Resurface of garage floor

[mdsalemi]

...The heavier snows are problematic...followed by extreme cold...warmer, wet, heavy snows are a problem too.

It all would have depended on how many BTU's you used to feed the system. Simple as that. If you were able to heat that slab to 35 degrees F--no easy feat mind you--any and all snow touching the driveway would melt immediately and shortly evaporate.

But those quoted items above are exactly why we moved from Michigan to NC. We tired of it after 35 years. Since we've been here--mid March--we've had more lovely spring days than a decade in Michigan. Our old neighborhood had snow 3 weeks ago, and a week ago it hit 90 degrees. We had enough of that; maybe lovely for some, but not for us.

Again everyone, lovely photos and ideas. I've always liked the idea of polished concrete.

[thelews]

Not polished concrete, but concrete with clear epoxy coating.  Easier and cheaper than polish.  This is not a slurry, a much less expensive coating of clear epoxy for a garage that does not get heavy wear and tear.

[Garry]

I just got a rough price for doing an epoxy floor for the garage and its about AUS$70 a sq mtr which is about $40 USd a sq yrd.  How does that compare with pricing overseas.


Interesting comment on finding dropped small items.  I am thinking of the attached photo for the floor




Garry

[JamesL]

Garry, be careful with that colour as you might camo your car so much you can’t find it

[mdsalemi]

about $40 USd a sq yrd.  How does that compare

That’s less than I paid in 2016 by a good bit, for polyaspartic. I think ours was $7/foot or so.

You’ll never find anything you drop on that floor...😉

[Peter h]

I pay 3 years ago 30 euros...
Peter

[FastWgn]

Many suggestions and experiences shared here, with all being specific to different requirements. (Shop-like floor vs. home garage use) One very important point to consider prior to rolling up your sleeves or emptying out your bank account, is the moisture level of your concrete. This will determine which application is best and going to last without flaking or weakening of the surface material and regretting your product selection. Place a plastic garbage bag on your floor and weight it down with some books or wood. Lift it the next day and see if moisture has accumulated on the surface beneath the bag. If so, your surface coating will be susceptible to flaking as your garage is not weeped properly around the perimeter and moisture is getting under your slab and wicking upward. Select the appropriate product for this type of condition.

Echo this.
I have done three garage floor over the years, and there are two things that kills epoxy floors:

1. Moisture. I say leave the taped section of plastic (about a square foot) for a few days, up to a week. When you remove it, if there is any moisture the paint will loosen, just a matter of time. There are things )and special prep) you can do but I never had to.
2. Chipping, esp from using a jack) with metallic coaster or wheels. A heavy car on a small surface area like that will crap the paint. You can also see the same effect if you drop a heavy and sharp object, it can also chip the paint. Or use a jack stand without anything below it (use a square piece of MDF, or even a thin piece of sheet metal.

As others have said, a (gloss &) lighter shade of beige or blue works well, reflects light and make garage seem brighter, and makes finding dropped things easy.

Just be careful walking into garage in winter with snow on shoes. Slippery, very slippery..... 

[Claireredfil]

You need to contact a financial advisor.

[dakman29]

This is kind of a poor man's option but I went to this site and bought the vinyl roll flooring in the blue chevron pattern.  So far I'm very pleased.  Takes no time to put down looks good enough for a space that is recognizable as a garage and was very cost effective.

https://www.rubberflooringinc.com/garage/index.html?slc=2421&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=s_pcrid_434187981738_pkw__pmt__pdv_c_pprd_2421&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4ImEBhDFARIsAGOTMj8ORINV4-dChUNP7SAL1fCRrHPJ_VwxaCowOKG7qrItC0VX3uvD1yEaApPCEALw_wcB

[Garry]

I took note of the comments on dropping items on the floor and not being able to find them and ended up using a plain grey epoxy two pack and doing it myself for 1/8 of the price and it appears to be fine..

[Cees Klumper]

I posted 5 years ago about my garage floor in France. We're here again for July and August, and I have been making some improvements to it. Here's two current photos:

I made and installed the 5-meter (16 feet) long workbench to the right, using planks from a pine tree that grew on the property and we had felled about 15 years ago. I am using the wood from that tree from time to time to make replacement doors and window shutters. I also made the lamp above the workbench, with an led strip made by our Chinese friends.

This Summer, in this space I:

- serviced my 1990 French-made riding mower (with Kawasaki engine and American Peerless transmission), replacing all the belts, blades, serviced the motor etc
- replaced master brake cylinder and front brake discs and did oil and filter change on my 2001 Volvo C70
- replaced timing belt, water pump, accessory belt and pullies on my 2002 Volvo S80

The floor is essentially super-compacted dirt, from the over 5 centuries of people and animals using this space. Originally it was a medieval castle, that was destroyed in fire and storm, rebuilt, destroyed again until the current structures were built in 1806. Parts of the old fortress walls were incorporated into the current structures which is always amazing to look at.

To the right you can just make out the automatic cat feeder system I have set up for the 10 or so feral cats that live on the property. It releases small portions of kibble at set times, the hopper I made for it holds about 20 lbs of feed and our neighbor, the town mayor, comes in from time to time to refill the thing and provide fresh water.

The wall to the left is part of a wood-fired bread oven.

We call this 'the small barn' since one very much larger and taller, that was part of the central castle tower, is also there. Opposite it is the old watch tower with small prison.

[Pawel66]

wow!