[muddpile]

I recently purchased a 2 car detached garage that came with a house. The garage floor is concrete that has had hardener/colorant put in it, so it's kind of a brick red color. The previous owners parked their daily driver truck in the one bay all the time, and over the years the salt and water from the winter has pitted the concrete away. I will be chipping away the loose stuff, prepping it, and putting a coat of topping mix over the bad spot, but that leaves me with an ugly red floor and an uglier grey patch....

So, my question is, what all do you guys have on your garage floors? I have used both Acrylic and Enamel grey floor paint in the past, and wasn't that satisfied with either... I have been thinking about tile, as I can get it through work, it's durable, easy to clean and looks great. I have also seen these multi-step products that have hardeners and whatnot in them. Has anybody used these with great success? Pictures would be great! I saw the C5 emblem thread, but it didn't have that much information.

 

[raidmagic]

I have just plain old concrete with whatever has spilled on it as decoration.:laughing:

 

[grumpyvette]

I have just plain old concrete with whatever has spilled on it as decoration.:laughing:

its hard too beat really SMOOTH FLAT CONCRETE as a durable garage floor, and its fairly easy to clean with the correct grease removers:thumbsup:

everytime Ive installed linolium, plastic, or ceramic tile or out door rugs ETC, Ive always been impressed with how good it looks at first, but over time they take a beating and look like crap, And I find Im back to clean dry concrete

 

[HEAVYD]

I would love to have a checker board tile floor

 

[muddpile]

I'm thinking checkerboard as well. I guess a little more info wouldn't hurt. This isn't my workshop, just my garage. It will get the occasional minor work, but no major fab or anything. Oil changes, interior stuff, etc is about as involved as it will get. Mainly, storage and beer drinking will be this one's purpose. My shop has a concrete floor with red hardener on the top, very easy to maintain.

 

['Shifter]

Assuming I had no leaks....checkerboard all teh way, but reality says ordinary concrete that I can spill/leak on and
clean up very easily...

 

[matchframe]

Right after my garage was finished, I painted the floor with 2 part epoxy. I painted the entire floor white and let it cure for about a week. Then I masked off 2 ft by 2 ft squares and painted those epoxy black. Turned out great and is very durable. I painted it in 2002 and it is still holding up very well even though I work hard on it. I weld, use the cutting torch, grind and drop lots of stuff from big block iron heads to brake fluid. The floor does show some battle scars, but over all still looks really good.

Here are the pics of when I painted the floor. This is before I started:

Here it is with the white coat and starting to tape off the squares:

The floor is now taped off and ready for the black coat of 2 part epoxy:

A shot of the floor with the black coat applied, but the paper still in place:

All finished!! I let this cure for two more weeks before I started moving things into the garage:

The epoxy can take alot of abuse and still look good:

This area of the floor is the most traveled and abused, but will still look good if I mop it. Remember, this was painted 5 years ago and still looks pretty decent.

 

[vfpreacher111]

I finish a lot of garage floors as a paint contractor. I am also a paint rep.
The very best products available to the public are, IMO...
PPG's DTR 2 part epoxy primer (tintable)
PPG's Pitthane Ultra 2 part urethane enamel.

Very easy to use. Sweep the floor out first. Wash the floor with a 10% muriatic acid / water solution. Do not let the acid dry .... hit it with a water hose/ repeat as necessary. The cement should be flat to satin in sheen... if it's not do the acid wash again. This is not one of those things where MORE is better. If you add more then 10% acid per wash, you WILL chalk the cement.... then your screwed. Flush well with a water hose as water neutralizes the acid. Let dry. Put a 2x2ft. piece of plastic down and leave it there for a day. If there is moisture on the ground side of the plastic... it needs to dry more. Mix as directed brush and roll the floor. You WILL need a respirator. Have fun :thumbsup:



Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!

 

[rabiddawg]

dont use vinyl tiles
once the oil etc gets on em they will lift etc.
if you prep correctly a epoxy painted floor will last a long time.
IMO the solvent based epoxy is the only way to go!

 

[muddpile]

That looks great matchframe, and it sounds like it's holding up great! I may go that route as well. I have installed tile and had it last amazingly well, but I've never tried epoxy paint. Sure looks good.

