Painting/Epoxying your Garage Floor!
Painting your garage floor!
This is a very popular thing to do these days and can really improve the functionality and appearance of your garage. However, if done improperly or with the wrong product, you will regret ever finishing that floor! I have had good experiences using the type of garage epoxy that Sherwin Williams sells, but there are many other good products available at many different retailers. One thing to look for when choosing a garage floor epoxy is that you do not need to “etch” the floor with an acidic product before beginning. Many professional high end products require this, however, for most homeowners you will be fine with a product that does not require this. The only way you may need to acid etch your floor is if your garage floor is filthy with oil/grease stains and very old. Acid etching cleans the surface and makes it more porous and rough (ready to accept paint). Ask the person behind the paint desk if you need to do this or not!
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of finishing the floor. Then we will go through the proper way to apply the paint/epoxy on the garage floor.
Finishing the floor in your garage has the following advantages:
Now some disadvantages:
When choosing a garage floor paint/epoxy go with the epoxy choice. I have never seen a paint for a garage floor that stands up well to hot tire pick up, no matter what the paint store sales person says. Hot tire pick up is simply when you pull into your garage after being out driving and your tires are hot enough that an inferior product on your garage floor will actually pull off the floor and stick to your tires. Talk about a mess. Look for a two part epoxy kit with color flecks and non-slip additive available in the kit. Your typical kit will include a small can of activator, a large gallon can of the base of the epoxy, colored flecks to add for aesthetic appearance, and non-slip additive. Simply follow the directions on the box to apply the paint.
1. Usually you will want to pressure wash or at a minimum carefully clean off and sweep the surface you are painting (many of these products can be used inside or outside on concrete surfaces). Make sure the surface is very dry and clean of any dust and debris.
2. Mix the activator (small can) into the large can. An electric mixer works great for this but a paint paddle will work fine.
3. Pour the mixture into a paint tray and cut in the area you are painting with a junk brush (it will get ruined).
4. Apply the paint in even strokes working on small areas at a time, using a 3/8” or 1/2” nap roller cover. Many times a garage floor is poured in anywhere from 2-6 separate blocks of concrete. Only paint one block at a time and make sure you don’t paint yourself into a corner.
5. Once you paint on the product you can add the optional color flecks, while the paint is still wet (most people like the look of these flecks).
6. Now the most important part; make sure you purchase the clear sealant that gets painted on overtop the epoxy (usually sold separately). If you do not use this glaze coating, the bottom layer of epoxy will chip, come up, and the flecks will get ripped out. You paint on the clear coat just like you did the bottom epoxy layer. Depending on the type of kit you get, there is normally a non-slip additive you can mix into either the base epoxy coat or the topcoat of glaze. Use the non-slip additive! Without this additive the paint will act like a sheet of ice when wet. You can also add a bit more non-skid additive to the top or bottom coat than comes with the kit, but you will have to purchase this separately.
A couple of things to remember are that you will not be able to drive on the freshly painted surface for a couple of days. Also, try to avoid scraping your snow blower and other power tools on the epoxy coating as much as possible.
This is a very popular thing to do these days and can really improve the functionality and appearance of your garage. However, if done improperly or with the wrong product, you will regret ever finishing that floor! I have had good experiences using the type of garage epoxy that Sherwin Williams sells, but there are many other good products available at many different retailers. One thing to look for when choosing a garage floor epoxy is that you do not need to “etch” the floor with an acidic product before beginning. Many professional high end products require this, however, for most homeowners you will be fine with a product that does not require this. The only way you may need to acid etch your floor is if your garage floor is filthy with oil/grease stains and very old. Acid etching cleans the surface and makes it more porous and rough (ready to accept paint). Ask the person behind the paint desk if you need to do this or not!
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of finishing the floor. Then we will go through the proper way to apply the paint/epoxy on the garage floor.
Finishing the floor in your garage has the following advantages:
- Improves appearance.
- Ability to wash up spilled substances easier.
- Protects your concrete.
- Did we say looks awesome?
Now some disadvantages:
- Many times it will make your floor more slippery when wet (even if you add non slip substances).
- If not done correctly can ruin the usefulness and appearance of your garage (chipping, hot tire pickup, marks, etc).
When choosing a garage floor paint/epoxy go with the epoxy choice. I have never seen a paint for a garage floor that stands up well to hot tire pick up, no matter what the paint store sales person says. Hot tire pick up is simply when you pull into your garage after being out driving and your tires are hot enough that an inferior product on your garage floor will actually pull off the floor and stick to your tires. Talk about a mess. Look for a two part epoxy kit with color flecks and non-slip additive available in the kit. Your typical kit will include a small can of activator, a large gallon can of the base of the epoxy, colored flecks to add for aesthetic appearance, and non-slip additive. Simply follow the directions on the box to apply the paint.
1. Usually you will want to pressure wash or at a minimum carefully clean off and sweep the surface you are painting (many of these products can be used inside or outside on concrete surfaces). Make sure the surface is very dry and clean of any dust and debris.
2. Mix the activator (small can) into the large can. An electric mixer works great for this but a paint paddle will work fine.
3. Pour the mixture into a paint tray and cut in the area you are painting with a junk brush (it will get ruined).
4. Apply the paint in even strokes working on small areas at a time, using a 3/8” or 1/2” nap roller cover. Many times a garage floor is poured in anywhere from 2-6 separate blocks of concrete. Only paint one block at a time and make sure you don’t paint yourself into a corner.
5. Once you paint on the product you can add the optional color flecks, while the paint is still wet (most people like the look of these flecks).
6. Now the most important part; make sure you purchase the clear sealant that gets painted on overtop the epoxy (usually sold separately). If you do not use this glaze coating, the bottom layer of epoxy will chip, come up, and the flecks will get ripped out. You paint on the clear coat just like you did the bottom epoxy layer. Depending on the type of kit you get, there is normally a non-slip additive you can mix into either the base epoxy coat or the topcoat of glaze. Use the non-slip additive! Without this additive the paint will act like a sheet of ice when wet. You can also add a bit more non-skid additive to the top or bottom coat than comes with the kit, but you will have to purchase this separately.
A couple of things to remember are that you will not be able to drive on the freshly painted surface for a couple of days. Also, try to avoid scraping your snow blower and other power tools on the epoxy coating as much as possible.
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