I am finishing up my new garage

I am going to paint, coat the floor. I am looking at various epoxy suppliers out there.

Griot's Garage, Rustoleum, UCoat It, etc...

What are the war stories and how well has it held up?

Im exactly where you are with your garage. Ive looked at the coatings and the main thing in any floor covering is fully cured concrete and prep work. Go to griotsgarage.com and look up their 4 page article on floor prep. Wether you buy theirs or not its a good article. Griots is water based and I know Rust Olium has solvent and water based (theirs is less expensive and can be had at Home Depot).
Other than that I dont know the pros and cons, Maybe others have an opinion

Tim

i got the water based epoxy stuff from Home Depot. The stuff from Griots has the same 2 color options and even includes the same spreckles - must be the same but call it their own.

Bottom line: despite careful and thorough prep, hot tires or parking for a long time (weeks) pulls the paint up. To be fair, my garage floor is smooth finish concrete. I thought this might be a problem and was willing to acid etch it first, but the instructions give conflicting info, saying it is either unnecessary or counterproductive (interferes with curing?) Every time I sweep or clean up more of it peals. So I wouldn't recommend it for a garage.

I use the Griots Garage stuff and it works great. Use their instructions. Scrubb it, etch it, paint it. Paint has never lifted and it makes cleaning the floor a breeze. If you have something heavy to move across the floor, put a large towel or something similar under it and it will slide across the floor like it was on casters. (Well, almost).
Cheers, Elliot

Get the Sherwin williams industrial coating. it is a two part epoxy, that is the strongest, most durable floor covering I have ever used. I laid a laquer thinner soaked rag on it for an hour and it would not lift. Have had it on the shop floor for three years with out a problem.

Same spot, New House, Bad garage floor. THe concrete has deterirated under the cars from salt(according to the home inspector) leaving a very rough, gravely surface. Does anyone know of a product for leveling bad concrete? Can I just put a real thick layer of epoxy paint on it? It wont happen for a while so i have lots of time to research.

We had the same lifting problem with cars that sat for a while (over the winter). I think that combined with the big temp swings we have here makes anything short of an epoxy floor start to lift. We stripped the whole thing with high pressure water in about an hour. We then did the whole garage in 12" industrial linoleum tiles (like what would be in a school or grocery store. Easy to clean, buffs to a killer shine and you can replace a single tile if need be. Don't get the self stick stuff use the type that reqire a seperate adhesive.

Gee Scott, too bad you couldn't find some cool cars!!

Nice stable there.

PK

banderson.

You should be looking at a concrete based product first to fix the initial problem.

there are several products that would suit your needs, from a hydro cement to a self leveling skim coat over the entire floor. It is very hard to say without seeing the problem first hand, but I would not reccomend you not seal it until you are sure that the concrete base slab is stable. It sounds like a poor quality cement was used with too much sand during the initial pour.

It can be fixed, it can be repaired and made smooth and dust free if you choose the right products first (nothing available at home depot)

If you contact a concrete patio installer, or a concrete slab specialist they will know of the wide variety of products available (mainly from grace and dupont) that will make it right.

then you can look at sealing it with paint etc.

Scott, how about a wider shot of the stable?????

Rich

I had some guy do mine with an Industrial (two part) Epoxy, exactly what they use in warehouses and such. It gave a killer finish, easy to clean, and it has never peeled. I think the product he used was made by Syka (European company) if I remember well. Furthermore he had several choices of color, I chose a light gray, but for the new house that I'm currently building I'll probably go for light beige. Like any of these things, preparation is the key, that's why I left it to a professional, they know what to do and they have all the right tools for the job.

WOW! Scott...

If that's your garage, I am going to have to come over some time and check it out

Ben

I poored the slab way back on May 31st, I am building the entire thing myself, a nail at a time. Nice thing is it si built well and right. I have a really low stress level because I beat the heads of nails everyday instead of beating on peoples heads

Not sure what to do here I have to cover 1272 sq. ft. So everything will add up fast.

www.precisionepoxy.com this is $1900 solution.

Griots garage solution = ~$450

I have always found his stuff to work the way Richard says they will so that is probally what I will use. And this will save me enough for a new air-compressor and other small items. I can always use more tools!

Here are a few things to consider before you paint or epoxy coat your garage floor:

Was a vapor barrier used under the slab? If not you may have a problem with the epoxy blistering. Moisture can permeate the slab and lift the coating. Im not sure about Dayton Ohios ground water level but it is something to consider.

A slab poured May 31 is still a relatively new concrete placement. Check to make sure all the water is hydrated by placing a square of plastic on the slab, and sealing it with duct tape. If little or no condensation appear under thep lastic your good to place the epoxy ( assuming you have a vapor barrier, or no ground water problems)


If you passed these tests the key is good surface prep: follow the manufacters directions. Prep work will easily take much more time than the actual task of applying the coating..

Last I wouldnt buy anything from Griots.... way overpriced, the just repackage sojeone elses products.. Get an industrial epoxy floor coating ( like sherman-williams)

My floor is 15 years old and has one spot where a transmission emptied on it. Will an etcher clean this sufficiently for the coating to bond?

Two years ago I used the U-Coat it system. I have been very happy with it. The finish still looks like new. This past spring, my nephew used the Rustoleum product sold at Home Depot. It is already lifting from warm tires.

Drew 365 - I had the same problem before I coated my garage floor, from a leaky Jag XJ6. Diluted muratic acid should clean the stain. I also used the Ucoat it company's degreaser.