Built new garage - flooring options

[Pansophist]

Hey all,

I'm about to move into a house, and the garage we are building is roughly 26'x26' (though they measured from external wall to external wall, so it's minus .4" on each side roughly). There's also a 3'x15' bumpout near the back.

The purpose is mainly light automotive work and detailing my cars. To this end, I'll be putting a four post lift (on casters) inside the garage (hoping to be able to roll it around). I also want to be able to easily see under the car, and I've read one of the best ways to do that is a light floor to reflect the light, along with plenty of overhead light (the lighting section of this forum is...intense!).

I was originally looking at the tiles (e.g., racedeck), as they seem to support having lifts roll on top of it, but I'm unsure how well that would work, and if they would give enough light. Also, invariably oils will spill, and I want to protect the new concrete underneath. So, I was looking at a sealant to put down, and then maybe tiles on top of it.

I'm not as huge of a fan of epoxy, but I don't have evidence to back my feelings, it just seems like more work if something goes wrong, versus replacing a tile or two.

Does GJ have any advice? Mainly looking for the following (to summarize):

Be able to roll a 4 post lift on top of it
Protect from oil/misc liquids
Reflective enough to help light underside of cars (this one is a loose requirement, worst case scenario I can figure out a lighting solution under the lift)
Ease of maintenance

Location is NC, we get a couple snows a year, but nothing too major

My existing thoughts were:
Ghostshield 8510 as a sealant (instructions did not say it needed to be etched)
Racedeck on top (white for reflective nature, hopefully)

(edit: And now I am reading that a densifier would be beneficial to put on first as well!)

I need to contact RD for a sample of the white to see how reflective it actually is, but I also fear a sample won't be a fair representation, so anyone's experience here would be great.

Much appreciated!

 

[Garage Flooring]

Hey all,

I'm about to move into a house, and the garage we are building is roughly 26'x26' (though they measured from external wall to external wall, so it's minus .4" on each side roughly). There's also a 3'x15' bumpout near the back.

The purpose is mainly light automotive work and detailing my cars. To this end, I'll be putting a four post lift (on casters) inside the garage (hoping to be able to roll it around). I also want to be able to easily see under the car, and I've read one of the best ways to do that is a light floor to reflect the light, along with plenty of overhead light (the lighting section of this forum is...intense!).

I was originally looking at the tiles (e.g., racedeck), as they seem to support having lifts roll on top of it, but I'm unsure how well that would work, and if they would give enough light. Also, invariably oils will spill, and I want to protect the new concrete underneath. So, I was looking at a sealant to put down, and then maybe tiles on top of it.

I'm not as huge of a fan of epoxy, but I don't have evidence to back my feelings, it just seems like more work if something goes wrong, versus replacing a tile or two.

Does GJ have any advice? Mainly looking for the following (to summarize):

Be able to roll a 4 post lift on top of it
Protect from oil/misc liquids
Reflective enough to help light underside of cars (this one is a loose requirement, worst case scenario I can figure out a lighting solution under the lift)
Ease of maintenance

Location is NC, we get a couple snows a year, but nothing too major

My existing thoughts were:
Ghostshield 8510 as a sealant (instructions did not say it needed to be etched)
Racedeck on top (white for reflective nature, hopefully)

(edit: And now I am reading that a densifier would be beneficial to put on first as well!)

I need to contact RD for a sample of the white to see how reflective it actually is, but I also fear a sample won't be a fair representation, so anyone's experience here would be great.

Much appreciated!

PM me and I will send you samples of RD and other products.

8510 is a great product but does not provide any aesthetic value. It would be used in conjunction with a densifier.

Using a densifier and sealer in conjunction with tiles is a good idea. Usually, we use an inexpensive sealer.

A white Polyurea floor might be a good way for you to go. Not available in two coat kit. Have to go three.

 

[Pansophist]

Awesome, thank you! PM'd!

Anyone have any experiences going with the "white" options as their floor? Is it too bright for daily use, bright enough, work well when the car is up on a lift to reflect light? Does it pull in the rubber streaks and get marked easily, ending up justifying the common "gray" floors?

 

[vtecintegra]

Here is my experience. I had a vision of a pure white garage (3 car) for my retirement house. Polyurea seemed to be the best of the coatings so I ordered a kit that would do two coats of white and one clear. Prepped brand new floor with diamabrush from Home Depot. First coat went down and had a significant amount of bleed through. That put me in somewhat of a panic, as I suspected it was going to take more than two coats of color and I was trying to do this inside the acceptable recoat times. Second coat went down and I was still seeing concrete through the white. Totally frustrated, I ordered more polyurea for a third coat, and mentally prepared to hand sand and rough up coat two so coat three would stick. In the week I was waiting for coat three to be delivered, I could see that white was a terrible choice. Every little defect was visible and the white was not looking good just from foot traffic. Coat three arrived and I started going over coat two with a palm sander to rough it up. During the sanding I started to run into spots where coat two had not bonded well with coat one even though coat two was put down same day within the recommended recoat time. At that point I decided to cut my losses (well over $2K), got the diamabrush back, and ground the mess off the floor the best I could. I had almost 8 hours in grinding to prep, and trying to grind the polyurea off took over 10. Ended up disposing off coat three and the clear since it can't be returned. I haven't decided on how to proceed. Probably porcelain or pvc tile, but no more coatings.

1. I do not recommend a white coating or white plastic tiles in a garage.
2. Would always use flakes with coatings to mask defects, blemishes, dirt, etc.
3. If white is a must, do tiles since they can be replaced easier than grinding coatings.
4. Be sure of your final decision before spending any money.

 

[wagoncrazy]

Many years ago, I put white porcelin tiles in a kitchen we remodeled. I knew in a matter of days afterwards of the poor choice of white for flooring or countertops.

EVERY BIT OF DUST AND DIRT AND DROPPINGS WILL SHOW. Instantly...

If you are any bit of a clean freak, it will DRIVE YOU CRAZY.

Consider a earthtone color (the color of dirt and sand) as well as a flake in the pattern, Both of these will hide the dirt/dust.

It's a garage we're talking about here...gonna be dirty all the time.

 

[Pansophist]

What excellent feedback, thank you both. Exactly what I was afraid of. Yes, it'll be a pretty functional garage, meaning pretty dirty

I was looking at some adjustable task lighting that I'm hoping I can mount to the side of the lift, which should be sufficient, and replace the need for bright flooring.

 

[FJ4FUN]

We offer our Wolverine Coatings' LiquaTile 1184 epoxy in White but we do suggest an extra coat of our EnduraShield 2254 hybrid-urethane clear coat tinted white for additional UV resistance. The next best color where lighting is concerned is our Silver Gray which does not need the extra clear coat and is highly reflective.

If you choose to add flakes, be careful with color selection and quantity in "working" garage environments. Yes, they hide imperfections in the finish but they also hide small dropped parts!!

 

[Shea]

As others have stated, a white floor does require more attention to keep clean and it will show dirt easier. However, it can look very nice if done correctly. The article below is a great example of how to properly do a white floor coating that is very durable and does not bleed through.

https://allgaragefloors.com/white-epoxy-garage-floor-coating/

Light gray is a much more forgiving color and still reflects light very well. Light gray or silver interlocking tiles reflect light fairly well also. Not as well as a coating with a gloss finish, but it still does a pretty good job.

Keep in mind that a 4-post lift on casters may not roll as easily on interlocking tiles as on a coating. Also, steel casters on a coating will eventually take a toll with scratches.

 

[Armorpoxy]

We agree with Shea, use a light gray epoxy like our www.armorcladepoxy.com. Its very light, but not white and much easier to maintain.