Any opinions and experience with garage floor coatings? Seem to be alot of them out there: Rustoleom, Quickcrete, Sherwin Williams,Behr etc....
Not something I want to do twice.
Thanx for any input.

We do the competitive testing in our lab. If any comparable products are better, we improve our formulations.

I personally did my parent's garage with our Epoxy Shield Pro. The pro stuff (solventborne) is way to go in my opinion because it works better on imperfect or less-prepped substrates.

 

I am a big fan of Sherwin Williams epoxy coatings. I have always staked my reputation on them.
Never use products from large "Box" stores.
You know which ones I am referring to.


:whistling

 

Don't use the cute little kits with the color flakes that you find in these stores. If you are doing it yourself, use a solvent based epoxy. I know SW products mainly so I would recommend Tile Clad, Macropoxy 646 or Armor Seal 1000HS with Armorseal HP Urethane. Some other guys will chime in with some other systems. Granted there are others that are even higher end than these but generally you have to be a licensced installer of these products. I have seen these other products down for years and wearing nicely. With that in mind, garage floors are touchy. Many things can go wrong.

 

Armor Clad!!!

:clap:

What do you think of the SW 1 part waterborne TredPlex epoxy?
I have found that tiny bubbles appear if you are rolling to quickly, but otherwise it is an easy product to use with durability and a wide range of colors available.

I agree STAY AWAY FROM H&C crap with those damn flakes!!!
I used it, and regretted every minute. A SW sales rep pushed it on me.

:furious:


I had a customer wax and buff his new Armor Clad floor...it looked wet!

:blink:

 

I just did a 2 car garage with 2 kits of the new Rustoleum water based epoxy. It comes with the etching mix should the concrete need it. Looked good! It's a gray semi-gloss and came with the flakes, but I didn't use them.

 

Let us know how it looks in a couple of months.

:shifty:

 

Ive used SW 2-part epoxy. 6 years ago and still looks great. No hot marks under the tires.

have to etch the floor and power wash it twice before using the epoxy.

 

Best epoxy evar!

ArmorSeal is jet fuel resistant..


:blink:


Check the label.

 

I agree with the SW fans. They make so many floor coatings for any application. The tricky part is choosing the right one for the job!

 

What are you going to use the floor for? if you are planing to use a floor jack with steel wheels I suggest to stay away from hard epoxy coatings. and remember a hard floor coating is a vary slippery coating wet or dry snow. You ever spill a bit of latex on a concrete floor and not clean it up right away?? Well? I have been doing this for a vary long time now and concrete loves thin coats of water Born's. steel loves Epoxies waterborne move well epoxies don't waterborne are easy to re-cote Epoxies are not Waterborne do not crack chip or smear epoxies crack split and are not unless chemical resistant smear resistant. Go ahead boys use all the Epoxy you want. My floors will out perform yours for a long time to come. And buy the way JET Fuel is just kerosene wow spill MEK see what happens. There's no salesmen like a Paint Salesmen

 

Hello

I like the Rustoleum line. The most important thing is to prep the surface properly and do a water test..... Clean the surface until water no longer beads up on the oil stains. Then do a test on the worst area with the material and let dry for 24 hours. If it scratches off you still need to remove more of the surface contaminant. (oil, grease, etc.)
Check out my work with the 2 part epoxy, flakes and the clear coat.

http://picasaweb.google.com/hericksen/GarageFloorCoating#

I have been a licensed painting contractor in Ca. since 1982.

 

I have used a Vogal Epoxy Paint. I have only done a handfull of floors over the last 2 years but seem to be doing well. I just don't like acid washing the concrete before hand. - paint rep told me the steps to do and therefore that is what I do but is there an easier method. And what do you guys charge for this service?

 

I have used a Vogal Epoxy Paint. I have only done a handfull of floors over the last 2 years but seem to be doing well. I just don't like acid washing the concrete before hand. - paint rep told me the steps to do and therefore that is what I do but is there an easier method. And what do you guys charge for this service?

Not sure that it is easier but with most systems floors can be grinded insted of etched. This is the method I use. Like I listed in my post Versatile Building Products has many different systems for different types of jobs and the results that are expected. Versatiles Roll on Rock System 2 can be applied without grinding or etching the concrete in certain situations. For this to work the concret must be not have any type of sealer on it. If you do get a floor where the concrete is pourus and there is no sealant you can apply system 2 after you clean up any oil spills with v-100 degreaser (or equivilent), scrub the floor with a lighter mix of V-100 and water and let dry. After of course patching any cracks and divots. The manufacturer details in their install guide that their product can be applied directly to concrete without a sealant without grinding or ethcing. That being said I have done nearly 30 floors and I have only done 2 without grinding, one of which was nearly brand new and the other was a basement floor in great condition with no sealer preasent.

