Whats The Best Garage Floor Paint For My Garage
Considering how beneath us they are all the time, floors are often overlooked garage floors doubly so. Garage floors can take considerable abuse from all sorts of things oil, chemicals, salt, and just general wear and tear from feet and wheels. An unkept floor can become chipped, cracked, and just generally unsafe causing all sorts of potential fire and tripping hazards. A great way to keep it not only looking fresh but improve its lifespan is to coat it with the best garage floor paint.
Painting your floor requires a little bit of work, but is considerably cheaper than other alternative floor coverings. There are many different types of paints, stains, and coating that can work depending on the type of flooring you have. Regardless of what you have, there is going to be a considerable amount of floor prep required, along with collecting the right tools for the job.
This can include cleaning using powerful solvents and degreasers, along with repairing any potential cracks, holes, and other surface problems. Muriatic acid might also be needed to properly etch the floor, allowing the paint to penetrate.
Doing all of this will not only make your garage floor look better, but also improve the overall lifespan and safety of it.
Why Paint Your Garage Floors
There are a whole host of reasons why you would paint your garage floors, that include:
- Adding a beautiful, clean finish to a garage that has the ability to turn it into a room, rather than an added outbuilding
- Hiding any imperfections
- Provides a clean coating that is easier to clean than bare concrete
- Can often help to waterproof a floor from water ingress, as bare concrete is highly porous
- It provides an opportunity to add some personality to the space
Painting floors is a great way to update any space and can make all the difference if you are planning to convert your garage.
Vct: A Super Strong Garage Flooring Option
VCT, which stands for vinyl composite tile, is a more robustif not nearly as beautiful or comfortableversion of LVT .
This floor is made by combining vinyl chips combined with fillers like limestone to make a super-durable product. In fact, its probably what lined the floors of every school and hospital youve ever been in!
Note: VCT is not the same as linoleum or peel and stick vinyl plank flooring. All three are different types of flooringand you can learn more about linoleum vs. laminate vs. vinyl right here, if youre interested.
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Types Of Paint To Use On A Garage Floor
- Written by Kelsey Marland on Sep 14, 2011To ensure our content is always up-to-date with current information, best practices, and professional advice, articles are routinely reviewed by industry experts with years of hands-on experience.Reviewed by
Garage floors put up with a lot of abuse. Not only are they walked on, but they’re put under intense pressure by the large objects they’re forced to hold up. They can be spilled on, frozen over, melted under the sun, scuffed, chipped, and nailed.
When you’re planning on painting the garage floor, you need to know that you’re buying the best product to keep it safe when a garage floor begins to show issues, it’s a bit of a nightmare to have it fixed. Once the paint goes on it’s often difficult to get off.
Choosing paint for the garage floor depends on how you use the garage. If it’s used for simple things like storing your car, a few tools, and the Christmas decorations, you’ll need a different type of paint than if you use the garage as a machine shop. Here are a few options to help you decide what will work best in your home.
Keep Your Garage Cleaner
Painting your garage floor with high-quality epoxy paint will make cleaning it significantly easier. Because painted cement is less likely to stain and retain moisture than unpainted cement, the garage floor will stay cleaner and be easier to maintain despite everyday spills and use. It will also completely transform the dirty concrete you have now with a fresh, brand new look.
Cement is known to be a porous surface material, which means it absorbs most liquids and holds dirt and dust. Epoxy, on the other hand, is water and dust resistant. A quick mop and sweep will have your floor looking brand new for years to come.
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Garage Floor Paint Colors
When choosing a garage floor paint color, think about whats important to you. If you dont want to see tire marks and want to try and hide any stains, go with a darker color. If youre looking to lighten up your garage space, try a lighter gray.
Concrete floor paint is either latex and oil-based. Concrete floor paint is just a tougher version of the paint that goes on walls and is by far the least expensive coating for a garage floor. You roll it on just like other types of paint there are no tricky, unfamiliar steps. Its also easy to touch up damaged areas or re-coat the floor completely.
