Epoxy Garage/Basement floor coating

[celticsoc]

Is there a difference between the garage and basement floor epoxy kits, or are they the same thing in different packages?

[hallerb]

Probably the same but if its plain concrete DONT coat it with anything!

Nothing lasts forever and coating creates a lifelong maintence issue....

better to cover garage floor with a pad.

epoxy is pretty good but concrete is forever

[Smarty]

I had a new concrete floor covered with an epoxy coating (100% solids made by PPG) to avoid the staining and discoloration and deterioration which I had in the prior concrete floor from road salt (used heavily in my area during the winter) as well as oil stains.

So far the surface has looked fantastic and required no maintenance. I can't know how well it will hold up but I have seen the same material applied in industrial settings and it seems extremely durable.

My only regret so far is that I did not have enough sand added in the top coat to get as much grit for traction as I would have liked. The surface is not slippery but can be more slippery than the former concrete when it is wet.

It was also pretty expensive to have professionally applied, around $2000 for a 550 square foot surface. It also took 5 days to cure completely based on manufacturer instructions, so the garage was out of commission for that time as well as another 2 days for applying the epoxy originally.

[Smarty]

This is the product my installer used:

[Tegger]

" [e-mail]" wrote in news:75234755-b81f-4eac-841a- [e-mail]:

Factory floors are sometimes coated with epoxy. The stuff is incredibly tough, and it takes regular use of forklifts and things like that to wear through them.

[Tegger]

" [e-mail]" wrote in news:525391cb-df32-4856- [e-mail]:

Possibly the basement stuff may outgas less. It may also be less durable, since you generally don't drive your car in the basement, don't have engines dripping oil on the basement floor.

Why don't you ask the manufacturer?

[Frank]

Don't know but as someone that's formulated epoxies, I can tell you that formulation possibilities are extremely large. I would use formulation as intended to avoid potential problems.

Also as homeowner who painted basement floor over 35 years ago, not with epoxy, it has held up extremely well. Makes floor easier to clean and cement dust is not generated.

[Robert Neville]

Concrete is dusty and hard to keep clean. I've had expoy garage floor coatings last over 10 years of constant use and look brand new. This assumes of course that you use a true industrial two part epoxy and properly apply it. I would not use a water based product.

[Robert Neville]

I use a similar Benjamine Moore industrial line. The garage I did in Michigan (same type of environment), properly prepped and applied, two coats on the wear surfaces looked brand new after 10 years.

I choose not to use any grit because I like the glossy surface but you are right, water and especially melting snow can be extremely slippery. I use a carpet runner for walking lanes.

Last time I bought the material it was about $90/set (2 gal), with each set doing about 1 residential garage bay. The prep is a killer though. You must clean and etch the surface correctly to get a good bond. Depending on how much prep you need, having someone do it for you (correctly) could be worth it.

Yep. Walkable after 24 hours though. Have to keep the garage well vented as well. Bit tricky if you have a gas water heater.

[DD_BobK]

Probably depends on the mfr.

Garage floors have different performance demands esp hot tires.

cheers Bob

[Joe]

Most are similar. Differences are solvent vs. water based. Latter are more common in industrial applications. FWIW, the shop floor I did in

1974 is still holding up well except for heavy traffic areas that get recoated every 10 years or so. Used Glidden 2 part industrial type. Sherwin-Williams today is similar.

Joe

[aemeijers]

I'm no expert, but based on the previous threads on here, I'd only bother on fresh concrete. I kinda like the stuff they use in some retail applications- clear, so the concrete shows through, which eliminates obvious wear marks. It also seems to be thicker than typical DIY stuff, and fills in minor imperfections.

-- aem sends, temporarily stuck on Google while traveling...

[Tony Miklos]

Actually I think the epoxy is stronger than concrete. Just noticed the QUIKRETE brand in Lows today, I think that's what I used. It is very strong. On the packaging it says it's 2 (or more now) times stronger than concrete. Three or 4 inches of epoxy would be way stronger than concrete!