In order to give a garage a professional appearance, many homeowners and businesses paint their garage floors. Garage floor paint makes the floor look great and the cleaning much easier. Painting the garage floor is a good project for that “do-it-yourself” home or business owner. If the weather cooperates, this project can take less than three days to complete.
Garage floor paint for work and heavy traffic areas should be choose with care. Epoxy garage floor paint holds up great in heavy traffic because of its hard finish. It also comes in many colors, so finding a color right for your project should not be a problem. This paint is made from an epoxy resin mixed with a hardener. It comes in two parts that must be mixed together on the job. This mix allows epoxy paint to be the best garage floor paint to use, but it has a very short shelf life of two hours. Make sure you are ready to use the paint before you mix it or it will end up going to waste!
Learning how to paint a garage floor is not difficult, but certain steps must be taken in order for the job to be completed correctly. If you are using epoxy paint, the floor must be thoroughly cleansed of all oil, grease and grime or the paint will not stick to the surface of the floor. After cleaning the floor, it has to be etched with an acid bath. The best acid solution is a 50/50 mix of water and muriatic acid. Of course, you should always go with the best for that professional look. This etching of the concrete will remove any oil that is stuck in the pores of the concrete.
Step by Step Instructions
-Remove all items from the garage, especially those that cover areas you wish to be painted.
-Keep your garage door open for proper ventilation
-Clean the floor thoroughly by removing all grease, oil, dirt and debris
-Fill large cracks with concrete filler and allow this to dry
-Scrub the floor with an acid solution to remove oil trapped in pores. Make sure to wear protective gear while performing this step.
-Allow the floor to dry
-Apply paint or masking tape to the walls at the floor to avoid getting paint where it should not be
-Mix the epoxy paint according to instructions
-Cover the entire garage floor with a roller in one application. Use a brush for the corners
-Allow floor to dry for 24hrs before placing items back in the garage
As you can see, the job is a simple one, but requires a lot of hard work. It is important to note that there are many types of concrete garage floor paint and you may need to do some research to discover which will be the best for you. There are many local and online retailers that specialize in garage floor paints, so be sure to comparison-shop for the best deals. Before beginning any project, make sure you have all your materials at hand, because once you begin there is no turning back!