| Author | Message | ||
| TR Heaven (Johndillinger)
Junior Member Username: Johndillinger Post Number: 163 Registered: 7-2002 |
Think im going to go with ucoatit - know its a lot of work but i'm attracted to the $$$ and durability compared to the "pricey" tile - ill post some pics when its complete | ||
| John A (Jarends)
Junior Member Username: Jarends Post Number: 245 Registered: 7-2001 |
Steve, figured, imagine what a 38x50 room???? It's epoxy for me. I'll decide which one when the room is nearly done. john | ||
| Ali Haas (Aehaas)
New member Username: Aehaas Post Number: 18 Registered: 5-2003 |
H & C stain on an acid preped concrete floor is permanent. It is xylene based. The area must be well ventilated and fire proof but this stuff is the best. I used it in my 2000 sq ft garage. Many pool decks are finished with this stuff. aehaas Edit - the stain is around thirty a gallon, you need 2 coats dones fast as it dries in minutes. Get help from somebody who used this stuff before. My floor is red, 4 years old now and nearly spotless despite mill work and a whole lot of car work.. | ||
| Steven Duke (Sduke)
New member Username: Sduke Post Number: 10 Registered: 3-2003 |
Well guy's I got the sample of Starquartz garage tile in the mail today. It is very nice. However, I don't believe there is a tile in the world worth $6.00 each. My garage is approx. 400 sq/ft. The cost for the tile alone is $2500.00. Grout adds another $300.00. That is a 2 car garage floor costing $3000.00. If my house was worth a half a million....maybe. Wow. The floor paint is looking better and better. You never know until you ask. Now I wish I hadn't asked....ouch. steven | ||
| TR Heaven (Johndillinger)
Junior Member Username: Johndillinger Post Number: 162 Registered: 7-2002 |
its all in the preping - if you want it to stay on the floor anyway | ||
| Michael C. James (Mjames)
New member Username: Mjames Post Number: 4 Registered: 6-2003 |
They have two colors - grey (about the same shade as the grey banner seen here) and white. The white shade can be custom-tinted to the color of your choice, so the pallete is endless. The cost was alittle more than what you'd find at Home Depot -about $60/gallon, but Griot's has always championed themselves as having the best of the best, so I expected to pay alittle more for a higher-quality product. You have to do a good deal of floor 'prep' before you just throw this stuff down, though.....floor etching with muriatic acid, pressure washing, ammonia neutralization bath, etc. Playing with Muriatic acid is fun, but dangerous if you're not careful. Painting a garage floor (doing it right), can take a while if you follow the directions. | ||
| TR Heaven (Johndillinger)
Junior Member Username: Johndillinger Post Number: 161 Registered: 7-2002 |
how much mike ? and what colors do they offer ? | ||
| Michael C. James (Mjames)
New member Username: Mjames Post Number: 1 Registered: 6-2003 |
Newbie here, but I've used Griot's Garage Industrial Non-Lifting Floor paint on my garage. The stuff is great, but alittle tough to apply. Once mixed, it has the consistency of honey, and will spread only with alittle water applied to the floor first. I had a garden hose in one hand, and a 4-inch brush in the other, and covered a two-car garage floor in about four hours. The paint takes a day to cure, and four days to fully dry. Two thick coats will provide a smooth, hard finish that should last eons.... | ||
| John A (Jarends)
Junior Member Username: Jarends Post Number: 242 Registered: 7-2001 |
TR: let me know what you think, maybe I'll look into it as well. J | ||
| TR Heaven (Johndillinger)
Junior Member Username: Johndillinger Post Number: 159 Registered: 7-2002 |
their shipping a sample (tile) this week - thanks | ||
| John A (Jarends)
Junior Member Username: Jarends Post Number: 241 Registered: 7-2001 |
Thanks Fred, that would mean about $1200 to do the room, not to bad. | ||
| Fred (I Luv 4REs) (Iluv4res)
Member Username: Iluv4res Post Number: 408 Registered: 8-2002 |
