You will get lots of good recommendations for the epoxy flooring. Mine is 18 y.o and it looks new. One great thing about the epoxy flooring is that you just use ammonia to clean up. Every oil stain or grease drops, anything will clean up easily. Do not use regular household cleaners. Otherwise, it will get slippery.
Polyaspartic is another option, although I'm not familiar with any of them through personal use. I'm probably a year away from the same decision however.
I had the epoxy and was very unhappy, maybe my concrete was too old or it was a poor install? Then I laid down WeatherTech tiles and am very happy with my do it yourself project. Soft on the feet and warm in winter though edges sometimes buckle in sun, as previously mentioned.
Ceramic chemistry has been great, 5 garages coated. I think the most important aspect of getting a coating that will last is the concrete prep—> grinding. Don’t consider anything that doesn’t include concrete grinding. My floors were never driven on and it was imported to get surface right. 16 years and still perfect with floor jacks etc. power washes. Also make sure they go up the side wall ~ 6 inches so the bug and water aren’t a future problem at the join of wall and floor
I used a company called Garage Living. They had many colors to choose from. I chose a bluish color. After diamond grinding the surface smooth and filling expansion joints, a Rhino Floortex coating was applied with hermetic flakes was spread over entire floor then a clearcoat. 24 hours later it was better than I imagined. The warranty says anything (oil, gas) can just be wiped up. Best thing I could have done to my garage.
We had an older concrete floor and after Grinding, the flooring contractor recommended staining instead of epoxy. They used Ameripolish stain, and in a blue green coloration and then went over with a semigloss clear. 11 years and color looks good and clean up is easy, it is not as shiny as an epoxy.
I installed Race Deck about 5-7 years ago as well. Have since installed two lifts on it with no issues. It can be a bit noisy to walk on, but I placed landscaping fabric on top of the concrete before installing the tiles which was a great suggestion from another Race Deck user. I'm in Wisconsin, and there have been no issues with road salt.
I am keeping mine as is because I drive in and out everyday and can’t keep up with having it clean at all times. Also some of the epoxy finishes are really slippery and can cause a fall. If you do epoxy go with the best brand. Longevity on the hardware store brands may be shorter than you like and they peel off after a while.
Whatever I wind up choosing will be done by a professional so I certainly will question if they are using a top tier commercial product. The choices are dizzying. If I want to use ceramic tile can it be laid by any good ceramic installer ? Will they know the nuances associated with doing a cement garage floor vs. a kitchen floor ?
I have done three different garages with epoxy and had one done "professionally". In my case I used and oil base epoxy and a clear coat with perfect results. The professional insisted on using a water based epoxy, it was a disaster. I go on line to look for the best epoxy paint, I rent a sanding buffer to prep. the concrete (even new) and I follow the instructions for the paint. It works great.
I used porcelain tile. It looks awesome and it is very easy to clean. Very hard and durable. Just make sure when you work on something you don't drop any heavy tools on it. It could crack. Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have had epoxy in previous garage. Was OK, but aged. Moved to a new house 3 years ago and built a new garage for the toys. I chose a concrete stain with a light sealant over it. You can get a myriad of colors and patterns. Mine is more of a marble type appearance. I think it looks great and has been very durable - no issues. I am very happy I chose this. Was going to go with tile, but tile is a more expensive option. Stain was very reasonably priced.
Though they are still covered with builder's dust in these photos from our garage build..... Lifts are great too if you have the ceiling hight.
I used Torginol, see web page: Torginol, Inc. – Enhance Your Environment . It is sprayed on, cleans easily and looks exceptionally good. If you are driving a Ferrari don't worry about the cost. Incidentally, that is a LHM hydraulic leak under the drivers side door. The other noticeable discolorations are water and trash related. All these will clean up quickly leaving the floor like new..... Image Unavailable, Please Login
I did it myself with a kit I bought st Lowes. It was on a 3 month old corvette floor. It is now 3 years old and has stood up very well. Rustoleum was the brand and they offer a touch up kit. I also clear coated and noticed the sun has faded the pad outside the garage door.
Have epoxy floor and even the wife loves it. Did have some initial issues with hot tires on it which left marks but the installer came back and they fixed the entire floor and no problems since - they said it was their fault. only issues are with the small flakes - while it looks good, finding small pieces dropped on the floor can be a nightmare.
One professional contractor I'm talking with ( who's business is doing only Epoxy floors ) says he doesn't have to do anything to the expansion joints and that nothing is laid down over the cement prior to the epoxy and that the epoxy chemically bonds directly to the cement. Does that sound right ? What are the critical factors in the preparation for Epoxy ? Going to look at porcelain tile also. If I read correctly the critical factors are that it should be thru and thru color, 4 or 5 rating, and something about the slipperiness factor. What are the critical factors involved with preparation for tile by the contractor ?
I have had great success with polished and stained concrete floors. They are durable, easy to maintain, and have a wonderful reflective quality. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Over the years I've had a number of floors in my garage. The best one in my opinion is from Premier Garage (I've had it for 4 years now, and I highly recommend it): https://www.premiergarage.com/garage-floors.html Howard 305-793-3750
Thanks. Will give them a all to see if they service my area. What was their fault that they had to fix that contributed to the "hot tire" issues ? Anybody know if Epoxy should be done only if the ambient temp is in a certain range ?