Garage flooring success

[Den41Buick]

I am exploring options for a cement garage floor. I painted a floor with a Home Depot recommended paint. That looked good for a couple of months and then peeled.

I am looking for recommendations and flooring success stories. Thanks 

[JFranklin]

Is there moisture/vapor barrier under the slab? It might make a big difference in coating choices.

[Jim Bollman]

On my 3rd shop and I clean up spills but figure the stains give it character. Second shop the mason recommended a sealer to be put on soon after it dried, which I did, not sure if it did anything but it was clear and didn't stop stains.

 

PS: if you really want nice floor and willing to spend the money look into Terrazzo flooring. Two friends put it on their shop floors. Looked great and as far as I know it has held up well. Not cheap.

Edited July 31, 2022 by Jim Bollman (see edit history)

[Robert G. Smits]

Eight years ago I coated my new floor with two part Epoxy Coat.  Commercial estimate was $ 4 per sq ft at that time.  My cost was about $0.50 per sq ft.  It has held up well except for one small area where brake fluid leaked on it.  Look at the Garage Journal Forum for current information.

[Glen Andrews]

Six years ago I had a new house built, stretched the 2 car garage a little, to where it is 500 square feet. The previous house, built in 2004, had a two car garage and before moving into the garage I clear coated the floor with something from Lowe's or Home Depot. It worked okay as the clear coat helps to keep the dust down as cement seems to continue to dry out and create dust which affects the cars and tracks into the house; lived there 12 years and the clear coat held up okay but was giving up. So back to the current house and garage floor. I wanted something better than clear coat so I bought the DIY epoxy kits from Home Depot. I bought 3 kits which was plenty for 500 square feet. The cement was new, it had cured a few weeks, so I swept the floor and proceeded to put down the gray epoxy covering, I also sprinkled the "fairy dust" which is to help create a skid resistant texture. I do some work in the garage, brake jobs, oil changes, and so on, but the garage is mainly for two garage queen vehicles. So far the covering has held up very well, I do mop it sometimes, but overall it has done an excellent job and it keeps the cement dust down to zero. Also there are two rows of cement blocks around the bottom of the walls, I painted them with two coats of cement paint and that has held up perfectly, also keeping the dust in check. The garage is also insulated, drywalled and painted, and a "split system" for cooling and heating. NOW, for a home garage I recommend these epoxy kits (not for a business) as I mentioned but if you are going to do it yourself okay, but have someone help you mix the epoxy and use a brush for edging and to move the mixed epoxy along as it cures quickly. I waited at least 5 days or so before moving my things and cars into the garage. I did my floor by myself, wore me out, but overall it came out pretty good and is holding up great after six years.

[Guest]

 I carpeted my garage floor with a short pile carpet.

 A good vacuuming every once in a while keeps the sand out.

 Eventually oil would creep up. so a good scrubbing is in order.

 I finally had to replace it as my back would get dirty from the oil that would not all come out.

 The advantage of carpet is first, it is great for kneeling on and laying down without a creeper. Second, it tremendously quiets the shop. Third it is nice and warm on your back.

 I sand bondo, weld and change parts on it all the time.

 Used carpet is not hard to fine for replacement.

👍

[Laura S]

I used sherwin Williams 2 part industrial epoxy with 2 coats of Rexthane clear coat. Nothing touches it . Hot tires , oil, gas, whatever else you can think of. Did it  9years ago and still looks brand new . I worked with my local sherwin Williams salesman and he really steered me in the right direction 

[Larry Schramm]

On 9/5/2022 at 11:31 AM, Roger Walling said:

 I carpeted my garage floor with a short pile carpet.

 A good vacuuming every once in a while keeps the sand out.

 Eventually oil would creep up. so a good scrubbing is in order.

 I finally had to replace it as my back would get dirty from the oil that would not all come out.

 The advantage of carpet is first, it is great for kneeling on and laying down without a creeper. Second, it tremendously quiets the shop. Third it is nice and warm on your back.

 I sand bondo, weld and change parts on it all the time.

 Used carpet is not hard to fine for replacement.

