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More of a garage appearance than auto appearance. But I have 25 year old concrete in a 2 car garage and would like to get it epoxied, maybe stained, or just tiled, I'm not sure whats best yet . But anything is bare concrete that just absorbs chemical stains. If anyone has some pics of their garage and what you did to the floor that would be cool to see.
I read a LOT before I epoxied my 2 car garage....and most of it was over there at Garage Journal.
Like any kind of "paint" project....it's all in the prep, prep, prep. I etched my floor with muriatic acid TWICE, because once just didn't seem like enough. ...and if your garage/concrete is pretty beat up...you may want to take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself how bad you want epoxy vs. a floor you lay down OVER the concrete like racedeck. Mine was 14 years old and had only a few small paint and oil spots that I cleaned and prepped on my hands and knees. IT'S ALL IN THE PREP.
I went with the Olympic "kit" from the big hardware chain. It was about $75 bucks per kit, one per car....so 2 kits/$150 for my two car, plus another $50 in EXTRA muriatic acid, a floor squeegee and a short hard bristle push broom. ...and you can have them custom mix the color too. I went with a light off white. LOVE the color when it's clean....but....for a garage I'd go darker next time. I read some so-so reviews of rustoleum's kit, and most of the Olympic reviews were positive. Other's were out of my price range as I had just dropped most of my savings into the house!
All things said, it's one of the best things I've done to the house. I've had NO blemishes other than things that I've done like dragging a trasmission out from under the car, etc. etc.!!! I actually tested a spot in one corner and left brake fluid on it for a few days, and NOTHING. Not a spot once I wiped it up. And clean up is easy too. Clean the oil/fluid spots with simple green. Sweep it with a broom. Spray it out with a hose and then squeegee the water out! Takes about 30 minutes.
One of the cool things ya don't think off too is that it's kinda slick, although you CAN add grit or sand for texture. I did NOT. ....and when under the car, you can just slide around! ....not quite as good as a creeper, but same idea. I will say it's slick when wet, but it's hardly ever wet. My garage is 99% used by ME, for the car and workshop. If you are parking two DD cars, with rain and snow, carrying in groceries, multiple kids with multiple bikes, etc. etc....I'd put the texture down. Definitely slick when wet otherwise.
DO it! Best bang for the buck you can do to your house! ....and everytime we have company and new people come over...the guys LOVE the floor. My wife and I are hoping to buy a bigger house soon, and I'm hoping the garage will help sell ours!
Nice. I think I want to go all out and do something like these. But I notice these companies charge like 2000 for the service. So it must all be in the labor, not materials.
You want something easy and not so complicated!!?Black And White checkerboard tile.That's what I did a few years ago.I don't have any pics of the whole garage,but you get the picture.
The epoxy shows no marks from jacks or stands. ....although, I never try not to damage the floor. It was done to be a working garage, and I've done an engine swap and 3 trans swaps, along with countless things to our other vehicles. The epoxy floor is almost as good as the day I put it down 9 years ago. I DO have scratches here and there. The biggest marks being from wresting the transmissions while on your back. Again, not chips or anything like that.
The epoxyfloorhuston stuff is much different than the average epoxy a homeowner can put down. They may shot-peen the floor to bring up a nice coarse surface for the base to stick to. We have epoxy floors where I work and they are simply impressive. Fork trucks and dropping heavy stuff on it might scratch it but doesn't ruin it a bit. It is a labor intensive product and the materials are defiantly more expensive. Peen floor, put a base coat of material, spread silica type sand over it. Let it set, come back next day and sweep off loose sand. Then they put another coat of material to cover the sand. Sets a day and come back and add the fleck/epoxy topcoat. Some parts of the floor that have come up (poor concrete underneath) is literally an 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. A couple k for the average two car garage is about right and that is probably a good price.
Thnx for the ideas. Ive been reading/watching a lot on this also, and from what i gather, you just blow out dirt, decrease oily spots, etch, blow out again, roll down the epoxy and while still wet throw out the decorate flakes (i guess you could use a hand held fertilizer also), wait to dry, then clearcoat.
