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Has anyone had their garage floor done. I thinking to have the floors done in my 3 car garage. Does anyone had it done can tell me what you paid and who did it for you. Also how long you had it for and how it holding up
thanks
Has anyone had their garage floor done. I thinking to have the floors done in my 3 car garage. Does anyone had it done can tell me what you paid and who did it for you. Also how long you had it for and how it holding up
thanks
I am having my 3 car garage done this week in epoxy, grey and red squares. I trust the person doing the job as he has done a lot of work in my home. I will try to post up a pic next week if you are interested. BTW don't skimp on the flakes, they are costly but worth it.
I am having my 3 car garage done this week in epoxy, grey and red squares. I trust the person doing the job as he has done a lot of work in my home. I will try to post up a pic next week if you are interested. BTW don't skimp on the flakes, they are costly but worth it.
Love to see pix when done. If you can pm me what it going to run you and whom
Love to see pix when done. If you can pm me what it going to run you and whom
I was unable to DM pictures of my guys current work at my home. I am remolding all the baths in the house and only one more bath to go ( the third picture is an unfinished bath ) . Next is the epoxy floor. I am sharing these pictures to illustrate the skill level of a man I trust 100% as I have dealt with him before. I have no doubt that he is more than capable to do an epoxy floor. You also might want to look into porcelain for a garage floor as long as it is rated PEI 4 or 5. If you are SERIOUS about having my guy do your floor DM for his contact info, just be warned he could be backed up about a month. This man is capable of all contraction work w the exception of electric and gas. I hope I have helped you get one step closer to your dream garage floor. Enjoy the pictures and good luck.
Last edited by Onlyliveonce; 08-15-2014 at 10:23 AM..
I was unable to DM pictures of my guys current work at my home. I am remolding all the baths in the house and only one more bath to go. Next is the epoxy floor. I am sharing these pictures to illustrate the skill level of a man I trust 100% as I have dealt with him before. I have no doubt that he is more than capable to do an epoxy floor. You also might want to look into porcelain for a garage floor as long as it is rated PEI 4 or 5. If you are SERIOUS about having my guy do your floor DM for his contact info, just be warned he could be backed up about a month. This man is capable of all contraction work w the exception of electric and gas. I hope I have helped you get one step closer to your dream garage floor. Enjoy the pictures and good luck.
I did it myself after a bit of online research. Actually, it was a my mom's garage floor. It is a standard 2 car garage.
If you are at all handy, it isn't that bad.
The first thing to know is that epoxy is not paint. It does not "dry" the way paint does. Instead, there is a chemical process whereby a resin ("part A") reacts chemically with a hardener or converter (part B) and the end result looks quite similar to a painted floor. Each epoxy product has a "pot life". You need to get the product on to the floor & rolled out with a paint roller within the pot life. Some of the highest grade 100% solids (no VOC) epoxies have a pot life of 15 minutes; that is tough for a DIYer to handle. Other high solids (e.g., 77% solids) products have a pot life of an hour.
Because these are chemical reactions, you need to be careful about the temperature of the concrete slab and the air. If it is too cold (say, below 50 degrees) it is possible the chemical reaction will stall and the epoxy won't harden and you'll have a sticky gooey mess. If the temperature is too high, it will harden very quickly before you've had the opportunity to spread it out. The product will tell you the temperature range.
Preparation is KEY.
After your garage is empty, you need to thoroughly degrease it. Get it nice and clean so water does not bead on the surface from old oil spills. Degrease, scrub, rinse, repeat several times.
Above I mentioned there is a chemical reaction between the resin & hardener. Most epoxies also chemically bond to the concrete floor. A chemical bond to the floor is a lot stronger than a mechanical bond of traditional paint. Prior to painting a surface, we all know to roughen it up with sandpaper so the paint has something to grab on to (the mechanical bond). With an epoxy on a concrete surface, you must first remove the top layer of "laitance" on the concrete. This layer is the thickness of several sheets of printer paper. The reason you remove it is the laitance is not well adhered to the rest of the concrete below. If the epoxy chemically bonds to the laitance, you may have "hot tire pick-up". So, you remove the laitance first, then you apply the epoxy. The epoxy will chemically bond to the concrete of the garage floor, and this chemical bond is stronger than the concrete itself. How do you remove laitance? Probably the easiest way is with watered down swimming pool muriatic acid. It chemically reacts with the layer of laitance, and it washes off. You don't need to worry about neutralizing the acid, as the garage floor does that for you. You scub it in, and then power wash it off. Then you power-wash it a few more times and use a scrub brush to get all the now-loosened laitance off. The concrete at this point will have a visual appearance of being a bit rough -- sort of like 80 grit sandpaper -- that's good, as the epoxy then has more concrete surface area with which to bond & the laitance is gone.
