Epoxy coat garage floor

[Tuffregal83]

Has anyone done the do it yourself epoxy coat to your concrete floor.
There is a lot of companies that offer do it yourself kits I'm not talking about the stuff you buy at Home Depot , Menards , Lowe's. There are companies like
Ucoatit.com , Epoxy2U.com, Epoxymaster.com and more.
I don't have a problem doing the work as I just built the addition to my garage I just want to know does it hold up just like if you hire company to do it.
I can get the grinder and sander machine to ruff up the concrete so it can epoxy can stick better. I like the solid color light grey but still up in the air on flake I know it hides imperfections in the floor also i would want a top coat sealer.
Or no epoxy and just put a clear sealer on it it really doesn't matter to me.
I just don't want oil stained floor that is new when I start working in there.

 

[Wraith]

Seen it by four buddies, four different products, same result every time. The fifth did it on a brand new garage floor without a car ever being parked on it, I bet it holds up, he will never turn a wrench on a car or use a jack.........

 

[Streetbu]

Read the directions on whichever kit you want to use. Then reread them. Most of the kits you can buy like the Rust-Oleum one state a minimum of two coats. So for the average size garage you'll end up needing several kits. I did mine. Didn't notice that until after I did the first kit and had to really roll it to get it all covered. Then you have to wait a day between coats. Then 7 days before you can drive on it. That's the biggest PITA. Plus clearing everything out first, cleaning the floor. Waiting at least a day for it to dry. Plan on two weeks at a minimum... I used two kits for my 24x34 garage, and didn't even do under my work benches. Plus that was only one coat. Should've done two. On the other hand... It has held up very well and it's been almost ten years now. Only places it came up is from carbides from our snowmobiles being driven across it. No way you can expect paint to hold up to carbides... Overall I'm very happy. I've had brake fluid sitting on it for weeks, wipes right off and doesnt bother or discolor the paint

 

[UNGN]

On of my engineers did his. He and his friend both did on the same weekend so they could share expenses (grinder rental) and help each other.. because it is an intense workout, then a lot of waiting.

The one thing he didn't realize would happen is on humid days, it gets really slick. Concrete absorbs the moisture, but Epoxy coated concrete does not. It is a good thing humid days are pretty rare in Dallas.

 

[mikester]

A lot of the buildings at my old job had epoxy coated floors. Most held up really well but they were done in a PPG industrial epoxy. The downside to using the flakes is if you drop something small you might have a hard time seeing it. Once I finish my cars I plan on doing my garage.
Dont buy the stuff until youre ready to do the job. It has a shelf life.

 

[popeye1978]

For everyone who has done it, does it dry smooooooooth?

I rent a car storage space -- my own numbered parking space in what amounts to a big indoor parking lot -- and it has an epoxy floor. I once had the Mustang parked there long enough that some transmission fluid leaked, it got into some small nooks & crannies in the floor that is very difficult to clean-up ... 2 years later and walking in that area still requires a little bit of extra care.

It could just be a bad install of the epoxy floor ...

 

[roger1]

I've used several different brands of epoxy over the years.
The absolute worst one was U-Coat-it. I was very disappointed. Way overpriced and very thin water-based product.
I've also used epoxy-coat.com product before and it is very good. The product from Griot's Garage is very good as well.

 

[Streetbu]

Yes it's smooth, but not slippery if you don't clear coat it. At least with the Rust-Oleum brand... If you do clear coat it, watch out when itit wet like others have said...

 

[superbon54]

I installed this stuff two years ago in both my garages. https://www.epoxy-coat.com/ The shop floor was brand new and install was pretty straight forward. I used the leftovers in the daily garage along with antislip. Prep was the most difficult part there (no grinding), but hasn’t cracked, peeled or lifted anywhere even with daily use.

One downside, at least in the Black that I used, is it shows dirt horribly. And don’t lose any small nuts or clips on it....

 

[roger1]

Here's my present shop. For this I used Wolverine brand. It's 100% solids and done in 3 steps. Primer, color and urethane clear, it is 25 mils thick total. That's about 5 times thicker than the UCoat-it system or other water based epoxy coatings.

I also have a single stall in my shop I use for a prep and paint room. I also do welding in there and have been hard on the floor. In this room I used a 15 mil thick coating of Epoxy-coat gray and no clear: