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I am thinking of having my garage floor professionally done with some kind of epoxy. Any advice as to what the best product to have them use?
Go to sherwin Williams and look for garage floor paint it's a good product covers nice the only thing is it take about two weeks to really harden good that's what I used I wish I could post pics but not able to but it's good stuff it comes Ina complete kit check it out
I am thinking of having my garage floor professionally done with some kind of epoxy. Any advice as to what the best product to have them use?
I have the epoxy floor with extra clear coat as well as Race Deck for the C5. Takes about a week to dry so you can drive on it. Lowes has a couple of brands, the secret is in the prep, make sure your floor is really clean.
The secret is in the floor preparation and it goes beyond just cleaning the floors. In order for any type of epoxy coat to really stick and not lift under hot, rain-soaked tires, the floor needs to be properly etched, or roughed up. If the cement is not properly etched, the epoxy will lift regardless of how clean the floor is. The etching roughs of the smooth surface so that the epoxy has a rough/raised surface to bond to.
I purchased a builder's spec home in 2005 and they basically applied epoxy over the smooth concrete slab without properly prepping the floor as described above. It looked nice, but lifted underneath the tires. I reapplied the epoxy to fill in the bad spots and then installed rubber floor mats underneath the cars. That helped, but over 8 years the mats started to look really bad. I removed them and installed Racedeck Freeflow tiles last fall and love the result! The garage now feels like another room in the house.
The do it your self paint at Lowes looks good but will color will fade if exposed to a lot of sunlight.
These epoxy's are made for indoor use, and can fade over time if exposed to the elements. I just re-clear coated mine after eight years, still looks good, Race Deck is the way to go if you got the $
These epoxy's are made for indoor use, and can fade over time if exposed to the elements. I just re-clear coated mine after eight years, still looks good, Race Deck is the way to go if you got the $
Another benefit of Racedeck and one of the deciding factors for me is that you can pick it up, pack it, and move it if you sell your house.
We plan to move within the next 5 years and I'm pretty sure I will be able to use at least 90% of my existing floor in any new space. If the new space is larger, I just order more tiles. If it's smaller, I will have some extra.
I did the garage at my last house in a checkerboard .. was on a pretty tight budget back then
used the water based garage / cement paint for the base and got the good poly clear they sell (think it was home depot or lowes)
ended up spending about $300 or so for everything including the chemicals to clean and etch (2 car garage)
I pressure washed it and scrubbed it pretty good with the chemicals
been about 4 years since ive done it and still looks really good .. couple places the clear turned yellowish (spilled some type of chemical on it) and one or two spots where I dropped something or a floor jack chipped it
other than that its all in the prep .. if you pay someone to do it see if they can prep it with the floor grinder ive seen them use on tv
The secret is in the floor preparation and it goes beyond just cleaning the floors. In order for any type of epoxy coat to really stick and not lift under hot, rain-soaked tires, the floor needs to be properly etched, or roughed up. If the cement is not properly etched, the epoxy will lift regardless of how clean the floor is. The etching roughs of the smooth surface so that the epoxy has a rough/raised surface to bond to.
I purchased a builder's spec home in 2005 and they basically applied epoxy over the smooth concrete slab without properly prepping the floor as described above. It looked nice, but lifted underneath the tires. I reapplied the epoxy to fill in the bad spots and then installed rubber floor mats underneath the cars. That helped, but over 8 years the mats started to look really bad. I removed them and installed Racedeck Freeflow tiles last fall and love the result! The garage now feels like another room in the house.
Do you have an approximate cost on that. I have A two car garage thinking about using such a product. Thanks
The secret is in the floor preparation and it goes beyond just cleaning the floors. In order for any type of epoxy coat to really stick and not lift under hot, rain-soaked tires, the floor needs to be properly etched, or roughed up. If the cement is not properly etched, the epoxy will lift regardless of how clean the floor is. The etching roughs of the smooth surface so that the epoxy has a rough/raised surface to bond to.
