The floor in your garage takes a lot of abuse, especially if you use the garage as a workshop or live where snow, ice, and road salt are common. The concrete floor is durable, but chemicals can stain it, and salt or other corrosive materials can damage the surface. Adding an epoxy garage floor coating is an excellent way to make the floor more durable and keep it looking great. 

Preparing Your Floor

When you decide to use an epoxy garage floor coating on your concrete floor, you need to take some steps to ensure the floor is clean and ready to accept the coating. Washing the floor with mild soap and water is an excellent place to start. Use a soap with degreasing agents if there is oil or grease on the surface of your concrete, or you can use a commercial degreaser first and then wash the floor to remove it. 

For stains on the concrete, you can use special cleaners that contain mild acid to remove them, but if the surface is clean and the floor coating is colored, you may not need to go that far. Allow the floor to dry completely to ensure there are no damp spots along the edges of the surface. Washing the floor several days in advance can help to ensure the floor is dry before you coat it. 

Selecting A Floor Coating

There are many different epoxy garage floor coatings available to choose from and require two parts that need mixing before use. Like any epoxy, the mix ratio is essential, so read the instructions to make sure you get it right. 

If you want to use several colors to create a pattern on the floor, you need to buy both colors and the paint and hardener for each one. Decorative flakes and other additives can go into the paint to make the floor look nicer if you choose. The chips are typically added after the epoxy is applied to the floor by tossing or casting the flakes across the wet surface. 

Applying The Epoxy

When you are ready to start coating the floor, start at the edges and work around the outside edges to cut in the floor, just like painting a wall in your home. You can then begin coating the floor but work in small sections so that you can batch mix the epoxy garage floor coating and apply it before it starts to harden. 

Coat the entire floor with the first coat, and let it dry overnight. After the first coat is dry, you can apply a second coat over the first, and if you are looking for a shiny floor, you can go back and add a transparent layer to the floor as a third and final coat. Once the epoxy garage floor coating has cured, it will be extremely durable and spill-resistant, and it will look great, giving the garage a much more finished look and feel.