Garage Floor Painting

 What do you need to know for a successful garage floor painting project?  That is really the question and it is what I plan to answer for you in this article.  The fact is, up until just a few years ago no one really thought much about caring for their garage.  We parked out cars in there, or more than likely, filled them with stuff and didn't have any room for the car.

Of course, this set us up for a big problem because the garage became one of the worst places in the home for slip and fall accidents.  In fact, it is right up there with slips in the bathroom and kitchen which are number one and number two.  By applying a good garage floor paint with anti-slip additives spread on top, it was learned that we could dramatically reduce the number of slip and fall accidents.  This has become even more important was our population ages and we regularly have drivers who are in their 70's.  If one of these grandparents happen to step out of the car and there is a puddle of water with maybe a few oil stains underneath, you can be assured that they are goint to go down.  And they will go down hard.

With this in mind, lets look at some of the best choices on the market for floor paints.  In reality, if you want a result that will last a long time you are going to be choosing either an epoxy based product or a polyurethane.  Both of these work well but they both have a drawback or two that I want to tell you about.

First, epoxy garage floor paint is realatively easy to apply but it does have one draw back.  It tends to degrage in direct sun light due to the UV rays.  This means, if the sun shines into your garage, there is a good chance this product will tend to want to lift up.  If used in a basement this is normally not a problem.

The problem with polyurethane garage floor paint is that it is harder to apply.  Unlike the epoxy, which can be painted in one coat, this product requires a primer.  Althought this is only one more step it does add a potential day of work to the project.

Just be aware of these two negatives when you start looking for the best paint to put on your garage floor.

 The most important step no matter which floor paint you decide to use is going to be the cleaning of the floor.  No paint is going to adhere to concrete if there is any kind of contamination present.  For example, if you have any kind of oil stains present then the paint will just peel right up, usually within a month or two.

The key to a good cleaning is to use a degreaser product that will remove the grease from the floor.  Start by rinsing the floor with a steam cleaner or power washer.  If you don't have one of these then it is not absolutely important but it does make the job go a lot better.  Next, spread a good detergent on the floor and scrub with a flat floor broom.  I am not just talking about sweeping back and forth here.  You really need to hunker down and scrub hard.  After the entire floor is scrubbed rinse with an ample supply of water.

Nest, we need to check to see if the grease and oil are gone.  Spray a light coating of water on the floor and see if it beads up.  If it does, you need to scrub those spots with degreaser some more.  If not, you are ready to go.  Let the floor dry over night, preferrably with a space heater running, and then paint the floor the next day.