Garage Floor Finishes

[George C.]

Not Corvette question this time. I searched the archives and found reports and several photos of garage floor that some of you have posted. I also went to the Home Pro Floor site which was recommended by some of you. They offer multiple systems, some with clear urethane sealer some without. Can you tell me which system you have used, and is it slippery when wet? Any additonal information I should consider when contacting them.

Thank you,

George
#36809

[Gary Wilkerson]

Re: Garage Floor Finishes

George,

I haven't done the research you have but a friend of mine used the "U Coat It" system. It was applied by a roller, sprinkle in some material for texture and he was done.
Looks great!

I'm plannig a four bay garage and I'll be doing somthing similar.

Gary

[John M.]

Re: Garage Floor Finishes

George,
I have an epoxy system in my garage, and I have 6 epoxy floors in my shops at work. Generally speaking, urethane has a higher gloss and epoxy is more abrasion resistant. A lot of people will put down epoxy, and then topcoat it with clear urethane to get a real high shine. I allways just use the epoxy without the topcoat. I think that the clear topcoat are for people who use their garage as more of a showplace for their car rather than a working garage. I like having the ability to simply touch-up areas with a fresh coat of epoxy when they become worn or damaged. As for slip resistance, I don't think that an epoxy floor is an slicker when it is wet than the smooth trowled floor that exsisted prior to putting down the epoxy. You can broadcast a aluminum oxide grit before the final coat to increase slip resistance, but It will make it a bitch to clean! I love having a floor that is neat and clean, and I can find small parts easily when I drop them on the floor. The only downside to having such a floor in a working garage, is that you find yourself constantly cleaning it! I used to just sweep my old concrete floor and it looked fine, but my light colored epoxy floor just looks so good clean that I either scrub or mop it at least once a week. Everything in my shop is on wheels, and on Saturday mornings, I roll everything out of the way and scrub my shop with a buffer and a white pad. After scrubbing, it looks like new again! Gotta go now, it is time to clean my floor! LOL Here is a pic of the floor when it is freshly cleaned. It still shines real nice,

Regards, John McGraw

[Dick W.]

Re: Garage Floor Finishes

My kinda finish! I did the urethane/epoxy combination in my farm shop. Takes a lot to damage the finish. It is slick when wet, but like you said, a smooth finish concrete is also slick. If you are poring a new floor, use a 5,000# mix concrete. It finishes a lot smoother than a standard 3,000# mix.

[John H.]

Re: Garage Floor Finishes

I had Home Pro Floors do my garage floor when I built the house, and went with their standard "Classic" 2-coat epoxy treatment, with no optional urethane topcoat; saw no need to make it ultra-shiny. They sprinkled some very fine silica sand in the second coat before it cured for anti-slip when wet, and it works fine. It's been down for four years, and still looks like it was poured yesterday; it's virtually indestructible.

[George C.]

Re: Garage Floor Finishes

Thank you all for the responses. I didn't even think of silica sand, I used to use that on the boat deck. You can have a nice finish without having it be slippery. I have had response from HomePro floors, and have a call in to a local company that does epoxy finish.

Thanks again,

George

[Kent K.]

Re: Garage Floor Finishes

George,
You might wish to look at Armorpoxy. I did some research into epoxy floor finish for my home addition and resulted with the possibilities and quick personal emails regarding applications for a chackerboard pattern application. They have the colors I need and their price is right. I don't care for the sprinkle finishes you might see on other epoxy floors. Check the out at www.armorpoxy.com.
Kent #6201

[Mike M.]

Did the same in my shop with a......

Sherwin-Williams DYI water-base epoxy. Environmentally friendly, inexpensive and durable. Has held up to pressroom chemicals, heavy materials traffic, skids, motor and hand trucks for two years now. Still looks like new after a mopping.
H. a. N. D.

[Daniel Grunwald]

Re: Did the same in my shop with a......

I looked into a number of different floor finishes and then oe day at Menards I happened upon some garage and basement floor epoxy finishes that they sell. I believe they were made by rustoleum but thjat might not be right. It was a major name brand that was familiar though. It was MUCH less expensive than the finishes that I had been looking at. There are three different formulas. One for basement floors, one for home garage floors, and one called industrial. The industrial only comes in gray and doesnt have any color flecks in the kit as the other lighter duty kits do but I went that way as I wanted a strong finish. The industrial also requires an acid wash on the floor prior to coating it. I did all of this myself with the acid wash one day and VERY thorough rinsing and squeegeing on one day and then applying the finish with a roller a couple of days later. It took 2 kits for a 3000 ft floor and the finish is holding up well even under my portable lift with the roll around kit on it. The total cost was under $200.00!!! There is also a tech line that you can call and talk to their experts with questions. Try it- You will like it!!
Daniel

[Phil A.]

Re: Did the same in my shop with a......

Dainel, are you sure that you covered 3000 square feet for only $200. If so I would like to know what the name of the product is and where to get it in Oklahoma City. That"s 15 per share foot. Thanks Phil