Garage floor coating?

[Jinks]

Hey folks,

Can someone chime in here about garage floor coatings? My new place had a redone garage but it was done poorly and my sticky Michelin’s keep pulling up the cheap ass paint they covered it in. I’d like something very durable and something that doesn’t show much dirt or grime. On internet searches it seems there are tons of options. But I’d like to hear what some of your garages have to make a decision.

Thank you.

 

[Mac Attack]

Be prepared to spend many hours on this site:
http://www.garagejournal.com

There is a whole subforum dedicated to flooring. Thousands of threads....

Bottom line is that there is no perfect floor choice that stands out in the performance/$ ratio. Each one has their benefits and drawbacks.

Like anything, surface prep is key before painting, epoxy, or tile. I wouldn't let the crappy job the previous owner did turn you off to a good painted floor.

I used tile in my last garage.

 

[Norm]

I had this company do my garage floor and consider it one of the best things about our new home.
http://www.garagemonkeyz.com/garage-flooring-austin.php

Obviously they are an Austin Texas company and can't help you, but I believe the floor finish they use is a franchise. Perhaps you could contact them for a local service provider in your area.

Good Luck.

Norm

 

[Vanishing Point]

Some suggestions, you might look into having your concrete stained or epoxied. Either will need to be professionally done to achieve the durability/ look. Garage floor tiles look good initially, but are harder to maintain if you are OCD about your garage appearance.

 

[Okami-san]

I had good luck with vinyl chips covered in polyurethane. It was done by a concrete finisher in San Antonio, TX when I lived there.

I liked the idea because I could make the color anything I wanted by mixing different chip colors. And I threw in a light scattering of glow-in-the-dark chips on top just to have some pizzazz.

I parked my FR-S with Dunlop Direzza Z-II tires on it directly after driving from Houston and the polyurethane didn't lift at all. My ex-wife stole the house from me a few years ago, so I'm not sure about the long-term durability.

 

[Stephen@NCAutoUSA]

I like acid staining but it doesn’t really protect the floor if that’s what you’re looking for. However the design aspect is pretty cool.

 

[Jinks]

The garage is currently grey and though it looked great initially, it looks like crap now from being a high traffic area. The epoxy looks very durable and easy to clean. I’m not sure what color to do it in though.

 

[Vanishing Point]

Here's another option, which I may still use myself.

http://allgaragefloors.com/porcelain-tile-garage-floor/

 

[Jinks]

Here's another option, which I may still use myself.

http://allgaragefloors.com/porcelain-tile-garage-floor/

Hmmmm. That is an idea. We have porcelain 30X24” throughout the house. Grout lines are a bitch to clean though even though the are extremely small. I’ve been looking at Behr, they make a garage coating called granite.

 

[MJK]

What did you guys do? Thinking of going with a porcelain tile after a bad experience with Home Depot grade epoxy (not my doing).

 

[DocL]

Don’t use porcelain tiles. They get extremely slippery when wet.

 

[TomCat]

My thoughts:
Tiles will wick/migrate liquids at the seams.
Anything smooth and easy to clean will probably be slick when wet.
I prepped new/cured cement with muriatic acid and put down a high solids two (equal) part epoxy (that is no longer available from Valspar at Lowes) 15 years ago and it has not pulled up.
I don't prefer textured or chips as I think they hide dropped screws, etc...and drips.
I left "walk paths" (between cars) that are just stained cement (so that I had some non-slick areas)

 

[Jinks]

What did you guys do? Thinking of going with a porcelain tile after a bad experience with Home Depot grade epoxy (not my doing).

I haven’t decided what to do yet. I’ve been looking at a few options but it’s been raining daily here so I cannot move stuff out the garage. I definitely wouldn’t do tile. Something epoxy paint for sure.

 

[arista5]

I have Racedeck myself.

 

[Olyar15]

I did porcelain tiles in my garage and love it. Did the install myself (never again). As long as you get a good wet-rated tile (in terms of slipperyness), you should be fine. As for the grout, just get a dark-coloured grout and seal it, or use epoxy grout.

 

[MJK]

Edit:

I think I am going to go with tile. Floor is prepped. Cross your fingers.