Concrete sealer for garage?

[onetechyguy]

Hi, my garage is almost done and the concrete is about 2 weeks old. I am wondering if I should put down a good concrete sealer so it will protect it somewhat? Ive been looking into getting it epoxied but cant justify spending almost $3000 to cover 875sq ft right now. Any opinions? Anyone else just use sealer?

 

[Joe Reed]

I used the Eagle brand concrete coating on my floor 8 years ago when my house was first built - while the floor was nice and clean. I couldn't afford $1000-$1500 for epoxy, but wanted to keep the floor from getting stained and make it easier to sweep. I used 2 gallons at about $15 per gallon. You'd probably use a 5-gallon bucket for one good coat on your floor.

I've quite satisfied with the results. Yes, it does wear some...and it will stain if oil/grease stays on it, although not if you wipe it up immediately. Solvents like gasoline and brake cleaner will soften it, but it'll harden again right away.

I recoated the floor this Spring since it started looking a little dull after 7 years of use and abuse. This time I used the gray tinted stuff instead of clear, thinking it might hide some of the abuse (paint overspray...minor grease stains, etc.). I'm still happy with it.

Sure, I'd love to have a beautiful floor like some you'll see on this forum....but I'm quite happy for the minimal cost. You can see a bit of the floor in this photo...just before I recoated it, so it was 7 years old at that point....

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Hi, my garage is almost done and the concrete is about 2 weeks old. I am wondering if I should put down a good concrete sealer so it will protect it somewhat? Ive been looking into getting it epoxied but cant justify spending almost $3000 to cover 875sq ft right now. Any opinions? Anyone else just use sealer?

We have some sealers...
Take a look at this post by Ryan, the site's owner:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100544&highlight=ryan+garage+floor

 

[Edger]

And don't forget alternatives - see http://www.situp.com.au/Concrete Sealant Alternative.html for more information. There are companies on this forum who supply these.

 

[Chloe]

It depends on what weekend it is but I'd be willing to help out.!!!

 

[paqman]

Joe Reed,
That sealer you used looks like it might be the product for me. I would love to have a nice shiny epoxy coating with flakes and all that, but I'm also on a budget, and I also don't want to have to worry about maintenance or it coming up in the future. I really just want to protect my garage floor at a nice price, and have it staying looking decent.

Originally, I came to this site, hoping to find some advice on the best epoxy coating to use, but I'm really just wanting now to go minimalist. A sealer of some sort I think would be great. At $15 a gallon, that would be cool. I know the prep work is the hardest part, but I can do that.

Anyway, that Eagle brand sealer doesn't seem to be available at my local HD or Lowes, what would be a comparable product to that?

 

[Joe Reed]

It's the stuff sold as a coating for exposed aggregate driveways, etc. to give them that permanent wet look. I just checked online and couldn't find anything similar at Home Depot, but the Black Bull Exposed Aggregate & Concrete Sealer on Lowe's site appears to be the same stuff - available in clear, and brown. The Quickcrete concrete sealer may be similar, but it's $25 per gallon instead of $17 - but it does come in the gray tint. The tinted stuff is still mostly clear, but just tinted a bit to bring out the brown or grays in exposed aggregate, so it certainly doesn't hide stains, etc., like paint or epoxy would - but it made for a pretty nice look on the floor.

 

[paqman]

It's the stuff sold as a coating for exposed aggregate driveways, etc. to give them that permanent wet look. I just checked online and couldn't find anything similar at Home Depot, but the Black Bull Exposed Aggregate & Concrete Sealer on Lowe's site appears to be the same stuff - available in clear, and brown. The Quickcrete concrete sealer may be similar, but it's $25 per gallon instead of $17 - but it does come in the gray tint. The tinted stuff is still mostly clear, but just tinted a bit to bring out the brown or grays in exposed aggregate, so it certainly doesn't hide stains, etc., like paint or epoxy would - but it made for a pretty nice look on the floor.

Interesting. And it lasted that long? Even with hot tires and whatnot driving on it? I asked a guy about that type of stuff over at the local Sherwin Williams, and he said that it wasn't made for driving and would only last a few months. But if it's made for driveways, I can't see how that is true.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Acrylics are used outside as they will naturally wear away leaving very little residual material and allow moisture to move through them. Anything with good abrasion resistance would trap moisture and turn cloudy. This is also why you need to limit your application to (2) thin coats or as recommended by the manufacturer.

Our Easy Sealer works out roughly to $ .32 per square foot with (2) thin coats.

Of course, I would recommend the better products (urethanes, polyaspartics, etc..) for inside the garage.

