Epoxy Floor Thoughts

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

beck3906

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
Messages
2,155
Location
Belton, TX 76513
My shop is progressing nicely with several things completed and more scheduled for this weekend. One thing I am considering is an epoxy floor before I move things into the shop.

I've studied the Garage Journal group discussion on epoxy floors and wondered what experiences anyone here has had with an epoxy floor.

Anyone care to offer thoughts, suggestions, gripes about the epoxy finish they have?
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
I've installed two epoxy floor covering systems and have really like the ease of cleanup and the appearance. Granted I only used the Rustoleum for garage floors without the additional clear top coat. I found this is a good product for the money. You could also step up to the Sherwin Williams brand or go all out and have a professional company install on for you. I've installed the professional versions in about 30 of the medical facilities that I manage and build out for the company that employees me. They are very nice and durable.

Good luck on the shop completion. I hope you enjoy it soon.
 
Be careful with the Sherwin Williams product. I used it once with great results but my dad used it in his motorhome garage with abysmal results. Sherwin Williams ended up giving him new material and it still is not good. he followed all the directions for prep and application but it still had problems. For example, when you drive in with hot tires, the tires will stick and cause the coating to come up in that area.

If you want a great product that is very cost effective, there is a product from Shepplers that goes on with a garden sprayer and then back rolled. It is a clear coat and leaves the floor the natural concrete color but with a wet look. I used it on my 3,000 sf shop and it has held up wonderfully. It is impervious to most solvents, is easy to apply yourself, and is relatively cheap. I bought a 5 gallon container and used maybe 4 gallons for the whole shop. I believe, at the time, 5 gallons was less than $100. It has been down for 8 years and still looks great. It seals the concrete and makes clean up much better.

I now recommend it to my custom home customers for use on their garage floors. I can't remember the name right off the top of my head but if you are interested, send me a PM and I will get the info for you. it is made for sealing concrete, especially stamped and dyed concrete like sidewalks. I have used it in commercial applications as well with great results.
 
Oh yeah, the stuff that I recommend can be applied to damp concrete too. That way you can pressure wash the concrete to clean it up real good and then apply the sealer the next day. With Epoxy, the concrete needs to be really dry for it to work best.
 
Efflorescence can be a real problem with concrete floors..... probably more so in colder climates due to the additives used to prevent freezing.
Like any good paint job, prep is the key, I suspect.
 
Rick,

I went with the rustoleum version as well. After almost 8 years it is starting to show wear. Unfortunately I have to share the shop with the car, so there are a few places where the hot tires are starting to cause peeling. I also noticed a while back that there has been some discoloration pretty much all over the shop, perhaps the tannins from the wood.

It has actually held up better than I had expected. Clean ups from spills have never been so easy. I have just 2 real gripes with it: 1. Water dipping from the car will no longer just seep into the concrete, making for some slippery surface 2. Wood dust or chips can be even more slippery than water on top of it. With that said, when I take the time to do a recoat, I'll be adding some sand to the epoxy to help with slippage.

Be sure to follow the directions exactly for the prep work. The cleaner the cement is before you coat, the better off you are. I also recall some kind of moisture test to be preformed where you tape down some plastic to the cement to see if you have a moisture issue before you spend your money. You may want to investigate that first.
 
I put down the rustoleum one on our garage floor when we bought this house 13 or so years ago. It has performed perfectly. It looks as good today as it did then.
 
I had good luck with the Sherwin Williams industrial Epoxy Coatings twice so far. It's not inexpensive and you better wear a respirator.
 
Back
Top Bottom