Question For You Guys With Epoxy Garage Floors....
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It depends on the type of epoxy you are talking about. If you are considering the commercially installed oil based coatings, that type of epoxy coating is about the toughest you can get.
If you are considering the DIY owner installed two part epoxy coatings that you get from Home Depot, which is marketed by companies such as Rustoleum and Quikrete, it isn't nearly as tough. I would gauge it as maybe 2-3 times stronger than garage floor paint.
After only 4 years, I can now see bare concrete under the area where my rolling bench chair is because the epoxy is wearing off. I have dropped and scraped a number of things on the floor that has removed the coating. And just this past winter I spilled some brake fluid on the floor that I didn't notice for about 2 hours. It dulled the finish badly, but didn't bubble the coating. (paint would have lifted.)
I had slim hopes that it would hold up, but it didn't. No big deal. It only cost me $50 and half a day. Sometime this year I am going to install commercial vinyl tile.
Whatever you do, unless you are a masochist, don't use the speckles like I did. Drop a screw on the floor, and it is gone forever. Solid colors or patterns only.
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If you are considering the DIY owner installed two part epoxy coatings that you get from Home Depot, which is marketed by companies such as Rustoleum and Quikrete, it isn't nearly as tough. I would gauge it as maybe 2-3 times stronger than garage floor paint.
After only 4 years, I can now see bare concrete under the area where my rolling bench chair is because the epoxy is wearing off. I have dropped and scraped a number of things on the floor that has removed the coating. And just this past winter I spilled some brake fluid on the floor that I didn't notice for about 2 hours. It dulled the finish badly, but didn't bubble the coating. (paint would have lifted.)
I had slim hopes that it would hold up, but it didn't. No big deal. It only cost me $50 and half a day. Sometime this year I am going to install commercial vinyl tile.
Whatever you do, unless you are a masochist, don't use the speckles like I did. Drop a screw on the floor, and it is gone forever. Solid colors or patterns only.
After about 5 years and mine is starting to show through. I used the 2 part rustoleum.
I used the chips. They hide imperfections but more importantly they prevent slips and falls! That new floor paint is very slick when wet!
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If you get the floor wy are the epoxy floors slick? They kinda looklike they would be to me.
Thanks. That's my shop. It is separate from the garage. I built it as part of an addition to the house so that my bike has a place to live, and so that I can do my electronics work.
It is obviously going to be a little slicker when it gets wet than bare concrete because it is a smooth surface. But it isn't as slick as something like a kitchen floor with wet shoes. The slickness is also mostly in the first few months. It gets better over time.
After it was about a year old, I was doing spring cleaning and got the urge to wax it because it wasn't as shiny as when new. That was a HUGE mistake. The dog couldn't even walk on it. He just kept wiping out! :lol:
bjcarter,
I don't have any experience with a car or studded tires on it. But I don't think it would hold up too well with studded tires. I even keep a piece of carpet under my bike, because the side stand would tear it up. In fairness though, I think just about any coating would get torn up with studded tires.
The old saying is true that you get what you pay for. I had hoped that the DIY epoxy coatings would be a good way to beat the high cost of commercial epoxy, but it just isn't. It's better than garage floor paint, but is not permanent like commercial epoxy. The DIY stuff is the only way to go if you are on a budget or can't justify spending a lot of money on a garage floor. But if you really want something durable, have commercial epoxy installed, or install commercial vinyl tile. Be prepared however. It is expensive.
DIY coating, only issue so far has been trying to drive car up on ramps; tires spun and burned off expoy coating! Still have not recoated yet. Never had issues with spills, but quickly wipe them up. DO NOT attempt to use a "ride on stand with expoxy floor", this cost me a mirror ! :22yikes:
Take a look at this website if you are planning a DIY installation. Their product appears to be a hybrid between the inexpensive stuff sold at Home Depot, and the expensive commercially installed solvent based products.
http://www.ucoatit.com/2011web/main.htm
They use a 3 part, 2 step process like the commercial products. But it is water based like the DIY stuff. I honestly don't know how durable it is by comparison. But considering it is sold for commercial use, as well as residential, it can't be junk. It is much more expensive than the Rustoleum and Quikcrete products. But it is fairly reasonable in price.
http://www.ucoatit.com/2011web/main.htm
They use a 3 part, 2 step process like the commercial products. But it is water based like the DIY stuff. I honestly don't know how durable it is by comparison. But considering it is sold for commercial use, as well as residential, it can't be junk. It is much more expensive than the Rustoleum and Quikcrete products. But it is fairly reasonable in price.
