Garage Floor

[jAngiel]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread on garage floors so I started a new one.

Has anyone ever tried using Quickrete Concrete Resurfacer, tinted with their colors to "paint" their garage floors?

I don't know about the cost difference but it definitely sounds like it would be a lot more durable than the epoxy paint systems that are out there. I am considering this as LOML would like the garage floor to look better.

Our neighbors painted theirs but they do not park on it and LOML loves the look. Here in SW Oklahoma we get some serious heat in the summer and I am thinking that epoxy paint will not hold up to us parking on it. Don't know for sure but it just seems that it would peal before the first year ended. Could be that's why I have never seen the paint used around here in a garage where people actually park.

We are fortunate to have a 3 car garage and can only fit in one car. Not to sure why she wants the floor to look good, with soon to be six kids and all of my stuff (tools, benches and the like) you can barely see the floor anyway. But if she wants it, so be it. I'll just add it to my list of projects and let her decide the priority...

[cabinetman]

James

I have never heard of much success with painting the floor. I have heard that on some jobs, when the slab was poured, a tint went into the mix, so that the color went all the way through.

Getting something to stick seems to be the problem. Personally, I can't comment on the resurfacer.



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

[dwolsten]

Has anyone ever tried using Quickrete Concrete Resurfacer, tinted with their colors to "paint" their garage floors?

The problem with tinting or staining concrete is that this doesn't prevent the concrete from absorbing other stains, such as motor oil. One of the main reasons for using paint on top of concrete is to protect it from things like that. Concrete is porous, so it easily absorbs moisture, oil, etc.

I don't know about the cost difference but it definitely sounds like it would be a lot more durable than the epoxy paint systems that are out there. I am considering this as LOML would like the garage floor to look better.

Durable is a relative term. Tinted concrete would be more durable if you were, say, beating on the concrete with sharp metal pieces for some reason. But it sounds to me like someone's told you something incorrect about the durability of modern epoxy coatings.

Our neighbors painted theirs but they do not park on it and LOML loves the look. Here in SW Oklahoma we get some serious heat in the summer and I am thinking that epoxy paint will not hold up to us parking on it. Don't know for sure but it just seems that it would peal before the first year ended. Could be that's why I have never seen the paint used around here in a garage where people actually park.

Here in Arizona, in the higher-end houses, painted garage floors are common, and yes people do park on them. Mine is painted, and it's working fine so far. It does not get hot in Oklahoma, not like southern Arizona. 115+ in the summer is normal, and garages can get much hotter. Our floors are not peeling.

Where there's confusion is in the types of paints. The "1-part epoxy" sold at Home Depot isn't nearly as durable as the 2-part stuff that's much smoother and much more expensive. I used the Behr 1-part stuff on my floor, and so far it's holding up fine. Definitely a big improvement over nothing at all. But it's nothing like the industrial-grade 2-part stuff. I worked at a company a few years ago that had their entire factory floor coated in that stuff, and it was absolutely impervious to everything. Factory equipment, forklifts, etc. didn't damage it at all.

If you want ultimate durability, you need a 2-part epoxy coating. There's paint companies that specialize in this stuff for homeowner garages, like "Muscle Paint" (google for it). But beware, it isn't cheap. This is probably the reason you don't see it in most houses: home builders are dirt cheap, most homeowners don't know about painted garage floors or don't care, so why spend $500-1000 to paint the floor? If I intended on living here a long time and wanted the ultimate garage, that's the paint I would use.

Another word of caution: it's easier to paint a bare floor that's fairly new and doesn't have any stains. But the concrete needs to be a month or so old first; you can't paint fresh concrete as it hasn't finished curing. Stains are a problem, but not a show-stopper: you have to use a lot of concrete cleaner and etcher to get the stain out, and to make the top layer of concrete more porous. As with most painted things, proper surface preparation is absolutely essential to a good bond between the paint and the substrate.