The biggest hurdle doesnt look like doing the actual floor work but finding a place to put all my **** temporarily.
I'm sure it does! ....but in MY experience, it hasn't been necessary. I'm not saying don't do it. ...and you may be harder on your floor than I have been and may benefit. I'm just saying that from the reading I've done, it's more for the high end garages pictured, so as to add that final finished appearance, NOT for added protection.
My view has always been that those that do work on their cars, don't want to pay for it and then scratch/drag/gouge/mess it up. Those that don't work on their cars like how nice it looks.
I had customers who built into their spec a high end coating for their garage - it cost me (them) $3,000 to do the proper way with commercial coatings and methods on a brand new concrete slab. They then filled the garage with junk (hoarders) and never saw it (the floor) again.
I could have used the $248 Rustoleum kit from Home Depot and they wouldn't have known the difference because a car never saw the garage!
As someone who does work on my car, I DO want the coating, and wish I had done it when I moved in, before I amassed so much stuff. My friend did it on his floor, and in my opinion, it is invaluable for the guy who works on his own. If, for instance, you spill almost an entire transmissions worth of ATF on the floor, it is much easier to clean up, and no stain the floor if it is coated. The few times I have helped at my friends house, it is SO MUCH easier to clean up. Also, he picked a lighter grey, that too is great for reflecting light while you're under the vehicle, whether it is overhead lights, or just the light you brought with you while you're down there. So many positives.
As someone who does work on my car, I DO want the coating, and wish I had done it when I moved in, before I amassed so much stuff. My friend did it on his floor, and in my opinion, it is invaluable for the guy who works on his own. If, for instance, you spill almost an entire transmissions worth of ATF on the floor, it is much easier to clean up, and no stain the floor if it is coated. The few times I have helped at my friends house, it is SO MUCH easier to clean up. Also, he picked a lighter grey, that too is great for reflecting light while you're under the vehicle, whether it is overhead lights, or just the light you brought with you while you're down there. So many positives.
I wish my garage floor was coated. By the time I really gave it much consideration, the garage was packed so full of valuable stuff (ie "junque") that there was no way I would be able to move everything out of the way long enough to treat the floor. Suppose it doesn't matter much now, since 99% of the time, I'd rather do my work in the driveway anyway. Doesn't seem nearly as claustrophobic under the car when it's outside.
The part of the floor that isn't normally covered, I installed foam anti-fatigue mats from HF. Keeps my feet from aching when I spend too much time working out there. The foam mats get dirty, but the Shop Vac does a good job cleaning them up. When they get really bad, I can always rip a damaged piece out and snap a new one in. Also kinda handy when I inevitably drop something that would be damaged by dropping on bare concrete, but the foam softens the blow.
Now the other garage, the one attached to the house, that pretty much only serves as a place to keep the Iroc... That garage had something applied to the floor. I'm not sure if it was a product actually rated for that use, or just Latex or Enamel. All I do know is that whatever it is, it is cracked, peeling, and just generally makes more of a mess than if the floor was bare. To add insult to injury that side of the house has settled a bit and the floor has some gnarly cracks in it too. As a general rule I try not to actually work in that garage, because it's very cramped. Just enough room around the car to squeeze through.
If, for instance, you spill almost an entire transmissions worth of ATF on the floor, it is much easier to clean up, and no stain the floor if it is coated.
actually had this happen helping a friend. if it werent coated i would STILL be getting ATF on me every time i get under the car........and that was 7 yrs ago or so.
actually had this happen helping a friend. if it werent coated i would STILL be getting ATF on me every time i get under the car........and that was 7 yrs ago or so.
