What You Will Need
- A paint tray or kettle
- A good quality masking tape
1. Clean
Dirt and grime is extremely easily collected by concrete floors, which is one of the reasons why painting it is a good idea. Using a floor degreaser, scrub any grease, oil and other contaminations from the floor using a brush and leave for an hour. Clean off with water and leave to dry ready to paint.
2. Prep
If the surface has any cracks, this is the time to repair them using an appropriate filler. If any imperfections are left, they are likely to be highlighted by the glossy finish that many garage floor paints come with, so this is a crucially important step.
Apply masking tape around any areas you do not want to paint to avoid an untidy finish. Ensuring that the tape you use is high quality will help achieve the best possible finish, as cheap masking tape can allow paint to bleed through.
3. Prime
If it is a bare surface, depending on the floor paint you are using, it may require a primer. These are usually one-coat and can be easily applied using a brush or roller. If they surface you are painting is already pre-painted, then you will most likely not need to use a primer.
4. Paint
You must allow it to dry completely as per the manufacturer’s instructions before applying a second-coat typically this should be a minimum of 12 hours.
Etching The Garage Floor
Etching helps to open up the concrete so its not so smooth, which allows the paint to attach when you apply it. Included in DAIHARD 100 kit is a bag of citric acid powder which is used to create an etching solution .
After mixing the etching solution, I poured it onto the garage floor and got back to work.
I used my deck brush again to really work the etching solution into the concrete, then used my power washer to slowly go over the entire floor to make sure all the cleaner and any other debris was removed.
Heres how the floor looked after the etching was complete. You need to wait until the floor is completely dry before applying the paint and in hot, humid Georgia, that means waiting a few days. But once paint day comes, the fun really starts!
Apply The Paint Or Epoxy
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Garage Floor Painting Safety
Working on your car can be dangerous and messy, so heres exactly what youll need to ensure you dont die, get maimed, or lose a finger and that you keep your jeans, shirt, and skin spotlesshopefully.
- Concrete patch material, if necessary
- Paint solvent, if necessary
Organizing your tools and gear so everything is easily reachable will save precious minutes waiting for your handy-dandy child or four-legged helper to bring you the sandpaper or blowtorch.
Youll also need your garage floor. Because, you know, youre refinishing your garage. Make sure you open the doors and windows so its well-ventilated, too.
Deposit Photos
Flooring For The Garage
I am thinking of installing it in my garage floor which is uncoated concrete. It will be low traffic, i have a workshop I’ll use it for and then store a car during winter.
What underlayment should I use?
Should I glue it over the underlayment?
What transition should I get for garage door threshold?
The answers youre looking for are in the installation instructions in your link.
LVP isnt generally considered a good choice for garage flooring, especially when parking a vehicle on it. It gets brittle in cold temperatures, and humidity swings are an issue.
I got it for so cheap that I think i wanna use it. It would cover up all of the surface cracks and pitting the garage floor has.
Thoughts?
For use indoors and in temperature-controlled environments only
Also I’m pretty sure you’d never use underlayment for a glue down floor
Why would you not use underlayment for glue down?
For my last garage, which was for both shop space and car storage, i used industrial paint:
Rodda Paint, Professional Enamel, Horizon Gray 75 7078 1 Fast Dry, Polyurethane Modified Alkyd
It’s basically a thick paint, that’s battleship gray, and has been able to handle cars, attempted scratches, and oil and grease spills .
Awesome stuff, looking to repeat at our current place after fixing cracks.
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Which Garage Floor Paint Is Best To Paint A Garage Floor
The question on which garage floor paint to use is a tricky one. The best paint for one project may not necessarily be good enough for another. Some of the factors you will need to consider are the skills of the applicator and the intended use.
We have listed a few of our most popular garage floor paints below to give you an idea of just some of the products we can supply:
How To Prepare An Old Concrete Garage Floor For Paint
Related Articles
If you are finally ready to give your concrete garage floor a fresh coat of color, youll want to think about garage floor paint preparation before work gets underway. It is not a good idea to take everything out of the garage and just start painting, because if you dont take the proper steps beforehand, all your hard work could be for nothing. Unprepared concrete floors wont accept paint well, and the paint may flake or peel off in a short time.
