House is closing in a couple weeks so I am really juiced to start working on "MY" garage.... It feels good to say that. Anyways anyone have pics of cool finished looking garages? I already have full cabinets in there and sheetrock, texture. I was looking to either coat the floor or lay down the checkerboard finish. What is the checkerboard stuff? Is it vinyl? Does anyone know where to get it? Let a brother know or post cool Garage pics here to get the Ideas flowing.
run over and checkout the Garage Journal... http://www.garagejournal.com It's the HAMB's sister site for just such things...
If you are actually going to work in the garage leave it natural. A slick floor is an accident looking to happen, especially when you spill antifreese etc. on it. I know a women who's husband slipped on ATF and now has a titinium rod up his spine and he was only in his early thirties when it happened.
I guess it depends on what you do in your garage... Do you want to work in it, or pose for pictures in it? A real garage gets oil drips paint spills, and welding and cutting sparks on the floor. A real garage gets cutting wheel and metal filings on the floor...A real garage, gets coated with bondo dust and gets blown clean with an air hose, A real garage gets "patina" from projects accomplished in it!
I've had an epoxy coating on mine for the last 3.5-4 years and it's held up well. (I've only got a couple pics on file that you can see the floor in.) I've gotten paint on it and been able to clean it up with thinner and the coating still looks fine. I've ran grinders and welders in there and it still looks sweet. When the oil and antifreeze spills occur they wipe right up without staining the coating.
I put clear epoxy sealer on my floor when I first built my shop, looked killer for about a month, the more work I did, the more the coating wore off, got to the point where it looked like crap, I ended up scraping it all off, it was a bitch, looks a hell of a lot better now, nothing fancy, but I work in my shop. If you got a garage that you park your cars in, then a painted floor is OK, but if you got a shop that your building cars in, put your money in your car, not floor paint, in my opinion, it's a waste of time and money.
I saw a guy do his floor with them peel and stick black and white tiles, looked killer, when he pulled his car in and cranked the wheels, it peeled them rite off the floor....OLDBEET
I see the conflicting opinions on the epoxy floor. We just did this at work. No way is it going to hold up. I was thinking of doing this to my garage. I dunno now. As a place to keep your stuff it's likely fine. As a place you work alot in and spill and leak stuff, I have my doubts.
Getting the epoxy to stick has a lot to do with the surface that it's applied to. Mine went down on concrete that was 30 days old and had never had anything but foot traffic on it. Even though it was a clean floor I still scrubbed it with the etching acid/soap (whatever) that came with the epoxy. They use the same stuff in the maintenance shop at work and it seems to do ok. It still has to be redone about once a year but considering the abuse it gets I guess that's pretty good.
I used some Anchor brand epoxy, mixes one to one with a catalyst dries rock hard, I scap body filler off it and use thinner to clean up spills. I have scatched it twice sliding tubing across it. It is some rank smelling stuff, wear a respirator and if you get it on somthing it is there. I also etched the concrete before I applied.
Garages that look like that do not get worked in... I learned along time ago that the cleaner a guys garage, the less he actually does in it. tok
NO on epoxy or vinyl tile if you work on Stuff. I have known dozens of guys who fabricate and work on their race cars (oval track) and rods who used Epoxy or vinyl tile,,, they all would not do it again. This is what works for us now and is CHEAP, FAST, and EASY. LATEX FLOOR PAINT from Home Depot or Lowes, also known as “porch and floor paint” use LATEX, not OIL base. About $18 a gallon and about 3 gallons will do a 900 sq ft shop. takes about 1 hour to do. Lasts about 2 years in high traffic areas. even where we even weld/grind. the perimeter areas that get very little foot traffic,,,, lasts forever. Sooo,,, every 2 years, we sweep out he center of the shop where all the traffic is ( cars, welding, hoist), wash floor with soap and water, pour 1 gal of latex concrete floor paint ( grey color) on floor, roller it out. Looks good as new.
My garage actually has a DIRT floor! Well, it's cement underneath it all, but having a dirt driveway means that plenty o' dirt has blown in there over the decades! Now, if you even drop a postage stamp on that floor it kicks up a puff of dirt...like working in the Munster's house or something! Call me crazy, but I kinda like it that way!!
Paints: Paints used on floors, whether they are wood or concrete, are generally oil- or latex-based. They can be used on porches, decks, basements, patios, siding, trim, patio furniture, trellises and more. Latex is the most commonly used type of paint. It adheres well to different surfaces, is easy to apply and lets water vapor escape to prevent delamination, or the separation of paint layers. Spilled latex paint can easily be cleaned up with water. Oil-based paints provide a hard, shiny finish. Instead of water, mineral spirits are used for cleanup work after oil-based paints are applied. Outdoor paint is often referred to as “porch and floor paint” Acrylic latex paints are durable and resist water and mildew formation Latex paint is available in two different sheens, low-luster or glossy Latex paint may or may not require a primer Oil-based paints generally require a primer A urethane enamel finish helps protect against scratches and scuffing
Tricknology, I like your thinking. How did you prep any oil spots? Just clean it the best you can with some thinner? Thanks
from home depot web site,,, this stuff is great, resists oil spills, welding grinding Glidden No. PF7024-01, Light Grey, Gallon Porch and Floor Latex Satin Model 1412-1080 -01 <INPUT type=hidden value="1412-1080 -01" name=modelNumber> <INPUT type=hidden value="no value" name=vendorNumber> <INPUT type=hidden value=12 name=classNumber> <INPUT type=hidden value=7 name=subClassNumber> $18.48/EA Each Glidden Porch & Floor Latex Satin is designed to withstand foot traffic and add decorative appeal in a durable satin finish. With a unique self-priming formula, Glidden Porch & Floor products are designed to resist wear and tear. The latex formula is ideal for simple household areas such as basement floors, steps, patios, porches and walkways. Adding beauty and shine to surfaces that receive the most wear and tear, Glidden Porch & Floor is also recommended for use on interior or exterior wood and concrete floors, such as stairs, porch floors, railings, steps and stairs, boat decks, basement floors, interior floors, decks and other properly prepared masonry, wood and metal surfaces. Glidden Porch & Floor Latex Satin features excellent resistance to abrasion, oils and washing and is tintable. May be applied by brush, roller or spray. Dries to the touch in four to six hours, to light floor traffic and recoat in 24 hours. Durable, low sheen finish Scuff resistant surface that withstands heavy foot traffic Ideal for porches, stairs, floors and basements Soap and water clean-up MFG Brand Name : Glidden MFG Model # : 1412-1080 -01 MFG Part # : 1412-1080 -01 Use Location : Interior/Exterior
prep greasy spots with GASOLINE. Scrub a little. wash with soapy water rinse with clear water. let dry, poor paint on floor, roller out. PS...do the primeter first along the walls. do the garage door area last. REALLY helps make the lighting look brighter to have a light grey floor, sweeps up easier too, and the oil spills wipe up easy. Try it YOU will LIKE IT!! Cheap, quick and EASY!
Just finished my new workshop. I was going to paint the floor but after a discussion on the UK NSRA forum I tiled it in quarry tiles (like a ceramic tile but thicker and heavier). Easy to clean up and you can weld right on it with no problems. Cost about $500 all in and I managed to do it all in a day but had very very sore knees.
i worked for Sherwin Williams in college, they make a 2 part epoxy that is virtually bullet proof when applied properly. it's pretty pricey, but you get what you pay for.
The Jalopy Journal