It happened to me last weekend and my floor isn't coated. I spent about 30 minutes with the kitty litter just sopping it up. Then i used my remaining oil dry and spent the next 2+ hours grinding it into the concrete, so the particles are smaller and will pull it up out of the pores. I still actually have to clean it all up, I just left the oil dry on there for now
My concrete garage floor was in terrible shape when I moved in to my house 5 years ago. It had oils, painted sections, spawling conrete, etc. It would have been a monumental project to resurrect it and prepare it for an epoxy coating, so I decided to go with the high strength vinyl stick-on tiles. That is after I washed the floor with degreasers, and patched a bunch of the low spots/cracks as best as I could. This was 5 years ago that i did this and I use the garage very often. Spills and fluids wipe right off, even after days of sitting there there are no stains. The only problem is that sometimes when I drive the car in and the tires are hot, it will leave a tire mark on the grey tiles which I can not get clean. These titles stick on via their adhesive backing. They are easy to cut with various knives and saws too.
I did 24"x24" tiles surrounded by a 9" border in the larger part of my garage, and then in the smaller room of the garage I used the 12"x12" ones with a border also.
here are some photos, I hadn't yet finished the "front" row of tiles but I was almost finished with teh project when I took this photo:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/HZmi8f]
When I built my garage that was one thing I wanted. I did mine in a tanish color because its a bit brighter and gray is depressing if you spend a lot of time in there.
I used a coating from a company called porter paints. Did the acid wash and being it was new didn't have to worry about oils. Had fiber in my concrete and I left that so the coating wouldn't be so slick when wet (it still is slick tho). Didn't clearcoat mine so I do have to worry about chemicals if left on for several days. Easy cleanup, just wipe up.
Worth every penny.
Several years ago, I helped a buddy swap the LG4 in his Monte Carlo for a 91 HO LB9. It was going great until I lowered the new engine into the frame, it was up against the transmission bellhousing, and the mounts were an inch too far forward. Turns out a car enthusiast (my buddy) can not realize the trans mount threw in the towel when Reagan was still in office. Skipping to the good part, the engine swap ended up including dropping the transmission, and about 2,000 gallons of ATF. Subconciously, I'm probably still holding a grudge.
Several years ago, I helped a buddy swap the LG4 in his Monte Carlo for a 91 HO LB9. It was going great until I lowered the new engine into the frame, it was up against the transmission bellhousing, and the mounts were an inch too far forward. Turns out a car enthusiast (my buddy) can not realize the trans mount threw in the towel when Reagan was still in office. Skipping to the good part, the engine swap ended up including dropping the transmission, and about 2,000 gallons of ATF. Subconciously, I'm probably still holding a grudge.
Speaking of ATF, have you ever had a trans fluid shampoo? When I was a youngster I thought it was a good idea to install a B&M shift kit in my 1970 Olds Delta 88. I didn't figure that the pan was still filled with fluid. My head was perfectly positioned to have it all pour into my hair. After that, my hair had a soft, lustrous feel which took over a week to wash out.
Speaking of ATF, have you ever had a trans fluid shampoo? When I was a youngster I thought it was a good idea to install a B&M shift kit in my 1970 Olds Delta 88. I didn't figure that the pan was still filled with fluid. My head was perfectly positioned to have it all pour into my hair. After that, my hair had a soft, lustrous feel which took over a week to wash out.
when I was 16 and doing my first transmission swap in my 86 trans am I Accidentally dropped the pan as I was taking it off and it turned the floor I was laying on into a red pool. Now I’m really angry and coated head to toe in trans fluid so I figured I’ll just keep laying in it and working since I’m already covered in it. I got a little more work done and my skin started to itch and burn a tiny bit so I went inside to take a shower, I must have used an entire bottle of dawn dish soap to try and get the ATF out of my hair. I felt like those ducks you see on the dawn commercial getting cleaned after some big ocean oil spill. It did take a week or so to make my head not feel like a greasy frying pan.
04-07-2018, 01:29 AM
. But anything is bare concrete that just absorbs chemical stains. If anyone has some pics of their garage and what you did to the floor that would be cool to see. 
and my floor isn't coated. I spent about 30 minutes with the kitty litter just sopping it up. Then i used my remaining oil dry and spent the next 2+ hours grinding it into the concrete, so the particles are smaller and will pull it up out of the pores. I still actually have to clean it all up, I just left the oil dry on there for now 
