Good affordable epoxy brand for basement?

[YellowYeti]

Sorry if this has been asked a bunch before, I tried searching around here and couldn't this particularly. But I'm looking for an affordable epoxy coat to put in a roughly ~540sq/ft basement, I'm not entirely sure if there are any differences between a garage or basement that are too extreme, however if I get the process down right in the basement i would get another cost for my garage too. Rustoleum I know isn't the greatest reviewed but I figured with it being a relatively low traffic area it should hold up for a while, but I've also looked at Armorpoxy, but being a new home owner that bit of a jump in price just makes me hesitate. Thanks for any advice and sorry if this isn't the right place to post this!

 

[P0234]

If it's low traffic and you don't have people dragging stuff around or in heels, anything will do. We used the Behr epoxy "paint" and didn't really prep (knew we were going to put something else down later) and it looks great a year later.

The two big issues for floor coatings are hot tire pickup and damage from tools (jackstands, etc). Neither are a problem in most basements.

That said the Rust-Oleum pro line, not what the box stores sell is what I was leaning towards before I took a shortcut.

 

[YellowYeti]

If it's low traffic and you don't have people dragging stuff around or in heels, anything will do. We used the Behr epoxy "paint" and didn't really prep (knew we were going to put something else down later) and it looks great a year later.

The two big issues for floor coatings are hot tire pickup and damage from tools (jackstands, etc). Neither are a problem in most basements.

That said the Rust-Oleum pro line, not what the box stores sell is what I was leaning towards before I took a shortcut.

Thanks! That is kind of what i figured, it was essentially going to be barefoot traffic since there will be the laundry down there so i wanted to make it not as gross of a basement, I've considered the pro line but I'm really trying to get it installed in the next few days, plus the pro line gives about 300sq.ft so I would need to buy 2 boxes for around 450-500$ which at that rate I might go towards armorpoxy, but the normal line of epoxyshield I could get my square footage for around 300$ with everything.

 

[P0234]

Thanks! That is kind of what i figured, it was essentially going to be barefoot traffic since there will be the laundry down there so i wanted to make it not as gross of a basement, I've considered the pro line but I'm really trying to get it installed in the next few days, plus the pro line gives about 300sq.ft so I would need to buy 2 boxes for around 450-500$ which at that rate I might go towards armorpoxy, but the normal line of epoxyshield I could get my square footage for around 300$ with everything.

Yeah, I had the same quandry, the Pro was almost as expensive as Epoxycoat, which I had used in the past and worked well in a garage. That's why we just went with the epoxy paint, for the same reason as you, we just had some nasty looking areas in parts of the basement.

 

[FJ4FUN]

The two most significant differences with basement VS garage/shop applications are MVT [Moisture Vapor Transmission] and VOCs. Before committing to any coating system you should verify that MVT is within acceptable range (most quality coatings are good to a max of 3.5lbs per 1,000sf), to do this it is best to perform calcium chloride testing which is cheap and easy to do but, understand that this type of testing is a snapshot in time and the results will likely vary in relation to seasons. The best time to do this testing is during the rainy season. If there is a history of moisture intrusion during the winter months or if you see visible signs like staining, efflorescence or the existence of sump pumps then definitely wait until the rainy season to test. If MVT higher than 3.5lbs per 1,000sf is measured then you will have to take additional prep & prime steps. To address VOC concerns stick with 100% solids epoxies.

"Affordable" is only affordable if it works... IMnotsoHO, the only thing worse than an uncoated floor is a poorly coated floor... ;-)

 

[YellowYeti]

The two most significant differences with basement VS garage/shop applications are MVT [Moisture Vapor Transmission] and VOCs. Before committing to any coating system you should verify that MVT is within acceptable range (most quality coatings are good to a max of 3.5lbs per 1,000sf), to do this it is best to perform calcium chloride testing which is cheap and easy to do but, understand that this type of testing is a snapshot in time and the results will likely vary in relation to seasons. The best time to do this testing is during the rainy season. If there is a history of moisture intrusion during the winter months or if you see visible signs like staining, efflorescence or the existence of sump pumps then definitely wait until the rainy season to test. If MVT higher than 3.5lbs per 1,000sf is measured then you will have to take additional prep & prime steps. To address VOC concerns stick with 100% solids epoxies.

"Affordable" is only affordable if it works... IMnotsoHO, the only thing worse than an uncoated floor is a poorly coated floor... ;-)

Would you happen to know a good primer if I did happen to use rustoleum/not 100% solid epoxy? Just to get an idea of price, armorpoxy might be best depending on total cost, I'd prefer not to wait until the rainy season due to us officially moving in shortly and we have a golden opportunity of it being a blank slate I can paint on before anything like washer/dryer or boxes go down. So if im able to just prime it and assume it may exceed that moisture content to be safe.
Thank you also!

 

[Shea]

Would you happen to know a good primer if I did happen to use rustoleum/not 100% solid epoxy? Just to get an idea of price, armorpoxy might be best depending on total cost, I'd prefer not to wait until the rainy season due to us officially moving in shortly and we have a golden opportunity of it being a blank slate I can paint on before anything like washer/dryer or boxes go down. So if im able to just prime it and assume it may exceed that moisture content to be safe.
Thank you also!

No, there are not any primers for Rust-Oleum or similar DIY water-based epoxy kits. We have an article below that discusses this. Just as an FYI, you will need to properly prep the concrete for a coating as well. You can't just apply a primer to the bare concrete and then apply a coating to that. Most prep requires etching the concrete at a minimum.

Concrete Primers for EpoxyShield & RockSolid Garage Floor Kits | All Garage Floors

Learn about primers for EpoxyShield, RockSolid, and similar budget DIY garage floor coatings. Don’t make these garage floor coating concrete primer mistakes!

allgaragefloors.com

 

[FJ4FUN]

I do not recommend intermixing different manufacturers products. We offer Wolverine Coatings epoxy systems. For measured MVT at, or under, 3.5lbs our standard BondTite 1101 primer can't be beat. For MVT higher than that we offer a BondTite 1102 but the quantity and prep needed will vary based on the specific situation. Again, without knowing what MVT levels you are dealing with it would be very difficult to accurately provide you with a solution.

Here is a recent example of the BondTite 1102 in use: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum...ngs-hand-ground-quick-review-and-pics.519146/

 

[kd3pc]

Caution...this is not an area to skimp on. Prep needs to be done, water evaluated and product selected. DO NOT mix manufacturers, unless and if you can get them to provide in writing to you and each other.

Paint is paint, and is a coating. Nothing more.

Good luck and I would take advantage of the manufacturers that GJ has on line, call them and speak with each one to see what they would suggest. Price per square foot should not be the descriminator (sp)

 

[Garage Flooring]

@FJ4FUN made some good suggestions above. Epoxy projects in basements often go wrong and then they are a nightmare. If you are going to do a coating in the basement, do it right, as suggested above, or find a different flooring.

 

[Armorpoxy]

For an affordable fantastic coating, consider a single coat of our SPGX one-part Polyurea.