John, The tiles are about $27 per case of 45 tiles. Each is 1'x 1'. They are commercial vinyl (asphalt type) (Armstrong Excelon Commercial) that you appy with adhesive glue. Clean the floor/etch, then use a trowel with the adhesive and lay the tiles. You can cut them pretty easy and make designs or checkerboards, etc... They are about 1/4" thick with the colors all the way through so they wont wear out. They wont break if you drop something on them. You only will need to polish the floor periodically to get them to shine. They are used in deparment stores, grocery stores, etc... Do not confuse these commercial grade tiles with the crappy, junky, thin, el-cheapo self-adhesive 1x1 vinyl garbage thingies they have. | ||
| Steven Duke (Sduke)
New member Username: Sduke Post Number: 8 Registered: 3-2003 |
John I will probably not run the tile (if I go with tile) under the garage door. I will install the trasition just inside of the door seal line. Any indoor type tile will fade in the sun, and unless you use outdoor rated grout, the tile will lossen eventually because of the weather. You can adjust the closing point on most garage door openers if you want the tile to continue under the door. I just prefer the tile to stop inside the garage. Epoxy paint will fade also, but most are pretty UV tolerant. Lens Using muratic acid to etch the concrete is no big deal. I dilute it 2pts water to 1pt acid. Pour it on and scrub with a stiff brush. I use a stiff bristle broom and a wire brush for the stained areas. Just be sure and rinse completely. I rinse 3 times between each application of acid. I can't stress enough that the prep work is the key to a stable paint job. "Hot tire peel" is due as much to poor prep as poor material. That said, some concrete paint is crap. Stay away from the cheap latex stuff at Home Depot and places like that. Two part epoxy is the only way to go. I just don't see carpet as being suitable for a garage. Wet tires, tar, auto fluids, road salt, mud, etc., just seem too much for any kind of carpet to withstand and still remain presentable. Just my opinion. Tony Starquartz has a synthetic grout specifically for their tile. The company is sending a sample of the grout also. They have many different colors. Look under the "accessories" header on their product page. steven | ||
| tony zuccarino (Tzucc)
New member Username: Tzucc Post Number: 2 Registered: 6-2003 |
I have used a two part epoxy paint, about 60 dollars for a pair of gallon containers of the stuff. Bought it at a professional paint store, don't know the brand. I had great luck with it... it cured like the hardest enamel, bonded perfectly, never came up on tires or lost any gloss to motor fluid spills aplenty. I only was able to chip it once dropping a mini sledge hammer from the bench. Very satisfied. Challenges: - I shot blasted the floor using a rented Blastrac shot blaster. Muriatic acid doesn't do enough etching to guarantee a rough and fresh bonding surface. Bead blasters are hard to find these days to rent, but they kick *ss and take off a nice uniform 1/4 or 1/8" of concrete surface, leaving this nice dark gray paint ready surface below. - mixing the epoxy parts and getting it on the floor fast enough. I did this in the heat of summer... and the paint was drying in the paint pan as fast as I could shlop it on the floor (using one of those deep shag rollers). The thing I would be concerned about with the startile deal is not the tile, that sounds nice from the website, but the grouting. I don't trust grout not to crack or get stained. | ||
| John A (Jarends)
Junior Member Username: Jarends Post Number: 240 Registered: 7-2001 |
Lenny, actually, I had thought of using those mats even if I epoxy. They look pretty good, at least the ones I saw. Grotts and other have some nice ones in nice colors, maybe even with emblems. Paul: I never heard of that carpet, would be interesting. John | ||
| Leonardo Soccolich (Lens)
Member Username: Lens Post Number: 284 Registered: 3-2001 |
John, that's why I thought about using the floor mat under the car area, and the carpet around the perimeter. | ||
| Paul Bianco (Paulie_b)
Junior Member Username: Paulie_b Post Number: 237 Registered: 1-2003 |
John, I was just going to ask the same question; if anyone has experience with carpet. I looked into it recently and indoor/outdoor carpet is not good enough. There is a specific carpet used for garages; much better than indoor/outdoor. Anyone have any ideas. | ||