A two car garage done with system 2 will run you at least $700 in materials.

For enough of the two part 95% epoxy direct to concrete chip reciever coat for a normal sized two car garage it will be about $130

Then you will need a 50 pound box of chips that will be thrown to rejection (expecially important if your not expirienced throwing them) is $150

For the topcoat I use the 73% solids 5073 which comes in two gallon kits, you may be able to get away with one on a small garage but I would buy two, but after you get more and more jobs you will allways have some extra on hand and know how much to order. This topcoat is EXTREMLY HIGH gloss and it dries exactly the way it looks when it is wet so it is important to roll it on very evenly. There are many other topcoats that you can choose from but this one in particular doesnt yellow even outside. It is also rated for high forklift trafic and is resistant to all household chemical

Then you will need the materials for cracks and divot repairs. For this it really depends on the job. For crack repair versatile has two types of epoxy crack fillers one that dries with in an hour (can be as quick as 20 min), and this is what I use on smaller jobs where I can prep and apply the epoxy in the same day. Or the have an overnight dry which is slightly easier to work with and cheaper that I use on larger jobs.

The best way I have found to fill cracks with epoxy is to order some empty caulk tubes, mix the epoxy and then inject it into the crack with a caulk gun. Slightly over fill the cracks and the grind the excess off either the next day or after it dries depending on which one you use.


Not sure if this info is usefull to anyone, but I know it would have been damn usefull to me before I got started. I tried quite a few systems before I stumbled upon these. They have many systems. They have a waterbased sysytem that is extremly easy to apply for DIYers and still better than what they could get at the big box. Then they have system two which I spoke of above. Then they have another onew day system of 100% epoxy that can be laid and topcoated in the same day

 

I can suggest to use, fiber floor mat. Easy to clean long lasting and comes at cheaper price. Try it once.

 

Aromorseal A1000HS is what I've been using for years and I've never had a problem. Prep is key though as others have stated.

 

Go to www.garagecoatings.com use system 2 if you want easy to apply and good durabilaty. Versatile building products. Shipping is free. I have laid several and havent had a problem yet.

 

As others have emphasized, pay a lot of attention to preparation. A VERY thorough power washing is in order.

 

I did the rustoleum in my shop and it has held up quite well. Did the acid etch and power wash beforehand.

 

Does anyone have experience with the Quikrete kits? I have one of those kits sitting in my garage but haven't even read the label. I'm sure if it's quikrete it's water based.

I know it's junk to the pro's but since I have the kit, why spend more money on "The Right Stuff" Looks like someone up there really likes the water based kits over the epoxy.

(Only problem is, it'a 3 day job!)
Day one and part of day 2: Get Aaaaaaaallll my stuff out of the garage and carry it to the back yard.
Rest of two and 3 do the floor.
Thanks

 

:clap:

Take some "before" pictures to satisfy the voyeurs among us, I just have to see the inside of your garage.

But please please please please please don't close another thread on us.

 

Come on MZ. You gonna cheap out on something like this. You're gonna do all that work only to have it fail prematurely? Go spend $100 and get a epoxy kit and do it right, do it once.

 

Even an El-Cheapo kit will work since we don't park in the garage, It's just for walking on. Lets see what the (FLOOR EXPERTS) have to say.

This is a quote from the DIY.com forum:
newpartsman
members
We used the Quickrete product on our warehouse/shop floor (3,500 sq/ft) a year ago. I have been holding out my review until it has been tested for a while but I must say that I am completely impressed at this point. We drive forklifts over it every day, drag 1,000 lb pallets across it, weld above it, do mechanic work on it..... It gets abused! We have had NO peeling or other problems at all.

I'd give it an A+

Thanks!

 

Ya, lets wait

 

Not again.

 

Floors for walking, or workshop, any urethane fortified or acrylic epoxy is fine.

Floors for driving, parking....!00% solids epoxy will perform/last the best.

Before painting ANY floor do the plastic test. Tape down ( duct tape works ) a piece of plastic to the floor 2'x2', 3'x3' or so. Leave it overnight, check in the morning....any condensation, or dampness on the concrete...DONT PAINT IT!!! It will fail....definitely.

