# cement garage floor painting is it needed?



## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

while my garage floor is clean, i was considering painting it, I am sure there is some sort of concrete paint... is it worth it?


i would do it but not sure if there are many benefits to a painted floor

your garages: painted or not painted floors?

would you paint it if you had the chance or is it not needed? 

i painted my shed and was glad.. (tractor leaked oil all over) 
but that is wood.. not sure if there are many benefits to painted cement floor - i never painted my cellar floors...


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## guest2 (Dec 27, 2003)

Most repair shops paint the floors since it's easier to keep them clean. It's much easier to sweep the painted floor and also easy to get any oil or grease off. Whitewall cleaner un-diluted works great on oil/grease and doesn't harm the paint.


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## johnray13 (Oct 30, 2003)

I painted my basment floor with Duron Duraclad. I have been very happy with it. For your garage, an epoxy paint is the way to go. You will not be disappointed. 
Get a commercial quality epoxy and make sure to properly prep the concrete (VERY important)


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Yep, I would paint my floor again in a heart beat. One of the best things I ever did in my shop. More pros than cons. The concrete does not dust up everytime you sweep it, it does't get stained up, oil and other spills are easy to clean up and see, and small items dropped are much easier to find. YOu have mcuh better lighting overall (depends on the floor color though but it does improve lighting a lot if you use a white creame or tan color. ) I say white, yea right white! Years ago they painted all of our hanger floors with a high gloss white two part polyurethane paint. Just what you need in a maintenance hanger is a white floor, with all the grease and oils etc.......but it had more advantages in being easier to keep clean, and when under an aircraft light reflected upwards from the floor made a drastic difference in seeing better. White is not hard at all to keep up. Trust me!

I have had my shop floor painted white for a few years now, and its routinely welded on, grinding dust, metal chips metal being slid in and out on it, and a host of other punishments and all it takes is a sweeping for the most part and a rag to clean up spills.no stains.......and every once in a while I'll hose it out or mop it. And it does not really show all that much dust.

I can find small items i routinely drop much easier. I would go with a good grade of industrial floor paint (Me personally would go polyurethane 2 part as its hard to beat) but there is some god one part stuff out there today as well. I used paint made by Deft Coatings.

New concrete must age some (time depends on manufacturer of paint used) but it should be at least 30 or more days old. But then of course you may have already gotten oil or other stains etc on it, so it has to be cleaned really well and possibly etched with a chemical etcher (easy to do) as its usally Muriatic acid followed by chlorox.

Some floor paints arenot all that good if you have hot tires. Say you come from a run in the car and park in the garage and the tires are hot or warm, it sort of marks the floor with black marks that are hard to get up. So keep that in mind as far as tire wear and temperature. 2 part poly does not have that problem.

Now with all those Pros, the only Con I have found myself is its slick as snot on a brass door knob with just a little wetness or dampness, but that again is easy to fix. A little fine anti skid sand sold specifically for in paint works wonders and does not hinder squeegeing it out or mopping or sweeping it. So I applied a third coat of paint on my floor afterusing it for a couple of months with the original 2 coats. The third coat was applied mainly so I could embed some anti slip grit in the surface.


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## jjbyers (Sep 17, 2003)

I'm saving for Racedeck , as soon as I can talk the budget committee into it. I've found prices around $2.50 sqft.

I've heard too many problems with epoxy being put down wrong and never staying on the floor.


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

You could also put down a sealer...


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

That Racedeck is nice.. but 988 sq ft.. thats a lot of $$$$$

thanks for the info...

I went to home depot.. they sell the 1 part paint and the 2 part kits

The one part epoxy, requires a primer coat be applied.. cost 18$ per gallon.. all colors

The 2 part comes in a kit... with a video, cleaner, paint and epoxy. 

The doublesized 2 part kit cost 98$ and will do 500 sq feet. 



But they look nice and it only requires 1 coat (no primer) plus it has floor speckles.. colors gray and tan... if i can get away for around 200$ and only 1 coat i think ill go with the 2 part..

<img src=http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/eplus/163651_4.jpg>


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## Chris (Sep 15, 2003)

Yep that is the kind I like. Works really well from what I have seen with my neighbors racing shop. Exactly what I am going to put in my workshop. (if ever completed)


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Just be carefull on the floor after you get it done. It is slick if you get ANY water, oil, grease or any liquid on it. You WILL bust your butt in short order. Most of the bases I have been stationed at use some sort of paint on the hanger floors. Most aircraft ooze fluids and you can hurt yourself. I think they do make some sort of "grit" you can add to the paint to give you some traction but then it is tougher to clean up and lord help you if you ever rub your knee or elbow on it!! When I was in Alaska they did our hanger with folks from our squadron, it was called a self help project. It took them almost a month to do the whole process and they didn't like how it looked with the grit so they did away with most of it. When a plane got towed in form outside and the snow, ice, jet fuel, and assorted other fluids got on the floor, it was almost a slip and slide!!! Bottom line, it looks totaly awesome, but watch you butt! :furious:


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Stewart _
> * but watch your butt! :furious: *



cant help but to watch it... its 3 feet wide...


