When it comes to choosing the correct garage floor paint, color should really be the last thing you worry about.  The most important concern for garage floor paints is the resin system of the paint itself.

There are two broad categories of paint on the market today.  Those are latex paints, and alkyd paints.  Alkyd paints are also known as “oil-based” paints.  They are generally flammable, contain volatile organics that are harmful to the environment (and to you) and must be cleaned up with solvents such as paint thinner, gasoline or kerosene.  The other broad category of paint, latex paint, is also known as “water-based” paint.  These coatings are not flammable, clean up with soap and water, and release less harmful odors.  They typically dry very quickly.

Latex paint is further classified by the type of resin system used to make the paint.  For example there are vinyl resins, acrylic resins, polyurethanes, epoxies, etc…  These resins are sometimes called “binders” because they are actually responsible for binding the pigments and forming the film of the paint.  Coatings with different resin systems vary widely in price.  A cheap vinyl paint may cost $6 per gallon, while high temperature urethane resin paints may cost several hundred dollars per gallon.  You want to buy a good quality paint for your garage floor, but you don’t want to just throw money away, either.

Garage floor paints need to be hard, resistant to wear and impacts, and they need to adhere well to the concrete floor.  Many builders recommend using epoxy garage floor paint over a polyurethane coating, and here’s why:

1. Generally speaking, epoxy coatings have better adhesion to surfaces, although polyurethanes are also very good.

2. Urethane coatings and epoxy coatings are both highly resistant to abrasion.  Polyurethanes would probably be rated slightly better than epoxies.

3. Epoxies have excellent chemical resistance, while polyurethanes only exhibit average chemical resistance.  You may not spill chemicals in your garage, but you may use them to clean up oil spills, so this is an important consideration.

4. Both epoxies and polyurethanes have good impact resistance, but polyurethanes would be ranked better than epoxy.  This could be important if you do work in the garage where you may drop a heavy tool on the floor.

As you can see, selection of a type of paint for garage floor painting isn’t black and white.  One type is not clearly superior over another.  Contractors generally recommend epoxies because they adhere to the concrete surface better then urethanes.  High end floor coatings are typically a first layer of epoxy, and then a topcoat of polyurethane, in order to get the benefits of both.

Work specifications often call for a non slip paint on garage floors.  These paints, in addition to the usual binders, pigments and surfactants, include a special grit that roughens the surface being coated.  The slight5ly roughened, textured feel remains when the coating has dried, giving the flooring a non slip quality.

As a versatile, safe, and highly durable material, garage epoxy paint is the top ways, hands down, of protecting a floor through years of the wear and tear that comes from natural use. Thirty to forty dollars will buy you a container with enough epoxy for your entire garage. Once you’ve laid it down, it will stay there and keep your floor looking great for practically the rest of your natural lifespan. The catch, of course, is that garage epoxy paints do require some work and effort to use properly, and not everyone is willing to put that kind of sweat and time into home improvement. But if you’re one of the few who are, and you feel like your garage could be a bit better than it is, then epoxy is definitely the right material to choose.

Buying epoxy may not put a dent in your wallet, but actually using it will require a fair amount of your personal attention and care. Before anything else, the surface you intend to use the epoxy coating on should be thoroughly cleaned. Now, for lightly used surfaces, this can just mean breaking out some soapy water and some scrubbing brushes or a mop. However, if you’re looking for epoxy paint for garage structures, it may very well be that your motivation lies within shame from the accumulated stains and damage to the floors caused by your neglect over the years. Don’t just assume you can slap a coat of concrete paint epoxy over the floor and cover up your faults! In fact, the opposite is true: any ugliness on your floor will be preserved forever if you just seal it in with a protective epoxy layer. Don’t do that to yourself. You’ll have to do whatever it takes to get the base surface clean before you ever use the epoxy, and that could take some drastic measures. A pressure-based power washer is the next step up from a hose and can do a fine job in many cases. However, the most extreme forms of damage may require careful use of acid or temporary use of an industrial floor cleaning machine. Take whatever measures are necessary to get the floor looking the way you want it, because that’s the look that epoxy will preserve once you finally use it.

With preliminary cleaning out of the way, you’re probably impatient to use your epoxy paint for garage floors already. At this stage it is critical that you follow the directions exactly as specified, and don’t deviate from them for sake of creativity or bright ideas. Epoxy consists of two basic parts, a resin and a hardener. Therefore application will take place in two explicit stages. Waiting a few hours less than the directions suggest can ruin your whole project. Be smart enough to follow the instructions and you should have no trouble. While the material is hardening, remember to keep the area sealed off from people and pets! While epoxy isn’t toxic, you don’t want to lose all your work and have to start over because Kitty felt the need to walk around in the garage. Just exercise basic safety and cautionary procedures and before long you’ll be admiring a sparkling new epoxy floor that will be with you for years to come.

