Epoxy garage floors are a durable, high-quality flooring solution that can transform your garage into a sleek, modern space. They’re also easy to clean, making them a great choice for any home or business.
The most important thing to remember when choosing a garage epoxy floor coating is that you should use an experienced professional. There are many aspects to a garage epoxy flooring job that first-time installers don’t have experience with, and these can lead to problems down the line that will cost you time and money.
Using the Right Epoxy for Your Concrete
There are several types of epoxy coatings available, and each one has different properties that make it more or less appropriate for your needs. Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a product:
Water-based (WB) Epoxy Paints
WB epoxies are the least durable and most likely to wear out prematurely, so they should be avoided for your garage floor. In addition, water-based epoxies are more likely to fade and discolor over time due to UV exposure.
Solid Epoxy Coatings
The most durable and most expensive type of garage epoxy is a solid coating, which is also thicker than water-based and solvent-based coatings. It’s also less prone to wear and tear from foot traffic, so it’s perfect for high-traffic areas like garages.
A properly prepared concrete slab is essential for garage epoxy floors to work well. The surface of the concrete should be smooth and free from dents or holes, and any previous oil staining should be removed so that the epoxy can properly bond with the concrete.
If you’re unsure whether your concrete is ready for an epoxy application, consider testing it with a low-tech, fairly reliable moisture test called the plastic sheet moisture test. Duct tape pieces of plastic sheeting or aluminum foil to various spots on the concrete and inspect them regularly for a few days. If any of the plastic or foil dries up, it means that the concrete is too wet to accept an epoxy coat.
Proper Prep is Essential for Garage Epoxy Flooring
The most common problem with a garage epoxy flooring system is that it fails due to improper preparation. There are a number of different profiling methods that can be used to achieve the proper surface profile for an epoxy coating, but it is best to use a professional to perform this work because they know what to look for and will do it correctly.
Once the floor is prepared, the epoxy team will begin by applying primers to create a good base for the epoxy to adhere to and a finish coat of epoxy to protect the concrete. The finish coat will typically include a mix of two or more coats of epoxy to give the floor the final texture and color desired.
Using the Right Epoxy is a Key to Long-Lasting Garage Flooring
The topcoat is the most important part of an epoxy floor because it’s where all the wear and tear happens from traffic abrasion. The key to having a garage floor that will last 15- 20 years is to make sure you are using the highest quality topcoat over the epoxy.
Epoxy Floor Coatings 