Epoxy flooring for garage

Here is where I got off the epoxy floor bandwagon:

They want you to etch the floor as part of the prep. Getting the etch process to fully stop before you apply the epoxy is not a given. So, while the epoxy itself is a great finish, the etched interface becomes the weak link.

The stuff is used in a bazillion factories, so maybe not a real concern, but I passed.

Hmm seems like a canoe.

Might be a canoe, but I'll add that I did it in my shop. I used Rustoleum Industrial Epoxy Coating (not the stuff in the big box stores), which is very cost effective. It did require etching the floor, but this was really not a big deal. I coated it over 8 years ago and it is still holding up fine. What I would do differently is use a clear epoxy instead of the opaque gray I used. If you are using the shop to do actual work, it shows EVERYTHING! If you are using it for parking only, it might work great.

While it might not look the most professional, try to find a color that isn't grey or black. My only thought behind that is most bolts/small parts are mostly grey and black, so probably a lot easier to find stuff that falls on a contrasting color.

Can't tell from your post if you know what you're doing or just winging it. If the latter, subcontract the work to someone that knows what they are doing. Screwing up an epoxy floor on a commercial installation is easy to do for a novice and has some pretty expensive consequences.

If you are just asking about color, then I'd suggest you ask the customer what they want. If they say "whatever," keep it neutral and go with grey. I tend to want lighter colors in a floor in a place where lighting is important, like a workshop. Dark may be preferable in a shopping mall parking lot because it will look better longer.

Probably Googled motorsports garage or something and landed here.

This thread is relevant to my interests!

It can only be a canoe if someone is trying to sell a product. I see no product selling here.

I have not had the opportunity to try different floor coating but I have tried to take notice to many that are already installed. I have not seen a coating that will stand up to the rigours of a real working auto shop. The rolling jacks and jack stands all will/have cracked and scratched and caused flaking of all the coatings I have seen.

I weighed all my options, and went through a ton of threads on here as well as Garage Journal, and decided to do polished concrete.

Surface was ground down with diamond grit, then a denisfier/hardener was added, then sanded to 400grit, then a penetrating sealer, and polished.

Best thing: it's not a coating, it's concrete. It won't burn from welding slag. It won't wear out more than what it already looks like, and it won't peel up or come off with sticky tires.

This is the result:

Hey Skinny, that might be the best idea I've heard yet. Other than just leaving it plain. But yours is prettier.

In reply to SkinnyG:

Very nice. I'm almost convinced that this is the correct solution for me. Did you do this yourself or sub it out? Any tips or suggestions?

I convinced my girlfriend that epoxy would be good in her unfinished basement. We're looking for light purple with glitter. Should be fabulous!

In reply to SkinnyG:

If you don't mind me asking, what did that cost compared to epoxy? How long did it take?

I will have a brand new garage this winter and want to do the floor before we start parking in it.

Just a cursory crunching of numbers, it looks like my floor finish was 7X the price of the Rustoleum Epoxyshield Garage Floor Coating. AT times, it's hard to justify the price. On the other hand, in my opinion, it's the best finish you could have, and you'd never have to deal with it again.

I have a friend who does concrete finishing, and they spend the good part of a week doing the work. I'm sure one could do it yourself if you could rent the equipment; it didn't look that hard to do. While I'm a stubborn cheapskate, there are some instances where it is good to "pay the man."

When the shop slab was poured, they put on a coating that was to help cure the slab more slowly, yet proved a nice, easy-to-clean, oil-resistant surface. Which it was. But I swear, as ~gasoline~ fell onto it, the coating would actually run out of the way of the falling fuel. Hence the current polished finish.

We used a light tan, with white, brown & black "flecks". Its gives a MUCH warmer tone to a fairly large (2000SF) garage area than the usual gray, we like it a lot. . . We paid under $3/SF to have it done professionally, very satisfied with results.

Ok, then mine isn't as expensive as I feared, by comparison. I paid $3CDN/sqft to have mine ground, sealed, and polished.

The numbers were scary at first, but "by square foot" it didn't seem that bad. Can't really do carpet for that price. I had tried to give an indication of dollar figure that would compare across the border.

I used POR concrete armor at my old house and that stuff was amazing. A bit pricey but well worth the money.

I did mine with the Rustoleum kit. It took a day to etch and rinse(really well rinsed), and less than two hours to paint and fleck. I too did the light tan, which looks really nice, which is good because my garage is attached. It's only been a little over a year, but for less than $80 complete, has been well worth it.

In reply to SkinnyG:

Is the polished floor slippery when wet? It looks like there'd be no traction with water on it.

I haven't had any wet weather to deal with yet, though I have hosed it out since I rebuilt the transmission in my truck. It is a bit more slippery than the basic ("unfinished" but smooth) concrete at work, but not death unleashed. I can still push a vehicle.

Money no object I say polished is the way to go. Last year I did a densifier and a sealer on my garage. Happy so far with the way it has held up and repels stains.

I didn't want to use epoxy for fear of welding/grinding burns and losing bolts. If I was doing it again today I think I would try rust bullet paint.

Or a larger floor like a parking garage you won't etch, you will mechanically prepare the surface with a Blast-track or other device. Basically shot peen the surface to get the upper layer of concrete off and open up the pores of the concrete, so the epoxy can adhere.

I wouldn't etch any floor. The chemicals have to be dealt with. Mechanical prep is much easier and is not much more expensive on a smaller floor.