Who honestly regrets epoxy floors?

[JimVonBaden]

Not looking to bash on any company, person or choice, but am curious who really regrets epoxy floors, cheap or expensive, doesn't matter?

If you do not want to comment, that is fine, just be honest.

 

[luvit]

My parents had a large concrete porch added to their house. The hired a contractor to add epoxy. I warned them that they really want to see the contractor's work that a couple years old. They were happy with the contractor bragging about how he does it all the time. The epoxy flaked off in under 4 months. I'm guessing my dad finished off 90% of it with a pressure sprayer.
I never mentioned the condition of their porch, they don't either.
I'll click for them.

 

[Shea]

I think polls are fun, but aren't you displaying a negative bias towards epoxy flooring just with the question alone? Substitute your favorite flooring of choice in for "epoxy" and you will see what I mean.

 

[burger]

OP, are you on the fence about an epoxy floor? I used Epoxy Coat on my last garage floor and can't wait to do it again on my new garage floor (walls go up next week!). Like anything else, if you do the right prep work and use quality materials, you will be happy with the results. I can't speak about anyone else's product, but I like Epoxy Coat so much I will be using them again. Looks great, durable, and the DIY cost is about $0.50 per square foot.

Ed

 

[creativecars]

I think polls are fun, but aren't you displaying a negative bias towards epoxy flooring just with the question alone? Substitute your favorite flooring of choice in for "epoxy" and you will see what I mean.

I think it is a good question with all the hype about needing epoxy floors and how great they are and how they are worth all the time and money associated with their install. It's a simple question, who regrets dealing with epoxy? And are they what they expected?

 

[APEowner]

I don't regret the epoxy floors in my old shop but I'm not sure that I'm going to put them in my new one. I loved how easy they were to clean and how they looked at first but I was disappointed in how they held up. Swarf scratched the clear coat and despite my efforts to try and put welding blankets down the plasma cutter, cutting torch and MIG welder slag left a bunch of burn marks.

I'm leaning towards either ceramic tile or stain with densifier on my current floor

 

[P0234]

I'm at the two year mark with my Epoxy Coat floor. A few stains here and there but no regrets. Next garage might be tile though.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I speak to hundreds of DIY a week and answer as many emails. My takeaway from these interactions is that many people want to take shortcuts.

Do I have to grind? Can't I just pressure wash? Do I have to use a primer?

Lifting is a direct result of poor prep. Poor prep is not checking for moisture, not removing an oil spot, not grinding or etching properly, not using a primer.

Remember, all the issues come back here for display. Very few of the successes ever do.

 

[Scott r c]

Mine epoxy floor is 5 years old. It is holding up well, except the first 5' is yellowing from UV rays. It does scratch easier than I thought it would. I did a diamond grind first and it is an epoxy-coat brand, I think?. If I could do it over I would just do a glossy clear coat of sorts. My new shop will be a clear, probably hd40 legacy product.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I think polls are fun, but aren't you displaying a negative bias towards epoxy flooring just with the question alone? Substitute your favorite flooring of choice in for "epoxy" and you will see what I mean.

No, but it seems you are concerned as a seller that this poll might project your products in a negative light.

 

[BoostAddiction]

After almost 10 years, my epoxy floor is irredeemably stained. Nothing I do to clean it seems to work- not my special cleaner that works everywhere else, not straight acetone, not any floor cleaner I've seen, even at full strength, not even sanding (well, that takes a bit off, but even 10 minutes on a 1" X 1" square doesn't really fix it).

I'm not sure if this is just a normal condition given the time and use, was an installer error (that bum, me, installed it) or something else.

I'm seriously thinking about taking a deep breath and using Auto Stone, or porcelain tile over it, but the cost has me thinking I can stand it for a bit longer...

Does anyone else have any long term experience with epoxy floors? What do they look like 10 or 15 years later?

My epoxy came from Precision Epoxy, and is the same stuff used in NASCAR shops. I thought it would last a really long time, but it occurs to me that the teams change sponsors and colors often enough that they might renew the floors before they see much wear or dirt. So maybe the life I'm seeing is "normal" for the type?

 

[BoostAddiction]

Interestingly, I have never had a lifting issue. But I do have stains and scratches under the tires and in other places that just won't come out.

I don't think it was a prep issue, but as a novice floor installer, I don't really know for sure.

I have a few defects from hot metal, but I don't really blame the epoxy for that- I knew that was a risk when I selected it long ago.

 

[Shea]

No, but it seems you are concerned as a seller that this poll might project your products in a negative light.