 

[vettecop]

My issue with the pretty floors is durability. I worry that if I seal my concrete floor it can be damaged by such things as floor jacks and dropping tools. I also worry that sealed floors become slick if you spill oil or fluid. Then there's clean-up issues if you make a big mess like when pulling a transmission or engine. It sure is easy to just throw some oil-dry out and sweep it up.

I guess what you do with your shop dictates how it looks. Now if I can just convince the wife to let me have two shops - one for storage and one for projects...

 

[muddpile]

I actually have two, one for storage and one for working. The workshop has a plain concrete floor, mildly stained. This one is where the finished projects and beer fridge go :laughing:

 

[matchframe]

That looks great matchframe, and it sounds like it's holding up great! I may go that route as well. I have installed tile and had it last amazingly well, but I've never tried epoxy paint. Sure looks good.

Thanks!!

I don't baby the floor at all and it still looks good. I do need to clean it. The only time I noticed that it was slippery is when I spilled gasoline on it. I was able to clean it up in about 10 minutes after the spill and it did not damage the paint at all.

I highly recommend the two part epoxy paint, but if I had to do it over, I would add clear coat to make it that much more tougher.

 

[pat72]

floors

Right after my garage was finished, I painted the floor with 2 part epoxy. I painted the entire floor white and let it cure for about a week. Then I masked off 2 ft by 2 ft squares and painted those epoxy black. Turned out great and is very durable. I painted it in 2002 and it is still holding up very well even though I work hard on it. I weld, use the cutting torch, grind and drop lots of stuff from big block iron heads to brake fluid. The floor does show some battle scars, but over all still looks really good.

Here it is with the white coat and starting to tape off the squares:
How is the floor with brake fluid evn if you wipe up right away will it hold up

The floor is now taped off and ready for the black coat of 2 part epoxy:

A shot of the floor with the black coat applied, but the paper still in place:

All finished!! I let this cure for two more weeks before I started moving things into the garage:

The epoxy can take alot of abuse and still look good:

This area of the floor is the most traveled and abused, but will still look good if I mop it. Remember, this was painted 5 years ago and still looks pretty decent.

does it hold up with brake fluid

 

[pat72]

floors

does it hold up with brake fluid

 

[vfpreacher111]

Yes. As long as you don't leave it for an extended period of time. I've spilled gas, WD40, Tran fluid, lacquer thinner and a whole bunch of other chemicals on mine without any noticeable damage. Typically, it just wipes up. You can put jack stands up as long as you don't have the color chips with the clear base on it. If you hit the floor with a hammer , you will chip the cement before it chips the epoxy or urethane. Mop-and-Glo will return the shine as it is a watered down poly urethane.



Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!

 

[muddpile]

What brand of epoxy do people use, and is gloss or low-gloss reccommended? I was on U-coat-it's website, and I really like the look of the floor with the colored chips in it, like a black with a grey/red fleck or something. Kinda like that garage that Conti posted pics of with the black Z06.

 

[matchframe]

I bought my epoxy at a local Sherwin Williams paint store. If I remember right, I think it was low gloss.

 

[vfpreacher111]

I finish a lot of garage floors as a paint contractor. I am also a paint rep.
The very best products available to the public are, IMO...
PPG's DTR 2 part epoxy primer (tintable)
PPG's Pitthane Ultra 2 part urethane enamel.

Very easy to use. Sweep the floor out first. Wash the floor with a 10% muriatic acid / water solution. Do not let the acid dry .... hit it with a water hose/ repeat as necessary. The cement should be flat to satin in sheen... if it's not do the acid wash again. This is not one of those things where MORE is better. If you add more then 10% acid per wash, you WILL chalk the cement.... then your screwed. Flush well with a water hose as water neutralizes the acid. Let dry. Put a 2x2ft. piece of plastic down and leave it there for a day. If there is moisture on the ground side of the plastic... it needs to dry more. Mix as directed brush and roll the floor. You WILL need a respirator. Have fun :thumbsup:

.



Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!

 

[DA KAR]

Costco sells floor tiles similiar to racedeck for $80 a box.9 boxes needed for a 2 car garage and about half the price of racedeck.