👍

 

I did the same in my shop near Flint.  It is a lot warmer in the winter too.  I got the carpet from friends & family that was upgrading the carpet in their homes.  A lot of it like bedroom carpet is barely used. 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[Glen Andrews]

15 hours ago, kejoxof said:

Hello. We are in the middle of renovating our very 60s home. We have a huge 4 car garage which is around 70sm that is currently all tiled in tiny brown Metalic mosaic tiles!! Basically was after a cost effective and practical solution that could cover the tiles and still look nice because I hate the tiles. We have looked into basically ever "epoxy" type concrete and have been advised to stay away as it doesn't do well on top of tiny tiles like these. Concreting would cost a bomb. We have also looked into "polyurea" type coatings, they look amazing but again have got quotes around the 10k mark because of the size and prep work involved in the area. And I really don't want to fork out 10k on a garage floor. Why couldn't they just leave it as concrete!! So much easier. Anyways just wanted to see if anyone had any ideas, suggestions or perhaps have had some luck with covering tiles successfully. Thanks guys.

Sorry, don't have any easy and inexpensive solution; sounds like you have checked into all the possibilities to change the floor. Maybe the snap together tiles (some type of plastic or whatever they're made of), and the tiles are typically one foot square or so, and those would sit on top of the mosaic tiles. That may not be a cheap solution, but it would be less labor intensive, especially if one of the fixes would be to scrape up the tiny brown tiles and resurface the concrete so an epoxy coating could be applied. Good luck with solving this one.

[Brooklyn Beer]

acid staining then sealer.  You can make the floor look like any color marble you want as the acid reacts with the different minerals in the cement. It cannot peal because the acid stain etches the concrete. The pattern you see is natural and occurs on it's own as the acid reacts with the way the minerals settle into the cured concrete. 100's of choices in colors. Not that expensive either.  No two floors are the same because of that  

[MotiveLensPhoto]

On 7/31/2022 at 8:44 AM, Den41Buick said:

I am exploring options for a cement garage floor. I painted a floor with a Home Depot recommended paint. That looked good for a couple of months and then peeled.

I am looking for recommendations and flooring success stories. Thanks 

Just saw this. I chose a professionally installed polyurea surface for a 25 y/o concrete garage in the Chicago area (so lots of temperature fluctuations). It has held up well in 2 - 3 years I've had it. The garage is also insulated and drywalled but not heated. Epoxy surfaces are less expensive but the concensus was that they do not hold up as well in this environment.

[Swear57]

How do these floor coatings hold up to welding, cutting & grinding when hot metal or sparks hit them? What about steel wheeled equipment, will it chip the floor? I'm going to pour an addition to my shop in March so I would have a nice clean floor do coat or seal. 

 

Thanks Jim

[Brooklyn Beer]

All you just mentioned will tear up even a bare concrete floor

[yojivi]

On 8/1/2022 at 2:30 AM, Bills Auto Works said:

The Epoxy I have had on my shop floor for 18 years, I cannot recommend, because the company went out of business. It was called Ryzel. After 10 years, a few of the areas that I gouged started peeling. Keep in mind though that my shop gets much more abuse than one of a hobbyist, as this is a business. The owner was an older gentleman & I have a feeling he probably passed. After seeing the floors of two of my customers that used the Epoxy from Gratiot, I bought $1100.00 worth to do the addition on my building 3 years ago, but because of my transporting schedule, it is all sitting in my mixing room waiting to be put down!😁

   There is a big difference between the stuff Home Depot recommends or Rustoleum floor paint & good quality 2 Part Epoxy with Clear! If you have the funds, you can have a company come in, pour & spread smooth a very thick Epoxy coating that will last forever. I watched it being applied to the floor of a body shop where I was delivering to one time. It was very thick & flowed out very well. At the time (15 years or so ago) it was $6000.00 for my 40X88 (before the addition) shop.

 

   Just like anything else....Surface preparation is the key!  Cleaning & Acid Etching the concrete properly is the most important thing.

 

God bless

Bill

garage flooring surprise az

 

Hello. this is a question about a garage floor. I have a 2 1/2 car garage, with a work shop and my 2 Corvettes. The floor is concrete, about 40 years old. It is stained, and has several cracks. A summer project I would like to do, is to either paint, seal, or cover this floor. noe the options 1) clean, seal, prime, and coat in Epoxy Paint 2) clean, seal, prime and use a garage flooring paint, not epoxy 3) use one of the many snap together floor system Now, for one I thought of. The floor is pretty level. What would you think of my covering the floor with Marine grade 4x8 3/4 inch plywood. Prime the plywood, and paint it? I never get water inside the garage in the 6 years I am here. I eliminate the crack fix, and sealing issues? What has anyone else on here done as far as this is concerned. thank you in advance.

