Preparation

• Before you draw the compass rose on the floor, prepare the surface. A power washer makes the job simpler. Clean and degrease the floor with a commercial degreaser, followed by a scrub-down with trisodium phosphate. Finish with the power-washer, rinse and then dry thoroughly for several days.
  
  

Drawing the Rose

• Draw two straight lines of the same length perpendicular to each other. These are the long base lines and form the base for the rest of the design. Draw two lines through the center at 45 degree angles between the two long base lines. These short base lines should be about half the length of the long base lines. This gives you eight base legs, alternating long and short. From the center point, measure 1/8 of the length of the long legs; however, mark this measurement on the short legs. Draw lines from the points of the long base legs to the marks on the short legs so that each long base leg becomes a point, divided in half by the original long base leg mark. This gives you four bisected points. Next, draw lines from the outside point of each short base leg, to make four equal-sized bisected points between each long base leg point. This gives you an eight-pointed star with four long points and four short points between each. The original base-leg marks bisect these points lengthwise.
  
  

Paint

• Garage floor or concrete paint comes in a variety of colors. Epoxy-based paints work well for this application. You will need two complementary colors, one dark and one light. If you decide to paint the entire floor as background, you'll need a third complimentary contrasting color for that. You'll also need black for painting the borders of the drawing once it's painted.
  
  

Taping

• If you plant to paint the entire floor as a background, paint that first with your background color. Tape the borders of the right half of each compass point (short and long) with masking tape, just covering the lines you drew, and paint inside the tape borders. Allow the paint to dry and cure overnight. When it is dry, score the edges of the tape with a knife so that when you pull up the the tape, the paint doesn't come with it. Paint the left half of each star point with the lighter color, taping it the same way. Allow to dry and cure and remove the tape as above. Tape an inch on either side of the original drawing lines to make borders for the painted areas that define the compass rose drawing. Paint the borders black, and allow them to dry. Again, score the edges of the tape to free the paint and pull up the tape.
  
  

Flourishes

• Once the basic compass rose is completed, you can add circles, flourishes, extra points, direction labels or whatever you want, and make it as simple or complex as you want, adding any desired new colors. You are limited only by your imagination.
  
  

Cleanup

• Newer epoxy paints are water-based and can be cleaned up with soap and hot water. Solvent-based epoxy paints are less common, and they are rapidly going out of use because of the difficulty of application. Because floor painting is such a large job, buy your paint with an eye to ease of cleanup. Once the job is completed, you may want to add a clear floor seal and/or wax coat recommended for protecting the type of floor paint you chose. Follow the manufacturer's directions.