I need garage floor help.

[Lew the taxman]

Any of you guys in the bay area know of a person or company that will strip and paint garage floors. Preferably in the north bay (I live in Vallejo). I'm planning to gut out my garage and start over. All new work bench, new tool cabinets, and new tools etc.

Thanks... any help will be appricated.

Lew

[sfry]

Lew,
Email me at Visual4inno@aol.com and I will send you pics of mine.
I did mine two years ago in a epoxy. Dupont has a great floor system that is FDA approved. (just in case you want to eat off it.) I can also fax the recommedations as well.

[Mr.Fixit]

I will tell you this: Any regular paint will get peeled off by your warm tires, even from concrete that was brand new (not oil saturated) when applied. My father learned that one the hard way in his last house. I always liked black and white vinyl 12" tiles laid down in a checkerboard pattern. But no jerky stops or they slide across the tops of one another.

[bonyhadi]

I'm with Mr. Fixit! Tried every paint, always acid washed the surfaces and applied correctly and none met my expectations. Then went
10 years ago to asphalt tiles and they look
as good as the day they were installed.
E mail me and I will send back a picture of
the floor.

[Bill Wells]

epoxy is the only way to go in the midwest due to snow etc that finds its way in to a garage...the rubber type tiles etc might work ok for you fair weathered area folks. i was nervous about all the stuffo that could get into the openings etc so went with two part epoxy after miserable experience with a variety of concrete floor paints that would always 'lift' the paint from tires/water/etc. 4 yrs on my epoxy floor and no lifting , no problems, ALL fluids including acid wipes right up. the floor prep is the key though. bill.

[Tony Radford]

Go to the thread entitled "Cobra Caves". You will find a few pics of some awesome garages, including the checkered tile.

[Lew the taxman]

Thanks to all of you for the good advise. This forum is the greatest asset a cobra man could ask for. I really like the tiles in the "Cobra Caves" thread. A least now I have something to think about.

Thanks again......Lew

[Sal Gerace]

Hi Lew,
I recently used a product called U-COAT-IT. It is a water based epoxy. It is very durable and made for heavy duty garage use. The product coast about $250.00 for a 25x20 foot floor. If you want the gloss finish and speckles it will cost about another $200.00. I used the medium gray without the gloss coat and it looks super. I have rolled my cars and engine stands over it without a problem. It is used in the garage area at the Carlisle PA fairgrounds where they display the indoor show cars. Here's the U-COAT-IT website. http://www.ucoatit.com/ . As with any of these products the first step is to degrease the floor where oil has spilled. Do that twise and also degrease the entire floor with a diluted mix. Then you must use muriatic acid to etch the floor. This process is done at least two times. These are the important steps to make sure that your product will adhere to the concrete. If you want to buy your degreser from U-COAT_IT you can but I just went to home depo purchased and one of there's. Muriatic acid is bought at either home depo or a hardware store or pool supply place(strong stuff). You will like your garage a lot more when it's done and also know that you are keeping moisture out when you coat the floor because moisture seeps up from the ground and through the concrete. Good luck and email me if you have any further questions, Sal.

[Double Venom]

U-coay-it floor system is an amazing product AND they were choosen to be a sponsor for the first Fling. Good stuff fellas.

DV

[Jack Zupan]

I just saw another reference to the U-Coat-It floors. It seems they are popular. On this topic, my basement was painted in was appears to be a latex. The first time is got damp, it crinkled up and lifted in a lot of spots. Anyone have any ideas on how to get the old paint up in order to lay down new stuff?

Jack Z.

[Mohuska]

There is a black and white rubberized linoleum that is made for garage floors. You have to thoroughy clean the floor and apply a dilute acid wash and then neutralize with a baking powder solution.. Dry and apply mastic adhesive and lay out floor.....Oil doesn't affect it...gas neither......interested??.....I will try to remember the manufacturer...

[Sal Gerace]

Originally posted by Jack Zupan
I just saw another reference to the U-Coat-It floors. It seems they are popular. On this topic, my basement was painted in was appears to be a latex. The first time is got damp, it crinkled up and lifted in a lot of spots. Anyone have any ideas on how to get the old paint up in order to lay down new stuff?

Jack Z.

Jack I would use a power washer and try to lift it with that. I removed paint off of the side of a cinderblock garage with a power washer one time.

[Jack Zupan]

Sal,

Thanks for the idea, I may give it a try this spring.

Jack

[Bill Wells]

you might want to have a PLAN "B" too...power washing did not work for me, even using degreaser and roughing it up with a wire brush and using a 2500 psi gas powered washer. only some came off, but not all. the remaining paint was suspect for adherence to any epoxy . i had a commercial outfit come in with a 'bb' media blaster machine to remove all remaining paint and residue, then apply the two part epoxy. the prep is the key for any paint/epoxy or new stuff will not stick !! maybe not as important for tiles, but it is for paint/epoxy. bill.

[M & M]

Bill is totally right. The whole key to an epoxy paint finish and longevity is prep. Any extra hours for prep will not be wasted.

I have had several floors done with epoxy and always the professionals have spent many hours of prep emphasizing it's importance.

Everyone should have a garage like Bill Wells. The most perfect car (guy hangout) anyone could want. Check out his gallery picture. Last I herd his wife uses the floor to roll pie crust. She figures that it is nicer than her kitchen counter!

The ultimate garage by Bill Wells!

[Bill Wells]

mikey M&M..you are right...she does and it is...darned pie crust excess wipes right off, i keep telling her to clean that kitchen granite counter and do her cooking prep in the kitchen, but OH NO..she has to use my hospital emergency/operating room clean floor. best part, spray some water on it, swipe a wet mop across it (rarely), a quick squeegee then a dry mop swipe after that and it is sparkling hospital clean again with virtually no muss/no fuss ...you can comb your hair or pick your teeth in the reflection off that floor, even after 4 yrs of cars in/out..salt, snow, ice, water and pie crust. epoxy is a great way to go. bill.

[sfry]

I have found the best method to remove old floor paint is by "Blast track"ing. It is merely sandblasting in a controlled fashion. This technique also will give the floor a profile for the new paint system to adhere to it. You can usually rent the machine from a Equipment rental company. I used muratic acid on my floor but it was brand new.

Shannon

[Sal Gerace]

Hey Jack,
It sounds like a good idea to use the media or blast tracking instead of the power wash. You don't have to get your garage all soggy and it probbly will work better. You still will need to degrease real thouroughly and also use the muriatic acid at least two times. The U-COAT-IT web site explaines this process. They also send you a vidio if you buy their product.

[Chaplin]

Bill

Did you just use the epoxy paint on your floor or did you use a clear top coat over the epoxy paint?


Also, those that have used the U-Coat it, do you need to use the clear coat to get a nice finish on the floor or is the paint sufficient.

Thanks,
Mike

[Bill Wells]

chaplin/mike..

i used two coats of two part epoxy and then put a coat of clear coat urethane on top of the epoxy and rolling into the clear coat some clear silica for non skid protection. bill