Prep...mechanical etching is the best...you get a uniform surface to coat, either rent a floor grinder ( looks like a floor buffer but has diamond blades ) or have it shot blasted. Acid washing is ok, but typically you dont get a uniform profile, so some spots will have better bite than others.

Painting....The 100% solids has a very fast application time...usually 20min pot life or less. Mix the epoxy per manufacturer specs...and pour it on the floor in ribbons, squeege or use a 1/4" nap roller to move it around ( it self levels so dont worry about lap marks ) Garage floors that have expansion joints are easier to do, just do 1 section at a time. My epoxy comes in 1 gal and 3 gal kits. I usually sell the 1 gal kits just because of the short pot life. Mix it 1 kit at a time, and 1 kit is typically enough to do 1 section of floor, expansion joint to expansion joint. 2 car garage = 4gal, 3 car = 6gal ( 1 coat ) may require 2 coats for an even sheen depending on floor porosity. :thumbup:

 

Floors for walking, or workshop, any urethane fortified or acrylic epoxy is fine. For my house this will be what I need.

Floors for driving, parking....!00% solids epoxy will perform/last the best. For a client This would be the route to take.

Before painting ANY floor do the plastic test. Tape down ( duct tape works ) a piece of plastic to the floor 2'x2', 3'x3' or so. Leave it overnight, check in the morning....any condensation, or dampness on the concrete...DONT PAINT IT!!! It will fail....definitely. Thanks! I'll do that (If I can find a clear spot that big ha ha).

Prep...mechanical etching is the best...you get a uniform surface to coat, either rent a floor grinder ( looks like a floor buffer but has diamond blades ) or have it shot blasted. Acid washing is ok, but typically you dont get a uniform profile, so some spots will have better bite than others. I'm used to acid wash, I use Muratic acid. Do you have a recommendation on the mix? Because I usually mix it pretty stong 16-20 Oz. per gallon.

Painting....The 100% solids has a very fast application time...usually 20min pot life or less. Mix the epoxy per manufacturer specs...and pour it on the floor in ribbons, squeege or use a 1/4" I was going to use 3/8 but 1/4 or less sounds better. nap roller to move it around ( it self levels so dont worry about lap marks ) Garage floors that have expansion joints are easier to do, just do 1 section at a time. My epoxy comes in 1 gal and 3 gal kits. I usually sell the 1 gal kits just because of the short pot life. Mix it 1 kit at a time, and 1 kit is typically enough to do 1 section of floor, expansion joint to expansion joint. 2 car garage = 4gal, 3 car = 6gal ( 1 coat ) may require 2 coats for an even sheen depending on floor porosity. So, I take it you don't recommend I use my Quikrete Kit? It's too small for my 2CG anyway.

Thanks for the help!

 

I forgot Watch out for oil stains....Acrylics dont like them, and they will "fish-eye" or make areas that look like craters, where it doesent adhere. Nothing ruins a floor worse, a beautiful flawless floor....with pock marks on it. Degreasing can work, but not always. Wash then grind. If its just going to be foot traffic, Shellac primer will seal it. But DO NOT put any type of primer under a 100% solids coating or polyamide epoxy. The solvents will strip just about anything.


Polyamide & 100% solids epoxies should not be used over anything else....if the floor is already coated with something....strip it completely, or dont use these products!!

 

NC,

My Garage floors just have 40+/- years of wear on them. I will for sure give it a heavy and strong acid wash. I don't really want to go to the expense of renting or buying (I bet I can find one cheap!) a floor grinder unless I was going into doing G Floors full time.

Thanks for the Tips and PM's

 

On the plastic test,

Do I just tape the corners or all the way around?

And won't duct tape leave glue on the surface?

 

I just did the HD Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield (grey w/flakes), I followed directions to a tee.....I have exsessive lap marks all over. I do paint, so I know to maintain a wet edge, apply N formation and so on, what the hell happened. I can see if I was spreading to thin ....but I didn't. The prob with this stuff is that you cant just put another coat on or touch-up.....can you??

 

I used it and it worked fine.

 

I was afraid some one would say that. The guy at Shermin Williams said that it must have started to set up, well it wasn't getting tacky as I lapped each coat. It looked fine as I applied it, being wet and all. The stuff has an hour pot life and I started after the 10min waiting period..... so what gives? Can I touch it up with a new batch before it cures all the way??