sporqster Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I have a friend building a house and he wants to put on of those DIY epoxy coatings on the garage floor before the garage is finished out. Anyone have any personal experiences with the stuff and have a brand or method they would or would not recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z3 Stalker Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I believe that POR 15 have an epoxy coating for concrete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Send your friend to The Garage Journal and tell him to spend some time going through the Flooring forum. There is a lot of great information there. I used the Rustoleum 2-part epoxy on our garage floor over 5 years ago and it has held up extremely well. From what I have read, there are much better options out there today, but regardless of the brand selected, proper prep is the key to a long lasting coating. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soareyes Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Send your friend to The Garage Journal and tell him to spend some time going through the Flooring forum. There is a lot of great information there. I used the Rustoleum 2-part epoxy on our garage floor over 5 years ago and it has held up extremely well. From what I have read, there are much better options out there today, but regardless of the brand selected, proper prep is the key to a long lasting coating. -John That is amazing, a whole forum dedicated to garages! Looks like there is lots of good information there too. I'm currently looking around at storage cabinets to tidy up our garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I can only report bad results with epoxy paint. In al three instances, it lifted due to the hot tires. 1) a relative had it done by a handyman with the epoxy paint from Home depot. 2) A friend had his done , the man cleaned and acid washed his floor, used the same paint, and it failed in a year. 3) I personally did my former garage. I scrubbed the floor twice with simple green, then twice with the citrus cleaner provided in my epoxy kit from Ucoatit.com and I acid washed it with muriatic acid twice (believe me, that is no fun , even with a mask on) then applied the ucoatit. It failed in 6 months under the tire patches. That was with over $500 in epoxy cost. I made up my mind that I would never epoxy another floor, and that I would use tile instead. In my new home with a four car garage, I used tile, which has lots of small holes in it, I can hose it down and wash it with a mop, and the water drains out through the holes, and under the tile out the garage doors. I got the tile from Motormat but the only link I could find to them is http://www.jnkproducts.com but they are out of stock. I paid about $2.50 per square foot, and with two grandsons, I installed nearly 950 square foot of floor in less than one day. You can cut it with a knife to fit to the walls, and there are "ramp" pieces for the entrace edges. Google garage floor tile..... there are sources as low as $2.29 / sq ft. Mine are made from a polypropylene, so are impervious to oil, brake fluid, paint thinner etc. I am happy with my floor, and when I move, I can take it with me, as it snaps together. It is also very easy on the feet, when working all day on the cars. Go for the tile, you will never be disappointed. The only warning is when lifting a heavy car with a floor jack or on a jackstand, put a piece of plywood under it to keep from denting the plastic. This can happen with my 7000 lb Tahoe, but NEVER happens with my Seven. here's some pics of my floor http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1977840075_8ftbay.jpg http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1735136186_16ftbay.jpg http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1094044720_lift.jpg closeup http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1650376545_IMGP4155.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBs seven Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I am a dealer for Kiwi tile garage flooring, check them out at www.kiwitile.com and let me know what you would like. I will give you a great price and they will be sent to you directly from Kiwi tile. We supply a many Grand Am race teams with the same tiles a pit and paddock flooring. Doug 919 219 9470 doug@autopro-motorsport.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 That is really funny I have been looking at coatings for the last few weeks. I was just thinking of posting here for feedback as well. I like the idea of the floor tiles but for 1200 sq ft it will cost 3k to do it. Most of the industrial epoxy paints can be done for 800.00 or so. My mom had her garage done with epoxy about 1 year ago and it still looks really good but I dont know what kind was used. I guess I can get the name of the contractor and call and ask what he uses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjslutz Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I did my 3000 sq ft toy box with epoxy and it lasted about 1 year. I like the tile, but the cost! As I also do a little welding in it, I doubt if I will do anything with it. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Please pardon both the minor hijack and my ignorance on this subject, but why put epoxy or tile over the concrete? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjslutz Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 For me it was about having a clean good looking floor. Untreated concrete will always give off concrete dust. I had done mine in white epoxy for reflective lighting. I, like the rest had hopes of spending some money up front for a one time purchase. For the first year it looked great. I wish I had done what Jerry did with the tile; it is the best I have seen. I had a tile floor in a 28' enclosed trailer and it was easy to clean. Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I did my 3000 sq ft toy box with epoxy and it lasted about 1 year. I like the tile, but the cost! As I also do a little welding in it, I doubt if I will do anything with it. Gary The epoxy,in general, lasts very well, it's just those damned spots under the tires that lift. I do some welding as well, so I covered an area with two 4 X 8 sheets of 1/4 inch tempered hardboard around my welding table. As to why we do anything to the foor, it is primarily for appearance, but also includes ease of cleanup. I must admit, that an oil spill of several quarts may have been easier on an epoxy floor. I had that problem, but grabbing a claw hammer an a screwdriver, I popped up the tiles in the area, and blotted it up with newspapers, then popped the tiles back in place. :cuss: I was angry with myself for the stupid action that caused the spill. Another recommendation re epoxy. When I epoxied my previous garage floor, I added the non-skid quartz granules. BAD IDEA !!! You spend a lot of time kneeling down when working on a car, and it sandpapered holes in the toes of my work shoes. I usually wear knee pads when working on the car, as the sand is too sharp to kneel on. The gloss epoxy without the granules can be pretty slick when it's wet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB6 Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I agree with the lifting problems on epoxy floors, has happened to me twice regardless of application. I now use a cheap polyurethane concrete seal and stain, it looks good, is easy to touch up, and for me lasts longer than expoxy at a fractuion of the price, it also tends to soak into the concrete more than the epoxy type which tends to sit on it. There are also one part epoxy seals too, which were ok; I just cannot justify spending more than a few hundred bucks on a garage floor on my budget.. Of course if you want to protect any floor seal from tire lift then why not just but 2 long strips of tile and drive on those to save the newly sealed floor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanG Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I put down a 2 part epoxy in our shed 1 month after the floor was pored. I haven't had any problems over the last 2+ years. Clean up of oil... is fast and easy. No hot tires have ever set foot on the floor however. Be aware that I was expecting the epoxy do do a much better job of filling in and leveling than it did. I had visions of a mirror smooth floor. It is far from mirror smooth. The best part is that there is much less dust and dirt accumulation. Secondly it is more slick than bare concrete allowing me to move more easily when I am doing any work that requires lying down on the job. I will be doing the garage floor this summer and will probably be using the same stuff, the lower grade epoxy from Sherwin Williams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I went and looked at a guys floor today that I met on Garage Journal. He just finished his floor with Wolverine epoxy flooring. It looks very good and is applied to a total of 25 mil thickness. It is just now being introduced to the DIY market. It has been restricted to commercial professional applicators until the last year or so. It is expensive though about 1000.00 for 600 sqft. It is a 100% solid epoxy not like the U coat it which is 75% solids applied at 5 mils. The best way to prep the floor, is to shot blast it which is kind of hard to find in my area. The nearest place is 200 miles away and it cost 250.00 a day to rent it. From the threads that I have read the acid etch is iffy at best for durable results. Here is a pic of the garage. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2086059318_Floor_Done_TV_up.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian7 Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Having done various paint/epoxy/etc treatments to home and race shop floors, at all price levels, my 2 cents is - DON'T BOTHER! Get the snap-lock tiles, there are various brands available, some as little as $2.99 sqft. Super durable, and better, you take them when you move. Few pieces of tile advice: 1) don't get anything with "texture" (like the treadplate style), they are murder on the knees when you're working, and make rolling/sliding stuff around the garage a b*tch. 2) think about the smallest pieces you work with in the garage (small bolts and washers), and buy your tile "open area" size accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB6 Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Spend $15.00 on a good broom. Then spend the rest on yourself; in the immortal words of George Best : "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderbrake Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 With 100% solids content, I assume the Wolverine 25 mil thick epoxy floor would be a lot more resistant to lifting than a layer of epoxy paint. As to the holes in the tiles, yes some really small pieces can fall in them, they are about 1/4 diameter in my floor, but the pieces can be fished out with a magnet, and you can always pop out a couple tiles to get to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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