I am going to paint the floor of my garage and need some advice. I have read previous threads about doing this. My question is this: What paint system do you recommend, and what brand would you not use again and why? Thanks

 

I used the Rustoleum latex epoxy floor paint and am very happy with it. Hot tires won't take it off nor will gas or oil. Brake fluid gets to it if you don't clean it up within an hour or so. Having two old Vettes, I have had ALL different fluids leak on it. It is much cheaper than the U-Coat-it brand which is also very good.

Here's a photo.

 

Nothing like Tiles!
Stay away from the peel and stick crap.
A good epoxy floor paint won't be that much cheeper.
Either way stay outa Home Depo.

 

I painted my floor about 10 years ago with Pittsburg Epoxy piant and is is still in good shape. The only places that need some attention are where I spilt some brake cleaner and that did was make it a little dull.

 

Yep, if I were to redo mine, I definitely go with tile.

 

Sherwin Williams makes an industrial epoxy floor paint that is very good. I haven't had much luck with the chain store floor paints.

 

What do you mean, "tile"? Ceramic?

 

Yes. It looks great and will last indefinitely with very little care.

 

I like concrete, it seems to dry faster and isn't as slippery when wet.

The shop I work at paid $25,000 for an epoxy finish with aggregate in it and it's death to walk on wet. Worse then ice.

Whatever you use I would test a small patch first and see what it's like when wet.

I used to be ceramic tile installer back in the days of good back and knees, I wouldn't recommend them if you're going to working on the floor. Drop a wrench 3' and you'll see what I mean.

 

You don't want to drop a HEAVY wrench of ceramic tile. But even if you do, replacing a tile once and a while is a lot easier than repainting your floor every few years.

 

Rustoleum two part epoxy like Duke94 said. Put it down about 5 years ago, no problems. It is a little slippery when wet and the prep was important. Emptied out the garage, used the etch that came with in the kit and them pressure washed the floor.

 

I would spend the money on my Vette

 

I did this two summers ago. I spent lots of time cleaning the floor first. Painting was the easy part. I used three Rustoleum kits for my garage. You can buy and add anti-slip additive to the mix. That's what I did and I am very happy with the results.

 

My brother has I believe the Rustoleum also on his floor. He's not a car guy at all, but his garage is for his daily drivers so his cars go in and out every day a nd after about 4 years he has had no problems at all. I intend to do the same on my floor soon.

 

Here is the real scoop on garage floor paints/coatings.
From the worst/usually cheapest to the best/usually most expensive.

-water based latex concrete paint
garbage

-oil based concete paint
better garbage

- xylene based concrete stain
will not lift on hot tires, but will not fill pores in concrete. Normally sold in 20 to 40% solids. The more solids the thicker the finish and more solid the color.
Good, if you like the finish

-water based epoxy 2 part
this is like the cheaper Rustoleum. It is not 100% solids and is par with the stain above for durabilty. It has a smoother finish and fills in more pores.

- solvent based epoxy 2 part
this is like the more expensive Rustoleum. It also is not 100% solids, but will stick better than the water based and the durability is more.

-solvent based epoxy 100% solids 2 part
This is absolutely the best concrete floor finish there is, period.
It will withstand forklift traffic and hold up well with a finish that is more durable than the original concrete. The price is the deterant.
It is normally squeegeed on and will fill all pores, cracks and divits completely, for a smooth finish. Different types of antiskid materials can be added depending on the finish desired.

For any of these finishes, prep is important and the best way to describe it, is to have the concrete finish look like a 10 year old outside sidewalk, free of all oils and dirt and very rough, almost a broom finish.
You must use a 50/50 mix of water/muriatic acid to get this finish. It should feel like about a 40 grit abrasive disk.

I won't compare the prices on anything but the epoxies for a garage floor because everything else is just a joke.
You must calculate the price, per foot and also per mil thickness.
A 100% solids will give you double the paint that a 50% solids will because only 50% remains when cured. The 1 to 1 epoxies are less hard than the 2 to 1 mixes etc. Generally the greater the ratio the harder the epoxy.
Generally the garage kits are outrageously priced and the marketing hype feeds on the consumers lack of knowledge.
The flakes etc are a minimal cost although convenient.
There are only a handfull of resin manufacturers in the country and all these other outfits (like Rustoleum) just repackage the resins.

Some national suppliers of the 100% solids are SherwinWilliams, Porter Paints (PPG) and Devoe Paints (IAC). There are other specialty companies.

I have a 4000 sq foot area to do and understandably with the amount required, I'm carefully checking prices. It cost me over $600.00 just for materials to grind the floor and prep it.

Hopes this helps someone.

 

It certainly does. We are going to paint our shop floor at the golf course I work at before spring. Brutal environment. Thanks!

 

Hello, I used the Sherman Williams 100% solids, I used the prep as described and love my floor, I also drop everything and so far no problems.

 

U-coat it

 

Mark me down in the Rustoleum camp too! Good suff, I bought mine at WW Grainger supply years ago, it went down well and resists fluids really well. I'm surprised at how well it deals with brake fluid.

 

Doing a search...looks like Ace Hardware carries the stuff