The garage was usually an unfinished mess, with sheetrock seams and no insulation or paint. The garage of today is very different, with many having stylish finishes. Aside from painting and completing the walls and ceiling, the biggest change can be achieved with a fresh garage floor coating. A coated floor not only gives flair to an otherwise boring space but also shields and preserves your garage floor from spillage.
Selecting the ideal coating might be challenging. Epoxy paints and varnishes come in a wide variety, each with unique benefits. Furthermore, although most have a similar appearance after application, their lifespan and efficacy might vary greatly. A high-quality coating might endure for decades, whereas a cheap finish might look fantastic for a few months.
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Getting The Preparation Right
Regardless of the coating you decide on, the initial procedure remains the same. The flooring needs to be adequately prepped. The floors of garages are often unclean, with patches where paint from a project, chemicals, or motor oil have leaked.
Additionally, garage floors are almost always flat and polished, and they are occasionally sealed. In any case, you will have to grind the concrete, etch it, or do both. Whichever one you choose, if you decide not to prep, the coating will not adhere properly. This is a major financial and time waste.
Paint with Epoxy
The original kind of epoxy isn’t even a real epoxy. Its acrylic paint enhanced with a tiny bit of epoxy. Industrial and self-priming acrylic epoxy paints are available. Acrylic epoxy that self-primes need one layer. It has a striking color and is heat and stain-resistant for the most part. You shouldn’t add decorations.
While self-priming, industrial-grade acrylic epoxy could require many coats. Additionally, this substance has sufficient heat and stain resistance. It takes a week or so to dry completely, and that decorations shouldn’t be added are drawbacks.
Water-Based Epoxy
This kind of epoxy is a top-selling garage flooring epoxy available at many large hardware and paint stores. It also bears a striking resemblance to paint. Real epoxies typically consist of two components that must be mixed: a resin and a hardener. Because water-based epoxy is pre-mixed, handling it is considerably simpler. This is a cheap do-it-yourself project.
It has a longer pot life of two hours, so you can take your time and apply it easily. A cured coat of many of these epoxies is roughly 3 mils thick because they contain 50% solids.
High Solids Epoxy
The thickness of a high-solids epoxy is greater than that of a water-based epoxy. A DFT of at least 10 mils can be achieved with 100% solids epoxy. Because of this, it’s a well-liked option for establishments like upscale residences or mechanic shops.
This high-quality, waterproof substance is very stain-resistant and resilient to abrasions from hot tires. After curing, the mixture retains most of its thickness since there is little to no water to evaporate. While some are more translucent, high solids epoxy can be used alone or as a color primer for a multi-coat system. For style, you can add glitter, mica, quartz, or flakes of acrylic paint. Even in a garage that is often utilized, this epoxy can endure up to 20 years.
Compared to water-based epoxies, high-solids epoxies are more costly and need more skill to apply. The least expensive epoxy is clear. The cost of colors and tints is higher.
Water is absent from 100% solids epoxy, giving it a thick viscosity. Pot life is limited to 30 to 40 minutes at most. Thus, application time is crucial. Additionally, because heat accelerates the curing process, a greater temperature results in a shorter pot life. Although DIY application is feasible, you should adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations for a proper resin floor.
The ideal garage flooring epoxy for you will depend on your budget and desired level of durability. A high-solids epoxy or polyurea coating can work wonders for a long-lasting floor. But it can be a costly and difficult do-it-yourself endeavor.
An easier and less expensive project is water-based epoxy. But it also means more recoats, which could cost more in the long run and look worse. If you want to give your acrylic paint more strength, use epoxy paints. However, they fall short of high solids epoxy. They will appear great for a little while but wear through rapidly.
