Owning a garage has its ups and downs. Garage floors are one of the most ignored areas of the house when it comes to decorating. When you decide to paint a  garage floor it is common to wonder how to make the surface non skid or non slip. Floors are not typically painted with an epoxy coating except when it come to a high traffic area like a garage. When painting a floor it is important to use paint specifically used for floors only. The nature of the paint makes it easily spread out, not like wall paint where it is made to spread in an even manner. Garage floor paint is made to flow evenly.

You may ask “How to make a floor nonskid.” The nature of epoxy paint is that it can become slippery when wet.  The floor can become a dangerous place to walk, so spreading a material to keep the surface from becoming an ice skating rink is probably a wise decision to make. Some ways to make your floor non slip is to spread a commercial grade material or aggregate made for the application. Do not use sand or brush the floor with a broom.  Making broom strokes in your in paint will make your floor alot less attractive. Sand may work but probably  will be visible to the naked eye therefore your painting of the floor will become dull.  Some choices for floor aggregate can be aluminum oxide, quartz crystals or polymer beads. Some ways to spread the materials vary from throwing them up in the air like colored paint flakes to rolling the paint with the material in it.  Some paints also come with the nonskid material already in it. Will the question of the spreading ability of the paint be an issue with the material in the paint? It might slow the spreading factor slightly, but not enough to notice.

Other Non Skid Surfaces

Of course there are other options for your floor beyond painting it.  Some garage floors have interlocking tiles on them. With the new technologies in plastics they can add to the looks of the floor and supply a function at the same time. They are an easy way to substitute the hours of preparing and painting a garage floor and can supply the skid resistant surface you want, but may be expensive for the typical homeowner.

A garage floor non skid surface is what keeps the floor from becoming an injury prone area. If you want to spend time painting or putting down tiles for your next garage floor, will be a personal choice. The ultimate goal is to have a non slip surface to drive and walk on.

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.

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.