| John A (Jarends)
Junior Member Username: Jarends Post Number: 239 Registered: 7-2001 |
Fred, how much a tile? | ||
| John A (Jarends)
Junior Member Username: Jarends Post Number: 238 Registered: 7-2001 |
Good morning Lenny, I looked into indoor/outdoor carpeting, but was told a garage was not a good application, one and two, doesn't look good and gets ratty after awhile. Who knows. John | ||
| Fred (I Luv 4REs) (Iluv4res)
Member Username: Iluv4res Post Number: 407 Registered: 8-2002 |
See prior posts on this: Use the Armstrong asphalt tiles from Home Depot. They come in every color you would want, they are easy to lay, unbreakable, have the color all the way through (you wont wear them out). All that's required is periodic polishing to keep them shiny. This is the flooring used in commercial applications such as Wal-Mart, Grocery stores, etc... but, you can buy the tiles in much more interesting colors! | ||
| Leonardo Soccolich (Lens)
Member Username: Lens Post Number: 280 Registered: 3-2001 |
Has anyone ever actually used muriatic acid prior to painting a concrete floor? I've been thinking about using expoxy on my garage floor, but the necessity of the etching process is causing me to reconsider. Home Depot has indoor/outdoor tight weave carpet for 47 cents per sq. ft. I was thinking of using a combination of this and Griots garage floor mat. Am I crazy? | ||
| John A (Jarends)
Junior Member Username: Jarends Post Number: 235 Registered: 7-2001 |
Interesting posts: I'm still looking at approximately 1900 sq ft to cover. Race Deck and the tile option would be a killer. RaceDeck estimated $6700 for the floor??? The Texas paint site looks interesting, thanks for posting it. This is new construction. The concrete floor will be freshly poured. I should have no problem laying down an epoxy and have it come out looking as best possible. Although the house is six years old, I would still have to acid wash the original garage and clean it as Steve outlined. I may, but after this new area is done first. Thanks, | ||
| TR Heaven (Johndillinger)
Junior Member Username: Johndillinger Post Number: 158 Registered: 7-2002 |
Steven, im concerned about the 1/4" thickness - doesnt this cause a problem with the garage door? (door not fully closed) ?? | ||
| Ben Cannon (Artherd)
Member Username: Artherd Post Number: 392 Registered: 6-2002 |
This is the best I have found so far. Used on ~20 year old concreate (fairly clean, but still.) and I swear it is STRONGER than the concreate below. http://www.texaspaint.com/BmIndEpoxyCtg.htm#M70/71 Only one downside, it does not appear to be UV stable (where the door closes, build a strip of tile instead of epoxying out to the edge of teh cement like I did!  It's pretty good, but I am always looking for something better. An airplane hanger in Napa used a nice white that I want to find. It seemed to be UV stable as well. Best! Ben. | ||
| Steven Duke (Sduke)
New member Username: Sduke Post Number: 7 Registered: 3-2003 |
I was getting ready to start putting the acid on my concrete when I took a break and sat down at the computer and saw the epoxy floor thread. After Rob mentioned his preference for tile, it got me thinking and researching. I found a new product that may fit the bill perfectly. This stuff is gorgeous. It goes down like "real" tile with thinset and grout. The colors are very classy. It has a 10 year warranty and is impact resistant. Since it is "tile" it solves some big issues for my application. The link is: www.starquartztile.com I have called the toll free number and they are sending me a sample. I also received a sample from Racedeck last week. I like the Racedeck but my garage has a step down and I can see no way to make a smooth transition. But the color selection is very good and you can take it with you if you move. It is BY FAR the easiest to install which is worth something. I used U-Coat-it on my garage at my previous house. I used the medium grey with the deco flakes. I won't lie, the floor was very nice. But the amount of work involved has me dreading doing it again. My garage floor has a couple of cracks that I will have to fill, which is a pain, and the real key to getting the paint to stick is preparation. My last floor took two full days just getting it prepped. You have to degrease untill water does not bead on any stains, then you have to acid etch. I etched 3 times and rented a high pressure washer to make sure I had no "hot tire peel" with is the biggest complaint with epoxy paint. With U-coat-it, the floor is wet before the bond coat is applied, which is different than most brands. But this also means you have to paint the floor twice. 