Painted floor failing. Repaint or a tile?

[jeff000]

I painted my garage floor with rustoleum garage floor paint last summer, and the winter did a number on it.

Where it was driven on and where the melted snow pooled is where the paint was highly affected, and some edges still look like they want to peal up.

I just washed and let the concrete dry. I do know that grinding would have helped.


I want to redo the floor before the winter, and want to do it cheap, and most importantly, low time investment. I really don't mine just tossing another coat down every year, but feel like my paint losses this year were excessive.

Is there an easy quick prep that can be done half the garage at a time?

Or is a tile a better option, I was thinking those tiles that commercial places use, but can't remember what they are called. I know they have staining issues and my welding and metal work will probably damage them, but that's ok.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I painted my garage floor with rustoleum garage floor paint last summer, and the winter did a number on it.

Where it was driven on and where the melted snow pooled is where the paint was highly affected, and some edges still look like they want to peal up.

I just washed and let the concrete dry. I do know that grinding would have helped.


I want to redo the floor before the winter, and want to do it cheap, and most importantly, low time investment. I really don't mine just tossing another coat down every year, but feel like my paint losses this year were excessive.

Is there an easy quick prep that can be done half the garage at a time?

Or is a tile a better option, I was thinking those tiles that commercial places use, but can't remember what they are called. I know they have staining issues and my welding and metal work will probably damage them, but that's ok.

If you don't use a welding blanket, you are going to damage any plastic floor tile or coating. You could consider porcelain tile. Another thing to consider would be a full grind and polish using densifier and conditioner but hat is going to require some regular work.

If it was me... For that floor and the way you use it I would go porcelain.

 

[jeff000]

If you don't use a welding blanket, you are going to damage any plastic floor tile or coating. You could consider porcelain tile. Another thing to consider would be a full grind and polish using densifier and conditioner but hat is going to require some regular work.

If it was me... For that floor and the way you use it I would go porcelain.

I try and put wood down when welding.

I'll have to look into the grind and densifier. Probably have to figure out some way to poly my shelves to protect from the dust though too.

Would porcelain tile need to be ground down at all?
And my biggest concern is wouldn't that leave quite the lip getting into my garage? I already have a half inch from my driveway. And I assume I'd have to go outside of the garage door, but wouldn't the freeze thaw and melting just pop those tiles right up?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

The full grind and densifier is a terrible idea. Your floor will become a dirt trap. You won't find polishing equipment unless you have a friend in the business to help you out.
If you want to pursue a coating, the grind is a great idea and why not put epoxy down?

If you will cover the floor for welding purposes it would be difficult to find a better looking ,impact resistant, coating. Epoxy will help hide a rough texture and looks amazing when finished.

Tile is also a suitable option, we have some hometown experts here on the forum for tile. Do some searches.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I try and put wood down when welding.

I'll have to look into the grind and densifier. Probably have to figure out some way to poly my shelves to protect from the dust though too.

Would porcelain tile need to be ground down at all?
And my biggest concern is wouldn't that leave quite the lip getting into my garage? I already have a half inch from my driveway. And I assume I'd have to go outside of the garage door, but wouldn't the freeze thaw and melting just pop those tiles right up?

I want to make sure we are on the same page here. My suggestion was porcelain tile or a full grind and polish. Not simply grind, densify and condition, but the full multi-step, time consuming process of grinding and polishing your floor. This is a floor you would have to maintain.

If you are protecting the floor from welding (all the times) going with a coating is an option that would not force you to deal with the 'lip.' I just need to reiterate that you have to protect the floor.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Have you looked at this site at all: http://www.12-gaugegarage.com/photos/files/page5-1001-full.html

 

[12ozd]

Why not an epoxy / urethane combo?
Do it once and done?

 

[Garage Flooring]

Why not an epoxy / urethane combo?
Do it once and done?

Definitely an option. When I first replied I thought there was a lot of welding going on. If the floor is protected from That it's a great option. Epoxy and urethane. Rust bullet etc.

Like every garage it's all about how it's used.

 

[jeff000]

Why not an epoxy / urethane combo?
Do it once and done?

My biggest problem is I am short on time, and have way to much **** in my garage. I do love the look though. And being in Canada all the nice epoxies are much more expensive. I work 10 and 4. which is really 3 days off. And I have a 4 month old and a 6 year old. And way too many projects on the go, lol.
My biggest worry is that I would get half done and run out of time, or that I would end up rushing and my 1000$ plus floor would look like my 30 dollar painted floor in a year.

