Anyone have long term experience with an epoxy garage floor?

[nOOky]

We built a new garage this past fall, and the approach cement work and a parking space are being poured today as I write this. Once I can drive on cement and not the dirty mud that was in front of the garage, I was thinking about having the floor done. My concern is the long term wear and durability from driving over it every day. We live in Wisconsin and have real winters, and our gravel driveway is 300 feet long so the tires can pick up some gravel or dirt. It's a 24 x 36 foot area, I think it's just north of $1,500 to have it done locally.

So, per the thread title...

 

[JulesMaximus]

I think the commercially applied ones are the way to go. I’ve seen the DIY ones start to come off after a few years.

 

[Midwayman]

Are you doing this mainly for cosmetic reasons, or are you hoping to seal the floor?

 

[nOOky]

To seal the floor. To make spills easier to clean up. To make it easier to sweep or clean out. Water should dry up quicker than cement etc.

 

[Raizinman]

After my house was built I purchased some concrete paint at Home Depot. I painted the garage floor. Keep in mind that I have a lift in my garage and do lots of mechanical work: meaning lots of spills like brake fluid or battery acid. I did put two coats of paint on. I painted each stall a different color Blue, Yellow, Green. I probably should have done white for the reflective, but liked the colors better. Here are my tips: Clean floor very good. If concrete is new, you don't need to acid etch. Make sure concrete is VERY dry. Fans help. Mask the floor if you want to do different colors. NOTE: Add those speckles (not sure of the name) that you throw on the paint before the paint dries. This will give you traction and prevent slips. A painted floor can get very slippery after you spill some oil. Twenty years later, the floor almost looks as good as the day when I painted it.

 

[Greenman]

I did mine with the two part epoxy coating four or five years back, looks exactly the same today as the day I did it. Couldn't be happier with the product.

 

[WackyDan]

I did the Behr one part finish and over the years it has gotten some tire pick up and it has had some chemical spills that caused it to bubble... Cheap enough to over coat... no issues.

 

[rancherlee]

Heated or Non-heated. It will never last long in a non-heated garage as the yearly freeze/thaw cycle causes the concrete to sweat moisture between the coating and the concrete.

 

[nOOky]

Unheated. I'm still in the process of deciding what to do with the floor. I'd like to personally see one in my area that's been coated for a number of years to see how it holds up.

 

[Pacfanweb]

I prepped my garage floor and did the epoxy myself in 2005. Has held up great, and I do a good bit of work in there, welding, dropping parts on it, etc. Not a single chip that I'm aware of.