Edited February 3, 2023 by yojivi (see edit history)

[AlexaDuffy]

My cousin had a similar issue with his garage floor, and he ended up going with an epoxy coating that has held up really well. It's a bit more expensive than regular paint, but it's definitely worth it in the long run. Plus, it comes in a ton of different colors and finishes, so you can customize it to your liking. Another option could be to look into concrete stain - it won't peel like a paint can, and it also comes in different colors. By the way, I recently stumbled upon https://www.greasemonkeydirect.com/pages/abrasives, and they have a wide range of tools for all sorts of projects - including ones for prepping concrete floors before coating them. It might be worth checking out!

Edited April 25, 2023 by AlexaDuffy (see edit history)

[zihuwoto]

On 9/3/2022 at 5:05 AM, Glen Andrews said:

Six years ago I had a new house built, stretched the 2 car garage a little, to where it is 500 square feet. The previous house, built in 2004, had a two car garage and before moving into the garage I clear coated the floor with something from Lowe's or Home Depot. It worked okay as the clear coat helps to keep the dust down as cement seems to continue to dry out and create dust which affects the cars and tracks into the house; lived there 12 years and the clear coat held up okay but was giving up. So back to the current house and garage floor. I wanted something better than clear coat so I bought the DIY epoxy kits from Home Depot. I bought 3 kits which was plenty for 500 square feet. The cement was new, it had cured a few weeks, so I swept the floor and proceeded to put down the gray epoxy covering, I also sprinkled the "fairy dust" which is to help create a skid resistant texture. I do some work in the garage, brake jobs, oil changes, and so on, but the garage is mainly for two garage queen vehicles. So far the covering has held up very well, I do mop it sometimes, but overall it has done an excellent job and it keeps the cement dust down to zero. Also there are two rows of cement blocks around the bottom of the walls, I painted them with two coats of cement paint and that has held up perfectly, also keeping the dust in check. The garage is also insulated, drywalled and painted, and a "split system" for cooling and heating. NOW, for a home epoxy flooring cincinnati I recommend these epoxy kits (not for a business) as I mentioned but if you are going to do it yourself okay, but have someone help you mix the epoxy and use a brush for edging and to move the mixed epoxy along as it cures quickly. I waited at least 5 days or so before moving my things and cars into the garage. I did my floor by myself, wore me out, but overall it came out pretty good and is holding up great after six years.

Hello. What are the most common issues that homeowners encounter when installing and maintaining garage flooring, such as bubbling, peeling, or staining, and how can these problems be prevented? What are some common mistakes to avoid when DIY installing garage flooring, and how can a professional installation help to ensure a more durable and long-lasting finish?

[Brooklyn Beer]

I use commerical rubber backed carpet flooring tiles I normally source from work. Absorbs oil, grease.  I salvage these things by the truck load.  this on top of the acid eteched floors

[TAKerry]

Horse mats from tractor supply.

[Gronk]

On 9/5/2022 at 9:33 PM, Larry Schramm said:

 

I did the same in my shop near Flint.  It is a lot warmer in the winter too.  I got the carpet from friends & family that was upgrading the carpet in their homes.  A lot of it like bedroom carpet is barely used. 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Me too! I thought I was the only knucklehead to do this because all my buddies think i'm touched. But it works for all the reasons stated by the others. My cousin has a carpet business and when mine gets dirty or oily I call him for something he's gonna tear out and leaves it big. Me I prefer thicker , it's mucho more comfey although rolling smaller wheels around is a little difficult

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me too

[MasterChief]

Race deck here for me. I have a few squares left over I will place on top when using jack stands ect. 

 

I've done two part epoxy before and it was nice also but chipped and lifted too easily. 

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, MasterChief said:

Race deck here for me. I have a few squares left over I will place on top when using jack stands ect. 

 

I've done two part epoxy before and it was nice also but chipped and lifted too easily. 

 

That doesn't look like the racedeck I'm familiar with?

 

https://racedeck.com/

Edited March 27 by alsancle (see edit history)

[MasterChief]

Yep its not your normal race deck. 

 

Its the "Smoked Oak" and I can't be happier with it. 

 

Check out the link ; 

 

https://racedeck.com/racedeck-garage-floors-and-tiles/smoked-oak/

[alsancle]

4 hours ago, MasterChief said:

Yep its not your normal race deck. 

 

Its the "Smoked Oak" and I can't be happier with it. 

 

Check out the link ; 

 

https://racedeck.com/racedeck-garage-floors-and-tiles/smoked-oak/

 

Interesting.  How many square feet did you do and about how much was it?

[MasterChief]

Roughly 750 square feet and it came in around $6200 with free shipping/freight. The wife and kids helped install it. It was a very rewarding weekend project. 

