Epoxy garage floor

[PWL216 962]

Just had my garage floor epoxied. I had been thinking about it for a while. Two young firefighters that work with my son recently started a business doing it so I got the early adopter rate ;).  They did an excellent job. The biggest pain was of course moving everything in and out. Thankfully my grandson helped me move the heavy stuff. before and after photo below.

[HyperPete 496]

Looks great!  Will it be slippery when wet, or is there grit in it?

[PWL216 962]

58 minutes ago, HyperPete said:

Looks great!  Will it be slippery when wet, or is there grit in it?

@HyperPete Great question! My brother had his garage epoxied and he says it’s not slippery when wet, then I talked to a friend at my sportsman club that said he’s almost slipped on his *ss twice walking on his epoxy floor from walking across the wet grass and onto the floor. His floor might have been over epoxied. My floor feels a little gritty so I’m hoping it will be ok. Time will tell…

[ebinmaine 70,747]

Niiiiice! 

[953 nut 57,919]

I used the Epoxy with the colored chips in it like yours when we built the house fourteen years ago. It has held up well and the plastic chips do provide a lot of traction. A friend did his shortly after mine and added a clear coat over the chips and it is slippery when dry! 

[Horse Newbie 7,199]

I did my shop with a DIY kit from Lowe’s. Has held up well. I put the colored chips in also… plenty of traction, wet or dry…

[rmaynard 15,919]

Had a friend that used a Rustoleum Kit from Lowes. If I recall, the price was about $300.00. It went on easily and stayed nice for about 3 months. Then he went on vacation for a month and left one car in the garage. When he moved the car, the floor was stuck to the tires. Since then, multiple failures have occurred. By contrast, his neighbor had her floor done by a professional at a cost of over $2000.00. The floor is still in beautiful shape after 5 years.

[953 nut 57,919]

Like any other finish the preparation will determines the outcome. My guess if the finish that failed to adhere to floor was because they skipped the step of prepping the floor with a muriatic acid etch.

[Horse Newbie 7,199]

30 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

Like any other finish the preparation will determines the outcome. My guess if the finish that failed to adhere to floor was because they skipped the step of prepping the floor with a muriatic acid etch.

That’s exactly what I was thinking.

I followed the prep steps to a tee. I will say that this is my shop floor with no cars with warm tires ever being parked on it.

I have heard of people experiencing that problem after parking warm tires on the DIY floors.

[WHX?? 50,738]

Every year right after plow day I pressure wash my shop floor. Lots of pulled pork drippings on it along with the multitude of condiments and of course plow field dirt. Once in the spring as well from all those no mess oil changes,,,  

Lets just say I don't want it to turn into a cigarette butt reinforced asphalt like @Achto's. 

Figuring I need to keep it clean lest I bring home another tractor and have to sleep out ther. 

 

That said I often contemplate putting down a epoxy floor  but it quickly passes when I think of the work to move everything out including the work benches. The guy that built those benches should not be allowed to run a air nailer. 

I got quotes from pros and all were in the 2-3 k range for 768 sq ft. One guy was 4.5 K ... gulp ... but guaranteed for life. Told him I wasn't gonna live that long! 

Diy would be about 6-700 with this stuff.

https://supremepaintsandcoatings.com/collections/concrete-paint/products/3-epoxy-zenith-heavy-duty-epoxy-coating?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17182023811&gbraid=0AAAAADucSAYcOzo9Xnn1IL2grY4OUeDtK&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiLLABhCEARIsAJYS6ukvaqi09gUjwS-LiNdWeylPenl54x2GYlnLZKJQwFhBiijrHPSY-PUaAtwlEALw_wcB

A tad cheaper with big box stuff. 

 

Following with interest if I decide to pull a trigger. 

[HyperPete 496]

I have thought about coating my floors, but I don't think it will hold up to welding, grinding, and various chemical spills.

I do have carpet (previous owner) under the side where I park my bikes.  No welding there!

[PWL216 962]

2 hours ago, 953 nut said:

Like any other finish the preparation will determines the outcome. My guess if the finish that failed to adhere to floor was because they skipped the step of prepping the floor with a muriatic acid etch.

@953 nut I think you’re exactly right - it’s all about the prep. These guys came in and did a surface grinding of the entire floor to remove all contaminants. If it isn’t prepped right, it probably doesn’t matter what product you use, it won’t last.

[PWL216 962]

44 minutes ago, HyperPete said:

I have thought about coating my floors, but I don't think it will hold up to welding, grinding, and various chemical spills.

I do have carpet (previous owner) under the side where I park my bikes.  No welding there!

@HyperPete Pete, I also do a little bit of welding and I specifically asked the guys if the hot sparks from the welder would damage the floor. They said no. We’ll see 🤪

Edited 41 minutes ago by PWL216

[PWL216 962]

For those that may be interested, I paid $1,400. My garage is a single bay of roughly 400 sq’. If you’re in MA/RI and thinking about having yours done, I can provide contact info.