Garage floor - thinking about epoxy or other finish

[omni550]

Wondering if any folks here have experience with epoxy (or some other attractive surface finish) for a garage floor.

My FL condo has a 2-car attached garage. It has a cement floor that been painted light gray at least once (maybe twice, as I think I may have seen a slightly different shade of gray somewhere). The paint and floor is in good shape...a few tiny, thin cracks from the usual settling that occurs over time.

I'm evaluating putting down epoxy, as I keep seeing tire marks (I don't know if this is from driving home with hot tires and then parking, and as they rest and cool they leave leave the marks or perhaps it's induced by the tire/painted surface interaction or ??) I'm thinking epoxy with sprinkled-in paint chips would help hide or perhaps even avoid these tire marks.

I've seen a neighbor who has 2 long carpet runners in their garage, laid crossways. I'm assuming they drive in and park so their tires are on the carpet runner. So this 'solution' might have been prompted by a similar situation of tire marks on their floors.

Anyhoo, with the floor already having a painted surface, I'm wondering how much cost and hassle it would be to install epoxy (DIY). If it's too bothersome, perhaps planning on repainting before I put it up for sale in the future might be an easier solution.

If I were to undertake this project, I'd likely do it next season, picking cooler days with low humidity.

Thoughts, ideas, and comments welcome.

omni

 

[braumeister]

Epoxy garage floors are great. The previous owner of our condo had it done, and several of our neighbors have also done it.

The nice feature is that I can simply hose it off and have a beautiful clean garage floor in a few minutes.

The not so nice part is that on rainy/snowy days, it's very slick and I have to watch myself carefully to avoid slipping when I get out of the car.

One neighbor had it done last year and his surface is not nearly as slippery when wet as mine is, so I'm thinking about having it done again by his contractor.

 

[txtig]

I did mine a couple of years ago. It looks great and is holding up well. One thing I would do differently would be to use a pour-on self-leveling product prior to applying he epoxy. My floor was a bit rough and pitted and I ended up having to buy another gallon of epoxy to finish the job. If I had used the self-leveling product first, I would have had a much smoother surface for the epoxy and would have gotten a better result with less effort and expense.

 

[omni550]

Do you know if epoxy can be applied over paint...or do I somehow have to get all the paint up off the floor (down to bare cement) first?

Do you have the paint chip surface (which I'm wondering if they might add a bit of traction for wet days)?

omni

 

[Ronstar]

I epoxied my detached garage. I ground down the floor first with a concrete grinder, then acid etched it before putting down epoxy.

I would definitely not put it down over paint. IMO, you should grind off the paint before having epoxy installed.

The epoxy color chips add a little traction but not much if the floor is wet or icy.

 

[OldShooter]

Experience with beautiful glossy airplane hangar floors: They can get viciously slippery with water, oil, or a light dusting of snow. You don't have to worry about snow, but I'd encourage you to stick with the color chips plan for traction. I fly out of one hangar with that type of floor and it is great. You and also use contrasting colors to add "lane stripes" to guide parking if you like.

 

[happy2bretired]

I’m not a do it yourself person so I’m curious about the cost for a two car garage application, done by a contractor.

 

[Tailgate]

Racedeck.com awesome product..pricey but IMHO worth it

 

[Amethyst]

We put epoxy on our concrete garage floor last year, using Rustoleum's garage floor epoxy kit. One kit just barely was enough for a two-car garage.

It isn't slippery, because there was a sand-like substance in the mix; plus the color chips of course.

 

[VanWinkle]

We put epoxy on our concrete garage floor last year, using Rustoleum's garage floor epoxy kit. One kit just barely was enough for a two-car garage.

It isn't slippery, because there was a sand-like substance in the mix; plus the color chips of course.

I used the same but needed two kits for my oversize 2 car garage. Mine has been on for about 4 years and still looks good. Just starting to get a few spots getting worn where the tires with salt have been setting. I will likely go about 6 years and then recoat. It is ok to paint on top of the epoxy as long as it is still adhering and you sand the finish to establish a mechanical bond for the new epoxy. I would not paint over a non epoxy surface or one that is not adhering well.

 

[MRG]

Anyone do this where there's mud? I'd like to minimize my power washing time and effort. We're on a mag calc and mud road. Thanks.

 

[conversationalphrase]

Epoxy is nice but don't use Rust-Oleum. My 10 year old finish is not holding up to the wear from a rolling bench chair let alone daily car tires rolling in and out. If I had it to do over again I'd spend the money on an industrial quality epoxy floor finish. In any case good prep of the floor is important. I acid washed mine twice.

