DIY Garage Epoxy Floor Paint

Epoxy paints provide a beautiful garage floor finish.

An epoxy coating on a garage floor provides a tough, wear-resistant finish. Epoxy paints come in a range of color choices that stand up to grease, oil and other stains. Commercial-grade epoxy paints offer the highest level of durability. Standard masonry paints do not stand up to traffic wear-and-tear as well as epoxy paints do. Epoxy-based finishes are easy to maintain and clean, making them a good choice for a garage floor.

Things You'll Need

• Sheet plastic
• Broom
• Grease-fighting detergent
• Masonry grinder or sandblaster with silica sand
• Hydraulic cement
• Stir stick
• Painter's tray
• Wide paintbrush
• Long-handle paint roller
• 1/2-inch-nap roller

Instructions

1. Remove all items from the garage floor. Hang sheet plastic from mid-wall down to the floor to protect the walls from paint splashes and spills.

2. Sweep the garage floor with a stiff-bristle broom to remove dirt, debris and dust. Remove stains from the floor with a grease-fighting detergent. Rinse the floor thoroughly to remove detergent residue and allow it to dry. Epoxy-based paints achieve better adhesion on clean surfaces and may not bond to greasy or dirty surfaces.

3. Grind the surface of the garage floor with a masonry grinder to rough the surface and expose concrete that is more porous than the surface. Sandblasting the garage floor with silica sand is an acceptable alternative. You can also apply an acid-based concrete etching product. Acid-based chemicals require extreme care and are not recommended for use by nonprofessionals.

4. Sweep and rinse the garage floor to remove all masonry dust and allow the floor to dry.

5. Fill in concrete cracks with hydraulic cement.

6. Pour hardener into the epoxy paint. Stir epoxy-based paint and hardener with a stir stick to blend. Pour the epoxy paint into a painter's tray. Many epoxy preparations come as two-part epoxy kits.

7. Brush the epoxy-based paint around the perimeter of the garage floor with a wide paintbrush.

8. Dip a long-handle paint roller with a 1/2-inch nap into the paint and roll off excess on the tray. Apply the epoxy paint beginning in a far corner of the garage and rolling the roller back and forth covering the floor.

9. Allow the paint to dry fully, generally four to six hours, before applying a second coat. Many epoxy-based floor finishes require only one coat. Check the manufacturer's instructions prior to applying additional coats.

Tips & Warnings

• Work in a well-ventilated area.

• Wear safety goggles, a chemical-approved respirator, gloves and rubber boots when applying epoxy-based paints.

• Consider adding slip-resistant material to prevent a slippery floor finish.

References

• "Reader's Digest Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual"; Family Handyman Magazine Editors; 2005
• "Home Repair and Improvement"; Creative Homeowner Editors; 2006
• "Masonry"; Time Life Editors; 1977