Need guidance on garage floor coatings

[Cincy Jamie]

I had a company come out today and take measurements to grind down my garage floor and apply floor coating. They will be quoting an epoxy and also another product they claim is 4x stronger. I have a standard 2 car garage. Can anyone tell me ballpark what to expect the price to be so I'm not sticker shocked? Thanks in advance

 

[buckeyensx]

Jaimie, My sister built a home in Cincy last year and had her 4 car garage done with the decorative epoxy/aggregate . It looks great and so far no problems. Her price was around $4800 and included the steps and stem wall below the drywall. The company was ideal garage solutions of Harrison Indiana. Pricey huh? Not sure about the exact square footage of her garage. It is not oversized in any way. Probably around 22-24 ft deep and 40 ft wide. I went with the $100 worth of Home Depot's finest last summer for my 3 car garage. Hope this info helps.<object type="cosymantecnisbfw" cotype="cs" id="SILOBFWOBJECTID" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;"></object>

 

[Cincy Jamie]

Thanks bubba, ideal was the company that came out today, a ton of positive testimonials on their site, top rated by Angie's list, will see what the quote looks like. Chuck the owner drive all the way from Indy to do the estimate himself, that says a lot to me, thanks for the info. Let's plan on cars n coffee next sat, rain mon will wash away the salt, rumor has it, temps will be in the 60's

 

[CL65 Captain]

I just did this in Oct. There are two types of floors. Epoxy and Polysporatic. My previous garage in NKY was epoxy. It lasted about 4-5 years and started to peel in a couple of spots. It also stained from oil and brake fluid and all the other crap in the garage. It was epoxy with flakes and a clearcoat. They claim it doesn't stain.... it does.

My new house in St. Louis I used the more expensive Polysporatic. It looks great. It is supposed to be much tougher and more flexible than epoxy. The other advantage is that they could do it in any temperature (epoxy needs 70F+) and it was done in a few hours with only 24 hrs (epoxy is a week) before you could drive on it. The cost for the epoxy was quoted at $1800 and $2600 for the Polysporatic. This is an oversize 2 car garage (approximately 480 sq ft ~ I think). After having gone through the epoxy in the old house, I was willing to step up and bite the bullet for the more expensive Poly. I did extensive research on it at the http://garagejournal.com/ and the Poly material is almost double the cost to the vendors. IMO either do the Polysporatic or go cheap DIY with the Home Depot stuff. No regrets with the Polysporatic (so far ).

 

[Cincy Jamie]

I just did this in Oct. There are two types of floors. Epoxy and Polysporatic. My previous garage in NKY was epoxy. It lasted about 4-5 years and started to peel in a couple of spots. It also stained from oil and brake fluid and all the other crap in the garage. It was epoxy with flakes and a clearcoat. They claim it doesn't stain.... it does.

My new house in St. Louis I used the more expensive Polysporatic. It looks great. It is supposed to be much tougher and more flexible than epoxy. The other advantage is that they could do it in any temperature (epoxy needs 70F+) and it was done in a few hours with only 24 hrs (epoxy is a week) before you could drive on it. The cost for the epoxy was quoted at $1800 and $2600 for the Polysporatic. This is an oversize 2 car garage (approximately 480 sq ft ~ I think). After having gone through the epoxy in the old house, I was willing to step up and bite the bullet for the more expensive Poly. I did extensive research on it at the http://garagejournal.com/ and the Poly material is almost double the cost to the vendors. IMO either do the Polysporatic or go cheap DIY with the Home Depot stuff. No regrets with the Polysporatic (so far ).

View attachment 110069

Looks like the same material they are quoting along with the epoxy. Looks very nice considering I can now see it with an NSX. Think I will go the more expensive route. Thanks for sharing

 

[buckeyensx]

Jamie, unfortunately I have to work on Sat. 2/22. I will definitely catch up with you some time at C&C sometime this spring. I live in Loveland. What part of town are you located?<object type="cosymantecnisbfw" cotype="cs" id="SILOBFWOBJECTID" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;"></object>

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

I was always a larger fan of acid stained concrete if that's an option. It would stain but looks more rustic and I'd say is less expensive if you are a DIY guy.