Sand sprinkled on the wet finish cures the slipperiness but also makes it harder to sweep.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Epoxy is nice but don't use Rust-Oleum. My 10 year old finish is not holding up to the wear from a rolling bench chair let alone daily car tires rolling in and out. If I had it to do over again I'd spend the money on an industrial quality epoxy floor finish. In any case good prep of the floor is important. I acid washed mine twice.

Sand sprinkled on the wet finish cures the slipperiness but also makes it harder to sweep.

Ditto. I did Rustoleum about 5 years ago, and it faded to a dull finish. It hasn't peeled, but the quality of the finish is not like my friends' garages, which are nice and shiney. Don't use cheap epoxy. When I refinish, I plan to use a better quality 100% solids epoxy, plus a clear epoxy top coat.

There are lots of discussions about this in dedicated forums.

 

[omni550]

Thanks for all the informative responses.

In case anyone else is pondering installing an epoxy floor, I just found this site. (Imagine that, a site dedicated to garage floors...Who knew?)

What is the Best Epoxy Coating for Your Garage Floor | All Garage Floors

There, I found a link to this company's site. It is chock-full of information. Plus they offer many base colors as well as the ability to custom order your chip mix colors.

https://originalcolorchips.com/

omni

 

[bradaz2488]

It is is critical that the floor is properly prep before applying the Epoxy. I believe most require a acid wash, but I believe this may not be enough to prevent de-lamination over time. We had our 3 car garage Epoxy when we bought the house new. Several years later the Epoxy start to de-laminate where the tires sit for the Truck and SUV but the smaller sports car was fine. I suspect the combination of the heated tires after driving and weight caused the Epoxy to come up off the concrete. I do plan to have the floor redone at some point but this time I will hire a company that will grind the concrete to create a better substrate for the Epoxy to adhere to. It is more expensive but I have to remove the old Epoxy anyways. Just my 2 cents

 

[jazz4cash]

We put epoxy on our concrete garage floor last year, using Rustoleum's garage floor epoxy kit. One kit just barely was enough for a two-car garage.

It isn't slippery, because there was a sand-like substance in the mix; plus the color chips of course.

My Rustoleum epoxy floor is maybe 15 yrs old and it has held up very well. It does show a bit of hot-tire pickup sometimes but not really much of an issue. It has also faded to a flat looking finish but I will either put another coat on or just overcoat with clear sealer. My floor is not slippery at all due to the chips and you can also use anti slip additives (sand) to improve traction. The rustoleum is very thin but I'm generally satisfied and would use the product again.

 

[harley]

It is is critical that the floor is properly prep before applying the Epoxy. I believe most require a acid wash, but I believe this may not be enough to prevent de-lamination over time. We had our 3 car garage Epoxy when we bought the house new. Several years later the Epoxy start to de-laminate where the tires sit for the Truck and SUV but the smaller sports car was fine. I suspect the combination of the heated tires after driving and weight caused the Epoxy to come up off the concrete. I do plan to have the floor redone at some point but this time I will hire a company that will grind the concrete to create a better substrate for the Epoxy to adhere to. It is more expensive but I have to remove the old Epoxy anyways. Just my 2 cents

I was considering an Epoxy floor for my garage, but when I started looking into what it took to do it right (acid wash, grinding, leveling, etc.) I gave up on it. My floor isn't in bad shape, and that was a ton of work. I'm too cheap to hire it done and too lazy to do it myself.

 

[jazz4cash]

I was considering an Epoxy floor for my garage, but when I started looking into what it took to do it right (acid wash, grinding, leveling, etc.) I gave up on it. My floor isn't in bad shape, and that was a ton of work. I'm too cheap to hire it done and too lazy to do it myself.

The prep is very important, but it is really not that hard. The acid wash is very easy. The only hard part is getting oil stains out if they have soaked in for awhile. I can't imagine having to grind and level the surface unless you are going for a really high end finish. In any event if you follow the steps, chances are it will be so much nicer you'll love it when you're done. I used a two part epoxy that had to be used within 30 minutes of mixing (e.g. don't mix too much at once), but i would consider using a 1 part coating, urethane, or concrete stain to make it easier.

 

[omni550]

I was considering an Epoxy floor for my garage, but when I started looking into what it took to do it right (acid wash, grinding, leveling, etc.) I gave up on it. My floor isn't in bad shape, and that was a ton of work. I'm too cheap to hire it done and too lazy to do it myself.

This is what I'm starting to realize. Grinding the paint off the floor for starters. No quick and easy way to do it.

omni

 

[DrRoy]

I’m not a do it yourself person so I’m curious about the cost for a two car garage application, done by a contractor.

We did it last summer and love it so far. Was about $300 in materials. I think a contractor would be $1500-2000.

 

[phil1ben]

I have a 4 car garage and recently got a quote to remove the paint and epoxy the floor for $8,500.00. So I assume a 2-car garage would be about half. Still thinking about it.