[TAKerry]

I like the look of the race deck. Like AJ, its been awhile since I have looked at their stuff. The one thing I dont like is that with the placement of square tiles the joints are all aligned. A small nitpick but from a floor installers point of view it looks odd. We do a lot of laminate flooring and I have been very tempted to put some of the water proof flooring in my garage. I thought I would be the only guy with a wood floor in the garage (to match the wainscoting and crown molding), but alas I see you have beat me to it! As a comparison the water proof laminate can be purchased for about $3. a foot.

[alsancle]

4 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

I like the look of the race deck. Like AJ, its been awhile since I have looked at their stuff. The one thing I dont like is that with the placement of square tiles the joints are all aligned. A small nitpick but from a floor installers point of view it looks odd. We do a lot of laminate flooring and I have been very tempted to put some of the water proof flooring in my garage. I thought I would be the only guy with a wood floor in the garage (to match the wainscoting and crown molding), but alas I see you have beat me to it! As a comparison the water proof laminate can be purchased for about $3. a foot.

Kerry,  how durable to do you think that laminate would be?

[TAKerry]

For a parking garage I think it would be fine . I dont think I would use it in a 'working' garage. The stuff is pretty durable. I am referring to the water proof flooring. We have put down many thousands of feet of this stuff. I was seriously considering putting it in my garage. But my wife hasnt let me live down the crown moulding yet and she has been wanting new floor in our bedroom. If the garage gets done before that I will be sleeping in there! If youre patient every once in awhile  home depot will have a pile on sale for just a couple of dollars per foot. 

[EmTee]

3 hours ago, alsancle said:

Kerry,  how durable to do you think that laminate would be?

 

 

3 hours ago, TAKerry said:

For a parking garage I think it would be fine .

Kerry, are you talking about laminate or LVT (luxury vinyl tile).  All of the LVT that I've seen has been advertised as 'waterproof' and is available in lots of colors and faux finishes (e.g., wood planks and stone/tile).

[MotiveLensPhoto]

On 1/8/2023 at 11:21 PM, Swear57 said:

How do these floor coatings hold up to welding, cutting & grinding when hot metal or sparks hit them? What about steel wheeled equipment, will it chip the floor? I'm going to pour an addition to my shop in March so I would have a nice clean floor do coat or seal. 

 

Thanks Jim

I would imagine that the heat, etc., isn't ideal for any type of coating. As for polyurethane coatings, mine is about 4 years old, and is holding up very well.

[TAKerry]

I think the waterproof floor would hold up fine, BUT I am not sure that the uneven pressure from being driven on would not open the joints. I have been very tempted to put some down as a test just to see how it would react. Another thought I had was to put up a runner for the tires on top of the laminate to help spread the weight. I may get to it one day, I will let you know what I find out.

[michaelmackay]

On 9/3/2022 at 5:05 AM, Glen Andrews said:

Six years ago I had a new house built, stretched the 2 car garage a little, to where it is 500 square feet. The previous house, built in 2004, had a two car garage and before moving into the garage I clear coated the floor with something from Lowe's or Home Depot. It worked okay as the clear coat helps to keep the dust down as cement seems to continue to dry out and create dust which affects the cars and tracks into the house; lived there 12 years and the clear coat held up okay but was giving up. So back to the current house and garage floor. I wanted something better than clear coat so I bought the DIY epoxy kits from Home Depot. I bought 3 kits which was plenty for 500 square feet. The cement was new, it had cured a few weeks, so I swept the floor and proceeded to put down the gray epoxy covering, I also sprinkled the "fairy dust" which is to help create a skid resistant texture. I do some work in the garage, brake jobs, oil changes, and so on, but the garage is mainly for two garaHi everyone. Was hoping to get some ideas and pointers on different garage flooring. I was thinking of doing epoxy flooring in my 2 car garage but can’t decide.Hi everyone. Was hoping to get some ideas and pointers on different garage flooring. I was thinking of doing epoxy flooring in my 2 car garage but can’t decide.ge queen vehicles. So far the covering has held up very well, I do mop it sometimes, but overall it has done an excellent job and it keeps the cement dust down to zero. Also there are two rows of cement blocks around the bottom of the walls, I painted them with two coats of cement paint and that has held up perfectly, also keeping the dust in check. The garage is also insulated, drywalled and painted, and a "split system" for cooling and heating. NOW, for a home garage I recommend these epoxy kits (not for a business) as I mentioned but if you are going to do it yourself okay, but have someone help you mix the epoxy and use a brush for edging and to move the mixed epoxy along as it cures quickly flooring takeoff services. I waited at least 5 days or so before moving my things and cars into the garage. I did my floor by myself, wore me out, but overall it came out pretty good and is holding up great after six years.

