When we were all growing up, garage floors were covered with one of two things — dirt or oil, or maybe both. With the exception of that one whackjob neighbor at the end of the block who installed Astroturf on every hard, level surface, no one much cared what garage floors looked like; hell, you were lucky enough if you even had a garage. But somewhere along the line — perhaps it was with the dawn of the McMansion era — our garages became more than just a place to park the minivan and the John Deere. Today's garages are sort of the contemporary equivalent of the once-ubiquitous rec room, except that they are often visible to the entire neighborhood, so there's a showroom element going on as well...
Glad you included ceramic and stone tile in your list. I've done a lot of tile and stone work in my own home and for relatives. If you shop carefully and find closeouts or imported stuff from India, China or Mexico, you can get real stone (granite, marble terrazzo) for very little money. We've bought marble tile for as little at $1.00/sqft.
While stone it isn't going to make for a good working garage, it would be spectacular for a display garage. Far better than those plastic tiles or any kind of paint.
One other thing that looks pretty good is polished concrete. I have no idea on the cost or durability of it though.
Also, if you don't live in a state that outlaws actual decent cheap garage floor paint, you will want to go with an oil based floor paint and not a latex paint. Latex chips and heats up to easy. I've done a lot of garages for customers that didn't want to spend a lot of money for a garage floor paint, and have had great success with an oil based or alkyd based paint. Smells a tad more, takes a little longer to dry and fully cure, but will outlast any latex paint.
Quote, originally posted by xJeTTx »
the only gas i get from 7-11 is after eating the food there
Quote, originally posted by jettagirl02 »
bmw and vw is in the same company if u look on the newer vw's they also have angel eyes...
The 2 part epoxy I will be using will basically hold up to everything except welding. Since I do not weld, I figure it will be perfect for me. I'm also doing my garage floor first, before we move in at all and before I paint anywhere else in the entire house we are buying
Quote, originally posted by xJeTTx »
the only gas i get from 7-11 is after eating the food there
Quote, originally posted by jettagirl02 »
bmw and vw is in the same company if u look on the newer vw's they also have angel eyes...
I'm interested in Epoxy coatings for a different reason as I have a damp basement. I've thought about coating the floor with a layer of epoxy as this will help to seal the concrete from further moisture
Of course, I will need a nice floor beneath me when doing laundry or at my workbench!
I'm interested in Epoxy coatings for a different reason as I have a damp basement. I've thought about coating the floor with a layer of epoxy as this will help to seal the concrete from further moisture
Of course, I will need a nice floor beneath me when doing laundry or at my workbench!
Is your floor always wet because you have a high water table? Nearby creek? Just curious. I had a customer once that built a huge garage to house his RV/bus. What he failed to tell us is how close a creek was to his building. It would draw up water, but he never told us. So, I acid etched the entire floor, and applied 2 coats of an alkyd base garage floor paint. Less than a week later he called me back and we found huge spots of where the paint was bubbling up. Apparently it was getting enough water through the concrete due to the nearby creek that it created puddles of water underneath the paint. So, I had to strip the entire floor. He wanted me to redo it, but I told him he needed to find someone else to apply something more industrial or to change products entirely cause an applied paint/epoxy product may not work as well. So, be careful, because stripping floor paints is not a fun job
Quote, originally posted by xJeTTx »
the only gas i get from 7-11 is after eating the food there
Quote, originally posted by jettagirl02 »
bmw and vw is in the same company if u look on the newer vw's they also have angel eyes...
I was going to say the same thing, epoxy paint will not seal a basement, the cement has to be dry. You need to install a sump pump and maybe a french drain to dry it out first.
Is your floor always wet because you have a high water table? Nearby creek? Just curious. I had a customer once that built a huge garage to house his RV/bus. What he failed to tell us is how close a creek was to his building. It would draw up water, but he never told us. So, I acid etched the entire floor, and applied 2 coats of an alkyd base garage floor paint. Less than a week later he called me back and we found huge spots of where the paint was bubbling up. Apparently it was getting enough water through the concrete due to the nearby creek that it created puddles of water underneath the paint. So, I had to strip the entire floor. He wanted me to redo it, but I told him he needed to find someone else to apply something more industrial or to change products entirely cause an applied paint/epoxy product may not work as well. So, be careful, because stripping floor paints is not a fun job
I've been told by by neighbors that we do have a high-water table, but not exactly sure as we just moved in. The house needed (and still needs) a lot of TLC and getting the basement dry is a huge project (already did basics like replace gutters, proper grading of yard, extended downspouts, etc.) Stone pointing is completely missing in some areas and we are going to get that fixed as well.
Currently, the basement floor has UGL Dryloc latex paint on it which isn't holding up to well needless to say (painted by previous owner.) There is no sump pump or footer drain system. We are going to try everything we can before we have to call in a "waterproofing specialist" who is going to want to install a full perimeter drainage system no doubt. $$$ Funny enough though, we never see puddles, not even small ones. Just a constantly damp basement (have a dehumidifier running all the time and it's not helping much.)
I figure by coating the basement in a layer of plastic - it's got to help! Just have to figure out how to get the existing Dryloc paint off first to ensure good adhesion...