3 times if you want color flakes and clear. There is a big difference in supplies cost between paint and Racedeck. To paint my garage will be approx. $480.00. If I go with Racedeck, about $850.00. This is with me suppying all the labor. I am guessing that the starquartz will be close to Racedeck, maybe higher. I am seriously leaning towards the starquartz. If the sample is as good as the buildup, I will definitely jump on it. I will post some pictures of my garage when I finish it. I am completely redoing the whole thing. | ||
| TR Heaven (Johndillinger)
Junior Member Username: Johndillinger Post Number: 155 Registered: 7-2002 |
Steven, Let us know how it turns out this weekend - i will be purchasing soon recently a friend used armorpoxy - 2 weeks later he drove his car on it - and what to you think - the epoxy came up and stuck to his tires (i was a little worried about it being 1 part epoxy) | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 5155 Registered: 12-2000 |
I haven't built it yet, but that's what I've decided on. To clarify though, the workshop area will epoxy, just plain commercial dark grey. For the showroom, marble tile that isn't porus. Even though it's the showroom, it's inevitable that fluids will drop on it. | ||
| Steven Duke (Sduke)
New member Username: Sduke Post Number: 6 Registered: 3-2003 |
Rob I looked at tile, but I do some repair work in my garage. I was afraid a floor jack might damage the floor. That said, I would love to see a photo of your floor. steve | ||
| Andrew Randazzo (Arandazz)
New member Username: Arandazz Post Number: 11 Registered: 5-2003 |
Rob, I hope you don't drop anything on you tile floor. Tile doesn't take impacts very well. I've speced epoxy coatings in several buildings I've worked on. For a shop that is heavily used epxoy is the best coating availible. The product we spec is extremely hard, chemical resistant and skid resistant. It is sprayed on in several coats; the first is a the color and texture; the following are clear. The amount of clear depends how skid resistant you want it. When its all said and done the coating is at least and 1/8" thick. I don't know the exact manufacturer at moment but If anyone needs further info I can look it up at my office. | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 5149 Registered: 12-2000 |
When I was looking at my garage I shoped around to all the epoxy floor coverings. My final decision was to lay marble style tile down. Similar price and with a better look IMHO. | ||
| Steven Duke (Sduke)
New member Username: Sduke Post Number: 5 Registered: 3-2003 |
I am using u-coat-it this weekend on my new garage floor. I have used it before and it works well. The dealership I work for just re-did their shop floor with muscle-gloss. It looks very nice and has a warranty. Here is a link: www.musclegloss.com. Now, if you want the sharpest floor I have ever seen, take a look at this product. www.racedeck.com Pictures do not do this floor justice. They are amazing. steve | ||
| Ron Thomas (Ronsupercar)
Member Username: Ronsupercar Post Number: 843 Registered: 5-2002 |
Pretty cool site. Thanx | ||
| TR Heaven (Johndillinger)
Junior Member Username: Johndillinger Post Number: 152 Registered: 7-2002 |
Thanks John, Ive seen their product video - looks like good stuff - ill contact them... Has anyone out there used this product ?????? | ||
| John A (Jarends)
Junior Member Username: Jarends Post Number: 234 Registered: 7-2001 |
TR, Steve Just a followup on the garage floor painting. Found this site. Looks like an economical solution to a garage floor. www.ucoatit.com floor paint |