Garage Floor Paint

[Jono8]

Looking to give my garage a decent floor to keep the dust down (as i'm using it as gym) and just generally make it more aesthetically pleasing. I might still have a car parked in it occasionally when visitors come so needs to be pretty heavy duty i assume. At the moment it is just the standard concrete floor you get with a new build.

Not really sure where to start though as there seem to be multiple products on the market (epoxy, Polyurethane etc)

Has anyone done this recently and have any recommendations in terms of which paint/sealer or was there a bundles kit you bought etc?

What about alternatives like hard tiles etc? I had thought about these, but would likely involve a lot of cutting etc fue ot the double bricked support beams through the length of the garage.

 

[sovietspybob]

I just used Regal high build garage & industrial floor paint, did 2 or 3 coats i think.

I went round in circles looking at loads of options, i think some kind of epoxy paint seemed to be the best or ideally some kind of tiles but i've had my standard stuff down for about 3 years now and it's been great. It has chipped a bit where i've dragged something big and metal but it's done its job of keeping any dust from the concrete down and making it look brighter (i went for white to reflect the most light when working under cars etc)

I think what helped me is my floor isn't perfectly smooth its got quite a rough texture to the top layer which has been really good for the paint to key into, i know some people have a lot of issues with paint when it's really smooth concrete.

 

[fobose]

I used international floor paint, looked good after one coat but I gave it a second as I had enough from the 5L container. I also used 5:1 PVA on beforehand. It's lasted 3 years so far and I've had some heavy stuff on it. There are few chips where I've dropped tools or where a integrated fridge freezer was dragged on it by my brother and dad (grrr):

 

[roadie]

My project for the latest lockdown was to paint my ~50 year old garage. I used the Leyland floor paint from Screwfix and asked the manufacturer what the best way to do it would be. They advised degreasing the floor, then a coat diluted with white spirit before two coats neat so that's what I did! I left a week between each coat so that it would cure properly.

I only use my garage for storage and for bicycles so can't comment on whether car tyres or anything really heavy would pull up the paint. However, I think it is perfect for my needs.

 

[sovietspybob]

This is my before and after:

That's had cars over it pretty often, dragging engine cranes around, lots of welding and grinding, spray painting stuff and lots of tools dropped so its not done too badly. If i gave it a hose down/mop I'm sure it'd come up ok as there is a lot of oil, dust and general dirt all over it now.

 

[Jono8]

I just used Regal high build garage & industrial floor paint, did 2 or 3 coats i think.

I went round in circles looking at loads of options, i think some kind of epoxy paint seemed to be the best or ideally some kind of tiles but i've had my standard stuff down for about 3 years now and it's been great. It has chipped a bit where i've dragged something big and metal but it's done its job of keeping any dust from the concrete down and making it look brighter (i went for white to reflect the most light when working under cars etc)

I think what helped me is my floor isn't perfectly smooth its got quite a rough texture to the top layer which has been really good for the paint to key into, i know some people have a lot of issues with paint when it's really smooth concrete.

Thanks. Is that the epoxy stuff?

Still torn between polyeurathane and epoxy, and google is failing at really telling me which is best. As i understand it Epoxy is harder to apply in that you have to apply it very quickly before it hardens. Is that right?

Edit - just re read and i think you mean you got the standard non epoxy stuff. This stuff?

https://regalpaint.co.uk/floor-paint/high-build-floor-paint/quick-dry-high-build-floor-paint/

 

[sovietspybob]

Thanks. Is that the epoxy stuff?

Still torn between polyeurathane and epoxy, and google is failing at really telling me which is best. As i understand it Epoxy is harder to apply in that you have to apply it very quickly before it hardens. Is that right?

Edit - just re read and i think you mean you got the standard non epoxy stuff. This stuff?

https://regalpaint.co.uk/floor-paint/high-build-floor-paint/quick-dry-high-build-floor-paint/

Yeah that's the stuff i had, nothing fancy. Like i say i think the epoxy stuff would be better but as you've seen its harder to do and more expensive. As you're not looking to use it very heavily i'd have thought normal floor paint in a couple of thin layers and then a matt under any weights or whatever is likely to hit the floor should be fine

 

[Jono8]

Yeah that's the stuff i had, nothing fancy. Like i say i think the epoxy stuff would be better but as you've seen its harder to do and more expensive. As you're not looking to use it very heavily i'd have thought normal floor paint in a couple of thin layers and then a matt under any weights or whatever is likely to hit the floor should be fine

yeh, you are probably right. I intend to get some interlocking matts for the gym area anyway, as you mentioned.

 

[dale1uk]

I went down the floor tile route as I wanted a fit and forget option. The tiles will last a lifetime and if I ever move house or repurpose my garage they can easily be lifted and repositioned elsewhere. Fitting them was very easy and quick. I did my cuts with a cordless jigsaw and it was easy to get them the right shape.

I went with Mototile interlocking tiles and for my 6.5 x 3.5m garage the tiles cost me £527 delivered

Before:

After:

 

[Jono8]

I went down the floor tile route as I wanted a fit and forget option. The tiles will last a lifetime and if I ever move house or repurpose my garage they can easily be lifted and repositioned elsewhere. Fitting them was very easy and quick. I did my cuts with a cordless jigsaw and it was easy to get them the right shape.

I went with Mototile interlocking tiles and for my 6.5 x 3.5m garage the tiles cost me £527 delivered

Before:

After:

Yeh i like the idea of tiles, but i think they might be a bit pricey. Have you stuck them down with anything?

 

[D4N]

I’ve recently done a couple of my sheds, both with concrete floors. One of them that I use a a workshop I used interlocking rubber garage floor tiles, and the one I use to keep my motorbikes in, I used Ronseal garage floor paint. The tiles were relatively cheap compared to some brands at £4 each from south coast matting. I used tiles in the workshop as it will provide a level of insulation when it gets colder rather than standing on a bare concrete floor, and I could fit them quickly without having to wait for paint to dry. The shed that was painted took about a week to do. To start with I had to leave it a couple of months before I could paint it as it was new concrete, then I did 3 coats at one coat per day then let it dry for a further 3 days before putting everything back on it, whereas the tiles were done in a morning. Just used a rubber mallet to help tease them together and a jigsaw to cut them.

 

[dale1uk]

Yeh i like the idea of tiles, but i think they might be a bit pricey. Have you stuck them down with anything?

No, they don't need stuck down, you just lay them straight onto the floor. The speed and ease that they can be laid, and other than a quick sweep down, the zero prep work required to the concrete were the main justifications for the extra expense.

 

[sovietspybob]

Do the tiles keep all the concrete dust down? One of the main reasons i painted was to seal it as it just keeps producing dust otherwise, id have thought you'd have wanted to paint or at least seal with PVA or whatever before tiles.

 

[eviled]

I epoxy'd my double(ish) garage floor over just paint as there was no damp proof course in the slab so wanted the extra protection.

It took a couple of hours each evening for 4 days to get all the layers down in the right time frame but the result was excellent

 

[dale1uk]

Do the tiles keep all the concrete dust down? One of the main reasons i painted was to seal it as it just keeps producing dust otherwise, id have thought you'd have wanted to paint or at least seal with PVA or whatever before tiles.

I get zero concrete dust after fitting the tiles. The floor is completely covered bar a 10mm expansion gap around the edges, there's no way for any dust to get up through them.

 

[SoliD]

how level was your floor like before dale? I want to get the tiles but worry that my floor might not be flat enough to get a nice smooth lay.

 

[dale1uk]

how level was your floor like before dale? I want to get the tiles but worry that my floor might not be flat enough to get a nice smooth lay.

The floor was fairly level, but definitely not flat or in amazing condition. It was tapered a fair bit near the garage door and down one side. The tiles deal with any minor issues and fairly steady changes in floor level.


This picture gives you an idea of the floor condition:

 

[dale1uk]

Double post

 

[red eye]

My project for the latest lockdown was to paint my ~50 year old garage. I used the Leyland floor paint from Screwfix and asked the manufacturer what the best way to do it would be. They advised degreasing the floor, then a coat diluted with white spirit before two coats neat so that's what I did! I left a week between each coat so that it would cure properly.

I only use my garage for storage and for bicycles so can't comment on whether car tyres or anything really heavy would pull up the paint. However, I think it is perfect for my needs.

A bike for all occasions?

 

[Siliconslave]

A bike for all occasions?

The correct number of bikes to own is n + 1