VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION General Discussions PAINTING A GARAGE FLOOR

We just bought a house that has a 1365 square foot garage. The question I have Is, The concrete floor, I plan on painting, I would like to know what preperation steps should be taken to prepare It, before I put the floor paint down. I plan on rolling the paint and want to make sure the right steps are taken for the paint to not flake off, Or peel off. Hopefully someone has done this and can give me some tips of what to use to prepare the concrete for painting. :)

Don - 1365 is double that of my house. You're going to need a lot of paint.

Read this: http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hi_outdoor_structures/article/0,2037,DIY_13927_2370969,00.html

Give me a call if you need any help.

Roger

Hey Don,

My "answer" would be just like the question about painting the cement walk up to the house or the cement porch or etc etc.... DON'T paint it.

It's sort of like high temp paint on exhaust manifolds, it just doesn't work!!!

IF you insist on a "floor covering," check into some of the newer neat tile stuff. Black and White "checker board" looks way cool!!!

Bill.

When I was in high school I worked for a large department store with a big warehouse with a concrete floor and we had to paint it.

I remember it was a battleship gray and it looked great and didn't flake off. So there are paint products made for concrete floors; you might want to look at the directions on the cans. Check with the local paint stores also.

However the painted floor did get very slick whenever it got wet. There might be stains available which would work also.

Do you know if there is a vapor barrier under the concrete?

Don, a properly prepared and painted concrete garage floor is worth the trouble. Go to Lowes, Home Depot etc. and read on the back of the Special garage floor paint can (I like Thompsons, the folks that make the Thompsons Water Seal). They also make a cleaner to get all the grease & Oil off, I used a power washer with degreaser. Then you need to pickle the surface by mopping on a reduced solution of Muratic Acid, ( Open the doors to dissipate what fumes it may give off) then rinse with clear water, mop dry and wait till the floor is good and dry, then roll on the paint. The paint I used wasn't effected by gasoline paint thinner, brake fluid, it never chipped when I rolled the steel wheeled engine crane or engine stands over it, it makes the garage look and work 100% better.GO FOR IT!

Just like MrMack posted use degreaser to get up oils. Wash the floor real good with soapy water. Not just water, you need the soap to break loose the dust and dirt. Rinse real good. Then etch it with Muratic Acid - Just like MrMack posted. Then rinse real good again.

I used the "U-Coat It" system as advertised in Hemmings. A lot More expensive then paint. You can get cheaper versions at Lowe's and home Depot, but they usually only have gray. I did not want gray. You can view it at www.ucoatit.com However, it looks a lot better then paint or the systems sold at Lowes's and Home Depot.

I put down the light beige basecoat, then I hand painted large Chevolet Bowties in Blue. Then I sprinkled on the flecks and some aluminum oxide granules (makes it non-slip)then the clear coat. It is Beautiful. Before I did this I painted all the walls, pegboard and ceiling a light yellow - the back of the garage doors a light green. Most garages have gray walls and gray concrete floors - depressing.

Thanks for all the good Information. I think I need the cordman to come and do my garage floor. Your floor sounds great and you should post a couple pictures on this site to show It off. I have five five gallon cans of high quality floor paint that was given to me, So that Is what I will be useing. It Is gray and I also have five gallon cans of the same quality clear coat to roll on after the gray goes on. It Is the preperation before painting that I need the Information on and you guys gave me the tips on what to do. Thanks alot. Maybe I could Get Mack to come to the northwest to show me how to prepare the floor, Oh I guess I must be dreaming. :)

Don, hope I'm not too late with this but you should "box" the paint before using it.

Each can could have a slightly different color or tint so you need to pour all of the paint you are going to use together in one large bucket and then put it back into the smaller cans.

Good luck.

Thanks for the tip. :)

Sherwin-Williams has a lot of information on their site regarding floor coatings.

http://sherlink.sherwin.com/swapp/search/begin.do


This particular link gives their opinion of preparing a concrete floor for painting.

http://www3.sherwin.com/do_it_yours...lver/problems/Peeling_ConcreteFloors.jsp

Happy New Year to everyone. Well, I decided not to paint the garage floor. I decided to use 16 Inch square ceramic tile Instead. I have been to other guys garages and to Car dealerships who have tile on their floors and I think that Is the way I want to go. I went to Home Depot and they had a closeout on 16 Inch light gray ceramic floor tile. I paid 58 cents a square foot which Is a real low price per square foot. 1360 square feet of tile Is alot to put down, And hopefully I will not drop too many tools or heavy objects on the tile. Does anyone else have ceramic tile on their garage floors? And If so, How do you like It.

Don I really think you need to think this through, unless you use the garage solely for entertainment.

I really wouldn't want any ceramic square tiles in my garage or shop. I use all kinds of stuff on casters and dollies, engine stands, engine cranes, car dollies, floor jacks, tool boxes, transmission jacks, desk chairs even have casters for my 4 post car lift. I like a smooth floor but not really slick. I don't even like the vinyl tile squares, liquids seep between the squares. I like the good quality garage floor paints put down with a roller on a clean acid etched floor.
I have used the Thompson Garage floor paint and haven't had anything bother it from brake fluid, gasoline or brake cleaner, I had a jug of paint stripper leak in one corner and it went down to the concrete in a small spot, I cleaned it with a power washer, etched it and repainted it without any problems.
I have a floor to do now, I wished I had not moved any thing into it, but I did, so now I will have to drive the cars outside, move everything to one half, jack the lift up, paint under the feet, spray on a degreaser,clean the concrete with a power washer, acid etch and rinse, paint one side then after it drys for a couple of days or a week move every thing over and paint the other half.