Have you looked at this site at all: http://www.12-gaugegarage.com/photos/files/page5-1001-full.html

I love that garage. And love the drain he has just outside of his garage.

I can get some porcelain tile relatively cheap. I have been searching, but hard time finding porcelain in climate where I can have -30+ C over night and then have -2 during the day plus the sun out. I have an issue where I will get ice buildup at the door seal. Installing a ceiling fan to come on with the heat to hopefully help with that though.

The VCT tiles I can get really cheap though. Like half price of porcelain.
There is almost too much information on here that it's confusing as lots of it is conflicting.

But biggest challenge is that VCT doesn't come up in the search. But I know I have read a bunch on it before.

 

[Garage Flooring]

My biggest problem is I am short on time, and have way to much **** in my garage. I do love the look though. And being in Canada all the nice epoxies are much more expensive. I work 10 and 4. which is really 3 days off. And I have a 4 month old and a 6 year old. And way too many projects on the go, lol.
My biggest worry is that I would get half done and run out of time, or that I would end up rushing and my 1000$ plus floor would look like my 30 dollar painted floor in a year.




I love that garage. And love the drain he has just outside of his garage.

I can get some porcelain tile relatively cheap. I have been searching, but hard time finding porcelain in climate where I can have -30+ C over night and then have -2 during the day plus the sun out. I have an issue where I will get ice buildup at the door seal. Installing a ceiling fan to come on with the heat to hopefully help with that though.

The VCT tiles I can get really cheap though. Like half price of porcelain.
There is almost too much information on here that it's confusing as lots of it is conflicting.

But biggest challenge is that VCT doesn't come up in the search. But I know I have read a bunch on it before.

I don't sell either but there is no way I would do VCT it that climate. The glue and the tile.... To brittle... IMHO

 

[jeff000]

I don't sell either but there is no way I would do VCT it that climate. The glue and the tile.... To brittle... IMHO

What do you mean? I keep the garage pretty warm at +11C

Or is it just for the leading edge into the garage that is the worry? With any tile I am not sure how or where to do that edge, lots of searching and I can't seem to find that answer for anywhere that gets snow and is used as a daily driver garage.

I am really just tired of the impossibleness of cleaning bare concrete, it's always dusty, at least with my crappy paint I can wet it a little and squeegee it pretty clean where the paint still is.

 

[James-W]

Maybe you should just go with plastic floor tiles, it is quick and requires very little prep time. As long as you use welding blankets (or something similar) to protect the floor when you weld, then it shouldn't pose a problem. You could have the floor finished and looking good in just a few short hours.

 

[jeff000]

Maybe you should just go with plastic floor tiles, it is quick and requires very little prep time. As long as you use welding blankets (or something similar) to protect the floor when you weld, then it shouldn't pose a problem. You could have the floor finished and looking good in just a few short hours.

If I was in the US I would for sure. But they are expensive here, 2200+ after shipping for any of the quality ones.

 

[404]

Look up towards the horizon, not down to your feet. The problem will just go away.

 

[jeff000]

Look up towards the horizon, not down to your feet. The problem will just go away.

I wish I could do that. lol

 

[mnavillus]

Jeff,

I don't know what part of the county you are however, Have you consider talking to a local qualified contractor? Explain what you want to do in your garage, they should be able break down some options and clearly define what there warranty will cover.

good luck!

 

['sallgood]

Hide money under the mattress for a while. THEN hire a pro to tackle the job.

 

[Cave Creek Ray]

Your paint failure looks like what I suffered with my first attempt about 18 years ago. There is no free lunch when it comes to resolving the problem.

My failure was not to acid wash before painting. That removes the concrete creme. The paint -or any coating -cannot stick to this micro-granular mud. Bit by bit, water loosens the creme and the paint goes away. You can verify if this is your problem by taking a box cutter blade and scraping your concrete. If you come up with any dust whatsoever, that is the creme breaking loose.

There is no quick and easy fix.

As far as cheap solutions, you can re-apply the Rustoleum but you will see it do the same thing unless you spend a few hours with a 4-4500 psi pressure washer and remove every last bit of loose paint. That took me a whole weekend in my 4-car garage at the time. Pressure washing will also remove the creme but, I acid washed and neutralized with baking soda, just to be sure. Then, it takes a week of drying (and no traffic) to let the slab moisture reduce before re-application. Failure to dry completely will result in the same failure.