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

OK, OK. figure of speech. I just don't want you to hurt yourself! Is that better!:truth:


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

im gonna have to try to stay off the floors for a few more weeks i figure i dont want to get them all dirty just to have to clean them prior to painting... plus ive waited 6 years without a garage.. a few more weeks wont hurt.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Did they say how long you HAD to wait untill you can drive on the floor? 

We have a 2 car garage and I keep it picked up enough that both our vehicles go in at night. It is storm season here and hail can pop up at any time. Just being on the safe side.:thumbsup:


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

we can drive on it now.. i just did not want to dirty the floor up prior to paniting it..


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

a few more questions about garage cement floor paints.. 
Im going to get the 2 part epoxy paint shown above... 


chip or anyone else.. have you had this on the floor with your tractor with its chains on the tires? will the chains rip it up? i could put a rug or smoething down during the winter.. but was curious how stong the epoxy is?? 


also would i want to paint the outside berm? or is that a waste??? 


<img src=http://www.tractorforum.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=37874>


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

Chains bad!!!!!!! Our Hanger in Alaska use to have "runways" for the Uke or tow vehicle to drive on. If they were making corrections and got out of the runway it chipped the heck out of the paint!!! Chains bad!:dazed:


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

By "berm" I assume your referring to that apron of concrete on the outside in front of the overhead doors. Dunno, My concrete drive entrance starts where it ends on my shop floor, so I just painted to the expansion joint right in front of my door, or else I would have had to continue on with the remainder of the concrete apron area in the drive.

None of the paint is gonna be bullet proof to the extent it won't chip. There is a lot of pressure on the contact portions of chains, and I would have to think it would eventually indent and cause the paint to separate from the concrete in due time. Granted your Tractor is not as heavy as the typical Coleman or tug like the military uses to move aircraft, and your certain to be more carefull with your own property than the typical GI would be, but if it was me, I would park it on two pieces of pressure treated planks placed where its parked if possible, or a piece of rubber matting. Carpet may tend to get pretty wet especially when dragging in snow and ice after plowing or blowing snow and it melts. Mats or planks would also keep it from staining the paint with any rust that may form from the chains while its setting on the floor.

I weld and grind and hammer, drag items, and drop heavy chunks of metal etc on my floor all the time, and it looks pretty darn good after I clean it up. Odds are your not going to be as rough on your floor as I am on mine with having a small machine shop and welding shop setup would be.


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

I wouldn't chance driving my tractor on a painted floor with chains on. The weight of the tractor is very focused. Our Uke drivers were very carefull, I rod with them quit a bit, they treated the floor like it was their own. A couple of the guys helped paint it!!:wontshare I don't think I would paint the apron. I would draw the line under where the garage door comes down.


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

ill get some 2*6's and a mat leading to them and drive on them in the winter... 

thanks

and yes i thought it would be sort of goofy to paint the apron (berm)


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

I have no idea what your tractor weighs, my L-130 is listed at around 700 if I remember right. Im sure the big orange is more than that. Theat would really scratch the floor, it would probably even gouge up the concrete with time. A big piece of plywood would protect it I would imagine. 

What does everybody else around here do in the winter with their tractor and chains???


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## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Stewart _
> *I have no idea what your tractor weighs, my L-130 is listed at around 700 if I remember right. Im sure the big orange is more than that. What does everybody else around here do in the winter with their tractor and chains???  *



my tractor weighs 791 so with me on it.. thats an even 1200 lbs...



(cant find jodys pic with the fat guy on his tractor at the drive thru) :furious: 

i would think plywood would sort of get moisture under it? good question stew.. what do you guys do?


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

Just drive on it and retouch it in the spring...I don't think your going to do that much damage unless you spinning your tires.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Stewart _
> *
> 
> What does everybody else around here do in the winter with their tractor and chains???  *


Well I normally cut grass up until about mid or late november then get the leaves etc up, take a break anbd about late Jan or early Feb start working on the garden plot. No real winter to speak of.

Now as to chains......well I came south years ago with all kinds of tire chains, and for the most part they have been hanging in the barn in a corner. But I do find uses for them besides their intended use.

They make good slings to lift logs and barrels if you use a steel; spacer bar.

I cut all the cross links off, and use the latch / keeper as gate latches.........Those snap over type chain closers are super for securing a field or pasture gate, and it makes it virtually goat proof. Goats are pretty good at opening up common gate latches etc, but have yet to find one that can open up the closure from a tire chain!


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