When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My 2011 TSX Sportwagon is finally going to have a roof over it. I am having a garage built and am looking for floor epoxy recommendations. I am currently in the process of painting my concrete basement floor. For the basement I cleaned, etched, primed, and put two coats of Behr 1 part epoxy + paint down. For the garage I was thinking about stepping it up to one of the more involved epoxy systems. Does anyone have recommendations of what to use? There are lots on the market, and reviews are, as always mixed.
if it is brand new 'crete you have going down, it is your best chance of having the epoxy stick... and for this i would go with a professional company to have it done since they will diamond grind the floor so there is minimal chance of lifting... i am a huge DIY'er when it comes to anything, but this is one of the things i would pony up the money and have someone do it... i've seen so many epoxy garage floors lift from the tire heat...
once my garage is done, i'm going to tile the floor..
head over to garagejournal.com... some of the garage builds there are just plain sick...
you can go racedeck tile... where it is more of a rubber/hard plastic click together tile... you can do different colors and design your own pattern...
or you can go porcelain tiles... as long as it has a high friction coefficient, you don't have to worry about it being slick when wet... they make outdoor tiles for steps and patios...
Painted a basement floor recently typically the same way you mentioned.
A study done from the University of Minnesota stated that no matter what epoxy you put on the floor will eventually be subject to heat from your tires and deteriorate over time. It also goes on to state that epoxies like Rustoleum will give you approximately 7-10 years. Not that bad.
Look at your options I wouldn`t rule out an epoxy floor but also look into the tiles or even a garage floor mat that keeps all the rain and snow in the pan off the garage floor.
My problem with any and all garage floor coatings is the performance when used with things like jack stands.
Porcelain tiles I wouldn't even consider putting a jack stand on. The rubber tiles might make the stand more tipsy so I wouldn't do it there and the epoxy floors can get damaged (divots, scratches, nicks, dents, etc) by placing stands on them.
All in all, the best thing to do IMO is just paint the floor and call it a day...unless you never plan on working on your car in there in which case go for whatever is in your budget range.
i always thought the epoxy was more for functionality in the realm of chemical cleanup (fluids, oils, etc. will clean up more easily than bare concrete) I wouldn't consider it any more durable from a physical perspective.
Epoxy does look good and I would totally recommend it. But with an added feature.
SInce the heat from tires will deteriorate the epoxy over a certain period of time add a skid proof application were the tires make contact with the surface and maybe a stopper at the end to park in the same spot every time you enter the garage. It will extend the life of the garage floor a whole lot of years,
Also, if you need to use jack stands simply put a piece of wood under them.
Also, if you need to use jack stands simply put a piece of wood under them.
Sure but this adds another component than can go wrong while I'm crawling around underneath a 3500lb metal object. I prefer to keep my jack stands firmly on the ground, my life is worth a lot more than a pretty floor lol.
i'm currently in the process of laying out a new garage design. I'm staying with concrete. I've been in a number of homes with epoxy and have yet to see it hold up over the years. That said, ti does make oil stains easy to clean up
People keep saying epoxy wears out over time. Does anyone know how long of a time period this is? I will likely only be at the house for another 6-7 years. I assume the entire floor doesn't go to poop that fast. Racedeck just seems a bit too pricey, >$2.50/sqft
I plan on moving to a house with a 3 car garage soon. Racedeck tiles are on the top of my list. They are pricey but I figure I'd save a bit by diy. They look great and I can always take them with me if I move
I plan on moving to a house with a 3 car garage soon. Racedeck tiles are on the top of my list. They are pricey but I figure I'd save a bit by diy. They look great and I can always take them with me if I move
People keep saying epoxy wears out over time. Does anyone know how long of a time period this is? I will likely only be at the house for another 6-7 years. I assume the entire floor doesn't go to poop that fast. Racedeck just seems a bit too pricey, >$2.50/sqft
Results may vary, but when I put down an epoxy coating at my previous house it lasted a good 5-6 years before I started seeing where the hot (parked) tires were taking their toll on the epoxy. Even still, it wasn't bad at all. From personal experience, what I believe makes a difference is the following:
Prep - Etch the hell out of the floor before applying the coating. There is an etcher in the kit (usually), but get a good etcher as well.
