Sealing garage floor yourself?

not sure if this is the right place to post this. If it is not please move it.

I am finishing up building our house and wanted to know if anyone has sealed their garage floor themselves. How easy/hard is it? any before/after pics?

Thanks!

 

I have and you can just roll it.

 

Here's what we have used

 

I just use a garden sprayer, most concrete guys use them as well.

 

I did just recently and used the rustoleum epoxy kit. Was super easy, just kinda time consuming since I had to scrub a bunch of grease and oil stains off first. It all in the prep like with any paint job.

 

Depends on whether you are talking about just sealing the concrete or doing an epoxy floor. As others have said above, if you are just sealing the concrete, that is easy. Depending on the type of sealer you are using, you can either just spray it on with a Hudson sprayer or roll it on straight from the bucket.
If you are talking about epoxying the floor, that requires quite a bit more prep and time. I epoxied in my shop with a commercial product that my cement contractor uses. The only thing I might do different is to use the chips that I bought with kit. In my previous shop, I used the chips and decided I wanted a "cleaner" look this time. The only downside without chips is that the chips tend to hide the little chips and scratches that accumulate over time.

 

here's some advise from someone from the Pacific North WET.

I recommend doing a moisture test prior to installing any type of product.
tape down some plastic.. maybe a 4'x4' area..leave overnight.
if you have any moisture on the underside of the plastic then do not seal.

otherwise you will have a mess on your hands that will be ugly & hard to remove.

..Slayer

 

The epoxy is definitely something I’m considering. How long to cure?

 

I did mine with epoxy 13 years ago when we had our house built. At that time is was easy, the garage was empty and the floor was new. there are few steps required to prep the floor before applying the epoxy but it was easy. My suggestion is to do it now before you move anything in. Mine has help up well but after 13 years starting to show it's age and I am dreading doing it again with all the stuff that will have to come out of the garage.

 

I've always wanted to do the epoxy finish but lately I've been thinking that VCT (Vinyl Composite Tile) might be a better way to go after seeing a few epoxy failures. Another option to consider if you haven't made up your mind on the epoxy.

 

+1 regarding the Moisture Test that someone else mentioned above. Steve6 note that VCT adhesive is latex based (water). If you end up with moisture escaping from below the slab the glue will release and you will have tiles popping. The glue will turn into a white grease-like mess. You will then have to hire a professional to clean up that mess. The most important thing that you want installed before a concrete slab is poured is a HD vapor barrier. Not 2-3 mils but 10-15 mils. Also make sure your reinforcing mesh is set on blocks to keep it from sinking to the bottom of the slab where it does nothing. Watch to make sure that the concrete guy is not adding a lot of water to make the concrete easier to work with thus changing the mix and the strength.

I would not recommend the VCT because once it gets wet it will be like an ice skating rink. You could end up sliding into the wall if you come in hot.

 

Thanks for the info. I had not considered the vapor emission issue but I was aware of the potential slippery when wet concern (not usually a problem in Tucson). Looks like I need to do a little more research; may end up with the epoxy after all.

I have seen several epoxy finishes in garages and in hangars where the finish peeled up where the rubber tires sat regularly. In one of the hangars I used to work out of we had to put carpet remnants under the tires to keep the finish from peeling. The last hangar that I worked out of had a much higher quality finish that we never had problems with. That finish was installed professionally over the course of several weeks (big hangars) using industrial quality material and it was awesome.

 

We had a detached garage built a couple years ago. Power trowelled the concrete floor and it doesn't need to be sealed. Oil (thanks Toyota for the drain pointed at the wheel...at least I won't have to worry about those parts rusting) just sits on the surface and won't stain.

Something to consider.

 

My dad and brother have been building high-quality custom homes for 40 & 25 years respectively. For sealing concrete they have always used an acid wash to make sure it's clean then seal with SUPER Diamond Clear (similar to what Prostar posted above but add SUPER ). Due to regulations in Ohio you can't buy it here so they would drive 3hrs to Michigan and buy a truck load of it 1-2 times a year. This stuff will leave your concrete looking wet instead of drab/dry and the water will bead up and run off. You need to seal it once a year for the first 2-3 years then you should be good. Maybe need to apply every few years after that if it's high traffic or exposed to the elements.

As for epoxy - the products have changed quite a bit over the last 10-15 years. The epoxy back in the day was junk and didn't last long. Now it's gotten better and the 2-part epoxy from Sherwin Williams is good. Make sure you wear a nice respirator when putting it down cuz without one it'll get you HIGH...then SICK! Also, to get it to last a while and stick properly you need to prep the unsealed concrete by shot-blasting it. It's basically a device that takes ball bearings or bee-bees and hits the concrete so that little chunks break apart. This gives the floor a little texture for the epoxy to adhere to. Of course sweep up all the dust/little chunks before applying the epoxy.

 

I did my garage floor 7 years ago today. I did it 2 months after moving into my house and I purposely kept the garage pretty empty, knowing I would be doing the floor and walls. After 7 years, the only spot I am having issues with, is where the previous owner had a defective water softener and stored the salt bags. the salt penetrated into the slab and is now causing the coating to separate from the concrete. I had ground the flooring with a diamond wheel and did an acid wash in the softener area too. I have a 2 coat system - epoxy with flakes, then a clear coat with sand for some grit.

 

For an epoxy floor shot blasting is recommended. Typically is required for any warranty. Check the manufacturers requirements.

 

for anyone checking into this jump over to garagejournal.com page. there is more info on product and application then you can possibly read.

 

I personally have never seen a epoxy floor hold up long term.

 

personally,
I chose the vinyl tile route when I remodeled my modest garage / man cave.
I alternated between black & grey.
it's been down for 15 years.. still looks awesome. cleans up well to boot.
did the entire floor in about 3 hours.. these are milled / manufactured very well & go together easily.
look at this option if any of you are thinking about a garage floor.

these can be found a Lowes.

I also built custom cabinets to meet specific needs & sizes of my tools and used these tiles on the countertops.

..Slayer

 

Wow you win. That’s beautiful