Garage Floor 'Paint'

[Chester32141]

Hey y'all ... will be closing on a new home shortly. Driveway and garage are both concrete ... the garage floor looks almost polished.  I'd like to use a protective surface on both, doesn't have to be the same one  ... Concrete is only new once ... any suggestions ... Thanks ... 

[dogmush]

Two-part epoxy paint.  The Rustoleum kit at Home Depot/Lowes as the minimum standard for the floor, one with a UV stabalizer for the driveway.  International Marine Coatings makes some REALLY nice floor paint that is affordable, if you can find a distributor in your area.  If possible look for an industrial coating supply hose for a good coating.

[HankB]

Friend got an epoxy kit from Home Depot - floor looks good, but is slippery when wet.

I've seen some stained concrete in new construction that looked pretty good . . . but have no personal experience with it myself.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

sprinkle with sand when wet for anti skid

[dogmush]

They also make anti skid additives that you mix in with the paint prior to rolling it on.  Slightly more expensive then sand but it'll last longer and be more even.

[Monkeyleg]

I did a photo shoot years back for a chemical company in WI that makes, among other things, a paint for heavily-trafficked concrete floors. You can drive forklifts, trucks and other equipment on it without wearing it down. It comes smooth or with a slight no-slip texture. I remember that it was expensive.

If you're interested, I'll try to find the name.

[brimic]

the garage floor looks almost polished.

I have that 'problem' too. It becomes as slippery as an ice rink if it gets even a little wet, wiped out a few times.

I haven't used it in the garage, but I've used epoxy paint in my basement to great success.

[AZRedhawk44]

My experience with it is less than satisfactory.

My house I bought 18 months ago had freshly epoxied garage floor and patio deck.

The deck is peeling now, and the garage is just starting to under the spots where I typically have my truck tires stopped.  Previous owner must have used cheap epoxy, I guess.

[Doggy Daddy]

I'm giving serious thought to ripping up a LOT of the old carpeting in this house and painting the slab.  I'd have to add the texture, though.  Can't have the wife falling on her ass on a regular basis.  Though it might be amusing to watch 3 or 4 large dogs doing the old "slip 'n' slide"... 

DD

[brimic]

The deck is peeling now, and the garage is just starting to under the spots where I typically have my truck tires stopped.  Previous owner must have used cheap epoxy, I guess.

I'd go with bad surface prep.

[AJ Dual]

I'd go with bad surface prep.

Yeah. Pressure washer, let it dry. Repeat again with the citric acid scrub.

Wife unit wanted me to paint the floor of the unfinished portion of the basement because it was "grody" and she didn't like walking around down there.

Then she balked at the price of the two-part epoxy kits, so we got some sort of "just as good" one-part "epoxy fortified" latex concrete floor paint. I knew it would fail, and did so within the year around the corners of the slab where it gets damp. Shrug....

[Warhorse]

The key to painting concrete is surface preparation BEFORE painting.

Bare concrete should have an acid wash to make sure the surface is clean and has proper "tooth" on the surface to hold the paint. Then wash it with plenty of water and let it dry completely. A 2-part epoxy paint will be the most durable but you can probably get away with a good 1-part deck or concrete paint. Colors tend to be a bit limited, however.

Epoxy of virtually any kind will leave a "blush" on the surface that must be washed off after the epoxy is well cured or nothing else will stick to it, even if you sand it.

BTW, don't ask me how I know all this. 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

My experience with it is less than satisfactory.

My house I bought 18 months ago had freshly epoxied garage floor and patio deck.

The deck is peeling now, and the garage is just starting to under the spots where I typically have my truck tires stopped.  Previous owner must have used cheap epoxy, I guess.

often its a case of poor prep work  thats the case with most paint fail

[Hawkmoon]

The deck is peeling now, and the garage is just starting to under the spots where I typically have my truck tires stopped.  Previous owner must have used cheap epoxy, I guess.

More likely didn't properly prepare the surface before applying the coating.

[Bogie]

One of the guys here at the Compound just told me that some of the epoxy paints are VERY prone to burning...

[NickySantoro]

I'd go with bad surface prep.

Likely failed to acid etch a hard troweled surface before applying the product. That's why you read the label BEFORE you open the can.

[RocketMan]

I did a photo shoot years back for a chemical company in WI that makes, among other things, a paint for heavily-trafficked concrete floors. You can drive forklifts, trucks and other equipment on it without wearing it down. It comes smooth or with a slight no-slip texture. I remember that it was expensive.

If you're interested, I'll try to find the name.

I'd be interested, ML, if you can find the information.  It's a constant battle repainting the traffic lines in our DC.  Something more durable would be good.