Hey Jim, not at all. I assume you've never visited our site as we don't sell product. We just provide information to help people out with which ever garage flooring option they may be interested in. It's not always easy finding information about the various garage flooring options without hearing it from a vendor. That includes nice VCT tile floors like yours. I know that you have made numerous contributions here to people interested in the flooring that you have.

I was just making the observation that the poll automatically projects epoxy in a negative light despite your statement. Sorry if you found that offensive.

 

[OriginalWhitey]

I did a long term review on my epoxy floor. Nothing lasts forever, at the end of the day it's still a painted surface. If it starts to look terrible, I can always sandblast it or grind it off and put down something else. Besides being aesthetically nice, epoxy makes the garage so much easier to clean and I don't have oil spots everywhere. Now if I didn't prep right and it started peeling up right away, I'd probably have a different outlook

 

[JimVonBaden]

Hey Jim, not at all. I assume you've never visited our site as we don't sell product. We just provide information to help people out with which ever garage flooring option they may be interested in. It's not always easy finding information about the various garage flooring options without hearing it from a vendor. That includes nice VCT tile floors like yours. I know that you have made numerous contributions here to people interested in the flooring that you have.

I was just making the observation that the poll automatically projects epoxy in a negative light despite your statement. Sorry if you found that offensive.

My apologies. I made an assumption that you were one of the vendors here. I had not visited your site, so did not realize it is informational in nature.

While I may admit that the poll could appear biased, my goal was to get the real truth from people with long term experience with epoxy floors. The poll is designed to allow a positive or negative response without anyone having to out themselves.

I am also interested in if they have comments as well.

As for my floor, VCT is a cheap and easy floor with a great value. BUT, it is high maintenance to keep looking good. I would not do it again unless it was purely in a parking garage, not a working garage.

By the way, I did not vote in the poll as I do not have epoxy, nor have I used it personally.

 

[Shea]

By the way, I did not vote in the poll as I do not have epoxy, nor have I used it personally.

Neither did I

My apologies. I made an assumption that you were one of the vendors here. I had not visited your site, so did not realize it is informational in nature.

No worries, it's an assumption that is easy to make. The fun thing about polls is that they usually get a lot of response. Mission accomplished then

By the way, we did an article on VCT that reflects a lot of your observations, and yes, it is a great looking floor at a budget price.

 

[Trey T]

$0.50/sq-ft is super cheap. Did you get a good deal on the supplies/material?

I purchased E-C product worth of $550 for two colors (one full w/ clear and the one is half) to cover about 450sq-ft garage floor. I spent about $200 on cleaning supply and floor grinder rental. Together, that's about 1.50/sq-ft.

OP, are you on the fence about an epoxy floor? I used Epoxy Coat on my last garage floor and can't wait to do it again on my new garage floor (walls go up next week!). Like anything else, if you do the right prep work and use quality materials, you will be happy with the results. I can't speak about anyone else's product, but I like Epoxy Coat so much I will be using them again. Looks great, durable, and the DIY cost is about $0.50 per square foot.

Ed

I got stuff all over floor while working on my garage attic right now. Hopefully, I can see the shine this weekend after cleaning up.

 

[McFarmer]

My sister bought a house with an epoxy floor in the garage. Are they all so slippery ? Any moisture on your shoes at all and it is like ice skates.

 

[kwfloors]

Most of the epoxy I have seen/felt underfoot here is slippery feeling. Must not have any non skid in it.

 

[e015475]

I've had epoxy floors for over 20 years now in my workshop and garage - about 1600 SF. I just finished grinding the shop back to concrete, filling the joints and recoating. The garage I just scuffed and applied the urethane top coat

It isn't so much that I regret doing it, but there are definite compromises if you want to keep it looking good.

The next shop I'll have a 'dirty' work area with the welder and grinder stations and no epoxy and side-step most of the issues below.

