Garage floor ?

[Harry911]

Just wondered what you guys would recommend regarding the finish to the floor.
I've looked at various methods paint, epoxy etc, and as I've got about £100 to do it I'd guess it would be paint!
It's a new build with an integral 1.5 car wide space.

Thanks in advance as usual

 

[Crazy Harry]

In my experience you're not going to find the ideal solution - well I haven't.

When I had my workshop built I got the builder to provide a smooth concrete surface (did it by dragging a strip of polythene over the wet concrete after it had been tampted flat) so that the wheels of trolley jacks and machines didn't judder over it.

I sealed the surface with this sort of industrial floor paint similar to this on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garage-Floor-Paint-20L-Industrial-factory-paint/263478905746?hash=item3d58910b92:m:m1ShpLoxC3Jjh5V_jUFcsCQ

It does wear; from grit on the car wheels and jacks etc; and at some point you will drop a heavy lump of metal which will chip your concrete let alone the paint! I just give the floor a good wash every year or so then repaint - 1 foot roller on a pole and you can cover the surface very quickly.

I toyed with a rubberised finish but this would not have given a good surface for jacking etc. I've worked in building with a lino type finish but compared to the paint its a lot of money - particularly for light use at home.

 

[mr.tourette]

Ive got carpet tiles from ebay, still working out great 5 years on, nice and warm in winter too

 

[Crazy Harry]

Ive got carpet tiles from ebay, still working out great 5 years on, nice and warm in winter too

I started out like that but all hell let loose when I forgot and did some welding :thumbsdown:

 

[mr.tourette]

Ive got carpet tiles from ebay, still working out great 5 years on, nice and warm in winter too

I started out like that but all hell let loose when I forgot and did some welding :thumbsdown:

yeah that wont work...no welding going on in my cave

 

[Taz]

Ive got carpet tiles from ebay, still working out great 5 years on, nice and warm in winter too

How do these cope with wet cars?

 

[Havard]

The key is getting any dust off the concrete. I would hoover the floor thoroughly and then allow the paint a week or so to set.

I did ours and didn't give it enough time and the tyres of the cars pulled the paint. The paint said 24 hours on the tin. It was more like 3 days before we stopped having issues.

H.

 

[Ducklakeview]

I painted the floor of my garage at home about 10 years ago with 2 coats of Screwfix's own grey floor paint, and TBH, it's stood up really well. My main concern was to keep the dust down, and make the inevitable spills easier to clean up, and it's done the job well. I just brushed it clean with a cheap soft broom, and then tipped the paint directly onto the floor, using the same broom to spread it. Left it 24 hrs between coats.

It's about at the point ow where it needs redoing.

Mike

 

[Truth]

Looked into doing epoxy on my new garage. But may have to grind the floor smoother before hand with a polisher. Going to start a garage build in coming months when I get moved in. Look forward to that. Good luck!

 

[Crazy Harry]

The key is getting any dust off the concrete. I would hoover the floor thoroughly and then allow the paint a week or so to set.

I did ours and didn't give it enough time and the tyres of the cars pulled the paint. The paint said 24 hours on the tin. It was more like 3 days before we stopped having issues.

H.

I did mine in summer in one of those rare heat-waves vacuumed the floor and put the first coat down with a bit of thinners in it. Waited 24 hours for the next coat (although it was touch dry in about an hour) then waited two days before using it.

I get most damage from small lumps of gravel in the tyre tread but with a gravel drive I just have to smile and repaint. I'd take some time to pick your colour - I went for grey to lighten the feel of the building but when the English cycling team talked about 'marginal gains' in performance one aspect was colour of the floor so mechanics can see what you dropped and find it quicker. That said the grey does show both silver and rusty nuts and bolts!

 

[Nictrix]

Looked into doing epoxy on my new garage. But may have to grind the floor smoother before hand with a polisher. Going to start a garage build in coming months when I get moved in. Look forward to that. Good luck!

Is there an easy way to make a concrete floor flat?
Our garage used to have a home made pit that I filled years ago but the surface is not very smooth.
Because of this I have never painted it or put flooring tiles down as the centre section where the pit was is not flat enough.

 

[rally-chris]

Looked into doing epoxy on my new garage. But may have to grind the floor smoother before hand with a polisher. Going to start a garage build in coming months when I get moved in. Look forward to that. Good luck!

Is there an easy way to make a concrete floor flat?
Our garage used to have a home made pit that I filled years ago but the surface is not very smooth.
Because of this I have never painted it or put flooring tiles down as the centre section where the pit was is not flat enough.

