Garage floor

[sherpa]

I was thinking about putting some polyurethane on my concrete garage floor?
Anyone ever done that?
Is there any reason not to use poly on a concrete garage floor?
mtnman

[SnowRidge]

I was thinking about putting some polyurethane on my concrete garage floor?
Anyone ever done that?
Is there any reason not to use poly on a concrete garage floor?
mtnman

I assume you are talking about polyurethane paint. If the polyurethane says it is made for concrete, then go ahead, adhering to any recommendations for the prep work. If not, why not just use a product made for painting concrete?

[Bird]

You might want to talk to paint store employees because there may be more to it than just applying paint. I know some painted garage floors can be very slick when wet. This past month our younger daughter and her husband painted their garage floor, but that was first a good cleaning, then acid etching, then applying the paint to small sections at a time, then scattering some kind of sparkling stuff to keep it from being too slick. I don't know the details beyond that, and I only saw it Thanksgiving Day. It looks great now, but I don't know what paint they used or how long it'll stay looking good.

[300UGUY]

I would put something in there for traction. Some bozo at work had that done, and several workers had falls. I slipped in a spot where the roof leaked. It is slicker than snot when wet, throw in a little oil film, it's like ice skating.

[sherpa]

I was mainly worried about gas and oil eating off the poly.
I had a concrete sealer put on the floor about 5 years ago when it was new.
Every time I spill gas on it, it gets sticky and leaves a big spot in the floor.
This is a garage for working in, not just to park in.
It gets stuff spilled in it and the concrete sealer is just a mess when it gets something on it. I want something that keeps it slick and easy to sweep but takes spills.
mtnman

[SnowRidge]

Are you going to park in it at all? Garage floors are one of the hardest surfaces to paint properly. They have to be prepped extensively. You have to deal with moisture coming through the slab, concrete dust, oil stains, gasoline and other chemical spills, ordinary dirt, and very hot tires which will damage regular paints. As has been mentioned, wet painted concrete is very slippery. A two part epoxy coating with anti-skid material is probably the best choice.

I wouldn't want to paint a garage floor in the winter, either.

Edit: Let me add, I have painted concrete surfaces and floors, both inside and outside, but I have never had the courage to try and paint a garage floor.

[AlanB]

I had a concrete sealer put on the floor about 5 years ago when it was new.
Every time I spill gas on it, it gets sticky and leaves a big spot in the floor.
This is a garage for working in, not just to park in.
It gets stuff spilled in it and the concrete sealer is just a mess when it gets something on it. I want something that keeps it slick and easy to sweep but takes spills.
mtnman

The stuff you wrote above, is what dooms most floor painting enterprises.

If you want the stuff to be top notch, you are going to need to abrade that floor, shot blast is the norm. You will need to find someone in your area to do it.

Anything short of that, and you are probably just creating more problems.

[bearhawk]

I don't know how much time it would take to clean, prep, etch, and then paint. Or how many square feet you need to cover, but have you looked into the garage tiles.

Modular Garage Floor Tiles - Diamond Black - 40 sq. ft.

You can do a two car garage in a couple hours.

[scgargoyle]

I've seen some nice floors done with good old industrial floor tile- what they used to call asbestos tile. You glue it down, and it's pretty bullet proof. I worked in a machine shop where the floor was at least 25 years old, and it held up to oils, metal chips, and forklift traffic. Once a year, they would strip it and re-wax it. With adhesive, it usually runs about $1 a square foot.