What do people recommend for Garage Floor finishes?

[Chaplin]

Originally posted by roger1


I used U-Coat-It and had a horrible experience.
The product is good but, they don't give you near enough of it.
It won't cover near the square footage that they claim.
It also goes on too thin and any floor texture shows through badly. They were very unhelpful on the phone. I wasted a lot of time and money (over $1,000) for my
650sqft garage with this stuff.
I would highly recommend avoiding this company. Please you guys, learn from my mistake.

Check out the epoxy at Griot's Garage.
Much much cheaper and a good company.

Roger-
I had the exact opposite experience with U-Coat it. I found the product to be excellent and it covered way more than the square footage they claimed- in fact when I was done I had 3/4 of a gallon of the stuff left over- it pained me to have to dump the excess out but I didn't think it would last if I sealed the can again. I have had it on the floor for 2 plus years and it has held up amazingly well. No chips, cracks, flakes or anything and it cleans up with a little soapy water. I would HIGHLY recommend U-Coat it to anyone.

[roger1]

Have to agree that some things in the catalog seem rediculously expensive while other things seem pretty reasonable.

Their epoxy floor paint is very reasonably priced. Their paint is $56.99/gallon and 1 gallon covers 150 sqft. So a typical 22X24 garage would take 4 gallons.

This is comparably priced to the stuff at Lowe's and one heck of a lot cheaper then the U-Coat-It. Talk about rip-off!

[TerrysSPF]

I helped a buddy do his garage a couple years ago with the Griot's epoxy. Still looks great today, even with abuse (rolling a 3-ton jack....multiple spills of various liquids...etc) not too mention the abuse of Chicago weather (snow/salt in winter & hot tires in 90 deg summers).
The key is in the PREP work. We acid washed the entire floor prior to application. Then we appiled 2 thin coats of epoxy (better to apply 2 thin coats than 1 "thick" coat) and let it dry good before moving everything back in the garage. He also parked the cars on cardboard for about a week just to make sure it was good and dry.
If you don't acid wash your concrete prior to painting, it will most likely peel. Washing out the acid is also "key". Messy......but you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.

[joea]

I had a good experience with UCOATIT as well. Very helpful. I did a black and white checker pattern. Came out great. A single color would have been MUCH less work. The checkers will no less than triple your work. I had left over material as well.

[jwoodard]

I went with a granite look. It consists of 3 coats of epoxy, one coat of polyurethane, with vinyl chips added to give a granite-terrazo appearance with a slip resistant surface.

Here's a close up of how it looks.





I've only had it on the floor for a month so I can't report on it's longivity or wearability yet.

[Mike Simard]

Is there anything to cap off the transition to the driveway? Most garages have about an inch step there, it would be nice if there were a threshold that would fill that gap and transition into the garage. Does anyone know of anything?

I just epoxied my home garage floor white. I used the same thing in my machine shop and nothing hurts it and it's easy to clean. I buy my epoxy from the manufacturer: Superior Epoxy Coatings in Atlanta. Probably much cheaper than the waxer boutiques.

[larryar]

You might also want to look into Wonder Paint. They were at the Spring Fling. It has concrete in the paint and gives a bullet proof finish. I think they are at http://www.wonderpaint.com
Larry

[Rick Bagley]

Jim,

Give us some info on the Granite Floor Coating you used. Price and Manufacture??

[misfit41]

Originally posted by RaceDeck


Sizzler: Will you be our first forum member? Hey, I never have started a thread on Garage Flooring...but I do have a Cobra and spend time here...so it is hard not to jump in when someone asks about what we do? I usually let "Too Tall" Robert Evans do all replies.

Im curious about race deck,it looks awesome ! How is it applied/layed ?,and how practical is it in a "real world" garage ?cutting steel,spilled fluids ,"gas,oil,brake fluid etc} and last but not least is it easy to clean ,sweep and or degrease when its really nasty ?.Are there seams or texture which may trap dirt and grime or allow liquids to penetrate underneath the tiles ?
thanks,Tim

[misfit41]

Originally posted by Robert Evans


Bill,
Regarding cutting and installing...You would normally start at the front of the garage with the trim edges and work toward the back of the garage. Cutting is done with ordinary wood-working tools. I like a table-saw with a combination blade best, but a jigsaw works well also.

