid if you every use a cutting or plasma torch...

Nothing will save you from welding splatter and plasma torch. I melted (!) spots on ceramic garage tiles by TIG-welding stuff on the floor.

My wife had this done to our garage floor 5 years ago and the only place it's a problem is right where the front tires of each car sit.--Dave

Get the right grinder first of all. I had $100 in the carbide heads and $84 for the tool rental. My paint system cost me about $1100 but that's 800 s.f. and I had the squeegee, spike shoes, 18" roller body and 3 lint free 18" rollers.
In California you'll probably have to go with the Epoxy clear topcoat but definitely get one with UV resistance as Epoxy will yellow. I got my paint system from Original Color Chips in Warren MI. They have DIY kits and if you call, ask for Anthony. He is very helpful and can guide you through the process.

AKA "Hot Tire Pickup". This is why you need to use a good topcoat. A lot of people who experience this from what I have read either A: Didn't prep the floor properly or B: Didn't use a good bonding primer and topcoat. The topcoat is the sacrificial lamb of the system.

I saw a few comments touching on floor prep. What I did was used used Purple Power cleaner/de greaser and scrubbed the entire floor. Then with my 4000 psi hot water pressure washer I washed the floor with a 15 degree head. If you're going this route, make sure you leave 24 to 48 hours for drying and I ran a dehumidifier to dry things out as well. After completely washing, I then used the floor grinder. Once grinding was complete, another wash down with purple power but this time to rinse I used my soap nozzle which is just a wide fan pattern. Squeegee the floor dry and then 24 hours drying time with a dehumidifier running. Hopefully all this work will pay off in a system that stays attached to the floor.
I plan to scuff and apply a fresh topcoat when I start to see any signs of wear in the parking areas of the garage. Nice thing about the Urethane is you can essentially spot touch by scuffing and applying the clear.

Do they make a "touch up" kit?--Dave

Yes. Original Color Chips (the supplier I used) offers touch up kits. I don't know about others but this company does.

For the record, I'm in no way affiliated with this company. I found them while searching for a paint system. I read about their products and decided they offered the best system for the money.

Great info- thanks everyone!!

Now to decide on color of floor!! any pros/ cons of dark floors ( Black or Red)? One thing leads to another - cannot make decision on cabinets until I make decision on floor color.

For concrete stain, are you topping it with urethane?

I went into ADHD mode about this very subject several months ago. Its amazing how much info there is related to this. There are alot of armature (and professional) coatings gurus on the web. In the end I found it all a bit depressing, everything seemed compromised, and the best bet seemed to be your approach (primer, 100% solids, Urethane top). Though I recall some fancy very expensive urethane was advocated. Once I put everything into the shopping cart for my new to me 3 car garage I was @ around $1500 or so in materials. In the end I cheaped out since I was poor from just buying the house.

I got the rustoleum solvent based epoxy (have to order, not the same as crappy home depot version). I put on 3 coats and not top. It was about $600 all in I think. It turned out surprisingly nice and seems very tough. There has been no scratching or cracking with jack stands or dragging heavy objects. I park my lotus with 60 treadware tires and there has been no lift up.

We will see how it holds up. Im sure with all the work involved I should have used the better stuff. If it peels up eventually I'll go with tile or rubber.

I stained my concrete floor a brownish medium leather color...looks good, cannot hurt the surface and one can weld etc. without issue. Oil etc. blends in as it slowly dissipates and spreads out.
No issues 14 years later.

Looks great, you are quite the expert now.

Finishing up my garage floor should be a piece of cake for you but I can wait to see how you address the cracks and old oil stains from decades past.

When can you start? ;)

I've been looking at the epoxy with flakes also.

My GC told me that it's not so durable, so recommends a sealed finish to the concrete.

I want to seal the expansion joints, and then use a colored light grey epoxy because I need to keep the area dust free, and clean. We have some different things going on from tool storage to food container storage, so I need to be able to mop the floor. I installed a floor drain where I expect to have the most dirt track in.

I've been looking at different industrial floor finishes.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1495045347.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1495045347.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1495045347.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1495045347.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1495045347.jpg

Poor man's finish.

Using Boiled Linseed Oil as Concrete Floor Sealant | DoItYourself.com

I epoxy coated the floors in plant I work in - $6.25/sq ft is a good rule of thumb for estimating cost. Getting the right coating and floor prep is the key. My aisles and floors last longer than 5 years.

Timely thread, I'm also undecided what flooring to go with at the moment my first choice is large white porcelain tiles

Me too!

When I used the Behr stain product I didn't top it. I would think you'd have to use a water based urethane which as I understand it, does exist.
As for dark or not, I went with Taupe and "Autumn Blend" chips because it gave me light and dark and allowed for multiple choices on wall and cabinet colors. IIRC some dark colors tend to yellow over time where the light beige/taupe doesn't show the yellowing as much.

Not gonna happen Sammy, Not ever again!! I told my wife "next time, we just take e old concrete and pour new.
On the serious side, oil stains are easy. Pour straight Purple Power on them and hit them with 4000 psi and 150 degree water.
The cracks also easy. Use Epoxy filler and V groove them. But you're still not getting me to do it again.
BTW Sammy, I parked an old 95 Subaru Legacy Wagon on my floor. That thing leaked like a Porsche. And my floor was originally poured in 1997 so it has some age and come cracks. I could post a pic of one that I know was poured too thin and needed a surface repair. Used a Sakrete product and Epoxy fill to feather the repair.

If you topcoat it should last for a long, long time. Through all of my research, initial floor prep and topcoat were the biggest things. I know the product you're referring to. It's not crazy thick like what I put on but from what I found it's a good product.

sounds like a lot of work.
I'll prolly go to home despot and buy a few hundred of those 12 by 12 industrial asphalt floor tiles fer 50 cents a piece ;)

THere's a trick to this:

Take a flashlight and place it on the ground. As you scan the floor with it, any nut or screw will cast a shadow. Makes it MUCH easier to see.

For dropped screws, get a magnet brush...

Our shop has multiple bays acquired at different times hence different floor coatings. They are all grey with fleck but differ in product and prep. The original by prep was done by a company that claimed to be pros. We got 5 years out of the floor and it needs to be done again, not sure which way we will go on that one. Other bays were prepped by true professionals. They shot blasted the floor prior. I can try all I like but can't seem to hurt that floor. Going on 3 years with cars in and and out all day long, welding roll cages, lifts going up and down yada yada yada. Totally durable.

My advice is to go with a light of a color as possible as it really will brighten the ambient light conditions inside your shop/garage.