Did you get a dehumidifier yet? We got a larger one from Lowes, cost about $300, and although it's kind loud, it dried out the basement very quickly and kept it dry.
Ours was just damp though, you sound like yours is soaked.
Sorry for the off-topic though. Everyone else, carry on.
Modified by High Plains Drifter at 12:23 PM 7-18-2008
I've been told by by neighbors that we do have a high-water table, but not exactly sure as we just moved in. The house needed (and still needs) a lot of TLC and getting the basement dry is a huge project (already did basics like replace gutters, proper grading of yard, extended downspouts, etc.) Stone pointing is completely missing in some areas and we are going to get that fixed as well.
Currently, the basement floor has UGL Dryloc latex paint on it which isn't holding up to well needless to say (painted by previous owner.) There is no sump pump or footer drain system. We are going to try everything we can before we have to call in a "waterproofing specialist" who is going to want to install a full perimeter drainage system no doubt. $$$ Funny enough though, we never see puddles, not even small ones. Just a constantly damp basement (have a dehumidifier running all the time and it's not helping much.)
I figure by coating the basement in a layer of plastic - it's got to help! Just have to figure out how to get the existing Dryloc paint off first to ensure good adhesion...
Dryloc shouldnt be relied on as a primary source of "dampproofing" your basement. It really is only a 5-10% solution -- part of an overall solution but not a primary solution. With a high-ish water table, all that water is putting pressure on your foundation and slab. It may not physically seep into your basement but the dampness gets everywhere.
When I lived on the east coast I had a damp basement for years because of a high water table, especially during spring and early summer. We had a french drain system in the cellar (it dumped into a storm drain pipe), but it did very little. I tried dryloc -- no help. I used 2 dehumidifiers, which helped but in the wettest or most humid weather it coulnd't keep up and it was annoying and noisy (and costly from an electric bill standpoint) to have dehumidifiers running all the time (and that's what they did -- run almost all the time).
The only things that worked for me were (i) regrading the earth around the house to make sure water would flow away from the house, (ii) making sure every single gutter drained well away from the house, and (iii) installing a sump pump system.
It cost money but it worked - the basement was only slightly more damp than the rest of the house. You'd be amazed at how much a sump pump continues to work for a week or two after wet weather (even if it's been a week since it rained hard) -- just remember that all that water was up against your foundation before.
1978 Honda Accord (gone), 1986 VW Jetta (gone), 1987 Saab 900 (sold for a pittance, tears in my eyes), 2000 VW Passat (sold), 2001 Saab 9-3 Viggen (sold), 2004 Volvo V70R (still going strong), 2005 VW Golf TDI (lemon), 2006 Saab 9-2x (sold), 2008 Mazda CX9 (family hauler).
Now interested in: BMW X5 35d, Subaru Forester, used Subaru Legacy GT un-limited wagon, VW GTI-R 4-dr 6MT.
My garage floor is atrocious. Cracking and falling apart. So I need to repair it. My idea is to repair the cracks and chips with new concrete mix or repair kit, then epoxy the whole thing. Does this sound like a good plan or should I contemplate something else? Thanks
My garage floor is atrocious. Cracking and falling apart. So I need to repair it. My idea is to repair the cracks and chips with new concrete mix or repair kit, then epoxy the whole thing. Does this sound like a good plan or should I contemplate something else? Thanks
Guess it all depends on how bad your concrete really is. A few minor cracks and chips wouldn't be an issue of just doing minor repairs, but do not rely on a paint/epoxy to act as a super glue to hold your concrete together . If your concrete is cracking due to settling, your floor coverings will crack and move as well. Remember, paints flex and move, expand and contract, and throwing more coats on there to help it get a good coat is not helping the situation because you retard the paint from flexing with the weather and other conditions. Having no idea what your concrete actually looks like, that's about all the help I can provide. One thing though, if you use a hardener in your concrete repairs, you may have to sand the concrete, because the hardeners will retard acid etching and your paint will not adhere.
Quote, originally posted by xJeTTx »
the only gas i get from 7-11 is after eating the food there
Quote, originally posted by jettagirl02 »
bmw and vw is in the same company if u look on the newer vw's they also have angel eyes...
Thanks. It's on my list down the road, just wondering what I might be up against. I dunno what caused the cracking. It was probably poured in the mid 70s so just sheer age at this point. Oil and brake fluids haven't helped it
I used the $50 Rustoleum kit from Home Depot and it's easy to prep, apply, and it's tough.
I've dropped tools off ladders, spilled chemicals, had radiators spill over at temp and at most I have a little chipping and minor color shifts after 3 years.
I shopvac and mop the place out monthly or so and it still looks great.
Cardboard soaked w/brake parts cleaner will make it pucker a bit but hey...it's brake cleaner.
My garage floor is atrocious. Cracking and falling apart. So I need to repair it. My idea is to repair the cracks and chips with new concrete mix or repair kit, then epoxy the whole thing. Does this sound like a good plan or should I contemplate something else? Thanks
I will virtually guarantee that your plan won't work. The floor will continue to flex at the cracks, and the cracks will propogate through the epoxy.
Your best bet is to rout and seal the cracks with a urethane sealant, and coat with a urethane coating, or some other that can accomodate some movement of the substrate.
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I just gotta start saving some money.