Thanks to GRM for the timely (June '09) article on garage flooring. We're buying a house and I figure the time to sort out the garage floor is before I fill the garage full of crap.
Looking to go with an epoxy floor. I'm assuming that prepping the floor is going to be key to this project. The garage (and thus floor) is only a year or two old, and the floor appears to be spotless, so here's hoping thee prep work won't bee too ridiculous.
Anyone have any tips/stories/etc. to share?
I am in the same boat as you. There are lots of opinions on floors on www.garagejournal.com Some people on that site say wolverine is the best, but finding a supplier seems like a real pain. Right now I am leaning towards a PPG product called aquapon. I like being able to drive to the store and talk to a real person when I am dealing with products like floor coatings. Let me know what you decide!
I'm watching this one. I have my first garage as of last week, and I have big plans.
Okay, the big plans are insulation and drywall with some sort of shelf system, but still - my own garage, after living without one for 10 years is pretty exciting. Especially since we also have a shed and a basement, so I can banish all the miscellaneous crap elsewhere.
A good floor would be nice. Keep us posted.
In reply to alex:
I went with a professional installer for our epoxy coating; nearly 6 years later the finish is nearly flawless.
/Rich
THESE FOLKS have a section of their forum dedicated to garage flooring.
A friend of mine is a professional painter. They were doing an epoxy job at an industrial site, laid the epoxy down, and went home for the day while it settled. Next day, no epoxy on the floor. It seems the stuff moves around to get the smooth finish, and there were several unsealed cracks in the floor. The epoxy all went down the cracks.
Should you clean up any oil/stains on the concrete before applying epoxy, or just clean the area and apply?
the top dog accoding to GJ was sherwin wiliams at last check, I think all of the epoxy coating are pretty decent if prepped and applied correctly, U coat it allows you to coat the floor while wet making application a bit quicker
lowes has a 3 part system - rustoleum if Im not mistaken. Ive never tried it, but I think its 1. cleaner 2. Epoxy 3. sealer. It looked doable, but it looks liek it would take about 3-4 days. Thats a long time to have all your crud outside. I think if I do it, I will rent one of those "pods" onsite storage type deal. Anyway, Lowes has a pamphlet on it near the product. Its in the paint section. From what I saw, they made a big deal about MAKE SURE THE FLOOR IS CLEAN AND PREPPED yaddah yaddah...YMMV
evildky wrote:the top dog accoding to GJ was sherwin wiliams at last check, I think all of the epoxy coating are pretty decent if prepped and applied correctly, U coat it allows you to coat the floor while wet making application a bit quicker
Our SW sales rep had us use some of their stuff, and it was pretty good. I liked it more than the Lowe's stuff.
I usually clean the floors with TSP before I epoxy them. If they're really bad you may have to rent a sander and rough them up, which sucks. 
Make sure the pets don't have access to the floor while it cures ... 
4cylndrfury wrote: but it looks liek it would take about 3-4 days. Thats a long time to have all your crud outside.
That's why I want to do it now, right after buying the house/garage and before moving anything in.
bamalama wrote:evildky wrote:the top dog accoding to GJ was sherwin wiliams at last check, I think all of the epoxy coating are pretty decent if prepped and applied correctly, U coat it allows you to coat the floor while wet making application a bit quicker
Our SW sales rep had us use some of their stuff, and it was pretty good. I liked it more than the Lowe's stuff.
I usually clean the floors with TSP before I epoxy them. If they're really bad you may have to rent a sander and rough them up, which sucks.
Visually they look pretty good. Just re-checked today while out for the home inspection.
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