In general, if you find something called a 1-part epoxy, do not use it; it is not a true epoxy. Use a 2-part epoxy.
In general, you will find both water-based and VOC-based epoxies. Do not use the water-based epoxies, as they are inferior in quality and durability. Use the VOC-based epoxies. You only want to do this once.
In general, the ultimate is a 100% solids epoxy (no water or VOC), but only go this route if you have a friend helping you because you have to work very fast because of the short pot life.
Stay away from polyaspartics (an alternative to an epoxy). Polyaspartics are not a do-it-yourself option.
Here is a summary of the costs involved on my project. I used ICI Devran (ICI is a chain retail paint company). I did this several years ago, so the prices I quote below may have increased.
****
I used 3 kits of Devran 224HS (one for a "primer" coat and two for the main coat; the HS means "high solids" but not 100% solids). The 224HS kits were $37.50x2 (it is a 1:1 mix of resin & hardener). So, 1 kit costs $75 total and yields 2 gal. of mix.
I used 2 kits of 379UVA clear coat. Unlike the 224, each kit of 379 mixes 1:4 resin to hardener. When mixed together, each kit yields 1.25 gal, and I used 2 kits. Each kit was $80. The UVA means it has a chemical additive so ultraviolet light won't cause the clear coat to yellow or chalk (epoxy doesn't do well in bright sunlight).
I bought 10 pounds of paint chips @ $3.15 per pound.
I also bought "shark grit" for $ 14.50 to add to the clear coat as an anti-slip agent (the quantity they sold me was good for 5 kits, but I only used 2/5 of it. The chips and shark grit came from a concrete supply store. The shark grit is a friction enhancer that is only evident when the surface is wet.
Then of course there were other consumables...
2 gal of concrete cleaner -- about $12 total
4 gal of muriatic acid (swimming pool strength) -- about $18
"flower watering can" made of plastic to sprinkle a weak acid solution on the floor - about $5
3 roller covers suitable for epoxy -- $11 total
3 5-Gal plastic pails -- about $13
disposable brushes to cut in the edges -- about $8
plastic sheeting & masking tape -- about $15
For "spike" shoes I bought a pair of old spiked golf shoes from a 2nd hand store -- $10.
I used an old roller frame, which ultimately I tossed. I was able to use the frame for each step. I also had disposable plastic gloves.
I already had an electric power washer from Costco.
The products I used were NOT "100%" solids. I wanted to use the 100% solids formulas, but I was scared of the "pot life" of about 30 mins. I just didn't think I had the skill to cut in the edges & control joints & roll out the slab in that amount of time. A pro can do it, but I'm not a pro and I'm old & stiff. The 224 product had a pot life of several hours. It turns out each coat took me about an hour, so I guess I made the right decision for me.
I did it myself after a bit of online research. Actually, it was a my mom's garage floor. It is a standard 2 car garage.
If you are at all handy, it isn't that bad.
The first thing to know is that epoxy is not paint. It does not "dry" the way paint does. Instead, there is a chemical process whereby a resin ("part A") reacts chemically with a hardener or converter (part B) and the end result looks quite similar to a painted floor. Each epoxy product has a "pot life". You need to get the product on to the floor & rolled out with a paint roller within the pot life. Some of the highest grade 100% solids (no VOC) epoxies have a pot life of 15 minutes; that is tough for a DIYer to handle. Other high solids (e.g., 77% solids) products have a pot life of an hour.
Because these are chemical reactions, you need to be careful about the temperature of the concrete slab and the air. If it is too cold (say, below 50 degrees) it is possible the chemical reaction will stall and the epoxy won't harden and you'll have a sticky gooey mess. If the temperature is too high, it will harden very quickly before you've had the opportunity to spread it out. The product will tell you the temperature range.
Preparation is KEY.
After your garage is empty, you need to thoroughly degrease it. Get it nice and clean so water does not bead on the surface from old oil spills. Degrease, scrub, rinse, repeat several times.