Just google acid stain garage floor and click images to see what I'm talking about.

 

[Cincy Jamie]

Jamie, unfortunately I have to work on Sat. 2/22. I will definitely catch up with you some time at C&C sometime this spring. I live in Loveland. What part of town are you located?<object type="cosymantecnisbfw" cotype="cs" id="SILOBFWOBJECTID" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block;"></object>

I live in Anderson township, east side of cincy. Work comes first! Let me know next time you can fuel, pretty sure I'll be there every Saturday once the polar vortex heads north where it belongs!

 

[Yinzer]

Resurrecting this for upcoming springtime and no snow (one day).

I'm interested coating my garage floor to reduce dust/dirt accumulation and be easier to clean than the swirled concrete. Will DIY, not to be cheap as much as I don't need extravagance on this one (extravagance is the GPW coupe that'll be resting on top of it, yes!). I'm going to troll thru Prime threads on concrete floor coverings since it'll be great to be able to reach out to some of yinz for a question or two, and I'll also research online various concrete floor coatings and degreaser/etch prep kits, etc. There seem to be so many options even at just Home Depot; I'll just have to do the research. Two random examples:

So, two easy questions if you don't mind:

1) Can anyone offer any warnings or recommendations *against* any certain DIY kits they've had bad results with, either out of the gate or with long-term durability, etc?

2) Since I'll also be considering stain or acid etch stain, does anyone know where to get a concrete stain application tool like this one? Thanks Prime.

 

[Aluminsx]

I've done quite a bit of research on garage floor coverings and one of the common traits to epoxy floor coverings is that they will fail eventually. For this reason I have not done my garage floor because I'd rather have raw concrete then chipping epoxy. I would venture to say that the more you spend the longer it will last with the surface prep being the most important aspect of the job (acid etch, removing any oil etc etc). My .02 is to stay far away from the Home Depot kits. That's asking for trouble.

 

[Aero]

I did the 'Lowes/Home Depot' Rustoleum Epoxy Shield Kit in my house in 2000. The concrete was new at that time so it wasn't dirty etc. I lived there for 8 years and it never peeled or started to flake (except one spot where salt chemicals got on it). It saw mild to medium abuse. The one thing that will eat it off right away would be if you park a car on it that has been on salt treated snow and let the water sit. Living in Pitts might be issue for you.
In my current house I have two separate garages (a parking garage up and a shop/garage downstairs). I did a 100% solids epoxy downstairs and it seems very tough/durable. I spilled some outside on the concrete and its still there. It was about 4X the cost of the Rustoleum brand. For the upstairs I did the Rustoleum epoxy shield again and its not peeled/flaked at all in 4 years. The prep is very important. I spent more time by far etching and getting the etch powder off than it took to roll the paint. I was lucky that my concrete was new each time.

I'd stay away from simple concrete paint. Friend did that at it peeled quickly. At least try to get the highest solids epoxy mix you want to spend on it.

 

[Yinzer]

Thanks for the responses to my questions so far. Really appreciate it. I plan to keep the NSX in the garage (1 stall garage) and my DD parked under a 2nd story deck, so salt/water won't be a concern. I expect to put the time and effort into prepping and doing it right, so any lessons learned and tips or specific product recommendations are appreciated, especially since I don't yet know the difference between a $75, $100, and $200 DIY kit, etc. Appearance (like a floor you can eat off) is not nearly as important for this one as is durability, function (minimal stain retention, easy to clean, and eliminates the "dusting" that accumulates by walking/working on a non-smooth concrete floor). I'm getting the sense that acid stain/etch would be for appearance mostly and that you'd still need an epoxy-type layer to cover the concrete. So maybe acid etch/concrete stain is a non-option for my wants in this case.

Looking forward to hearing more hands-on input in this thread.

 

[Yinzer]

And hoping I didn't thread jack Cincy Jamie's request!!!! Don't forget his request!!! CJ - did you pursue one or decide a direction for springtime yet?

 

[Ritesh]

Good Stuff..... I got the Garage done in 2009. It doesn't look great so I am thinking of redoing it.