So if you want to paint your floor, go for it. If you want to do it cheap, just get the 1-part stuff, and make sure to use the proper etchant and primer. If you want the best quality, get the 2-part expensive stuff. There's also (at least here) contractors that specialize in painting concrete, both inside and out, and would have the expertise and access to the best paints.

[jAngiel]

That's an interesting read. To me it does get hot in Oklahoma 108 to 110 like the past few days is HOT. I suppose it isn't as hot as Arizona though. And if they actually use it out there and park on it, then I may have to check more into it. Thanks.

[stewchi]

Depending on the look you want you can use different products. My favorite is an acid stain. The look is similar to staining wood vs painting. Painting will provide a uniform finish, the stain will bring out the grain in the concrete so to speak, acid stains work by changing the color of the concrete trough a chemical reactil (like ammonia fumes on wood). The concrete itself is changed, so the wear is not a problem, it will never peel. I have used Butterfield Color acid stain at my last home on the patio. It was a 70 year old patio exposed to snow, ice, rain and direct sun, I coated the top with a xynol based clear coat (concrete clear coat) that I bought from Menards. It looked great. I am considering the same for my driveway here, because the rain water goes through a lot of red clay and leaves streaks down my driveway, if I stain the whole thing red-brown it will look much better. I like the acid stain because it is very easy to use. You simply clean the surface with a pressure washer and apply the stain using a cheap plastic pump sprayer. The stain itself is very similar to pool acid. I used 2 shades of brown on my patio to make a checker board, one was blue the in the bottle the other was yellow. When I sprayed the yellow it bubbled up green on the concrete, but when done it was brown, the blue bubbled up orange on the concrete (it was also the correct color when the reaction finished).
Because the stain is a chemical reaction the color will vary based on the composition of the concrete, it creates a patina that I really like, but my FIL prefers a uniform gray or other solid color. Next time you in the mall or a nice hotel, it is possible those floors are stained. Also check on line there are some nice photo galleries of what acid stained concrete looks like.

[dwolsten]

That's an interesting read. To me it does get hot in Oklahoma 108 to 110 like the past few days is HOT. I suppose it isn't as hot as Arizona though. And if they actually use it out there and park on it, then I may have to check more into it. Thanks.

Yeah, I've heard about some kind of heat wave affecting much of the nation, especially the midwest. It doesn't normally get to 110 in OK does it?

For some reason, the heat wave hasn't affected us at all. It's 105-115 here, which is perfectly normal for this time of year. We've been laughing at the news reports where people talk about how horribly hot it is where they are, and it's only barely above 100 there. That's not hot. :-)

Now if you want to experience some really serious heat, you need to go to California's Death Valley. I understand it usually gets over 120 there.

[dwolsten]

Depending on the look you want you can use different products. My favorite is an acid stain. The look is similar to staining wood vs painting. Painting will provide a uniform finish, the stain will bring out the grain in the concrete so to speak, acid stains work by changing the color of the concrete trough a chemical reactil (like ammonia fumes on wood). The concrete itself is changed, so the wear is not a problem, it will never peel. I have used Butterfield Color acid stain at my last home on the patio. It was a 70 year old patio exposed to snow, ice, rain and direct sun, I coated the top with a xynol based clear coat (concrete clear coat) that I bought from Menards. It looked great. I am considering the same for my driveway here, because the rain water goes through a lot of red clay and leaves streaks down my driveway, if I stain the whole thing red-brown it will look much better.

A couple of notes about stain vs. paint. Concrete stain is really nice for outdoor concrete IMO: patios, sidewalks, and driveways. However, inside a garage could be a problem because 1) if there's existing oil stains, they're going to show, and possibly be emphasized by the stain, and 2) if you spill any more oil or other liquids, the stain won't prevent them from soaking in. Personally, I'd advise against stain for a shop or garage area solely for this reason.

I had several ugly oil stains in my current 15-year-old garage when I painted the floor. I used the manufacturer's recommended cleaner and etcher (separate items), and vigorously cleaned the stains. So far, the paint seems to be holding up fine on the stained areas.