Many homeowners aren’t concerned with finishing or coating the floor in their garage, unlike the floor in their kitchen or living room. They assume that the concrete slab needs no further work, and will hold up to years of heavy use. However, garage floors tend to suffer much heavier use and abuse that other floors in the home, and will definitely show it. Spills, stains, dirt, grease, and other issues can all be made easier to clean up and less likely to stain by applying the right garage floor paint.
There are two main types of garage floor coatings. The first is epoxy garage floor paint, which creates a thick and slick coating over the concrete. It’s difficult to do yourself, requiring a multi-step process and the right tools to create a smooth finish. It also requires the concrete to be in top condition, and can be extremely slippery if it gets wet. Paint is the second garage floor coating, and offers a less expensive and easier project. It can be applied with a roller, and doesn’t require the concrete to be in like new condition. It comes in a wider variety of colors as well, but will need to be repainted yearly due to heavy use.
If the garage is used to store cars that come and go daily, epoxy should be used because paint will peel from the pressure of the tires. However, if the garage is a workshop or houses a project car that rarely leaves, paint should be fine. Use a latex or oil based paint designed for floor and concrete coverage. If there are a lot of holes and cracks, they should be filled with concrete patching epoxy before being painted. Otherwise the paint will peel and chip around these spots. Be sure to get the concrete as clean as possible before painting. Grease, dirt, or oily stains can make the paint not adhere to the concrete properly.
Keeping the floor looking new can be a challenge, but there’s a few tricks to avoid damage. Avoid dragging heavy objects over the floor without casters on, which can gouge the paint. Touch up any areas that are peeling or cracking with a dab of paint as you see them develop to avoid needing to repaint the whole floor as often. The floor will need to be painted yearly if use heavily, but with care and proper cleaning it should be able to last longer.
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