Ok strange question but what is the point of putting anything on the concrete in a garage?
Ok strange question but what is the point of putting anything on the concrete in a garage?
it's actually easier to wipe up spills.
I found some industrial site that sells the 50000 psi epoxy that they use in airplane hangars...was going to do the garage in white...then I moved, and the new place had the floors painted...they hold up okay....hot tires are the worst, though...
sjd
93EXCivic wrote: Ok strange question but what is the point of putting anything on the concrete in a garage?
Off the top of my head:
1. Protect the concrete from cracking, which leads to a longer life.
2. Easier cleanup of spills.
3. Not as cold to lay down on in the winter.
Didn't GRM do an article on this?
mtn wrote:93EXCivic wrote: Ok strange question but what is the point of putting anything on the concrete in a garage?Off the top of my head: 1. Protect the concrete from cracking, which leads to a longer life. 2. Easier cleanup of spills. 3. Not as cold to lay down on in the winter.
I have never had anything other then bare concrete floors in any of the places I have worked so I have nothing to compare it to so I always figured it was for looks.
mtn wrote:93EXCivic wrote: Ok strange question but what is the point of putting anything on the concrete in a garage?Off the top of my head: 1. Protect the concrete from cracking, which leads to a longer life. 2. Easier cleanup of spills. 3. Not as cold to lay down on in the winter.
JackOlsen wrote: Thanks, guys. I initially went with tile because I didn't know any better. My slab was poured in 1925 and was a real mess. Somebody had extended it out with some bag mix and that portion had sunk down about an inch and a half. Add to that the fact that there was no vapor barrier -- so epoxy was definitely not an option. One day I saw tiles on sale for .59/sf at a big box store and figured a couple hundred bucks would be worth the risk. Five years later, I couldn't be happier with it as a floor. The only thing that leaves a mark on it is welding slag, which makes little pinhole burns when I forget to put down a blanket. Grease, oil, paint, even paint stripper just wipe up with a paper towel or rag. Unlike epoxy, I never have to worry about hot tires leaving stains or lifting patches of the stuff up. The whole job was under a buck a square foot (including buying the tools) and I had never set a tile before I got online and gave myself a crash course. If I'd known about self-leveling concrete, I would have a much flatter floor out there. But it's a garage, and the stuff has held up to everything I've been able to dish out. And it's a lot less ugly than my home-engineered aero pieces. :)
I had the same thought as the other posters when I saw your thread! Stoked to see you here!! I've read your garage journal thread many times. It's even cool on the outside. I love the garbage can idea!
I did the rust-oleum epoxy. Well worth the extra effort.
Aspen wrote: I think I need to say this again. U Coat It epoxy. It doesn't stain, tires will not lift it, welding slag is OK, it doesn't chip, you can put in on old concrete with no vapour barrier. It's more expensive than concrete paint but it works. You can put a flek in it so it hides dirt. http://www.ucoatit.com/2011web/pages/photogallery.htm
I checked out their site. Which of their products did you use?
Stargazer wrote: I did the rust-oleum epoxy. Well worth the extra effort.
Wow, that's really nice.
This thread is making me regret my decision of leaving my 2 car garage in favor of a car port :(
And now I'm regretting my decision to use a smiley at the end of my post.
Stargazer wrote: I did the rust-oleum epoxy. Well worth the extra effort.
I have almost the same theme-grey bottom and white top half in my garage. I noticed it looked really good when I still had the blue painters tape dividing the two colors. I've wanted to go back and do a color stripe in between since. Your garage shows that it's a nice detail that looks good. Great, now I see some more painting in my future.
As for the floor, both houses I've owned have had the HD epoxy coatings on them when I moved in. I have no idea how good of prep was done before application, but it is not holding up well. Peeling and lots of hot tire pickup
I just don't have the energy to start all over again.
93EXCivic wrote: Ok strange question but what is the point of putting anything on the concrete in a garage?
