About 15yrs ago I attempted to paint my garage floor with a home center sourced epoxy coating made for garage floors. I did the etching (of felt I did), and tried to take EVERY possible precaution, and yet the result was very poor....it came off easily & I landed-up power washing it all off.

I'm moving to a new (to me anyway) place and want to consider doing it right is time with a high quality product. But I want it to be very durable and resistant to tire pickup, chipping, etc.. What have folks used with success? I'm open to either a do-it-yourself product or even having it done professionally if that's what it takes to get a high quality job.

 

I use a special blend of oil, brake fluid and spit mixed over a number of years with various de greasing detergents.

 

Surface prep (cleaning and etching) and temperature are the most critical. Etching is often under-done and anything above/below recommended temps will impact the set of the epoxy. The concrete has to be thoroughly dry, even drops of sweat will screw up epoxy.

Also plan on two coats, the usual "only one coat required" is BS.

You can hire a pro, he won't do any better than you can and sure as hell will care less about your garage.

You may want to look into solid color concrete sealer solvents (try HC). I used one on a patio once and was more impressed with that than epoxy, and they are recommended for garages as well.

 

I had the same problem..Fixed it with plastic floor tiles.. easy and very long lasting. No issues at all after 6 years

Got mine thru Costco Garage Floor

 

I used a home center product also and it is still holding up ok after 7 years. The key is in the prep. The old top surface needs to be removed by either beadblasting or grinding with a diamond wheel. Lot of effort but well worth it imho

 

The home depot carries a product for concrete. It rolls on like paint,and once dried is very durable. I forget the name but I'm sure you could find it once you are there.

 

Check out www.garagejournal.com lots of good ideas there . in the forum section

 

I am going with the personal plastic tiles in my garage. They look good and the reviews seem to say they last.

 

I know it's not going to help you much in MA but this is what I "had" put down. Turned out great. http://thegorillagarage.com/

 

I want to apply the epoxy also. I contractor buddy of mine presented me with a fact that I wasn't aware of one day and after reading up on a few of the more prevalent epoxys on the market I tend to agree with him. He pointed out that a moisture barrier must be present under the concrete or the epoxy will peel eventually as well as the surface preparation with muratic acid. The moisture barrier is simply a heavy plastic sheeting laid down under the concrete before the floor is poured. I was away when a less then satisfactory contractor poured mine, he didn't lay down the plastic. I will go with the tile or paint when I get ready to finish my floor. If there are others who know any different please reply, I want to go with the epoxy if at all possible.