Garage Floor Treatments: Advice/Suggestions Needed !!!

[need4speed]

Cool looking dog :biggrin:

 

[Cbender]

I wound up not putting anything down on the floor, but I thought you might enjoy seeing a few photographs of the finished product.

 

[Carguy!]

I wound up not putting anything down on the floor, but I thought you might enjoy seeing a few photographs of the finished product.

Your garage looks great! I would go the extra mile and put down some type of flooring though, if you put down some type of tile you can always take it with you if you ever move. and the benefit to your feet will make it well worth it.

 

[Cbender]

Your garage looks great! I would go the extra mile and put down some type of flooring though, if you put down some type of tile you can always take it with you if you ever move. and the benefit to your feet will make it well worth it.

It's true about the flooring, but I just got turned off the idea -- in the end, it's just a garage, as much as I'm really pleased how it turned out. I can -- and may -- still do it down the road, of course.

In any case, thanks for the kind words. It's nice to have other folks share in the experience!

Best,
CB

 

[latzke]

(quotes taken from another thread)

Just a tip if you choose to use the epoxy, as my neighbor found out the hard way...mix with some slip resistant grit...it gets VERY slick when wet...I think you can pick up the grit where you buy the paint...

It's a trade off. Smooth is easier to clean (broom and mop glide effortlessly across the top) but grit provides better traction. I'm familiar with both and prefer smooth.

I have another tip for epoxiers: Don't let blue windshield washer sit and evaporate. Brake fluid, acid, oil, etc won't hurt the paint...but windshield washer fluid will stain it.

I tried 3 times to paint my last garage and it always looked bad after 2 years. I tried everything the "experts" said would "last forever".

5 years after epoxy painting my floor (and dragging in magnesium chloride every time the morons around here put it down in a snow storm) it still looks nearly perfect.

Sidenote:

Proper surface preparation (degreasing concrete where oil has soaked in, power washing, etching) and quality 2-part epoxy paint at (I used the stuff from Griot's Garage, 2 gallons-per-stall for 1st coat 1 gallon-per-stall for 2nd coat). Proper instructions (like these) must be followed..and even then there are some floors that epoxy is not suitable for (epoxy won't bond correctly to perpetually moist concrete...as covered in those instructions).​

The imperfections I see are likely very common, so probably worthy of listing.

• The 8" of floor that sticks out past the garage door has a dull look to it (vs glossy look in the garage). Colorado gets intense sun (a mile less atmosphere blocking UV rays from the sun at sea level) and my garage faces west (exposed to sun from noonish to sunset), so while I noticed this after a couple years...others might experience it later (different climates/elevations) or not at all (shade).
• The paint can be damaged. Dropping heavy metal items on it will put small stone chips in the paint and it is effected by abrasives (if there is sand on the floor you can scratch it turning tires back&forth when car is stationary or peeling out). Most chips & scratches are just that, chips & scratches...the paint doesn't peal off or anything like that.
• As mentioned before, blue windshield washer fluid (of all things) will stain it.

The biggest difference, in my opinion, between the various surfaces and what will drive a decision one way or another based on one's preferences/perceptions/personality is: Pourous vs. Sealed. Do you want a surface where water, oil, dust, etc will set on top or soak in, fall through, etc.

I noticed a huge difference between regular concrete and a sealed surface (paint). Paint seems to get dirty more quickly because dust and water don't soak in: They're visible and sitting on top. However, paint is easier to clean (sweep then mop) and actually comes out clean (no dirt in pours, etc). Having a floor that can clean up so thoroughly so easily helps keep the house clean (not tracking dirt in).

I would think other pourous (raised tile) surfaces would be good at staying "clean enough" to help keep the rest of the house clean. But my perception is that they're not as easy to clean to perfection...or it's a different kind of clean (knowing there's dirt under them, or having liquids collect and set under them would bug me...and I wonder if the spaces under would house spiders or their eggs).

If I were to do it again I would again use paint, but I do see how others could prefer other surfaces.

 

[TomCat]

I put everything I could think of here...
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71140

 

[TomCat]

I'm in the process of gutting my garage, installing a two-post lift, CB

I did a 4 post lift...after initially planning to do a 2 pole.
My goal was a hobby lift and extra parking space. I even reinforced the cement slab when I poured the garage floor to prepare for an asymetric 2-pole.
Why I went 4 pole:
1) Ramps are plenty low enough for my most modified front airdam.
2) It came with casters so it can be moved...which I don't do often but I have done twice over a 3 year period.
3) I didn't have to drill/tap the cement to secure the posts (I think I was always worried that I might do this wrond and suffer a tipover/failure.
4) It came with drip pans so I could "store" another car safely underneath.
5) I got two jacking plates (they span the space between the two ramps). I then put a normal hydraulic jack on the plate, jack the car and put jack stands to do wheel/tire work.
6) Set it up myself (SOLO!) in a weekend. I could do it with a helper now in about 4 hours.
7) <$2,000 (as I recall) delivered to my work (it comes on a semi and delivery requires a loading dock).
8) Runs on 115V (just plug it in).