Yes - get yourself some self levelling screed. This is usually a relatively quick drying plasticised cement that will smooth out lumps and bumps and give you a much smoother and less dusty surface than raw concrete. You have to mix it with water as then spread it out with a trowel or straight edge and then it levels itself out.

Chris

 

[Grumpyowl]

Ive got carpet tiles from ebay, still working out great 5 years on, nice and warm in winter too

So have I ( except mine weren't from evilbay )

 

[Nictrix]

Looked into doing epoxy on my new garage. But may have to grind the floor smoother before hand with a polisher. Going to start a garage build in coming months when I get moved in. Look forward to that. Good luck!

Is there an easy way to make a concrete floor flat?
Our garage used to have a home made pit that I filled years ago but the surface is not very smooth.
Because of this I have never painted it or put flooring tiles down as the centre section where the pit was is not flat enough.

Yes - get yourself some self levelling screed. This is usually a relatively quick drying plasticised cement that will smooth out lumps and bumps and give you a much smoother and less dusty surface than raw concrete. You have to mix it with water as then spread it out with a trowel or straight edge and then it levels itself out.

Chris

Is there a minimum thickness that this needs to be put down to stop it breaking up?
If it needed to be put down an inch thick it would create a bump going in and out of the garage and possibly give me a problem with the garage door.

 

[Truth]

Looked into doing epoxy on my new garage. But may have to grind the floor smoother before hand with a polisher. Going to start a garage build in coming months when I get moved in. Look forward to that. Good luck!

Is there an easy way to make a concrete floor flat?
Our garage used to have a home made pit that I filled years ago but the surface is not very smooth.
Because of this I have never painted it or put flooring tiles down as the centre section where the pit was is not flat enough.

Something like this.
https://www.hss.com/hire/p/htc-gl270-grinder

 

[rally-chris]

Is there an easy way to make a concrete floor flat?
Our garage used to have a home made pit that I filled years ago but the surface is not very smooth.
Because of this I have never painted it or put flooring tiles down as the centre section where the pit was is not flat enough.

Yes - get yourself some self levelling screed. This is usually a relatively quick drying plasticised cement that will smooth out lumps and bumps and give you a much smoother and less dusty surface than raw concrete. You have to mix it with water as then spread it out with a trowel or straight edge and then it levels itself out.

Chris

Is there a minimum thickness that this needs to be put down to stop it breaking up?
If it needed to be put down an inch thick it would create a bump going in and out of the garage and possibly give me a problem with the garage door.

No, it’s intended to be only a few mm thick. I’m currently in the process of smoothing our my garage floor in sections at a time, ahead of painting it.

Chris

 

[Silverzedtom]

Is there an easy way to make a concrete floor flat?
Our garage used to have a home made pit that I filled years ago but the surface is not very smooth.
Because of this I have never painted it or put flooring tiles down as the centre section where the pit was is not flat enough.

Yes - get yourself some self levelling screed. This is usually a relatively quick drying plasticised cement that will smooth out lumps and bumps and give you a much smoother and less dusty surface than raw concrete. You have to mix it with water as then spread it out with a trowel or straight edge and then it levels itself out.

Chris

Is there a minimum thickness that this needs to be put down to stop it breaking up?
If it needed to be put down an inch thick it would create a bump going in and out of the garage and possibly give me a problem with the garage door.

Mapei do a 3-15mm screed that works pretty well. I have to use it before floor tiling every once in a while. If use a slightly stiffer mix you could easily get a smooth slope down to the garage door.

 

[mr.tourette]

Ive got carpet tiles from ebay, still working out great 5 years on, nice and warm in winter too

How do these cope with wet cars?

Tbh Taz I only put my motorbikes in the garage mate, the cars live outside, that said Id be happy to put a wet car on them as my garage has a nice big radiator in and has decent airflow...guess it would depend on individual circumstances though

 

[MrPT]

How about those interlocking plastic floor mats? I'm guessing the known-brand stuff is pretty expensive, but there must be cheaper knock-offs which will do 80% of the job.

 

[Steve84N]

I wanted to use rubber tiles on our 1.5 new build concrete floor garage.

In the end I used garage floor paint and it's been very durable. Make sure it's specifically for garage floors as it's designed not to pick up on wheels. Once you've left it a few days it goes very hard but not brittle.

The key thing though, which hasn't been mentioned so far, is to seal the concrete first with a clear sealant. Before you put the sealant down sweep out the garage after you've wetted it to remove all the loose dust. Let it dry properly before sealing though.