PS
If anyone decides to do an acid etch, use Muriatic acid ratio of 5 parts water 1 part acid, I mix it in a large plastic mop tub, add the acid to the lukewarm water SLOWLY!(may be a tad strong for the faint of heart) mop it on with a cotton mop. You will need to use a respirator and wear old rubber soled shoes or boots, I use my fireman boots, and they get a good cleaning! Also have lots of fresh air circulating over the work area. Quickly , before it gets too dry, rinse it well with clean water, dry mop, and let it dry for a day or two before painting.

I do a lot of work in my shop, therefore, I would never, ever paint the floor. Too much work, too much maintenance and it will never look as good as the day you painted it. All I have done to the floor in my shop in the past 30 years is to sweep it regularly. No muss no fuss!

If you want to tile your garage floor then there are tiles available that are made by several companies specifically for garage floors. They are really slick looking and the tiles require no maintenance. Also, the tiles are easy to install as well.

I'm with Macky Wacky.....ceramic tiles are a "no no" on a garage floor, especially if you are going to perform any kind of work in the garage.

:)

Don, if you do decide to paint the floor have you thought of painting it to look like tile...it would take a lot longer and you might need a professional to do it but it might be a good compromise. I have seen some of these fake grained painted floors and you have a hard time telling them from real tile or wood.

Check with all of the experts you can find and maybe there is something out there that would make you happy and be serviceable too. It is something you will have to live with a long time.

Good luck.

DAWG, I agree on bare concrete looking the same year after year and paint never looking as good as it did at first, but I painted the shop floor in Midland with real light gray garage floor paint and it still looked good 10 years later, of course when a car sat on it for a year or so it left permanent tire prints. I really liked it because it was easy to sweep, and it mopped easy enough when something was spilled to make the effort worthwhile. The lighting seemed to be better also. when I dropped a small pin, screw or nut it seemed easier to find.

Maintenance! That's why I would never paint a garage floor in a working shop. Tire marks is one good reason, another would be scratch marks or peeling paint when sliding heavy things around on the floor. Discoloration is a third factor, and chipped concrete when something heavy is dropped is another. And, then when the floor gets looking really bad it has to be redone. You should see "Moron Mikey's" painted garage floor......what a mess! Nope, I don't need the grief or the extra hassle, and natural concrete is pretty much maintenance free.

:( :( :(

JYD, did you seal your concrete floor?

What about concrete dyes?

Don, there is one way to sort-of have it both ways (concrete and ”˜fancy’)...some people have the concrete lightly ground down until you expose the gravel tops and then they polish (sand) the floor and the exposed flatten tops until it is smooth which makes the final product looks like a very nice terrazzo floor.

Nope. Didn't seal the concrete floor......it is all "natural" concrete with a smooth finish, and it has served me well since 1974.

:)

Thanks for all the good tips and Information on doing a garage floor. I have seen the Junkyard Dogs garage floor and It Is spectacular with nothing put on It. I think he must have the wife keep It so clean, Or he does not do any work on It. I do not plan on doing any kind of work on the tile floor when I have It layed, Except for walking On It and I really plan on making all 1360 square feet of the garage a showroom. The only work that will be done, Is having the wife polish and dust the cars, HA HA, That will be the day. Speaking of showrooms, If any of you guys ever can get out to Oregon and go to The Junkyard dogs compound and see his garage and showroom, You would be amazed at what he has. Also he has some good brew on tap all the time.

So you aren't going to do any work in the garage, just a place to show off your collections, hide out and drink a little Bud,and do a little entertainment?

Wow Don,I said I'd come see you 2 years ago and never made it over and now you've moved away.Time sure flys!!I painted my floor and put large garage mats under the cars,works well,chef

Hey Donald: If your garage is going to be basically a showroom, then I would definitely go with something out of the ordinary to set off your display. Polished ceramic tile looks great. Another material that looks fantastic is imitation polished marble tiles. It is hard to keep clean but it really sets off the cars on display.

:cool2:

Interesting how there's usually different "meanings" for the same word.....

To some a garage means "a place to work on the car."

Could also mean "a place to (just) park the car, but out of the elements."

For others it means "a place to 'show' the car(s) and probably other auto related items also."

Likely another dozen meanings.

Makes this "city dweller" wish he had more garage 'space' - so he could do more things.....

Bill.

When I lived in the South and had a new house, I too had a nice looking garage floor. However, now that I am back in the Nawth with a 15 year old house, my garage floor looks like (not nice). I would like to see some comments here from someone who has put something on a concrete floor and has had snow, salt, etc., on it for several years. My floor was painted at one time and I have kept it clean for the 4 years I have owned it but the old paint has peeled except for around the edges and the salt has corroded the cement some. Any suggestions born from experience? Stuart