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We just did a couple of floors with the oil based product. If you have someone do it, it's expensive. My cost on the material is between $175 and $200. This gets you a gallon of color, half a gallon of hardener, about 2 ozs of UV protectorate and some flakes. It will cover about 300 square feet.
I had a couple of floors done at work with the Epoxy finish mostly because the floors were not level..It worked good for leveling everything out because you can pour it out very thin without worrying about chiping or cracking but they are very slick when they get wet..So we had to have a grid finish put on they to reduce the chance for falls..But now they are very hard to mop or sweep...In one area we leveled the floors with the Epoxy then tiled over it..That area worked out great..The cost is very high also..
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My experience with is was about the same as Larry.
One thing to consider is the surface you are going to coat.
Does it have a sealer on it, or a previous coat of paint ?
The Epoxy is only as good as the surface it has to adhere to.
When I built my shop I told the concrete guys not to seal it. I put (Sherwin Williams two part epoxy) on it, and was expecting better service than I got from it.
Keep in mind we are a Fabrication Shop so there is a lot of grinding dust, and welding going on.
Had to recoat it in 4 years. Needs it again but I am not going to move everything in the building to do it again.
I did my previous bldg with Concrete Stain at 1/3 the price and it held up just as well as the Epoxy Finish.
Park on it with Wet Car Tires and it will pull it up. Brake Fluid is also death on it.
A shop like Larry has, looks like it could be repainted fairly easily, & that may be the solution. Just repaint it when it starts wearing.
My Bldg is 7500 Sq. Ft. and full of Equipment.
One thing to consider is the surface you are going to coat.
Does it have a sealer on it, or a previous coat of paint ?
The Epoxy is only as good as the surface it has to adhere to.
When I built my shop I told the concrete guys not to seal it. I put (Sherwin Williams two part epoxy) on it, and was expecting better service than I got from it.
Keep in mind we are a Fabrication Shop so there is a lot of grinding dust, and welding going on.
Had to recoat it in 4 years. Needs it again but I am not going to move everything in the building to do it again.
I did my previous bldg with Concrete Stain at 1/3 the price and it held up just as well as the Epoxy Finish.
Park on it with Wet Car Tires and it will pull it up. Brake Fluid is also death on it.
A shop like Larry has, looks like it could be repainted fairly easily, & that may be the solution. Just repaint it when it starts wearing.
My Bldg is 7500 Sq. Ft. and full of Equipment.
I used U-Coat-it 2 years ago and I'm happy with it. There are a few stains on it that won't come out like where hot metal hit it. The only chip is where I knocked a vise off the table. It is hard to get the bike off the center stand because it wants to slip. Also I have to anchor my lift before I ride on it or it will slide.
I'd recommend it.
I'd recommend it.
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All these replies have been very helpful.
I had this company give me a quote today for a 20' X 20' garage and it was $1800.
http://www.awesomegaragefloors.com/?gclid=CPH3t__sqakCFUM65QodsliiMg
I've never been real happy with the "paint" I have on the floor now, but to be fair I must admit that it has been there for 10 years. Last weekend I did a brake job on my wife's car and destroyed an area of the floor with brake cleaner from a spray can.
I am really considering having "Awesome Garage Floors" do it. I would probably do it in grey (with specks).
I had this company give me a quote today for a 20' X 20' garage and it was $1800.
http://www.awesomegaragefloors.com/?gclid=CPH3t__sqakCFUM65QodsliiMg
I've never been real happy with the "paint" I have on the floor now, but to be fair I must admit that it has been there for 10 years. Last weekend I did a brake job on my wife's car and destroyed an area of the floor with brake cleaner from a spray can.
I am really considering having "Awesome Garage Floors" do it. I would probably do it in grey (with specks).
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Just for info, it should be $3.70 to $3.90 per sqft.
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Have a back and white checkered floor and the only problem we have is a slight color change on the black tiles from jet blast.
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