Rick,
RaceDeck meets all Gov't standards for slip-resistance. The tread on top of the Diamond tile is about 20 thousandths tall, so it does offer some type of slip control. It is a happy medium between easy cleaning and anti-slip. If RaceDeck feels slippery to you, then an epoxy floor will be like an ice-rink.

Y-Not,
The support structure on the bottom of the tiles are one inch on center, so unless you have a very high concentration of weight in less than 1 sq. inch, it's no problem. I have a big Snap-On tool box and it rolls across with no problem at all. The Circle-Trac tiles work especially well with casters.

Robert,,
Did I understand correctly that the tiles are over 1" thick ? That would be an issue for me since I wouldnt want to have lips at door openings.I also have some finished flooring and a bathroom with hardwood and the added height would make water tend to puddle in the lower areas.Did i understand correctly ?
thanks,Tim

[dalola]

I did my garage last summer with WonderPaint, and facilitated getting Jim(WonderPaint Co-owner) to the 'Fling last summer. It's a great product, and thought others might benefit from learning more about it, as it is relatively unknown in the residential market.

Some brief facts. It is like a paint, in the way it applies, but not truly a paint. It is a cement coating. As Larry mentioned, it has 3-4 lbs. of Portland cement mixed with each gallon of coating. Unlike epoxy, it allows moisture vapor to escape from the underneath, but is totally waterproof on top. It is environmentally friendly, not hazardous to apply, and uses water clean up. It does require multiple steps to apply properly, and is somewhat labor intensive, even though all the steps are fairly easy. First and foremost, CLEAN! Like any paint job, prep is key! Jim has a lot of great stuff to get your concrete clean. Next, use a special hydroflouric acid generating etcher. (Hydroflouric acid is the only known acid to etch silica, but is highly toxic and quite lethal. WonderPaint has an amazing product to accomplish this safely and effectively.) Next is a coat of primer, then 3-4 coats of the actual coating, then a sealer, then an optional alaphatic urethane. So, it's not a quick solution. If you don't mind putting some effort into it, I feel it's the best concrete coating available today.

As I first mentioned, I did my garage last summer, and it's held up perfectly so far, under heavy usage. I have a "working" garage, and have no visible wear or damage thus far. Steel jack wheels, a portable lift, every fluid imaginable, winter road salt, you name it. No problems.

Here's a pic from last summer. I can post more if anyone is interested. Also, I believe Ed(DV) used this in his new shop up in Michigan. Got any pix, Ed??

Anyone who would like more info is welcome to contact me, of call Jim from the WonderPaint website. He is an extremely knowledgable and helpful guy.

Hopefully, some will find this info useful!
~Dave
937-349-2029

[Blue66]

Damm that looks nice !!!

[Fitz]

I had the floor done by the same people that did my garage cabnets. NEIL'S Garage Cabinets @ 11902 W. Thunderbird Rd, El Mirage AZ 623-583-1044 and their "in charge person for floors" is Jason Rush in gilbert @ 480-507-6543. I actually am having him come back out because there are a few spots where tire from my truck has worn spot off and the floor is garanteed. They had no problem with coming back out and acted very surprised about product not sticking in a few spots the size of a quarter. Epoxy gray but they have all the colors with the specs red, brown, black etc.

[Hiker]

Chris...as a real estate appraiser in Phoenix, I see numerous garage floors weekly. Most average, but some really nice and some.......just awesome. Basically it comes down to what you want to pay. The picture below is one bay in my 3 car that is ready and waiting for a Cobra. I used Rustoleum 2-part garage floor epoxy from Lowes and have had no problem in two years.. But pre-paint preparation is very very important. Coating the whole garage cost me $225 total. I was on a budget at the time. If I was going to do it again and had $600-$800 I'd get the granite finish. I also recommend Steve's for cabinets. My other two bays are surround with his cabinets and a cool workbench. They do a great job..