Epoxy Coatings on Garage Floors

[Rob]

If you're interested in applying an epoxy coating to your garage floor, there is an article on epoxy coatings on concrete
garage floors in the September 2003 issue The Family Handyman magazine.

 

[matchframe]

I painted my garage with two part epoxy. It is very durable. I have done everything that could damage it, such as welding, metal cutting, grinding and everday mechanical things on it....even spilled brake fluid on it with no damage after quickly wiping it up, and it shows very little wear. The only place I have had problems with it is when I drug a floor jack through the front door onto the driveway, the paint chipped where the jack hit the lip of the floor.


I highly recommend epoxy to any one thinking about painting their garage floor!

Bill

 

[*89x2*]

If you're interested in applying an epoxy coating to your garage floor, there is an article on epoxy coatings on concrete
garage floors in the September 2003 issue The Family Handyman magazine.

great article - just read it a few weeks ago

 

[winnipeg69]

matchframe

What brand of two part epoxy did you use?
What condition was your floor in when you started.?
My floors are in good condition but have been painted in the past and it is starting to peel.

Thanks
Mike

 

[matchframe]

I bought the paint from Sherwin Williams.

My floor was fresh concrete that was about 90 days old.

For a floor that has been painted before, you will need to scrape up all of the peeling parts of the paint before prepping the floor for painting. There is a process that needs to be done called etching. Basically, it is a mild acid that you spread on the floor to take everything down to the concrete. After that is washed off then you are ready for painting. I did this process several times to make sure the paint would adhere to the concrete. I got all of this material from Sherwin Williams paint supply, but I understand that you can get these items from Home Depots, or any other paint supply places.

The two-part epoxy is not hard to work with; you just have to work fast once you mix the two parts together. I spread it over 800 sf of floor, and it was just starting to harden. I was using a roller with a long handle, like a broom handle.

You literally can walk on the floor after about an hour of drying, but it is suggested that you let the floor cure for about 7 days before moving things back onto the floor.

When done, the paint is rock hard, and withstands alot of punishment. I am doing a fram-off resto to my Vette right now, which include grinding and welding, and the floor show little wear. When I do some welding, I put a piece of plywood right under where I am working, but some of the welding slag does make it onto the painted floor, but has yet to damage it.

Hope this helps!

Bill

 

[vethead]

Hey matchframe, in your avatar you have a checkerboard tiled floor, is that the garage you epoxied, or is that a different one. If it is the same one, why did you get rid of the tiles, is the epoxy better? I had always said I would do the checkerboard thing, but I am starting to think about the epoxy coating.

 

[matchframe]

I painted the Black and White squares using epoxy paint. What you see in the avatar is the epoxy.

What I did was after prepping the concrete, I painted two coats of white 2 part epoxy. After letting that cure for about a week, I taped off where I wanted to paint the black squares. I then painted the black with 2 part epoxy. I used only one coat for the black. As soon as I rolled the black on, I immediately pulled the paper and tape up so that the paint would not tear had I let it dry first.

I then let all of that cure for 14 days before I started using the garage. I am now in the middle of a frame-off resto, with welding, cutting, grinding, and alot of floorjack usage, and it still looks as good as when I painted it. I just mop it from time to time.

I painted my other garage with regular garage paint (not epoxy) at the same time a year ago and it already need to be repainted.

 

[JT ZR-Won]

Your floor looks awesome! I might just have to do that

Jay

 

[matchframe]

Its really not that hard to do, just time consuming.

I painted mine at 24 inch squares. I studied many different floors before I started on mine. The key to making it LOOK square is to make sure all of the corners are touching. My floor is close to being square, but if you look closely, the some of the lines are not square. As long as the corners touch, it appears to be perfectly straight.

 

[matchframe]

Here are some pics of when I painted the squares:

1st Pic:

 

[matchframe]

Finished taping:

 

[matchframe]

Finally painted:

 

[matchframe]

Pulling the paper up:

 

[matchframe]

All done!

 

[matchframe]

After moving in:

 

[67HEAVEN]

Wow! Fantastic end result.

Thanks for showing the step-by-step process, Bill.

 

[matchframe]

Thanks 67!

Painting the garage floor with the squares was something I was determined to do before moving into it. I am really glad I took the time and effort to do this. I still have people stop by just to look at it.

Bill

 

[vethead]

Wow, that is a fantastic looking floor. I never would have guessed it was epoxy. Looks like it took a lot of time to tape off correctly, but well worth the work. I had always thought I would use those industrial tiles, but after seeing your floor, and hearing about how well the epoxy works, I am really leaning away form the tile. What is a good brand of epoxy to use? I assume, as with anything, there are some products that work great and some that you should stay away from. Also, what kind of cost are we talking about? I have never thought about an epoxy floor, so pardon me all the questions, but I am very curious about the stuff, that and I always over research everything.

 

[67HEAVEN]

Its really not that hard to do, just time consuming.

I painted mine at 24 inch squares. I studied many different floors before I started on mine. The key to making it LOOK square is to make sure all of the corners are touching. My floor is close to being square, but if you look closely, the some of the lines are not square. As long as the corners touch, it appears to be perfectly straight.

matchframe,

1. Are you saying that some of the lines are not square due to the difficulty of laying tape perfectly straight, or is it because by starting from an existing (not necessarily 90 degree) corner of the garage you are forced out of square?

2. When removing the tape while the epoxy was wet, did you cause any smears, etc. that had to be patched/repaired later?

Sure looks good.

 

[JT ZR-Won]

Awesome! Thanks for the step by step.

Jay