Prep - Let the floor completely dry before applying the coating.
And more prep - Don't let anyone walk on the prepped floor while it's drying.
Apply - I recommend doing it on a hot day in the Summer. It sets up pretty quick in hot temperatures, so to get a good even coat you'll have to be quick. The Summer is best (IMO) because it is the time of year where there is less humidity in the air.
WAIT - Park the car(s) outside for a week. Theoretically, 3 days will do but I think overdoing it on this step is second only to a good etching.
Overall, I loved my epoxy floor. With a wet push broom and mild soap (and grease cutter) it cleaned up well. Made the garage look so good, especially when the cars were clean too. When I moved out of that house after 12 years the floor still looked decent. Not new, but definitely nice. Anyway, that's my
Oh, I forgot. The worse tire damage the floor encountered was from new tires from my wife's SUV. Don't know why (more sticky + weight ). Okay, I'm really done now.
Results may vary, but when I put down an epoxy coating at my previous house it lasted a good 5-6 years before I started seeing where the hot (parked) tires were taking their toll on the epoxy. Even still, it wasn't bad at all. From personal experience, what I believe makes a difference is the following:
Prep - Etch the hell out of the floor before applying the coating. There is an etcher in the kit (usually), but get a good etcher as well.
Prep - Let the floor completely dry before applying the coating.
And more prep - Don't let anyone walk on the prepped floor while it's drying.
Apply - I recommend doing it on a hot day in the Summer. It sets up pretty quick in hot temperatures, so to get a good even coat you'll have to be quick. The Summer is best (IMO) because it is the time of year where there is less humidity in the air.
WAIT - Park the car(s) outside for a week. Theoretically, 3 days will do but I think overdoing it on this step is second only to a good etching.
Overall, I loved my epoxy floor. With a wet push broom and mild soap (and grease cutter) it cleaned up well. Made the garage look so good, especially when the cars were clean too. When I moved out of that house after 12 years the floor still looked decent. Not new, but definitely nice. Anyway, that's my
Oh, I forgot. The worse tire damage the floor encountered was from new tires from my wife's SUV. Don't know why (more sticky + weight ). Okay, I'm really done now.
after 9 years the epoxy in my garage is only peeling where the tires from the cars are. I'd certainly do epoxy again over the more expensive garage tiles.
I would do epoxy too...but make sure to get the solvent based one that dries to a thicker MIL.
Also, don't trust the acid etching...I have so many areas coming up now because there must have been a surface that wasn't totally bonded to the concrete...
I'd rent an industrial diamond pad floor sander.
So those who have wear and tear on their epoxy floors, what's the next step? Do you need to strip it down and re-do it or can you simply re-apply over the existing coat?
Rustoleum ended up giving me an entire refund on the product...$400...
I used $60 and bought a valspar one at home depot and every few months I scuff the lifted areas and touch up.
Key is all in the Prep. For most what you think is sufficient isnt. If the prep work is done properly a good epoxy floor should last a long time. Rustoleum has some sweet metallic "rocksolid" coatings that look killer.
Also, if you need to use jack stands simply put a piece of wood under them.
Originally Posted by SamDoe1
Sure but this adds another component than can go wrong while I'm crawling around underneath a 3500lb metal object. I prefer to keep my jack stands firmly on the ground, my life is worth a lot more than a pretty floor lol.
You are placing a jack stand on a 1/4 -3/4" piece of plywood, not a cinder block. The jack stand isnt going to be any less stable on that than it would be on the garage floor itself. Proper placement of the jack stand will aid in your safety a lot more than it being on a piece of wood.
