Wish you were in the Dallas area - I'm helping a friend do the Sherwin-Williams Shield Crete on his floor in the morning. I've got S-W Tile Clad Epoxy on my floor - 5 years down and not so much as a scratch. PREP is the key to a good floor paint job, then the quality of the product is second. Lots of choices to make and not a lot of good comparisons out there, unfortunately. I've used the Lowe's and Depot brands in the past in comparison testing (that's what I do for a living) and they have ranked consistently at the bottom - not that they are not decent products, but there are that many more out there that are better. The Shield Crete is an excellent DIY product and will far outperform the Lowe's/Depot stuff. Many industrial products out there that will do an amazing job as well. The best I've found is the Sherwin-Williams ArmorSeal 650 or ArmorSeal 1000. Expensive, but fantastic. Whatever product you choose, make sure you are able to stay off the floor for the recommended amount of time before driving/parking on it. Some products are as long as 10 days - some as short as 1.

 

PATIENCE & PREP!!!! AND MOST IMPORTANT......TOPCOAT!! EVEN 2-PART EPOXY WILL LIFT UNDER POOR PREP CONDITIONS. SURFACE MUST REMAIN DRY.(AT ALL TIMES) THIS MEANS NO HUMIDITY, NO EFFORVESENCE. NOT A SINGLE PINHOLE FOR WATER TO PENETRATE, NO REINFORCED CONCRETE, UNLESS YOU BURN THE FIBERS OFF.....THESE ARE WATER WICKS!! CROSS HATCH YOUR MATERIAL. APPLY N TO S THEN E TO W CAULK YOUR EXPANSION JOINTS, CAULK YOUR BLOCK OR SILL PLATES WHERE IT MEETS THE FLOOR, PATIENCE FOR PRODUCT TO DRY AND CURE BETWEEN COATS IS KEY, THIS IS A CHEMICAL REACTION, FANS AND AIR CIRCULATION DO NOT FACTOR INTO THE DRYING TIMES, AND FINALLY A GOOD SEALER, POLYURETHANE IS FANTASTIC, REXSTAIN AND ARMOUR SEALS FROM SHERWIN ARE FANTASTIC ( THESE HAVE A POT LIFE) SO READ THE DIRECTIONS!!! THE PARTIAL FAILURE RATES YOU MENTION, APROX. 20% ARE DUE TO POOR PREP. ACID ETCH THAT FLOOR AND RINSE AND RE RINSE, AND RE RINSE. MAKE IT FEEL LIKE 80 GRIT SANDPAPER. THE OTHER 20% FAILURE RATIO IS CONTRIBUTED TO MOISTURE.......AS MENTIONED EARLIER. GOOD LUCK GUYS

 

I guess I should have been more clear I decided on the VCT, and my garage is built, but I have yet to put the floor in yet, but yes I believe it is the 1/8 inch Armstrong. You can buy it from Home Depot. If I remember right it will cost around $500 to do my 24x36 garage. That includes tiles, glue, and any other little things to complete it.

John

 

Here is an upclose shot of my shop floor I did with Rustoleum Epoxy. Very durable and never chipped it yet. I have scooted heavy metal racks and parts across it many times. A little slippery when liquids get on it but worth it. Very easy clean-up.

 

I would not recommend U Coat It. When I moved here I didn't have the time to get the coating down so I had "the certified professionals" do it. Well, I'm waiting on them to come back and completely redo it for the 3rd time now. It lifts and can have some serious curing problems.

 

I did mine with VCT 4 years ago and it still looks like the day I put it down. I've stripped and resealed last year. It's impervious to everything. I do use a couple of left over pieces of tile under the jacks stand when the car is up. My garage is all torn up right now as they finish the drywall and paint it. Should be done by Wednesday. I can't wait.

 

I did my garage addition with U-Coatit about 3 months ago. Not long enough to talk about durability. I did the base coat, flakes and high gloss top coat. I aslo put a 4'x4' Corvette decal in the middle and it all looks good. But I have a few areas that need additional clear coat, and I CAN NOT get any support from U-Coatit. I am trying to buy an extra quart of top coat and they will not sell it to me. I would find another vendor if I were doing it over.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

Sherwin Williams Shield Crete here..

Here it is the day after it was applied:





The only complaint I have, is that the painter made it look so good, that I have to mop it every couple weeks to keep it looking glossy..

Here it is a few months later... and still looks pretty good. Everything just wipes up. I've had one small spot come up under a back tire. But they came back and fixed it.