I am facing a similar problem with my house garage as the previous owners painted the floor in a hideous "finger-nail-polish-red-beigey" color, which mostly stuck. I am going to tile over it so I will have to grind the entire surface clean to get proper adhesion. That project will take a few weeks of full days to get tile installed. You have neither time nor cash to devote to such a project. Periodic repaint sounds like your only option unless you live with what you have now.

If you rent a high pressure machine and mask off your exterior walls with plastic sheeting to prevent water damage, a day or two of blasting that stuff off will get you a decent surface to re-coat. If you let it dry completely for the week you are working (again no traffic), your next time at home can see a reasonably good re-paint application give you a paint job that will last far longer than what you experienced with this coat.

I used two different paints and found the Rustoleum to be a pretty good paint for the money. The problem is, with a few chips of paint that managed to adhere, you will have to put a couple coats on to hide the chips edges completely. A couple days of painting will have you finished and then keep off the surface for a week. You may see small pops here or there but they should be few and far between.

You made the same mistake I did: You painted past the door to the start of the driveway. Paint does not handle UV light well and will discolor to a flat finish in a year or more. To me, it looked better than plain concrete but, just beware.

It won't fix itself. Either save up to have a pro resolve it or tackle it yourself. This summer is rapidly going by. Perhaps waiting until next summer and hitting it hard in the Spring is a better option. Not sure what your weather (humidity) patterns are like.

Good luck.

 

[Garage Flooring]

What do you mean? I keep the garage pretty warm at +11C

Or is it just for the leading edge into the garage that is the worry? With any tile I am not sure how or where to do that edge, lots of searching and I can't seem to find that answer for anywhere that gets snow and is used as a daily driver garage.

I am really just tired of the impossibleness of cleaning bare concrete, it's always dusty, at least with my crappy paint I can wet it a little and squeegee it pretty clean where the paint still is.

Jeff,

VCT is a huge market in the garage. At the end of the day, Armstrong says its not appropriate for garage use, but tons of people do it. In colder climates Armstrong states that both the glue and the tile can crack.

If the garage is temperature controlled, that would mitigate the issue. You have a lot of options. They all have their ups and downs. Other than welding, Rust Bullet could be a quick and easy solution for you and it will not have the issues you have had in the past.

BUT... With the welding, I stand by my original suggestion. Porcelain tile would be a really good option for you

 

[jeff000]

Jeff,

VCT is a huge market in the garage. At the end of the day, Armstrong says its not appropriate for garage use, but tons of people do it. In colder climates Armstrong states that both the glue and the tile can crack.

If the garage is temperature controlled, that would mitigate the issue. You have a lot of options. They all have their ups and downs. Other than welding, Rust Bullet could be a quick and easy solution for you and it will not have the issues you have had in the past.

BUT... With the welding, I stand by my original suggestion. Porcelain tile would be a really good option for you

I was reading some on rust bullet and it appeared to need the same grinding prep as epoxy, and a urethane top coat.

If it's more like a paint where I could just kinda rough up the concrete a bit to get the old paint on and then roller this rust bullet on it would be great.

With porcelain tile is the grout lines a pain to clean? And where do I stop it in relation to my garage door?

 

[Garage Flooring]

I was reading some on rust bullet and it appeared to need the same grinding prep as epoxy, and a urethane top coat.

If it's more like a paint where I could just kinda rough up the concrete a bit to get the old paint on and then roller this rust bullet on it would be great.

With porcelain tile is the grout lines a pain to clean? And where do I stop it in relation to my garage door?

Rust Bullet is very different from epoxy products and if your garage was bare concrete we would not need to grind. The old paint needs to be removed... You could grind or use a stripper.

I am not an expert in the porcelain tile arena. But there are a ton of guys here who are. I would start a new thread on that if that is what you are looking to do

 

[jeff000]

Rust Bullet is very different from epoxy products and if your garage was bare concrete we would not need to grind. The old paint needs to be removed... You could grind or use a stripper.

Oh, well now that's interesting.
Stripping it wouldn't be too bad. As long as the paint was off I'd be good to paint it on?

I'll have to find a Canadian retailer.