Hi. Was hoping to get some ideas and pointers on different garage flooring. I was thinking of doing epoxy flooring in my 2-car garage but can’t decide.

[TAKerry]

I know many people that have good success with DIY garage epoxy kits. The trick like any paint job is to make sure the prep work is done properly. Also, once finished lay down a couple of rubber runners for the tire paths.

 

If you want to pay for the job, there are guys in my area that use a very durable coating that is not an epoxy but has the same finished appearance. 

[EmTee]

A friend of mine recently applied the Rustoleum epoxy on the concrete floor of his new pole barn.  It looks pretty good and should be easy to keep clean.  OTOH, while vacationing in FL last winter, I saw a neighbor had an epoxy coating applied their garage floor by a professional company.  I walked by later in the day after they finished and the overhead door was open.  They did a beautiful job; the surface was smooth and the color 'flakes' were evenly distributed.  I could see a difference between the professional and DIY applications.  Probably resulting from both the material and application experience.  I imagine there was a hefty price difference as well...  That said, for my working garage, the DIY solution would probably be just fine for me.

[TAKerry]

I have a customer that had a pro do their garage floor. They put all of the homeowners garage contents in a box trailer, Parked it in their driveway and did the floor. It was a 3 day job. Day one, clean the garage out, and prep, day 2 install the flooring, let it cure for day 3 and day 4 move back in. They did a great job. No idea on the cost.

[Glen Andrews]

Yes the professional job turns out nice and at a cost. My neighbor got a quote to do their 2 car garage, 400 sq ft, been in use for 8 years so there is some cleaning to do to the concrete, the quote was $6,000; they declined. Eight years ago I bought three DIY kits from Home Depot, cost then was about $350 for the three kits. Okay my floor doesn't look great but it looks good, and it has held up good for eight years. I do various small paint projects, repairs, drag a floor jack and jack stands around on the floor and it is still in good shape. I did the job myself, not the best idea, have a helper if you decide to do it. Most of us in this organization are DIY'ers and we still like to do projects for the satisfaction of accomplishing something, just look at the condition of vehicles at AACA shows.

[EmTee]

I'm still considering the Rustoleum DIY epoxy for the wood floor in my 24' enclosed car hauler.  I think it would hold up better than latex floor paint.

[TAKerry]

Im in the same boat. My car garage is 32 x 40 I cant imagine what it would cost to have a pro do it. Everytime I see a nice garage floor I want to do mine, then something else will come up and I change my mind on what I want to do with it. Maybe some day I will put something down.

[EmTee]

I'll never do anything more to my pole barn floor -- that ship has sailed...  Too difficult to unload and rearrange all of the contents at this point.  Concrete was sealed, but nothing more.  I save some large cardboard boxes that I'll use to cover the floor before doing a messy job in order to avoid permanently staining the floor and make cleanup easier.  I may still try the epoxy on the 1.5 car attached garage floor where my wife keeps her car.  Still a PITA to clear out the garage, but do-able. 

[Glen Andrews]

On 7/4/2024 at 8:10 AM, EmTee said:

I'll never do anything more to my pole barn floor -- that ship has sailed...  Too difficult to unload and rearrange all of the contents at this point.  Concrete was sealed, but nothing more.  I save some large cardboard boxes that I'll use to cover the floor before doing a messy job in order to avoid permanently staining the floor and make cleanup easier.  I may still try the epoxy on the 1.5 car attached garage floor where my wife keeps her car.  Still a PITA to clear out the garage, but do-able. 

The 1.5 car attached garage I would suggest doing. Concrete is always deteriorating and dusting, so a sealed floor keeps the garage, the car, and your house cleaner. My garage had 2 rows of cement blocks and I painted them with concrete paint, two coats. My previous house (2004-2016) I clear coated the floor right away and it held up pretty good through the years. When this house was built I did the epoxy coating right away and waited almost a week before I used the garage; and am glad I did it.

One problem, the differential gasket on my '38 leaked and it loosened up some of the epoxy coating, not a big area but I still want to get another epoxy kit and fix it.

I too keep cardboard around, makes for easier clean up.

[EmTee]

14 hours ago, Glen Andrews said:

One problem, the differential gasket on my '38 leaked and it loosened up some of the epoxy coating, not a big area but I still want to get another epoxy kit and fix it.

The oil loosened the epoxy?  Was the epoxy still fresh, or was the oil on the concrete under the epoxy?