Garage Floor Coating (concrete)

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98LowRanger

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So I am looking into putting a coating of some sort on the concrete inside my 20x24 garage that I detail out of. Besides the obvious of making the floor look nicer, I am really more concerned with protecting the bare concrete from my chemicals and also aiding in keeping the dust down. I'm not really concerned with color (a semi gloss clear paint would be fine). I talked to a few people who had experience with concrete coatings in the past and they said they always peel up where a vehicles hot tires sit. Well, it's a decent process to apply the coating and will cost me in the neighborhood of $400 so I am not going to bother if I have to reapply the coating every year or so. They didn't know the brand or type that they used and there are sooo many different options (epoxy, polycuramine, polyurethane, acrylic, solvent based, water based, etc.) and brands. So I was wondering if you guys could tell me your experiences (good or bad) with concrete coatings.
 
I don't think there's an issue with the clear sealers (as opposed to paints) peeling from hot tires. I guess more of an issue is the condition of the concrete presently--do you live in an area where salt is used?
 
My father-in-law lives in a house that is very old with a detached garage, I think the garage was build in the 1950's, his garage floor was horrible, he bought the kit at lowes and did his floor. It's been 4 years now and looks like the day he did it. It's all in the prep he said. Hope this helps.

Kyle
 
Hello Low Ranger,

I had my floor done 6 years ago, it's never required, any maintenance, is impervious to hot tires etc. I've had one stain & that was from a leaky golf cart battery:

The process:

They sanded, or roughed up the smooth concrete (messy) > paint chips (think confetti), many color(s) & size(s) chips > then sealant.
 
I used quickrete epoxy from lowes or Home Depot in my last house. It looked good for the first couple of years. I did a brake fluid change and it ate up a good chunk of coating really quick. They were surprised it did any damage and sent me two replacement kits right away.

I had to scuff the original coating and prep just as thorough as the first time but had less than optimal results with the second coat. Small random spots have peeled up near edges and where the tires sit.

The average person still compliments my floor but it drives me nuts. Behr sent me a 3rd set of kits to redo the floor, but I sold the house before getting it installed.

I think they look great, but if you are meticulous with your paint this will just give you something else you will feel compelled to clean
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I don't think there's an issue with the clear sealers (as opposed to paints) peeling from hot tires. I guess more of an issue is the condition of the concrete presently--do you live in an area where salt is used?
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Great to know as I have been looking into the clear sealers. Garage is only 3 years old so floor is in great shape and NC gets very little snow/salt so not much of an issue there. Thanks for your help!
 
I went to my local concrete supply house, and bought the epoxy they sell. Prep is the most important.
 
The two most important things I found in my research were:

1) The only prep you want to do is sanding. Any kind of cleaning/etching chemicals will stay on/in the concrete and affect the bond.

2) The better stuff to use is 2 part aliphatic polyurethane. You want to research it though. This stuff can do nasty stuff to your lungs if handled improperly.

This was information I gleaned off professional painters forums.
 
Hey 98LowRanger, I am actually doing the exact same research myself for my new shop. I posted a similar question over on the garage journal forum (there's a ton of information on that forum for stuff like this) and got some good advice. I narrowed it down and am really close to pulling the trigger on this concrete sealer: Products :: Concrete Sealers :: HD6600-MMA Concrete Sealer I can added some grip material to the final coat to add traction too. It seems like a much higher quality product than what you might find from a big box store, but pricing want too bad (my ~1200sqft shop will run me right around $600 so you should be able to do yours for ~$300 with one 5-gallon container). And application seems really pretty easy too. Good luck with your research!
 
jarred767 said:
... I narrowed it down and am really close to pulling the trigger on this concrete sealer: Products :: Concrete Sealers :: HD6600-MMA Concrete Sealer I can added some grip material to the final coat to add traction too. It seems like a much higher quality product than what you might find from a big box store, but pricing want too bad (my ~1200sqft shop will run me right around $600 so you should be able to do yours for ~$300 with one 5-gallon container). And application seems really pretty easy too. Good luck with your research!
Click to expand...


Thanks so much for the info! Your right, 5 gallons should give me two good coats on the garage floor. I don't mind spending in the neighborhood of $300 if it is as good of a product as they claim. I didn't see any info on what steps they recommend before applying that sealer. Do you know if any special etching chemical needs to be applied first or just clean the concrete really well, dry, and apply the sealer? Thanks again!
 
ducksfan said:
The only prep you want to do is sanding. Any kind of cleaning/etching chemicals will stay on/in the concrete and affect the bond.
Click to expand...

Ha--that's funny, that's the way I felt after I did the muriatic acid etch, that is wasn't all coming out.
 
98LowRanger said:
So I am looking into putting a coating of some sort on the concrete inside my 20x24 garage that I detail out of. Besides the obvious of making the floor look nicer, I am really more concerned with protecting the bare concrete from my chemicals and also aiding in keeping the dust down. I'm not really concerned with color (a semi gloss clear paint would be fine). I talked to a few people who had experience with concrete coatings in the past and they said they always peel up where a vehicles hot tires sit. Well, it's a decent process to apply the coating and will cost me in the neighborhood of $400 so I am not going to bother if I have to reapply the coating every year or so. They didn't know the brand or type that they used and there are sooo many different options (epoxy, polycuramine, polyurethane, acrylic, solvent based, water based, etc.) and brands. So I was wondering if you guys could tell me your experiences (good or bad) with concrete coatings.
Click to expand...
Don't paint,stain only been through hell and back with concrete coatings.xylene based stain are pretty durable or,even a acid stain colored concrete is really durable.what ever you choose make sure you apply shark grip and not the fine grade medium will do.If you can't find decent shark grip size just broadcast the fine heavey.
 
98LowRanger said:
Thanks so much for the info! Your right, 5 gallons should give me two good coats on the garage floor. I don't mind spending in the neighborhood of $300 if it is as good of a product as they claim. I didn't see any info on what steps they recommend before applying that sealer. Do you know if any special etching chemical needs to be applied first or just clean the concrete really well, dry, and apply the sealer? Thanks again!
Click to expand...
From what I was told/read all that needs to be done is clean it well, rinse it well and let it FULLY dry. Then you pretty much just paint it on line you're painting a wall. Hope that helps!
 
If chemical resistance is your primary concern, I would suggest MasterProtect 170cr from BASF. This is what I typically specify for secondary containment and bulk chemical unloading stations (yes, hot semi truck tires). I also spec it for sanitary sewer and waste water systems. It is not a residential or commercial product, it is meant for industrial applications, serious business.

You can find the cut sheet pretty easily, but I think you'll find it has no problem with sodium hydroxide, hydrofluoric acid, xylene and plenty of other nasty stuff that may be used regularly in a detailing environment.
 
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