You are placing a jack stand on a 1/4 -3/4" piece of plywood, not a cinder block. The jack stand isnt going to be any less stable on that than it would be on the garage floor itself. Proper placement of the jack stand will aid in your safety a lot more than it being on a piece of wood.
Wood can split fairly easily if it gets a point load like something from a jack stand. I'm not saying it will do it every time but I'd rather not be under the car the 1/1000 time it happens. In any case, I don't disagree that the floors look awesome. Just not for me.
What makes this all worse, is I will have to wait a least a month with the garage before I can do the floor. It is new concrete. Hopefully I can avoid getting it too dirty in that time.
Originally Posted by rockstar143
Rustoleum ended up giving me an entire refund on the product...$400...
I assume this was their "professional" line that you used?
it was...funny but it was teh same price for professional line from home depot if you ordered site to store, but they only kept the water based in store.
Either way, I think it was a haze of concrete dust that the etch didn't remove...so a sanding is the only way I'd go from now on.
Wood can split fairly easily if it gets a point load like something from a jack stand. I'm not saying it will do it every time but I'd rather not be under the car the 1/1000 time it happens. In any case, I don't disagree that the floors look awesome. Just not for me.
You worry far too much.
A quality jack stand will have feet welded to the bottom so that there isnt a "point" to sink into the wood, And 2ndly if there wasnt and it depressed into the wood 1/4 inch or so and it was enough to destable the car to fall, it wasnt properly supported in the first place and you shouldnt have been under it. Just like in headlight bulbs, always use in pairs. A car resting on 1 stand is not stable, 2 is far better and safer
You worry far too much.
A quality jack stand will have feet welded to the bottom so that there isnt a "point" to sink into the wood, And 2ndly if there wasnt and it depressed into the wood 1/4 inch or so and it was enough to destable the car to fall, it wasnt properly supported in the first place and you shouldnt have been under it. Just like in headlight bulbs, always use in pairs. A car resting on 1 stand is not stable, 2 is far better and safer
Oh I know, I'm not a newb in how to lift a car but there have been situations where I've used a block of wood to extend the lift of my floor jack and the wood split while lifting. Thankfully I caught it before the wood completely let go and put the car back down but it does happen especially times of the year when it's cold and super dry.
If you feel safe then by all means. I'm happy with my concrete floor.
that's different than putting plywood underneath a jack stand... as long as the surface is flat, and you use at least 1/2" plywood, it will spread the load...
wood on a floor jack inside the puck is only spreading the load over a 1-2" sq... next time use a hockey puck instead...
People keep saying epoxy wears out over time. Does anyone know how long of a time period this is? I will likely only be at the house for another 6-7 years. I assume the entire floor doesn't go to poop that fast. Racedeck just seems a bit too pricey, >$2.50/sqft
my dad has epoxy in his garage and that was put in when the house was built in 2001. it is still there and in reasonable shape. the pad has cracked in several areas though....
Oh I know, I'm not a newb in how to lift a car but there have been situations where I've used a block of wood to extend the lift of my floor jack and the wood split while lifting. Thankfully I caught it before the wood completely let go and put the car back down but it does happen especially times of the year when it's cold and super dry.
If you feel safe then by all means. I'm happy with my concrete floor.
Using a block of wood to help lift the car is a COMPLETELY different thing than placing a small piece of plywood under the jack stand.
People keep saying epoxy wears out over time. Does anyone know how long of a time period this is? I will likely only be at the house for another 6-7 years. I assume the entire floor doesn't go to poop that fast. Racedeck just seems a bit too pricey, >$2.50/sqft
My parents main garage crapped out after about 7-8 years, they've just redone it for the 3rd time. Other garage was a different product and only lasted about 10 years before redoing it.
The biggest part from everything i've learned is the condition of the prep and the age of the concrete. Everything says that shit needs to be new
01-04-2017, 08:15 AM
). Okay, I'm really done now.
after 9 years the epoxy in my garage is only peeling where the tires from the cars are. I'd certainly do epoxy again over the more expensive garage tiles.
