Cheap way to finish garge floor?

I'm moving into a new house thats a 1 year lease and I want to finish the garage floor but I dont want to spend a boatload. Whats a cheap but durable and attractive way to finish the floor. Adhesive back tile is going to be like 350 or so and I would really like it to be less than that, Anyone used paint? Any ideas?

 

There are a lot of different paint systems out there for cheaper than $350.00, you should check out the Garage Journal. It is a sister site of the Jalopy Journal that talks about nothing but garage's and tricking them out.


CBB

 

Walmart 16.00 a gallon for floor paint. It works ok, I use my garage so it will always be messed up.

 

I use mine too. I'm looking for something to help prevent oil stains. something that can be cleaned easier than raw concrete.

 

Try our sister site www.garagejournal.com

 

No shoit, really htere is an entire sectio9n on flooring alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @Whhhogoogohohohohohoho!

That was typed with a splint on one finger..................

 

I finished mine with tranny fluid, oil, and 60 year old grease. for highlights and contrast I primed a few items on the floor. looks really good.

 

Lol! I did the same, except I added floor dry in all the nooks and crannies, and a few cobwebs in the corners.

 

here's a tip for detailing the cement in the back patio. put some heads down and leave them for who knows how long. be sure it is raining. there will be a rusty imprint of the heads that will still be there 25 years later.

you won't find that tip on the Garage Journal.

 

That sounds like my floor.

 

acid stain and sealer is in that budget. it is lots of labor, but looks good.

 

Just leave it raw. Zep Driveway Cleaner will make it look new.

If you paint it, youll scratch it...then it will look like shit and you'll have to repaint it when you move out, and that's a bigger hassle than mopping some Zep on the floor and hosing it off.

 

Hey (Ordam) Hit some garage sales and buy some old carpet,put down some plastic first then the carpet,it will be a whole lot warmer laying on it this winter and when you move just roll it and the plastic up and throw them away! BTW thanks for helping out my sis!

 

The floor in my garage was brown with mud, with random splotches of paint and oil from 15-20 years ago my dad spilled.

I took a water hose and push broom and cleaned the floor for a good 4 hours. I uncovered lots of paint I didn't know exsisted.

I bought two gallons of Wal-Mart floor paint and had them tint it light green-Space Herpie Green (It was free) and managed to liberally paint the floor with about half a gallon left over.

So far its held up to rain, scraping metal, water, fire, and alcohol.

 

Hey no problem man. I'm always down to help a friend. You get the regulators in?

 

Yup... Zep is the shiznit. Barring that, paint it with a decent epoxy paint - Quikrete sells a 1gal bucket of epoxy garage paint for +/- $70 at Lowes

 

i used the home depot 2 part epoxy paint but didnt put in the flakes. its a grey color and works great oil just puddles up if you spill it and then it just wipes up. its pretty scratch resistant too. but will not hold up to battery acid, got a spot the size of a softball where my son charged his 4 wheeler battery and it spilled a little on the floor about the size of a softball. but still recommend it.

 

I used Glidden gray floor paint and it looks awesome. I think $18.00 bucks a gallon. I used 2 coats and it went down real easy.

 

I searched this last year for my garage and I think the only way to do it is to use a solvent-based two part epoxy floor paint. I got mine from Sheman Williams and I think it was "Armorseal 1000" or close to it. I tried one coat but it needed two after I thinned the first. My dogs tear through it 24/7 and haven't scratched it yet. This is the industrial floor stuff you often see in shops.
Looks great and anti-skid right in it. My 25 by 25 garage cost about $500 with the discount they often give. Before you paint you need to acid etch to clean it--we used muratic acid from Lowe's.
I suppose you could use the water-based stuff from a big box store but the above worked very well for me.
For my basement floor and walls we just used latex paint and it generally worked fine.

 

Dude, we musta gone to the same school....

 

I like oil, trans fluid and antifreeze stains.

 

No,I didn't get reulators in, We went to lawrence to see Jake and the Greaserama.

 

Yes I built my garage here in Thailand for about $1000 US dollars it holds 3 cars 2 motor cycles surf boards, mountain bikes, many lawn mowers and the concrete floor look great with paint, arc welding burns, oil spills.
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Thompsons water seal. Cheap, seals the concrete, keeps the dust down,---can be applied with a mop.

 

Go to the link below. Bailey's has 2 part epoxy floor kits with the speckles for $29.00 per kit. It is 2 gallons that you mix together. I'm pretty sure it's Glidden paint.
http://www.baileysdiscountcenter.com/

 

Y'all are gonna think I'm crazy, but I did part of my shop(the office) with Acrylic Enamel---yes, CAR paint 8 years later, and the only wear I have is where my chair sits/rolls(cause I spend so much time on the HAMB)

Two contributing(possibly) factors to how GOOD this worked....the concrete was fresh AND sealed, and I used hardener in the paint. Mixed it up in a bucket and slopped it on with a roller.
Of course, I had the enamel(phased out my mixing system) so I didn't factor in a cost other than the hardener.......but I bet you could source some painter friends or shops for leftovers, and mix 'em up in a bucket and have a custom color---heck, not too many shops use enamel anymore, and those that do(and older independents) should have some around they'd be happy to get rid of for an affordable price.

 

I've used opaque concrete stain behr makes a good one it can be tinted to what ever
color you want . since it is a stain it won't peel up .it seals and cleans easily .I did
my drive way and garage 5 years ago and no problems. the drive way was laid with several
pours all different color concrete and this made it all look as one . 5 years in florida sun and weather no problems

 

my buddy gave me a sealer he uses on chimneys (he is a chimney sweep and repairer). Man that is the best concrete sealer i have ever seen! after 12 years every thing that is spilled still beads up! and it is clear, really clear not tint what so ever. you would have to goto your local chimney sweep to get it not sold in the stores.

 

I always wanted to get everything off the garage floor and just dump 5 gallons of paint in the middle. Just let it spread itself and dry. Kinda like floor leveling cement. Sounds like it would work, but I'm sure in practice it would be a complete failure.

Add me to the "transmission fluid" finish group. Man, that stuff spreads like hell!

 

With due deference to those who prefer oil stains, tranny fluid, overspray and the like for their shop floors ... I'd say paint it! I work in my shop -- normally accompanied by grandkids, sundry pets, and oafish friends who always seem to walk thru the muddiest part of the yard before joining me for a cold one. Spills wipe up readily, mud and such mop off easily, and you don't have to search for your cleanest piece of dirty cardboard when it's time to lay on your back -- and don't want to move all that crap around to make room for jack, jack stands, and creeper. Dropped washers, nuts, and cotter pins are easier to find as well ... but that's just a little added bennie! I used the stuff from Sherwin Williams but the box stores sell versions as well. It's been down 4 years and is scratched and stained -- but still looks and performs better than bare concrete.