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Paint The Garage Floor
After priming, mix the floor paint and apply the mixture quickly. Start again with the edges and corners, then paint the floor in evenly spaced, opaque strips.
If you have not removed an old coat, you will probably need a second coat. Even if you use a 2-in-1 combination for primer and paint, this will require a first primer coat and, when dry, another final layer.
Make sure that the floor between coats is arid. Only then can the paint achieve its full effect later. The first layer should be left to dry for at least twelve hours.
Approximately 24 hours after the final coat, the floor should be ready to be walked on again, and after about three days, it should be prepared to take a light load.
However, the sealant is only completely getting hardened after about one week.
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Rustoleum Pegakote Floor Paint
Rust-Oleum Pegakote Epoxy Floor Paint is best used in garages, warehouses, showrooms, corridors, indoor car parks and workshops. It is suitable for use on walls as well as floors and we would advise that this product only be used for indoor applications.
Recommended for use on floors that are subjected to heavy abrasion as the product provides very good abrasion resistance and has excellent anti slip properties. Rust-Oleum Pegakote has been used for painting large indoor car parks.
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Painting The Garage Floor With Daihard 100
The DAIHARD 100 kit from Daich Coatings comes with two buckets one with paint and one with epoxy. These two liquids are mixed together to form the beautiful epoxy concrete floor coating that you apply to your floor.
**SUPER IMPORTANT TIP** The paint and epoxy MUST be mixed together completely, or the coating will not dry correctly!
For this reason, I strongly recommend using a power drill with apaint stirring attachment. Nothing fancy, just a tool that will help you mix the solution for 3 minutes so you will get the best results.
Youll first stir the bucket of paint for about 30 seconds, then carefully pour the container of epoxy into the paint. Use your drill and paint stirring attachment to mix them together for 3 full minutes.
Carefully scrape against the side of the can to get all of the liquids mixed completely.
The paint/epoxy mixture is only usable for about 60 minutes, so make sure youre ready to work quickly to get it done.
Put your plastic paint tray liner in your paint tray, then pour the epoxy mixture into the tray. With your paint roller attached to the extension pole, roll your smooth roller into the tray and apply a single coat of the epoxy to the floor.
As you apply the paint to your garage floor, try to work in smooth motions to get the paint applied in a thin coat. You want to avoid or at least minimize the need to reapply over the same area, to avoid any bubbles in the paint.
Apply Masonry Paint And/or Floor Coating
Paint the floor with a properly formulated, waterproof acrylic latex masonry paint that can withstand foot traffic, such as True Value EasyCare Ultra Premium Exterior Masonry/Stucco Paint. Use a roller with extension pole or sprayer to cover the entire surface evenly. Let it dry overnight. If you see any thin patches on the floor the next day, add another coat of masonry paint.
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Disadvantages Of Epoxy Flooring
Although there are plenty of advantages of painting your garage floor, there are a few things to consider:
- The paint/epoxy mixture has a strong smell while its being applied. Youll want to make sure you are able to get plenty of ventilation while you work.
- You have to do a lot of prep work before applying the paint. Its not as simple as painting a wall. If you arent committed to doing a lot of work to get the concrete slab ready, you wont get good results. Hard work pays off!
- It can take a good 48-72 hours to fully dry, depending on temperature and humidity. Youll want to be sure you can stay out of your garage for the full dry time until the floor finishes curing to avoid damaging the finish.
- Like any smooth surface, a smooth epoxy flooring can be slippery when it gets wet, but that has a simple solution just apply decorative flakes to the wet epoxy for a more non-slip finish!
Even with these disadvantages , painting my garage floor was totally worth it!
How To Apply Garage Floor Paint
As with all painting projects the key is in the preparation. Make sure that the surface is clean, dry and clear of any damage. You will also need to pay particular attention to the floor temperature. If the concrete temperature is too low the product will not get a good bond. In comparison you also do not want to choose a day with high humidity.
Bear in mind that the air temperature is not necessarily the same as the floor temperature.
Line the bottom of the walls with tape to prevent splashes. Have a plan of action ready, you will want to start in one corner and lead back towards the door, the last thing you want to do is to find yourself painted in to a corner with no way out! Definitely not a sensible way with how to paint a garage floor!
