Garage Floor Paint:
Is it worth your trouble?

"Some garage flooring choices are easily changed and
some are not. A painted floor is in the 'some are not' category."

Garage floor paint is one of the least expensive garage floor coverings on the market. It is also fairly easy to apply, as long as your concrete floor is cleaned and prepared properly.

Don't confuse this with porch and floor paint. You will be sorry! Often known as one-part epoxy concrete foor paint, you must be certain you are using a product specifically formulated for garage floors. Many are water based (acrylic), very durable, they resist cracking, peeling, fading, etc., and most importantly, they resist "hot tire pick-up."

What's hot-tire pick up? Depending on how far you drive your car, the tires will usually be hot when you pull into the garage. If they are hot, the tires can "pick up" the floor paint and ruin your floor's finish. Not pretty!

What are the advantages?

Garage floor paint is reasonably inexpensive and easy to apply when compared to more complex two or three part epoxy garage floor coatings as well as other forms of garage floor protection. Once your floor is painted, it will have a durable finish that resists chemicals, gasoline and oil stains and odor retention, as well as scuffing, marring, etc. The smooth finish is very easy to sweep or mop, which reduces the amount of time you have to spend maintaining your garage floor!

What are the disadvantages?

Once you paint your floor, it's hard to go back to bare concrete. In other words, if you want your floor to keep looking good, you have to re-paint it periodically and it's not very easy to strip off the paint if you decide you don't like it. It's not as easy to install as garage floor tiles or garage floor mats and you must wait several days before driving on it. The floor must be properly cleaned and prepared before painting, or the results will be less than stellar. And, depending on the finish you choose, a painted floor can be slick if it gets wet.

What does it cost?

If you are strictly a "do it yourselfer," you can spend from $.25 to $.50 per square foot, depending on the brand and type you buy. If you have a contractor do the job for you, expect to spend upwards of $1.00 per square foot. Compared with $2.00 to $5.00 per square foot for garage floor tiles or garage floor mats, that's still a bargain. Just be sure you compare your garage flooring options before making your decision.

Garage Floor Paint is one option
to protect your floor from ugly stains

Where do you get it?

You can buy garage floor paint at just about any paint store, hardware store or big box retailer like Home Depot or Lowes. Read the can or ask for help in the store to be certain the paint you buy is formulated specifically for garage floors. Remember hot-tire pick up? You don't want that!

Summary

If you are looking for a smooth, easily maintained garage floor finish that is inexpensive and relatively easy to install, garage floor paint may be just right for you. Be certain to compare your garage flooring options first. Some choices are easily changed and some are not. A painted floor is in the "some are not" category.

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