Anyone have an epoxy garage floor coating?

[HardcoreZ28]

I'm overhauling my entire shop finally after 6 months of working in dingy darkness and I'm debating if I want to just paint the concrete floor or get one of the epoxy coatings available. I'd like to go epoxy but cost is a major issue here. I've also heard they are a pain to prep the surface properly for. Any of you guys have experience doing it?

[Rich189]

I had it in my old garage and it was great... if i remember correctly it was a real pain to prep and we did have a problem with a spot that wasnt prepped well enough peeling and bubbling...durability wise its worth it though as working in the shop you will probably wear out regular paint rather quickly

*edit* i think if i had to choose between real quality lighting and the floor id spend the extra money on the lights and just paint the floor for now... also if ya need a hand doing it just give me a call

[WildBillyT]

I do.

I've done

1) U-Coat it
2) The two types of Rustoleum, I think there's a water based and a solvent based one? Bear with me, I forget which was which.
3) INSULEX from Siperstiens

On a new concrete floor it's easy- all you do is wash it, etch it with muriatic, rinse, and coat. On older concrete you will have to degrease it (UGL's DryLok degreaser is the best stuff I've seen) fill any cracks, then etch and coat. If there is already paint or sealer on it you may need to scarify it or run a grinder on it to take the previous coating and a little of the top layer of concrete off. I rented a grinder from Fusco's on Rt 202 South near Flemington.

In order of preference, I'd go U-Coat-It, then Rustoleum "solvent based", then Rustoleum "water based", and then the Insulex. U-Coat-It held up the best but it's also the most expensive. The Rustoleum "solvent based" is probably the best bang for the buck. It has a glossy finish and you get fleck with it.

As far as peel prevention, put down the non-skid stuff and that should help, and always be careful with any type of rubber or soft plastic you put on the floor. The U-Coat it I put down held up very well to hot tires but the Insulex certainly did not. It actually peeled in the shape of a tread pattern.

Epoxy is also temperature sensitive. I did the U-Coat it in the late spring and the Rustoleums in the late summer and they went down fine. The Insulex was done in the late fall and my rollers were coming apart as I was trying to put it down as the slab was too cold.

[HardcoreZ28]

Thanks for the detailed info.

My floors are definitely dirty and cracked. I'm going to powerwash the floor next week and if I decide to do the coating I'll rent a scrubber and use a degreaser before etching. The cracks I'll fill with an epoxy crack filler first or just go right over them and not worry too much.

I don't often bring in cars that have been out driving around a lot...in fact most of the time a car comes in and sits for a long time so I'm not super concerned about hot tire pickup but I'd like to protect against it anyway.

After I paint the walls and shelving and so forth I'll see how it looks and make a decision then I guess.

[JL8Jeff]

Bonzo did his garage floor last year or late the year before. He can tell you how much fun it was! But it sure gives the garage some bling! I prefer to roll around in grease, oil, coolant and some metal shavings if I have any available.

[HardcoreZ28]

Originally Posted by JL8Jeff

Bonzo did his garage floor last year or late the year before. He can tell you how much fun it was! But it sure gives the garage some bling! I prefer to roll around in grease, oil, coolant and some metal shavings if I have any available.

I love rolling around in that stuff too! It's just nice to know it's easy to clean it up after hahah.

[BonzoHansen]

U-Coat-It worked well for me and has proven itself tough so far. My floor was average+ greasy, so there was lots of scrubbing, etching, power washing, scrubbing, etching, rinsing. I've had nothing lift off yet. There are probably some small scratches here & ther, but nothing noteworthy. All floors will scratch.

A good part of UCI is the base coats are waterbased, so the garage floor does not have to be dry, and in fact has to be damp. But you have to do the gloss coat to really get the stregth.

It cleans up nice, and the floor does nto sut anymore. Bonus is it really brightens up the garage. Jeff says my floor is all bling, but he tows with Camaros, so what the hell does he know. Besides I did not use the speckled flakes. They make it hard to see the bolt you dropped.

Overall it was some of the best $$ I spent on the house. You're welcome to come over and look.

Hey, how is my 305 making out?

[amargari]

I was at the POR-15 building a few months ago and they are working on a garage floor coating. It may be worth looking into this summer.

[HardcoreZ28]

Yeah I was looking at POR's website the other day and my father was there today and talked to them about it. It's a little expensive. I get my powdercoating supplies from Caswell Platings and they have a floor coating system too that looks promising. I may look into it.