[1_Wild_Cat]

Hi Everyone -- My wife and I have recently bought a new (to us) place that has a garage/shop space (finally - hurrah). I would like to epoxy the concrete floors prior to moving in.

Does anyone have experience with epoxying their floors?

I'm looking for suggestions on brand, and on process/preparation. BTW - the floor is not new and has some oil staining etc.

Thanks for the help.

[prostreet64]

I did my garage floor about 3 years ago with the Rustoleum Epoxy kit that they sell at Lowes. It has held up really well so far. Prep is the key, I think, to making it last. I worked on the grease spots with mineral spirits until I was confident they were clean and the rest of the area with soap and water. The epoxy finish seems to be a good balance between cost and durability.

[max 93]

The best way to prep the surface is to grind it.

[Stuart]

Check out the flooring section of the Garage Journal forum. There are lots of DIY'ers there, along with several flooring professionals who provide advice. https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/

[1965gp]

I think like anything you can go as far as you want. I’ve seen some pretty elaborate floors done.

I have used the rust oleum floor kit twice both with really good results - but both were on new concrete.

I used the gray in my last garage and the tan in this garage. I much prefer the gray, the tan always looks dirty.

[carcrazy]

I have used the Rustoleum "Rock Solid" product a few times. with a clear coat on top. This has held up real well with significant abuse. In my case it was applied to fresh fully cured concrete. Prep is the key on older concrete. As Stuart noted the garage journal forum is a god source of information.

[fyrffytr1]

If there isn't a vapor barrier under the concrete hardly any coatings will last too long. My buddy tried it on his garage floor that was poured many years ago and the moisture wicking up from the ground caused the epoxy to turn loose.

[1_Wild_Cat]

Thanks everyone for the info. The garage forum link is an excellent source of lots of info (thanks Stuart for clueing me in on that). My buddy rented the grinder and said his shop vac was never the same again, but that it is recommended.

The shop was built in the early 90s - and seems well done, but I don't know about whether there is a vapor barrier. Here in Idaho it is pretty dry if it makes any difference.

For those who used the Rustoleum...How was the coverage? Did it cover the square footage they advertise?

I appreciate the help.

[gobrdgo]

Polish it instead.

[necdb3]

I've done at least 15-20 epoxy floors, including 2 of my own garages with my current being approx 2500sf. Also did a fellow Pyer's 3000 sq warehouse. All the floors I've done were with the rustoleum product from HD. If you follow the directions, it's pretty hard to have failure. The first floor I did was about 10 years old when I sold the house and still looked really good. Considering it wasn't a showroom garage, it held up better than expected.

[73LeMans]

Originally Posted by gobrdgo

Polish it instead.

Too slippery when wet.

[1_Wild_Cat]

It looks like everybody has used the Rustoleum...thanks for the feed back. So great to finally have a shop at my house.

[1965gp]

Don’t forget to add the color flakes to it- hides any chips, scratches, etc.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by 1965gp

Don’t forget to add the color flakes to it- hides any chips, scratches, etc.

The flakes also tend to hide small parts when you drop them on the floor.

[TAKerry]

One thing to keep in mind with diy garage coatings. Believe it or not your car tires will have a bit of heat to them, when you drive into the garage it will tend to 'burn' and lift the coating over time. I would put rubber or carpet tire runners down. This will help to keep the coating in place.

[carcrazy]

Originally Posted by 1_Wild_Cat

Thanks everyone for the info. The garage forum link is an excellent source of lots of info (thanks Stuart for clueing me in on that). My buddy rented the grinder and said his shop vac was never the same again, but that it is recommended.

The shop was built in the early 90s - and seems well done, but I don't know about whether there is a vapor barrier. Here in Idaho it is pretty dry if it makes any difference.

For those who used the Rustoleum...How was the coverage? Did it cover the square footage they advertise?

I appreciate the help.

In my case, with the Rock Solid Rustoleum, coverage was very close to what they stated...just slightly less.

[Jack Blum]

I saw a garage floor where they just polished it very fine and then sealed it. Looked great and oil would not soak in. Was no slipper then paint or epoxy.

[carcrazy]

I've seen a few polished concrete floors that really look great! You can also stain the concrete.

[NeighborsComplaint]

In my last house I did the Rustoleum in gray and added black, white and chrome mylar chips. It was an awesome look. Easy application but can't speak for how it held up as I sold the place shortly after.

[burd]

Get like race deck flooring, that stuff comes off. I covered a mess from the PO.