Any further feedback or experience?

 

[synth19]

I just did this in Oct. There are two types of floors. Epoxy and Polysporatic. My previous garage in NKY was epoxy. It lasted about 4-5 years and started to peel in a couple of spots. It also stained from oil and brake fluid and all the other crap in the garage. It was epoxy with flakes and a clearcoat. They claim it doesn't stain.... it does.

My new house in St. Louis I used the more expensive Polysporatic. It looks great. It is supposed to be much tougher and more flexible than epoxy. The other advantage is that they could do it in any temperature (epoxy needs 70F+) and it was done in a few hours with only 24 hrs (epoxy is a week) before you could drive on it. The cost for the epoxy was quoted at $1800 and $2600 for the Polysporatic. This is an oversize 2 car garage (approximately 480 sq ft ~ I think). After having gone through the epoxy in the old house, I was willing to step up and bite the bullet for the more expensive Poly. I did extensive research on it at the http://garagejournal.com/ and the Poly material is almost double the cost to the vendors. IMO either do the Polysporatic or go cheap DIY with the Home Depot stuff. No regrets with the Polysporatic (so far ).

What's your opinion on Polysporatic with sitting salt/snow/water/etc.? My one concern is the durability since I really won't too much time to clean up during the winters.

 

[jorligan]

We coated our new garage, oversized 3 car garage and it was around $4.50 a square foot. The company is http://garagefloorsnmore.com/ and I know that they are part of a nationwide type of franchise. Floor looks great and held up to dropping a 1/2 in drive socket with a breaker bar from around 8 feet without chipping. Also had brake fluid on the floor for extended period without any issues, our car was leaking brake fluid from the cooler while we were on vacation. Huge puddle and no issues in regards to dulling of the finish. Planning on doing our other garage.

Used the Rustoleum epoxy in my shop floor, applied 2 coats as well as 2 clear coats, probably half of the thickness of the coating in the garage.

 

[blue_myriddn]

+1 on this thread, I am getting a new garage floor poured soon, so this topic is of interest to me. Like Arista, I don't think I can avoid some degree of salt/water puddling.

- - - Updated - - -

does anyone know where to get a concrete stain application tool like this one? Thanks Prime.

I too am curious on her hourly rate

 

[BrianB]

Resurrecting this for upcoming springtime and no snow (one day).

I'm interested coating my garage floor to reduce dust/dirt accumulation and be easier to clean than the swirled concrete. Will DIY, not to be cheap as much as I don't need extravagance on this one (extravagance is the GPW coupe that'll be resting on top of it, yes!). I'm going to troll thru Prime threads on concrete floor coverings since it'll be great to be able to reach out to some of yinz for a question or two, and I'll also research online various concrete floor coatings and degreaser/etch prep kits, etc. There seem to be so many options even at just Home Depot; I'll just have to do the research. Two random examples:

So, two easy questions if you don't mind:

1) Can anyone offer any warnings or recommendations *against* any certain DIY kits they've had bad results with, either out of the gate or with long-term durability, etc?

2) Since I'll also be considering stain or acid etch stain, does anyone know where to get a concrete stain application tool like this one? Thanks Prime.

I used the Epoxy Shield gray in my garage 4 years ago when I bought my house. It worked great there's still no issues. I didn't have to clean it too much since the garage hadn't had a car even parked in it yet. But I still went thru the entire process and it turned out nice. The prep is very important as it is with any paintwork.

As far as clean up, it cleans pretty easy, but for a really easy clean I'd say skip the paint chips that you spread on at the end. And the surface will be smoother. I wanted alittle traction for wet shoes etc so I did the chips.

 

[whitebois]

I have just used water based polyeurethane. You can buy it pretty cheap and it will protecct the floor and looks good if you do it when the concrete is new. It makes cleaning the floor easier and if you need to re-do it just powerwash with detergent.

 

[OptiCole]

Great thread! This was my goal when I first moved into my house. However, box after box slowly started to fill the garage and now it's going to be a pain. Luckily, I didn't rush into things as I have heard cheapest isn't always the best in terms of longevity.