I purchased a builder's spec home in 2005 and they basically applied epoxy over the smooth concrete slab without properly prepping the floor as described above. It looked nice, but lifted underneath the tires. I reapplied the epoxy to fill in the bad spots and then installed rubber floor mats underneath the cars. That helped, but over 8 years the mats started to look really bad. I removed them and installed Racedeck Freeflow tiles last fall and love the result! The garage now feels like another room in the house.
Do you have an approximate cost on that. I have A two car garage thinking about using such a product. Thanks
Originally Posted by Mickster144
I like this. What is the cost per sq ft?
The cost depends on the type of Racedeck tile you choose. I went with the Freeflow tile which allows for rain/water run off without pooling on top of the tile. They have solid diamond and coin top finishes as well as more expensive, industrial applications.
Check out the Racedeck website and then ask them about discounts for Corvette Forum members. Also, ask about the Garage Journal board membership discount. The prices are about $1.75 up per square foot and up depending on the color/tile type you choose.
Another benefit of the Freeflow design is that is doesn't have the hollow, click-clack sound that many other solid top plastic floor tiles have. Plus, I like the 3D look of the criss-cross Freeflow patterns.
Below is a top down picture that shows how you can see through the Freeflow tiles which allows the rain water run-off.
Do you often use a creeper/engine hoist/engine stand/rolling cart/ rolling chair etc. on the tile? I would be paranoid that having a strong texture would make wheeling around on it awkward or difficult.
Do you often use a creeper/engine hoist/engine stand/rolling cart/ rolling chair etc. on the tile? I would be paranoid that having a strong texture would make wheeling around on it awkward or difficult.
I have no problems rolling my creeper, shop vac, Gladiator rolling tool chests, etc. over the Freeflow tiles. I don't perform any type of hard core rebuild work like engine hoist stands or transmission drops, just bolt on mods and detailing. However, what's cool about Racedeck is that you can mix/match their Freeflow, ribbed tiles with their solid diamond or circle pattern tiles. So if you have a special section in the garage where you need to use these types of heavy duty rolling carts, you can install the solid top tiles and you should have no problems.
I do use Race Ramps and they work fine on the tiles as well. There are CF members who also have a four post lift installed on top of Racedeck tiles with no problems.
I will admit it was tough rolling my garage refrigerator over the tiles, but that's probably due mostly to the small wheels on the refrigerator. Plus, I don't plan on moving that too often, if ever.
I covered mine In this g-floor rubber garage floor cover from menards last summer and I love it!! I opted out of epoxy coating because I was told by several people that it gets SUPER slick with any liquid on it. And I couldn't afford to not have a garage for a week so I went with this. Laid it down like carpet with carpet tape haven't have had an issue. If It gets dirty sweep it up! I'll post a pic when I'm on my computer.
Looks like this thread got off track from the original post. I, too, am interested in getting mine professionally done. I am talking sanding it down with a diamond cutter and epoxy sealed and warranted. I'm sure people have done it here. What is the cost to do a normal sized garage? My garage is oversized but it would give us an idea how much a standard sized garage would cost to get done.
__________________ Phone: 484-334-8833 Owner of CULTRAG Performance
There are pros and cons to every solution I researched.
Originally I did my floor with a red epoxy and it looked ok for the price. It lasted a couple years, then started to get some dull areas. Then one day I was trimming some formica and those shavings scratched it to the point I needed to start over with something else. Getting all the epoxy off was one of the hardest jobs I ever tackled!
I looked at other options like the various race-decks, but some of them were noisy, others marked and there is always the problem of fluids, mud, snow, etc. getting underneath.
I finally decided on Industrial Ceramic Tile about 14 years ago. Easy to clean and keep clean - almost maintenance free. Only down side (besides cost, but I laid it myself in a weekend) is you don't want to go around "dropping" tools on it or you could crack a tile. I still have not cracked any tiles, but I do take extra care when working on the car with tools.
Probably the "best" solution I found was some 1-ftx1-ft resin-based tiles Griots used to sell which could withstand dropping tools, but VERY PRICY!
I went to Sams Club and bought two 19x20 rubber mats to put down. Fit my garage perfectly. They are oil resistant, grooved to funnel liquid away and don't get slick if they are wet like the painted and clear coated floors get if you don't use the grit accessory.
02-10-2014, 02:35 PM
Garage floors