Latex floor paint is easier to apply and clean up than oil-based paint. It dries to a low-sheen, flat finish while oil dries to a high gloss. Oil-based paints must be used with a primer coat and are generally more durable than latex. Overall, floor paint isnt as tough as other garage floor coatings and is especially vulnerable to road salt and other chemicals. Under typical conditions, youll have to touch up areas of the garage floor every year or two.
Cost: 15 cents or less per square foot for one coat. Available at home centers. Look at online reviews to decide the best garage floor coating for your needs.
The Best Garage Floor Paint Top Coatings & Finishes
Youve decided to take on the task of painting your garage floor to help preserve it and keep it looking great for years to come. But how do you know the paint you choose will deliver on those expectations?
Instead of investing time and effort into painting your garage with a subpar product destined to chip, crack, and peel up, let us help you find a product that will last.
These six garage floor paints and coatings have proven track records for holding up to everything your garage can throw at them. Each has shown a unique ability to stand up to stains, damage, and hot car tires. One is so tough that it comes with a lifetime warranty.
Whether you are looking for something budget-friendly or easy to apply, weve got your proven-tough recommendations below.
Disclosure:It is important you understand that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. However, this does not impact our reviews and comparisons. All opinions are our own we pride ourselves on keeping our articles fair and balanced. For more info see our disclosure statement.
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Clean Your Garage Floor
With everything off your garage floor, lets look at how to clean your garage floor before painting. Start by sweeping and mopping the floor. Remove any grease stains by scrubbing with Corotech® Oil & Grease Emulsifier. Rinse the floor thoroughly with clean water and allow it to dry completely.
- If youre using Corotech® Oil & Grease Emulsifier to clean your floor, be sure to mix the concentrate with water before applying. Read all product instructions before use.
Quikrete Garage Floor Epoxy Kit
Quikretes grey epoxy garage floor covering is a lot like Rust-Oleums EpoxyShield in that it is extremely durable, but perhaps a bit difficult to apply.
This product can be hard to apply because it is self-levelling, making it a bit runny in comparison to other epoxy floor covering products. That also means it doesnt go as far as many other products and youll want to buy a lot of covering if you opt for it. That makes this large format size a good option.
This epoxy based floor covering is also extremely glossy, so if you want your garage floor to have that shiny look whilst also being durable, this product is definitely worth considering. The manufacturer suggests applying this product to a damp, clean floor and wed suggest you properly prep your floor before trying to use it.
While this product is considered of good quality by us, it is a bit expensive especially since it doesnt go as far as some other epoxy coverings.
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In Progress One Side Cleaned Out
I couldnt help but show off to the family about how I could finally fit my car in the garage! It was something he lamented about often about how I had so much stuff in the garage that we couldnt even park in there.
What I didnt count on was how stinky it would be!
The fumes from the car were unbearable from just that momentary drive into the garage!
But the good thing was realizing we both didnt want those fumes floating up to our bedroom located overhead.
Which means I dont think I will ever hear another comment about wanting to park in the garage!
YES!
The garage was alllllll mine!
It took several days between all the steps needed to clean and prep the garage floor before painting, but what I was left with was a gorgeous, clean, freshly painted blue-gray floor!
What Is Garage Floor Paint
As with any paint, garage floor paint comes in various forms, from epoxy formulations to solvent-based paints. These are all specially designed for use on floors of varying levels of traffic, with garage floor coatings designed to withstand heavy vehicles, while floor paints are often designed for a more aesthetic centred performance.
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Best Paint To Use On Garage Floors
There are a few key things to consider when painting your garage floor. The first is the type of paint to use. There are many different types of paints available, but not all of them are suitable for garage floors. In this blog post, we will discuss the best paint to use on garage floors and why. We will also provide tips on how to prepare the surface and apply the paint correctly.
Of The Best Concrete Paints For Garage And Basements
Lets face it, your garage and basement floors arent the design focus of your home. They tend to be catch-all spaces that dont get a lot of traffic but rather, piles of junk.
A stained, cracked, or neglected concrete floor just adds to the disuse of the space. But you can easily change this and create a more inviting space with an afternoon and very little investment.