You wouldn't ask that if you had worked in a shop when it is 10 below.
Aspen wrote: I think I need to say this again. U Coat It epoxy. It doesn't stain, tires will not lift it, welding slag is OK, it doesn't chip, you can put in on old concrete with no vapour barrier. It's more expensive than concrete paint but it works.
You can say that -- but all someone has to do is run a google search on U-Coat-It and "hot tire lift" to find people with the opposite experience.
The problem really isn't the product -- U-Coat-It is great -- but the concrete it sits on is either going to hold the stuff or it isn't, and there are lots of guys out there who are happy as can be because they think they did the application right (when in fact what they had was a great concrete pad) and a lot of guys out there who are mad because they know they did the application right and the stuff still came up. Most people are happy with epoxy coatings, but there is a pretty significant majority who get tire lift, or bubbles coming up, or staining. Epoxy companies will make bold warranty promises, but then blame the concrete when things go wrong. And odd as it sounds, they're right to. But that's cold comfort when you spend an arm and a leg for the epoxy and then get stuck putting carpet pads on top of the places where the stuff peeled up.
I'd show you mine (floor that is) but it is covered in Mercedes volkswagon and dodge.
In reply to JackOlsen:
Yep. Moisture under the slab and permeating through is the common culprit for epoxy failure and it doesn't matter how well you followed the instructions. This generally isn't an issue if you live in dry, arid parts of the country, but if you live in more humid areas, getting epoxy to adhere properly can be difficult if not impossible if the slab wasn't designed to be coated. Sometimes you can use a deep penetrating sealer prior to the epoxy, but even that isn't a guarantee.
For anyone pondering epoxy, go to Griot's site and read their testing procedure. No, I'm not endorsing their products in any way, but the test they recommend is still good.
Stargazer wrote: I did the rust-oleum epoxy. Well worth the extra effort.
When did you do all that? It's painted just like mine.
Wow, some nice setups here!
My garage floor is coated with engine oil, coolant and brake fluid- in that order 
I've had great success with the commercial tiles like you see in your favorite WalMart or grocery store. Not the least expensive option, but if they hold up to steel wheels on pallet jacks then a car tire is no big deal.
just remember to clean up the adhesive and wax once before you start loading up the shop so it'll wipe ip easily and not stain.
In reply to paranoid_android74:
No hydraulic fluid or gear oil?
Slacker... 
I'm just about to do this to my garage. My problem is it's detached and has no water. The only paint I've found that doesn't require cleaning the floor with water is POR15's floor armor. Then the problem is I have a 1200 sq ft garage and it's going to cost close to $2k to cover it. If it's anything like POR15's paint compared to other rust paints, it's top of the line. But $2k.....
While I love POR15 products (and they're in NJ, so I can pick up to avoid shipping), I'm not entirely sold on their floor paint. When you really start reading into the prep instructions, it's pretty much the same as any other epoxy system. If the concrete can't provide a clean, "toothed" surface for the paint to adhere to it will fail (lift). It is also subject to the same moisture issues as any other paint.
paranoid_android74 wrote:
Mine looked worse than that when I put down the tile. It took three days to do the tile, but I'll never have an oil spot again.
Ian F wrote: While I love POR15 products (and they're in NJ, so I can pick up to avoid shipping), I'm not entirely sold on their floor paint. When you really start reading into the prep instructions, it's pretty much the same as any other epoxy system. If the concrete can't provide a clean, "toothed" surface for the paint to adhere to it will fail (lift). It is also subject to the same moisture issues as any other paint.
Thanks. I live in a swamp so I'll always have moisture issues. My only other option is tile and I'm looking at almost $4k at that point. That's money better spent on a lift and tools. I think the best for me after reading this thread is to go with the rustoleum epoxy and hit the floor with a sander to rough it up. I can get water to it but I'll have to buy a couple hoses. In the end, I'd rather have a $500 floor that fails than a $2k one.
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