The good-

- Mine are off-white and the reflection off the floor helps seeing things and the contrast of stuff placed or dropped on the floor is great. (I've never understood why you would do a floor in flakes unless you're covering up something)
- Can sit or lay on the floor and stay clean while you're working
- Shop looks nice and clean
- All the expansion joints are filled with flexible epoxy and all tools and benches are on wheels so it is very easy to reconfigure the shop for different projects

The bad-

- I can TIG weld with almost no damage to the epoxy but Mig and grinding are hard on the floor. For either of those two activities I have to go outside if I want to keep the floor looking good
- Can't spray paint in shop - I painted a MGB black in the shop with plastic on the floor and it took me longer to clean the shop of overspray afterwords than to prep the car
- Steel wheels from engine hoists and jacks can be hard on the epoxy. I usually run some Gorilla duct tape around them before I start a project.
- Dropping anything of any mass or sharp edges will gouge the epoxy and you'll have to touch it up to keep it looking good.
- You have to sweep and mop it fairly frequently to keep the dirt, chips & swarf from being ground into the surface.
- It is slicker than cat-sh*t if it gets wet - especially with flip-flops on. But if you add the non-slip I don't think it cleans up as easy or looks as nice.
- Buying a floor buffer that will use a white 3M burnishing pad will keep it looking great if you buff it a couple times a year. Add about $300 to your floor budget for this tool from CL

Just my 2 Cents

 

[JimVonBaden]

It looks like, overall, most are happy with their epoxy floors.

Second question: How many with epoxy have had other types of covering and still prefer epoxy?

 

[Hobbit]

Absolutely love my E-Coat floor after 3 year. I went overboard with prep work after reading the posts for months and have had no issues with the product. There were some errors made on my part putting it down, mostly due to one person doing 900+/- of a continuous slab.

 

[tractordude]

I put it in the office of my shop. I have two spots that lifted because of oil on the surface for extended period of time. The thing that I don't like, it shows the dirt bad. I get lots of muddy boots, and tires get brought thru the front door in the winter.
Next time, I'll just do a clear, with a sand mix.

 

[burleyfarm]

We love our EC. Cleanup is a breeze. We use our garage for many things including large family get togethers. I park my collection of garden tractors on the epoxy and most of my wrenching takes place here. We do have the non slip additive in the top coat. It was installed by a contractor who did an excellent prep job.

As others have stated you will damage it if you do a lot of grinding, or if you do any type of welding. I've taken to weld out side and now will do all my metal fabricating and welding in a separate pole barn.

I have noticed that it scratches easily. As an example, any dirt or grit that gets under caster wheels can scratch it. I also noticed that when I did a brake job on my wifes VUE and slide her tires back under the hubs to mount them, the mess from the rotars that I'd left on the floor scratched it pretty bad. Live and learn. Its not bullet proof.

Overall we are very pleased with the epoxy floor and would do it again.

 

[Thumper68]

I have had my Epoxy floor down for over 9 years, does it show wear? Yes, does it scratch if I drag heavy sharp cornered things over it? Yes.

Would I use it again? in a heart beat.

Just try and remember that mine is a working shop, not a showroom.

The only reason I used any floor covering was to 1st seal the concrete 2nd to make sweeping and mopping easier. Beyond those two reasons I don't give a **** how it looks, it's a floor.

I do find it Less slippery then my old shop with the oil soaked concrete when walking with wet boots or around a dripping car.

 

[36truck]

I've seen it used in our fire department floors. Was impressed by how it held up to trucks sitting in one place for long periods of time. I put it on both of my garage floors. The everyday garage does show wear form where the car goes in and out every day from all the sand getting on it. The big shop has held up very well to everything I've thrown at it. Yes welding & cutting will leave pits. But in a working shop it is easy to clean & still looks good.

 

[c7fx]

I have both epoxy coat and race deck in my garage.
I'm happy with the epoxy Coat for the most part.
First off I didn't flake my floor which tends to show off any issues with the floor. I think the flake would have hid scratches etc.
My floor did fade after two years where the sun hits it. Its noticeable but That doesn't bother me as much. My only real gripe is that the floor chips easily. If I drop a socket on the floor. Also I have to watch the cleaners I use since some simple green products seem to take the shine out of the floor.

The race deck I have is the free flow and for the most part I like it. It does lift up on the edge at the door. My biggest issue with the free flow is the dirt that gets trapped under it. I usually need to lift up the tile and clean . So if you tend to track a lot of dirt into the garage I wouldn't use the free flow. My two dogs seem to bring in a lot of mud which is the biggest culprit to my issue.

 

[MikeSullivan]

I have a three bay oil change facility and had a red epoxy floor installed professionally 17 years ago and loved it for about a year and a half then it needed to be redone
Sun fades it, tools chip it when dropped on it, hydrostatic pressure bubbles it and the problems never end
I had it ground off and had a company put down a water vapor barrier to prevent water bubbles it still did not help just slowed it down a little
So after it being redone 7 times in 17 years I am going to try race deck tiles
Only worry is the 90 cars a day running over it.
Crossing my fingers

 

[Adam.C]

I had a DIY epoxy floor which looked great, but lifted under the tires of my car. Do the new epoxies do that? I don't think this was a surface prep issue. I had problems no where else.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Adam C.
It only lifted where the tires were tugging on it.
This is a prep or penetration issue.