A few coats of concrete paint can spruce up a room and change the whole feel of it. The best concrete paint out there wont take all weekend to apply and will keep your garage or basement looking nice for years to come.
Regardless if a concrete floor has old paint or is bare, a new coat of concrete paint will protect the floor against daily wear and tear. A painted floor in a basement is a great way to add a finished feel, without the expense of putting in flooring. Painted garage floors are easier to clean, and better resist stains from gasoline and oil. There are myriad options for painting a concrete floor and a lot of considerations to take into account. Just a few of the things to keep in mind:
- How much time is involved?
- Whats the final cost of the products?
- How durable is the paint?
This article will go over the process of painting a concrete floor, the different between 1-part and 2-part cement coatings, and discuss the best concrete paint out there. In both garages and basements, a painted floor adds warmth to the space, looks cleaner , and adds valuable, usable space to your home.
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Polyurethane Garage Floor Paint
The polyurethane, also known as urethane, garage floor paint is a popular choice for garage floors that are not made of concrete. This paint type is as powerful as epoxy, without the downside of turning yellow when exposed to a lot of sunlight. The flexibility of the paint layer is extraordinary. Moreover, the protection polyurethane provides against chemicals, and excess water is one of the strongest out there. Your garage floors will get a wider temperature tolerance level on both ends, hot and cold.
The downside of polyurethane is its inability to bond well with concrete, which is the most common material used for garage floors. If not layered perfectly, the polyurethane floor paint starts flaking pretty fast, and it can even come off in patches. People usually combine it with epoxy, by laying a layer of polyurethane floor paint on top of a dried-out epoxy floor paint layer.
Pros
- Excellent protective capability, both thermally and physically
- Easy application, with the possibility of combining with epoxy garage floor paint
- The color does not fade nor turn yellow like epoxy paint tends to do
Cons
- It can be a bit on the pricier side
- The polyurethane paint layer is thin, leaving the leveling possibility out of the picture
- This type of paint does not bond well with concrete
Kilz Acrylic Concrete & Garage Floor Paint
as of November 10, 2022 2:08 pm
Kilz is a dependable brand for primer and industrial paint. A single gallon of the Kilz Floor Paint covers 300-500 sq. feet. Two thin coats needed for complete coverage, but its ready for re-coat after just 4 hours. An additional 24 hours are necessary before its ready for foot traffic. Once dry, it provides superior protection against household & garage chemicals. It also comes in two different shades of gray: a light gray and a dark gray. Both options dry to a satin finish.
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Best Garage Floor Paint: Latex Acrylic Or Epoxy
Heres what you should use and how it will transform your garage into a special space.
Whether your goal is to have handsome place to park your car or a pro-quality location to scrape your knuckles working on it, a bare concrete garage floor is not the right answer. At Car and Driver we understand the desire for an upscale, professional-looking garageyou’re looking at one of our two aboveand that requires a properly finished floor.
Which type of garage-floor paint or coating is best? There are several and they all have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of cost, colors, prep time, application processes, and, ultimately, durability. To help you make the right decision, we’ll sort through their pros and cons here.
Is It A Good Idea To Buy More Paint To Begin With In Case I Run Out Of The Current Formula During The Painting Process
Well, as much as it seems like an additional expense, we strongly recommend you get an extra package of the garage paint formula you have chosen. Believe it or not, people often underestimate the size of their own garage, due to the fact that they rarely see the garage empty.
If you get another pack, you will be grateful to your past self, because there is nothing more frustrating than running out of garage paint mid-way. And, because you cannot mix formulas, you are limited to using the exact same type, so why not be secure with another pack?
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Why Epoxy Flooring Might Not Be One Of The Best Garage Flooring Options
One of the only cons of the epoxy flooring is the installation process. It isnt that it takes a lot of time and labor, like installing parquet flooring. Rather, the work comes in the preparation of the floor. You need to make sure the surface is clean and prepped appropriately or the epoxy wont bond properly.Youll also have a strong odor from the materials if theyre not water-basedso if indoor air quality is important to you, youd be better off going with something like low-VOC vinyl flooring or even a non-toxic laminate.
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