 

[Yinzer]

Has anyone done acid etch/stain followed by epoxy? Results?

Also I've been in contact with a prime member whose friend merely cleaned their concrete floor and applied Johnson's floor wax with longevity and success. I haven't gotten any more details about what benefits that really provided - appearance and/or smoother surface for easier clean-up, etc.

But - anyone here do any of these DIY? How did it go?

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

Has anyone done acid etch/stain followed by epoxy? Results?

Also I've been in contact with a prime member whose friend merely cleaned their concrete floor and applied Johnson's floor wax with longevity and success. I haven't gotten any more details about what benefits that really provided - appearance and/or smoother surface for easier clean-up, etc.

But - anyone here do any of these DIY? How did it go?

Truthfully it's probably just like if you laid any normal epoxy down.

What acid staining does and differs is that it soaks into the concrete iteself, into the pours. Where most epoxy's will just sit on top and form a layer and harden. I guess a good example of this would be regular wood stain vs gel coat wood stain. Regular wood stain sinks into the grain, where gel coat sits on top forming a layer.

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to apply epoxy over an acid stained floor to close pores.

All waxing does is form a thin layer of protection. I same it's a theory, but epoxy is much more durable against chemicals and other things as a top coat.

 

[Cincy Jamie]

Thought I would give an update on this.... Ideal Garage Solutions is coming out on the 17th to apply the Polysporatic coating (Saddle Tan color) 20 year warranty, The quote was $3,080 including tax. They will strip off old paint, grind the surface and apply to floor, Stem walls, and steps. Thanks for all the guidance and info. Here is the before... Looking forward to posting the after :biggrin:

 

[SaleenS7Rs]

I used that rust-oleum crap. I did everything they said on the box and it started chipping away pretty quickly. I will be honest if you want your floor to last forever just lay down some tile down. Or you can do interlocking tile these days as seen here http://www.elitegaragefloors.com/garage-floor-tiles/?gclid=CPiSzY6Egb0CFfNxOgodr1cAwQ .

 

[Yinzer]

All waxing does is form a thin layer of protection. I same it's a theory, but epoxy is much more durable against chemicals and other things as a top coat.

I'm just having a hard time getting my head around waxing a garage floor, ha ha. I remember my mom applying johnson's floor wax to the kitchen's smooth linoleum floor and how it would provide some great shine and protection for only a few weeks or months and then she'd have to clean it away and reapply. Or a custodian applying wax to the smooth flooring at work with a machine. But waxing a concrete garage floor that's a lot more rough than linoleum....this just doesn't *feel* like it'd be even 5% as durable or long lasting as a "permanent" epoxy. I think I'd just have to try a section of the flooring and see, purely for curiosity. Ironically, I'd expect there'd be way less foot traffic from daily use in a garage than a kitchen so it could last longer than a waxed linoleum floor from that aspect.

What acid staining does and differs is that it soaks into the concrete iteself, into the pours. Where most epoxy's will just sit on top and form a layer and harden. I guess a good example of this would be regular wood stain vs gel coat wood stain. Regular wood stain sinks into the grain, where gel coat sits on top forming a layer.

That's my understanding of it too - I'm interested in hearing whether any Primer has done acid etch & stain and what was their results. I'm starting to like the idea of a "permanent" appearance modification via the acid stain and then a separate clearcoat epoxy protection layer for some reason, so I want to learn more about it. It seems like any chinks or cracks in the epoxy could be addressed easily with touch-up. I could be so wrong.


Though, the more hot/cold responses I read in this thread about various options, the more I'm beginning to think that resulting durability/longevity and satisfaction & heartburn over results depend more upon prepwork, application, usage style, and owner expectations than the actual products themselves! I might just tie a ziploc bag of 3 or 4 (or 10!) dozen $20 bills from my broom's handle. If I'm left wanting more after touching & eyeballing that bag every time I spend 10 minutes sweeping accumulated dust and dirt on the bare garage floor, I'll create a user account at www.garagefloorprime.com or something like this site and break open the bag:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=20

Information overload!

Seriously though, am enjoying this thread to help school up on options & experiences.