Brett - 1996 C4

There have been a few threads about painting garage floors. For those of you who have done it, how well does it hold up?

I'm particularly interested in whether things like jacking up your car and putting jackstands directly on the floor will scratch or gouge the paint. Or is the epoxy tough enough to take that?

TIA, thinking about doing that this summer.

Brett

CentralCoastC4S

I used the Rustoleum brand and after 1 1/2 years I'd say it's held up pretty well. Not sure I put the sprinkles on it if I were to do it again, it's a bid hard to spread them really evenly. I use jack stands all the time and have no problems, it even holds up to brake cleaner pretty well. It's all in the prep, clean, non-greasy floor makes all the difference.

c993k

Thanks, I'm off to Home Depot~ Chris

tj90

I used the stuff at Lowes and Im happy with it after a year but its kind of a pain in the ***. The downsides - motor oil and tires tend to "stain" the tan color. Jackstands and chocks do not generally scratch the paint, but they will if you are not careful. My daughters Razor scooter has gouged it as well. One time I forgot I had a metal chock under a front wheel of my SUV and drove off - darn, another gouge. When the floor is wet, it gets very slippery. Ive actually had the paint pick up on my 911 rear tires - my other cars have never caused a problem - must be a heat thing and proximity to the ground as well as a 12 YO floor prior to paint application. I kind of miss throwing down a jack stand without much thought. (I did recently buy jack stands with bases to eliminate the point loading on normal stands).
The upsides are that its easier to clean the floor. (mop or pressure wash). Looks great.
I would recommend the sprinkles if your garage is uneven or old. It helps hide defects in the concrete or future stains or scratches. I had a friend you gave me the advice after doing his and he was right - your eye gets drawn to floor defects with that nice shiny floor.
I would do it again, but I dont have a floor like Ive seen on Speedvision where the guys are configuring race cars for NASCAR teams. Thats a pretty floor!

mike cap

Brett,

I had my hangar (3,000 sf) and garage (1,000 sf) floors professionally coated with a two part Rustoleum product a year ago. Results....

- Both have held up well. Usual chips from dropped metal objects. Touchup is a PITA because epxoy floors fades QUICKLY, so be judicious in the use of touchup, otherwise the spotted effect happens. Dab in the chipped spot with a stir stick.

- Grit mixed in is a must for the everyday garage floor. Otherwise you and the family members will end up on their *sses. Not pretty. My hangar is a smooth surface, but it is a playhouse anyway. Only wet on purpose, not from dripping or slushy vehicles.

- Jacks and stands won't mar the sufrace, unless you catch an edge or gouge the surface. No problem with tire marks, oil, solvent. Epoxy is, well, epoxy.

Pics of my hangar floor....

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-forum/195281-rear-spoiler-grill-painted-arena-red-addtl-photos.html

Hope this helps. I suggest a medium to dark gray (with grit) for home garage use. Hides the bike tire scuffs and dirt better. Hangar pic is light gray with no grit. Fine for the playhouse but shows all dirt.

Mike Cap
1997 C2
Arena Red

Crimson Nape Racing

I put an epoxy floor down 6 years ago, and did my best to prepare the surface (clean, acid wash, etc.). I used 2 coats of a professional grade floor coating. It lasted about 3-4 years then started to lift where the tires were parked. I think if you give more people time to respond, you'll here hear lot's of stories like mine. BTW, mike's right - the stuff is very slippery w/o any grit, but it's harder to keep clean with the grit.

jimbo3

Being in the home improvement industry for over 25 years, I haven't come across a product that would be satisfactory for the long-term. No matter how good the product is or claims to be initially, virtually everyone I know has regretted it 5 to 10 years down the line. "Hot tire pickup" (roll into the gargage with hot tires, let it sit and cool overnight, pull out the next morning with paint stuck to the tread) is the biggest issue, and the hotter and stickier the tire is, the worse the tendancy for this to happen. These products also stain, scratch, peel and get ground-in dirt.

By far, the BEST floor paint job I know of was my boss's. He did his 15 years ago and it held up moderately well until he got a new F-250. Big hot truck tires did it in within a month.

I just built a home two years ago and had a chance to put a garage floor paint on a brand new garage floor. Could have had ANY product on the market for FREE. Didn't do it and don't regret it. P-Zeros on the 993 and Yoke AVS's on the 914 would tear it up in a heartbeat. I am considering some kind of mat, though.

One exception- If you live in a cool climate and only park passenger cars with tires rated for 70,000 miles in your garage, you MAY be OK.

BTW- The flakes in the Rustoleum product are for skid resistance and to break up the monotonous look of a large expanse of flat grey or flat beige.

Regards
Jim

whatyoutalknaboutwillis

I decided on a professional epoxy floor after seeing many friends trying to remove a DIY coating. I have had the floor in for about 5 years with out any problem but it is a bit slippery when wet. It was expensive but the process took 4 days and it has changed the garage dramatically. I totally abuse the floor with jack stands etc and the only thing i have noticed is that the top clear coat has a haze. Independant of the cost, the wife approval factor is a 9 of 10.

Brett - 1996 C4

Thanks for the input, guys! I didn't think tire pickup was that big an issue with the epoxy paint (at least if you read the Griot's marketing hype ), but it sounds like it is. Also didn't realize the importance of the anti-skid granules.

Well, have to give it more thought as to whether to do it DIY or do a mat. This is a carport, so it's exposed to some rain and gets dirt blown in (which might get accumulated with an anti-skid floor). Then again, it can't look much worse than it already does.

tj90

If its a carport and gets wet, I wouldnt do it. A friends neighbor ended up with a broken ankle after slipping on a wet epoxy floor.

Reynard38

Very nice Bonanza! Beechcraft are the Porsche of light aircraft. I've got about 1000 hours in an F33 and A36, great handling airplanes!

InTheAir

I definitely like my mat--two custom length mats that span the entire three car garage.

They are not slippery when wet. They withstand brake fluid, oil, etc. They withstand floor jacks and jack stands (although I do put a piece of outdoor carpet under the jack stands, just in case).

BobbyT

I tried the rubber mats with longitudinal ribs, but they were a pain to keep clean, and I was concerned about moisture collecting under them and forming mold.

I had the epoxy professionally done a couple of years ago, with the granite-look chips. It is a very easy floor to keep clean, and a pleasure to walk on with bare feet. The house also stays cleaner, because no concrete dust gets tracked in. The installer cleaned/scuffed the concrete with a large machine similar to a floor buffer, then applied the gray epoxy base coat, followed by a heavy sprinkling of chips. He came back the next day and applied the clear topcoat. The entire process was one that looked easy, but I could envision many ways to screw it up and make a huge mess.

I haven't had any lifting or chipping. I use a piece of masonite under my floor jack, and a piece of carpet under each jack stand. For cleanup I use a pressure washer, and a scrub brush for tire marks or stains. So far, everything comes right up, even rust stains.