Above I mentioned there is a chemical reaction between the resin & hardener. Most epoxies also chemically bond to the concrete floor. A chemical bond to the floor is a lot stronger than a mechanical bond of traditional paint. Prior to painting a surface, we all know to roughen it up with sandpaper so the paint has something to grab on to (the mechanical bond). With an epoxy on a concrete surface, you must first remove the top layer of "laitance" on the concrete. This layer is the thickness of several sheets of printer paper. The reason you remove it is the laitance is not well adhered to the rest of the concrete below. If the epoxy chemically bonds to the laitance, you may have "hot tire pick-up". So, you remove the laitance first, then you apply the epoxy. The epoxy will chemically bond to the concrete of the garage floor, and this chemical bond is stronger than the concrete itself. How do you remove laitance? Probably the easiest way is with watered down swimming pool muriatic acid. It chemically reacts with the layer of laitance, and it washes off. You don't need to worry about neutralizing the acid, as the garage floor does that for you. You scub it in, and then power wash it off. Then you power-wash it a few more times and use a scrub brush to get all the now-loosened laitance off. The concrete at this point will have a visual appearance of being a bit rough -- sort of like 80 grit sandpaper -- that's good, as the epoxy then has more concrete surface area with which to bond & the laitance is gone.
In general, if you find something called a 1-part epoxy, do not use it; it is not a true epoxy. Use a 2-part epoxy.
In general, you will find both water-based and VOC-based epoxies. Do not use the water-based epoxies, as they are inferior in quality and durability. Use the VOC-based epoxies. You only want to do this once.
In general, the ultimate is a 100% solids epoxy (no water or VOC), but only go this route if you have a friend helping you because you have to work very fast because of the short pot life.
Stay away from polyaspartics (an alternative to an epoxy). Polyaspartics are not a do-it-yourself option.
Here is a summary of the costs involved on my project. I used ICI Devran (ICI is a chain retail paint company). I did this several years ago, so the prices I quote below may have increased.
****
I used 3 kits of Devran 224HS (one for a "primer" coat and two for the main coat; the HS means "high solids" but not 100% solids). The 224HS kits were $37.50x2 (it is a 1:1 mix of resin & hardener). So, 1 kit costs $75 total and yields 2 gal. of mix.
I used 2 kits of 379UVA clear coat. Unlike the 224, each kit of 379 mixes 1:4 resin to hardener. When mixed together, each kit yields 1.25 gal, and I used 2 kits. Each kit was $80. The UVA means it has a chemical additive so ultraviolet light won't cause the clear coat to yellow or chalk (epoxy doesn't do well in bright sunlight).
I bought 10 pounds of paint chips @ $3.15 per pound.
I also bought "shark grit" for $ 14.50 to add to the clear coat as an anti-slip agent (the quantity they sold me was good for 5 kits, but I only used 2/5 of it. The chips and shark grit came from a concrete supply store. The shark grit is a friction enhancer that is only evident when the surface is wet.
Then of course there were other consumables...
2 gal of concrete cleaner -- about $12 total
4 gal of muriatic acid (swimming pool strength) -- about $18
"flower watering can" made of plastic to sprinkle a weak acid solution on the floor - about $5
3 roller covers suitable for epoxy -- $11 total
3 5-Gal plastic pails -- about $13
disposable brushes to cut in the edges -- about $8
plastic sheeting & masking tape -- about $15
For "spike" shoes I bought a pair of old spiked golf shoes from a 2nd hand store -- $10.
I used an old roller frame, which ultimately I tossed. I was able to use the frame for each step. I also had disposable plastic gloves.
I already had an electric power washer from Costco.
The products I used were NOT "100%" solids. I wanted to use the 100% solids formulas, but I was scared of the "pot life" of about 30 mins. I just didn't think I had the skill to cut in the edges & control joints & roll out the slab in that amount of time. A pro can do it, but I'm not a pro and I'm old & stiff. The 224 product had a pot life of several hours. It turns out each coat took me about an hour, so I guess I made the right decision for me.
Here are a couple pics along the way:
First off the floor looks awesome ( great job ). I will ad to stay away from water base and only go with 100% solid kits. Although you did a great job I would not recommend as a DIY project unless you have some skill set as a patient handy guy. The labor is not that bad, but rather the cost of a high quality epoxy kit. Heat from tires and time will destroy an inferior product and/or poor prep.
Attached a link of the actual product along with an explanation.
100% solids epoxy refers to the volume and the total percentage of solids in your floor coating. Car Guys Flooring is not diluted with a water or a solvent base, it is 100% solids. This gives you a very durable coating, because unlike a water based product, there is no product shrinkage. You are getting the best in terms of adhesion and durability with the Car Guys Flooring system.
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