Oh hai! So I'm looking to finish my garage once the weather warms up. I had this done in my California house and really liked having an epoxy paint finished floor. However, the floor got really slippery if it got wet, not a big deal out there since it never rained. Here in MN it would obviously be a big problem with all the rain and snow. So my question is what are you using to finish you garage floor space? I've seen the plastic snap tiles that allow snow and water to drain through, but wouldn't all the sand and salt get trapped in there? Love XOXO -Chris
Are you deadset on making it so that its glossy or would you be open to the idea of it having a grit to it?
I just added sand and paint chips to my epoxy to make it non-slip. In general it's holding up fine to the elements except near the door where I scrape out ice. I try to only use a squeegee but it's a detached garage... so it gets below freezing from time to time. Dude at my gym owns a flooring company that specializes in installing polyurea with top coat if you want industrial strength. Can get you in touch with him if you're interested. re: tiles or any covering vs a coating, I use both on the side the 911 sits in. For a DD stall in MN, I'd go with a coating for sure. Good write-up here: https://www.gardenista.com/posts/remodeling-101-garage-flooring/
Anti-skid grit (or whatever each manufacturer calls it)... The flakes that you get with some of the cheaper brands (Rustoleum comes to mind) don't help at all in my experience. Rust Bullet currently sitting in the basement waiting for spring. Unfortunately, got an oil stain on the brand new concrete while waiting. BTW grit does not affect how glossy it is.
Poor choice of words on my part. Thanks for pointing that out. As he said adding grit will not effect how glossy it looks. I should of said smooth.
My floor had black and white chips and was still slippery. It did not have sand grit or whatever. I don’t need it to be super glossy, i just want it to be clean and have it last
What up mang!? They have a specific sand that you can get to add to the paint. Not sure if regular old sand would work similar or not. But i have applied the “special” sand with paint in the back of some box trucks before and it really made a difference. The paint was easy to wash down and held up well. And the sand added a fair amount of grip! If i was doing it, i would go epoxy with the sand myself.
Not really special sand persay. Its just silica sand. So super fine sand. They key to it lasting is more in the prep work just like anything else.
There's more to it than prep, but yeah, def an important step. I mean I cleaned, acid etched, cleaned again, media blasted, cleaned again, then rinsed my floors before epoxying them. Then I let it dry overnight with a fan on it and let it cure for a few days when overnight temps were above 60. Still chips up around the garage door because of the abuse it takes... ice, scraping, car rolling over it 4 times a day, salt, etc... For the cost ($300 in materials and a few hours over a few days) it's still worth it. But if I could afford it, I still would prefer a pro to lay polyurea with a clear coat. Maybe at the next house. The paint chips are just for contrast and to make it look less ugly. Re: grit, there are a number of different media you can use to provide the texture/grip. Kinda tears the squeegee up but those are cheap. Kinda OT but I don't mind jacking Chris' thread. I want to paint some parking lines and use some parking blocks/mats. It's a tight fit at the moment. Anyone have suggestions? I was looking at these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CEE62W/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LVXTWF...5P&pd_rd_r=VJ8QEDEX30TSRKHNRZGV&pd_rd_w=CTTGv
Find one that works well and let me know. I could use one in my garage as well to make sure you don't accidentally bump the server rack in the front of the garage.
I feel like rubber is the way to go. I'm thinking that getting it to stick to the textured epoxy floor is going to be the limiting factor so leaning towards something heavyish. Just using wood blocks at the moment but want something less ugly.
Here you go this should do the trick. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00W9EBF0...me&pd_rd_r=H8Q7C5VQYZT5XKQM23S6&pd_rd_w=fRtZo
Front to back isn't the problem. I can line that up with the rearview cam. Lining the truck up side to side is the issue with the 2nd workbench and shelves on the side wall.
from the comments: Question: My problem is a narrow garage opening. I can't always pull in straight. Would these be any help on the sides of the garage opneing? Answer: I don't think it will work. It picks up the movement and then reads the distance as it closes By Britt Adams on October 20, 2015 It won't help you with accuracy on the sides. It only helps you from bumping into the wall upfront By M. Sahni on October 20, 2015
The epoxy you use is also a big factor. I am actually trying Rust Bullet on this floor, appears to get good feedback. Best of all...no acid etch or grinding required (or even recommended).
This is the product we use on the floors here at work. Let me know how that Rust Bullet works as it would save alot of time if you are able to skip the etch and grinding step. http://www.concrete-floor-coatings.com/