If you’ve ever wondered how malls got that beautiful shine on certain parts of the floor, well, that’s simply the use of epoxy floor paint, which is cheap enough for any aspiring home improver to afford. However, you’re probably a little wary of using some strange chemical you know nothing about, so let’s walk through what epoxy is before we get into how to buy it and use it.

Epoxy consists of a resin component and a hardening component, and together  these two traits allow it to be used for many different applications. It’s used for electronics and various kinds of machinery. It can create molds, fixtures, and similar items. However, the kind of epoxy used in the home is used mostly as a paint or coating to protect a surface and give it a beautiful sheen. It’s a highly preferred material for mechanics, as epoxy is heat-resistant, easy to clean up, non-toxic, non-volatile, and doesn’t negatively impact one’s footing with excessive slickness. If you’ve ever despaired of oil stains, an epoxy-based floor paint can make your life a whole lot easier.

A can of epoxy garage floor paint large enough to coat the average garage will cost around thirty to forty dollars for a single can. If you need much more than that, it’s best to buy in bulk rather than many individual cans if at all possible. This is simply because it’s usually more cost-efficient to buy larger cans, or several cans packaged together, than it is to buy many cans that are sold separately. There’s no need to spend more than the bare minimum, since epoxy concrete floor paint has a consistent quality when produced by any trustworthy manufacturer, and there aren’t many tricks the company can pull to reduce the price legitimately.

The most important thing to remember when using epoxy floor paints is simply that old rule: don’t throw away the instructions! It’s absolutely vital that you use the epoxy exactly as instructed. While the process isn’t at all complicated, if you mess up, you’ll be left with a blemished, sticky, or otherwise imperfect floor and will have to start all over again because of a minor miscalculation. Don’t waste your time or your money that way. The second thing to remember is that your flooring should always be as absolutely clean as possible before starting. Remember, epoxy is meant to seal in the look of your floor forever… if you don’t like how your floor looks before you start, you’re not going to be very happy with the end result. For most people, a thorough scrubbing with brushes or a mop will do. But for intensive oil stains or long-term blemishes, you may want to resort to renting an industrial-quality floor cleaning machine.

Be prepared to do at least two days of work to get your area cleaned and to lay on the epoxy properly. It does take a little effort to get that great look, but once you have it, it will be there for the rest of your life. And for many people who enjoy home improvement products, that’s a fair trade, particularly given the low prices involved.

Using high quality epoxy floor coatings in garages, basements and workshops is a simple and cost effective way of protecting the floor from damage and providing a durable, hard wearing and safe surface to work on.

Epoxy is a material which is a mixture of two components which are a resin and a hardener. When the two components are mixed in the correct proportions it produces a chemical reaction which results in a hard wearing plastic material. It is possible to provide the mixture with specific characteristics of hardness or elasticity and this makes it a versatile product which is suitable for many purposes. It can be applied over a number of floor materials although a concrete floor epoxy coating is the most common use.

The advantages of using an epoxy floor coating include slip resistance and it can be a safe product which reduces the risk of a slip or fall. It is also impact resistant and can protect the floor from damage, is fire resistant and the surface is easily cleaned making it ideal for areas that can be prone to getting dirty. One of the popular residential uses of the product is in a garage and an epoxy garage floor coating can provide a durable and long lasting surface.

If you are considering the use of epoxy garage floor coatings then there are a number of do-it-yourself kits on the market which can be used to provide a floor with a professional, hard wearing and durable surface. These can be found at home improvement stores such as Lowes and Home Depot. They can also be purchased at a number of online retailers and this is a good place to find information to identify a suitable kit for use in your home.

A typical example of a kit is the Quikrete Epoxy Garage Floor Coating by Plasti-Kote. This kit retails for around $85 and is capable of covering around 250 square feet. One coat will provide you with a semi-gloss finish and the material is two times stronger than concrete providing a hard wearing surface for your garage. Costco also produce floor epoxy coatings and their Epoxy Master Kit is more expensive at around $350 and is capable of covering 480 square feet. It provides a high gloss finish which has a number of advantages including chemical resistance to deal with any spills, abrasion resistance, slip resistance and it is industrial grade material. There are also a number of other companies that produce these types of kits and these include Rustoleum and ArmorPoxy.

Epoxy floor coatings are a simple way to make a floor in your property more durable and hard wearing. They can also make a safer and cleaner working environment for a garage or workshop and can cut down on the amount of maintenance required to keep the floor in good condition. They are an effective way to improve a floor and if you need to do this in your home, floor epoxy coatings are an option to consider.