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Roughen Up The Garage Floor
Garage floor paint adheres best if the surface of the concrete has a slightly roughened texturelike that of fine sandpaper. Garage floors that have been troweled to a smooth surface will need to be roughened to create a suitable texture for painting.
This can be done with an etching product or muriatic acid. Follow the manufacturers instructions very carefully. You may need to etch or wash the surface twice to achieve the proper texture.
Rinse the concrete thoroughly to remove any traces of chemicals and dry completely before moving on to painting.
If you are concerned about using chemicals or you are painting over old paint, you can etch a smooth concrete surface by using a power grinder or sander. Simply run the grinder or sander over the floor until you have a rougher surface for the paint to adhere.
Make sure to vacuum and damp-mop the sanded surface thoroughly to remove dust before painting it.
Prepping Your Concrete Garage Floor For Paint
Prior to painting your garage floor, youll need to take some important steps to get the old concrete surface ready to be painted. While it sounds simple to just slap a coat of paint directly onto the concrete without any prep, thats a recipe for disaster.
Concrete is a porous material, which means it can absorb all sorts of things. If you just put some paint directly onto the concrete, youll find that the paint color will look faded, will scratch easily, flake off, and all kinds of other problems.
First, youll want to use a concrete degreaser to remove any oil, gas, old paint, or whatever else is griming up the surface. Use a hose to get the concrete wet, then get a stiff brush and apply the degreaser. Rinse it off thoroughly and let the concrete dry. Then youll need to fill in any cracks, gaps, or other blemishes. Use a concrete caulk and make sure you get it smooth after youve filled the cracks.
Depending on what type of paint you decide to use for your garage floor, you might need to take a couple of extra prep steps before painting. If your concrete is really porous , youll want to etch the concrete. This roughs up the concrete surface and gives the primer and paint something more to adhere to.
The other step is to apply a concrete-specific primer. Youll want to make sure the floor is totally dry before putting on the primer. This helps to better ensure that the primer will coat the floor evenly and smoothly.
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Where Can I Buy Garage Floor Paint
As mentioned earlier Promain have a large range of floor paints, many of which are available for next day delivery. We also have a a technical team with extensive knowledge who are there to help provide information on both the products and application should you need it. Make your Summer project to paint a garage floor with Promain.
Apply Concrete Etcher To The Garage Floor
Once your garage is empty, clean, dry, and smooth, you can move on to the next step, etching the concrete floor of your garage. Concrete etching is the application of an acid and water solution to a concrete floor to strengthen the surface of the concrete. This acid wash opens pores in the concrete, making the adhesion of the epoxy or paint easier.
This process is fundamental because etching the concrete floor will ensure that the paint will stick onto the concrete properly and for longer periods. This step plays a critical role in the success of your paint job. Failing to etch your concrete floor before painting your garage floor will result in the paint peeling and chipping off easily.
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How To Paint Your Garage Floor: Step
-
Clean the Floor
Use a wet-dry vacuum and a broom to clean away all the debris and dust from the floor. Use brush and degreaser to remove stains.
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Acid Wash or Etch the Floor
It is preferred to make the surface of your concrete floor a bit rough. You have to etch the surface or acid wash it using etching products or muriatic acid. Allow it to dry completely.
-
Apply First Coat of Paint
Thin the first coat of paint with a little water before applying it to improve the absorption into the concrete floor. Apply it using a paintbrush thoroughly and let it dry.
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Apply Second Coat of Paint
You dont need to dilate the paint when applying the second coat. Make sure it is thick and apply it thoroughly using a brush or a roller. You may need a third coat if the floor is textured heavily but not mandatory.
Give it at least a day before you start walking onto the floor again and a week before you start driving your car into the garage.
Bottom Line
Painting a garage floor is not just for aesthetics, it can strengthen the floor and protect your interior from dust damage as well. So, do not wait so long and paint your garage floor today!
Does Garage Floor Paint Last
A common question we hear is How long does garage floor paint last? There is no definitive answer to this question, as the length can vary from one product to the next, and the frequency of use in the garage will also have an impact on the overall life of the floor. However as a guide, our full epoxy systems are expected to last 5 years plus, but this of course is based on general wear and tear, and does not include any damages, which could affect the longevity of the product.
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