 

[RivennHewn]

We used to do epoxy in commercial kitchens, but have since gotten away from it.

Too many callbacks/ repairs.

Daily use in a busy restaurant is probably more than the typical homeowner's garage sees.

 

[gipraw]

My floor turned 10 this summer. I have been very pleased with it. It still looks good when it is clean although it has suffered a little sun fade. The one thing I would have done differently is added something to assist with traction when it is wet. It can be very slick when wet. My floor was professionally done about 18 months after the house was built.

I have thought about adding Racedeck over it simply because I am ready for a different look. The floor itself looks like it has another 10 years in it.

 

[Kevin54]

How does an epoxy floor hold up if you have a chair that rolls on it? I have an area that had the typical 2-part epoxy from Lowes that I put down a few years back. Where the chair rolls at the desk, it has taken the coating completely off.

 

[gipraw]

How does an epoxy floor hold up if you have a chair that rolls on it? I have an area that had the typical 2-part epoxy from Lowes that I put down a few years back. Where the chair rolls at the desk, it has taken the coating completely off.

Kevin - my lazy fat **** rolls around in my chair or stool constantly. I very seldom stand for any length of time. I have had no issues with the chairs I have used over the years. I roll all over the two car bay. I don't confine the chair to one small area. I also roll my two carts all over the floor with no issues.

 

[600SL]

I speak to hundreds of DIY a week and answer as many emails. My takeaway from these interactions is that many people want to take shortcuts.

Do I have to grind? Can't I just pressure wash? Do I have to use a primer?

Lifting is a direct result of poor prep. Poor prep is not checking for moisture, not removing an oil spot, not grinding or etching properly, not using a primer.

Remember, all the issues come back here for display. Very few of the successes ever do.

I believe LegacyIndustrial hit the nail on the head. My first Epoxy Floor done by Home Depot using Rustoleum was a bad experience. Lasted two years than lifted during cold weather. It was a low quality epoxy and probably appropriate for the school teacher who stores her car in the garage and never works in it. I believe Rustoleum makes better grades of Epoxy than what HD markets but it should have never been used for the intent I had in mind.

Most of us here do real work in our garages and therefore require a good 100% solids high build epoxy. Complete with grinding and primer.

 

[CT2012]

I made the mistake of putting epoxy and gloss clear on the entirety of the garage slab on a house. The epoxy job and gloss looks and works terrific, it's really nice. That application also included a roughly 10" strip of concrete that protrudes from the garage door base (the threshold) to the edge of the asphalt driveway. It sits outside and gets pelted with direct sun at least half the day.

After 3 months, it's turned completely yellow from sun fading, since the gloss is not UV protected. In short, it ***** that it happened, and looks awful as well.

Where the garage is consistently open, which also gets hit with direct sun, there are spots that are starting to look a little yellowed. I'm really surprised, but then again, maybe not if it has no UV protection (it's Rustoleum kit). So I taped a line where the garage threshold meets the slab and painted over the yellowed epoxy/gloss with satin black concrete paint. Problem solved, looks great.

I'm about to do epoxy on another garage, and it is open almost every day from spring through late fall, getting hit with direct sun. I am seriously reconsidering using epoxy because I can't have it go yellow on me. Am considering going with concrete paint instead, but don't know if that'll fade too.

Worst (or best!) case I do porcelain tile, which is what I'd really like to do.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Northeast, the epoxy reacted as expected outside. It is not an outside product.
If you have any concerns regarding UV exposure I suggest you consider a polyaspartic system or finish the floor with a pigmented urethane. Both will handle the UV without issue.

 

[sean Buick 76]

I am really prefer clear sealer over the epoxy.

 

[CT2012]

Thanks Legacy. The yellowed floor I mentioned was from using Rustoleum product. On my current project I'm going to (or planned to) use Corotech 100% solids epoxy and an aliphatic urethane gloss coat (v500).

Northeast, the epoxy reacted as expected outside. It is not an outside product.
If you have any concerns regarding UV exposure I suggest you consider a polyaspartic system or finish the floor with a pigmented urethane. Both will handle the UV without issue.

 

[flyng_fool]

I regret using a cheap epoxy in my last garage. I did my brother's garage with a good 100% solids one. Other than UV yellowing it still looks good.