 

[914forme]

I sealed my first two garage floors back in 91, both have held up great. I wish I sealed my new floor instead I went epoxy. Reflects light better, but I am a welder fabricator, and epoxy just does not cut it. Looking at a recoat this year. Mean while my sealed floors are still looking great.

 

[paqman]

I sealed my first two garage floors back in 91, both have held up great. I wish I sealed my new floor instead I went epoxy. Reflects light better, but I am a welder fabricator, and epoxy just does not cut it. Looking at a recoat this year. Mean while my sealed floors are still looking great.

And what did you seal your floor with? The only thing around here I could find that seemed like it would work is this Seal Krete Clear-Seal. It's a urethane-fortified acrylic sealer. At $30/gallon, I could do my whole garage for under $100. If this is they type of stuff that you used, or that you all think would last a long time, this would be the way I think I want to go. Here's info on it:
http://www.seal-krete.com/glosssealer.html

 

[Joe Reed]

Interesting. And it lasted that long? Even with hot tires and whatnot driving on it? I asked a guy about that type of stuff over at the local Sherwin Williams, and he said that it wasn't made for driving and would only last a few months. But if it's made for driveways, I can't see how that is true.

Not sure why they say it's not for driving on when it's used on driveways all the time around here! I don't know how long it lasts outdoors, but I know it's more than just a few months...probably more like a few years, based on homes where I've seen it used. I'm sure it depends on the climate, etc.

Solvents (gasoline, brake cleaner, etc.) will soften it, but only temporarily unless you get a big spill and don't get it up right away...then you'll have a dull area where a lot of the coating was removed. Hot tires don't lift it at all....that's one thing I like about it. That and the fact that it's cheap. I get a lot of compliments on it from guys who see it for the first time. Epoxy would be nice, but this stuff fits my limited budget!

One other thing....that stuff is REALLY fragrant when first applied! The smell goes away after a day or two though....

It's probably too low class to be discussed on this board, but I suspect there are other folks viewing this forum who would like to improve their garage but don't have the $$$ to do a first class renovation...

Here's a link to the technical data sheet on their website....for those who understand what all this means http://www.eaglesealer.com/images/uploads/products/techdata/Premium-Coat-PDS.pdf

 

[paqman]

Not sure why they say it's not for driving on when it's used on driveways all the time around here! I don't know how long it lasts outdoors, but I know it's more than just a few months...probably more like a few years, based on homes where I've seen it used. I'm sure it depends on the climate, etc.

Solvents (gasoline, brake cleaner, etc.) will soften it, but only temporarily unless you get a big spill and don't get it up right away...then you'll have a dull area where a lot of the coating was removed. Hot tires don't lift it at all....that's one thing I like about it. That and the fact that it's cheap. I get a lot of compliments on it from guys who see it for the first time. Epoxy would be nice, but this stuff fits my limited budget!

One other thing....that stuff is REALLY fragrant when first applied! The smell goes away after a day or two though....

It's probably too low class to be discussed on this board, but I suspect there are other folks viewing this forum who would like to improve their garage but don't have the $$$ to do a first class renovation...

Here's a link to the technical data sheet on their website....for those who understand what all this means http://www.eaglesealer.com/images/uploads/products/techdata/Premium-Coat-PDS.pdf

Thanks, that's good info. I actually just talked to a friend of mine who used to work in concrete, and just had his done, and he had it done with this stuff called Acryli-Guard Plus. It was done by a professional crew, and they have been using the stuff for quite a long time, and they say it's good for 10 years or more. It's about $180 for a 5 gallon bucket, that will do tons of square footage. It must be made here locally, because I can't seem to find anything about it online. But I may think about going with that. It's a little more pricey than the Seal Krete stuff, but sounds like that 5 gallons would be enough to not only do my garage, but my driveway and side walks as well.

 

[Suzie68]

H&C concrete solvent based sealer from sherwin Williams. Can be tinted. Do a search here and look for my posts.

 

[paqman]

H&C concrete solvent based sealer from sherwin Williams. Can be tinted. Do a search here and look for my posts.

Yeah, I had thought about that, because my brother-in-law works at a sherwin williams and is going to get us some stuff with his employee discount, so that is really tempting, but that's the stuff the guy at this local SW told us isn't good for the garage. But I don't trust him now. But if that stuff would work, that would be great, cause I can get it at a good discount.

 

[paqman]

Oh, but I just realized, the only solvent-based sealer is "solid color" I was looking for something more clear. The concrete sealer clear gloss is oil based. What's the difference?