Should you Paint a Garage Floor?
Painting a garage floor is time consuming with alot of time centered around preparing it. Whether you are personally doing the work or having someone else do it, realize that the cost of doing the job may be the prep time involved. What is the reason that makes you want to paint it? Do you have a nice car to show off and a workshop or are you just looking for a way to spruce up your home? Either way they are both good reasons to paint a garage floor.
There are some things that you should consider before you decide to paint a floor.
Should I Paint a Garage Floor?
- Do you want to spend the time? Prepping the garage floor takes alot of time, make sure you deal with a reputable company that has a good support system. Remember there is a fair amount of cleaning time. Sweeping,washing and moving everything out of the garage will be the first step in the painting process. Then etching the surface with either mechanical or and acid wash may be involved with more rinsing.
- Do you want to spend the money?
- Can you paint over the existing concrete, consider performing a moisture test to verify that you can paint it.
- Consider the quality of paint, buy a good quality epoxy paint that is designed for a garage. Don’t cheapen the job.
If you buy a paint kit from your local Do it yourself store you might have problems with the paint popping off or not adhering properly. Go online and search for an established garage floor paint company.
- If you are trying to sell your home it could be a great way to be different and separate your house from another.
Should you paint your floor in the garage? That decision is entirely up to you. There are many garages that look great and they are long lasting, but there are other jobs that have been painted incorrectly and have caused the paint come off the cement. Your tires from your car are abusive enough, and other elements like salt grease and oil will help pull up the paint. So if money or time is not an issue when investing in a garage paint job, and if your garage is able to be dry enough to hold paint then you should think about painting it. Do enough research and ask alot of questions so you can avoid any problems that are associated with a poor epoxy paint floor covering.
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How to Paint a Garage Floor in Less Time | Epoxy Garage Floor Paint
Part Two of a Series
Painting a garage floor is really not that difficult, it is the painstaking preparation work that is entailed in the project that takes all the time. Again remember that if the prep work is not done properly no matter how good of a job you do when painting the paint may chip and crack.
Painting a typical two car garage may take less time than you think. Tools you will need may include:
- Solvent resistant and water resistant paint rollers
- A vapor/acid gas filter or better( ask the paint department which filter is best to use) when using epoxy paint you will need plenty of ventilation.
- Paint brushes to trim the edges.
- Last but not least- your favorite garage floor paint
Whenever you paint any project it is a good idea to have plenty of evaporation removal as you are painting. Place a fan to push put any strong odors away. The air flow should be such as to have air coming in the garage and air leaving, don’t close the garage door and try to push the air outside with no incoming air to replace it. Make sure you wear your respirator and it is snug to your face so there are no leaks. The vapors for epoxy paint is very strong.
There are a few tips to help you get started. Just as a quick overview you should:
- Make sure there are no sealers on the concrete floor.
- Wait 30 days or more before painting a newly poured garage floor.
- Do a moisture test to make sure you can paint over the concrete.
- Make sure there is no old paint on the surface.
After removal of all the contents you should paint and trim all around the edges of the floor. You may want to trim up the wall to get a good seal where the water may flow and it will help when the water splashes against it. When painting any project you should move at a steady pace so the edges don’t dry. Don’t rush just take your time. Start in an area where you can back out and carefully end where you can escape. Don’t back yourself into a corner. Let the paint dry overnight preferably twenty four hours before a second coat is applied. Applying a non skid surface will help with walking because epoxy paint can be slippery.
Parking your car in your garage should be withheld for more than seven days, if you would like to wait longer that would be ok too. The full cure usually takes about thirty days or more. See the paint manufacturers recommendation for this procedure.
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Best Garage Floor Paint
Garage floor paint is more than meets the eye. To get the best paint for your garage floor takes a little research and time. Using any concrete paint will not last long and will be a cheap way to cover your floor. The best type of paint is epoxy paint and it will cost you more money per gallon. Any other type will not give you the bang for the buck that you will need.
There are many manufacturers that produce paint. The ones to buy might be the companies that have the best reputation. Companies like Behr and Quikrete both have readily available paints, and are at a cost of about thirty dollars a gallon. Your local Home Depot or Loews should carry them. Are they worth the time and effort to use in your garage? I have heard complaints and also good reviews on both and I suppose it all depends on how the prep work is done on the floor and the quality of the paint. If you are going to invest into a paint that you want to last a long time, companies that specialize in garage floor paint are probably a better choice, especially if you own a beautiful car and you want a good surface to compliment the autos shiny paint and smooth curves .
Water based paint is substandard to a solvent base paint. The idea of covering your floor and sealing it is the key to a successful paint job too. If you are getting moisture from a moisture test then the recommendation is not to use epoxy paint.
The best garage floor paint should not be something that should be cheap, but you should be able to spend a little more money to get the results you want. In the long run you don’t want the aggravation of redoing the job over again. Hiring a professional contractor could cost around two dollars to four dollars a square foot. Buying good quality paint from a specialty company will be less money then a professional application and you could save thousands of dollars and have a floor that is very similar to what a professional may complete. Buying lower cost paint from a local store may work, but you have to consider the longevity of the epoxy and the long term use of the garage
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