Cost = Quality???

[5.0 Mike]

OK Folks,
I have been working on my garage for a few months. I have a standard three car garage, but the third car section had no sheet rocked or insulation.



I have added insulation and sheetrock. (and a few other goodies!)


The garage is now floated, textured (to match inside of house) and painted. (Picture to come soon)

Now is where the dilemma starts…. I have been researching floor coatings. I have a friend that went with the RustOleum kit sold at Home Depot. Other than the flat color it looks good and was under $150, but I am one of those guys that feel “you get what you pay for”! I have looked at several different types of epoxy floor coating sites, but I just don’t know what kit gives you the best bang for the buck. I have narrowed it down to two, but looking for a little more insight. What do you guys thing?

http://www.originalcolorchips.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=201:e5cbcd1990d00d615d82c01613cace70

http://www.epoxy-coat.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=129:bafebd4cdf9c91e3f3be8a9822273313

 

[5.0 Mike]

Nothing???? Come on folks! I know you all have some insight....

 

[PaulR]

I think the more knowledgeable folks will tell you "it's all in the prep work"

You can pay a million bucks for best, hardest epoxy around but it won't stick to greasy sand. Conversely you can do a perfect prep job and make the cheap watery stuff from the Big Orange Box work just fine.

.02 P

 

[5.0 Mike]

Thanks Paul! I have been thinking of that "Prep make everything better"
Thanks,
Mike

 

[PaulR]

To add:

Based on those two above, I would go with Epoxy Coat for a few reasons:

1) Never heard or seen results of the other company.

2) Epoxy Coat is here on this board, plenty of good reviews on it, they stand by their product with excellent customer service (unless something has changed I have not been here in a month or so). From what I can see, have researched and read, Epoxy Coat is a high quality product, just be sure to mix it well and take a day or two and read ALL the tips, tricks, goods and bads you see in the forum here.

Good Luck!

P

 

[ggcdad]

I second Paul R comments. Plus if you have a Lowes around that stocks Epoxy-coat you can get it cheaper then on-line potentially, depending on what you want.

 

[LW CONCRETE]

If the surface is hard troweled or even if it isnt I would run a diamond grinder across the floor just to break the surface, cut it a few mils at best to open the aggregate. Was the concrete sealed when it was put down, if so you definitely have to get that off. It is all in the prep. While this blend or that blend may be better the prep will be the key if you are going to do this yourself and not have a pro come in. Get some spikes too if you have to walk into the epoxy as you roll it down.

 

[rugerlady]

Call me if you want to discuss you specific needs in detail. We can also see if any Lowe's stores stock us locally or if we should special order.

 

[fredlangva]

Don't forget to add the clear coat to the base coat for Rustoleum. When I was figuring costs out for Rustoleum and Quikrete, once that was factored in, Epoxy Coat was actually cheaper if you don't add the extra high gloss to it.

That being said, I've had a few people that had installed Rustoleum say they were pleased with it but it doesn't wear terribly good after 4-5 years of hard use. One of the guys here at work paints cars for a hobby and he mentioned his floor is needing to be replaced after 5 years. Since I have a new house being built, he's been interested in what I've been looking at.

I definitely going with Epoxy Coat since I like the heavier thickness and color choices. I was leaning towards Quikrete because of the colors but once I got educated about the differences in the epoxy formulations, I decided to go with a 100% solid one.

 

[rodnig1]

I just had a new garage built, and i used the Rustoleum from lowes, and it turned out amazing!! i spent lots of time on the prep work like everyone says to do, and then had a professional painter come in to do the floor(since he is used to doing lots of industrial flooring applications).

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Although we weren't on your list....
Here is a very descriptive write-up on our products and customer service:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114728&highlight=legacy+industrial

 

[csp]

They all look good when first applied.

Come back in five years and tell us how a cheap brand looks.

 

[f2hatch]

I cant speak for the above products cause I personally have no experience with them. What I can tell you is that i was planning on going with the epoxy coat but i think i am going for the stained and clear option from Legacy instead. My way of thinking is I do a lot of side jobs and working on my own cars including welding, grinding, torches. And in my opinion the stain might hold up better in certain situations or at least not get me as upset if some sparks happen to burn through. Might be something to keep in the back of mind. I don't know how much of your own wrenching you do but I don't want to worry about the floor every time I pick up a tool. BTW nice snake I have a Oxford White 2004 cobra and three 1989 fox body hatches.

 

[kamkuda]

I was wondering the same thing. My garage (25x50 pole barn) is a working garage with some auto painting. What works best for a garage that will have welding, painting, metal scrapped acros the floor and other aggressive actions?

Thanks

I cant speak for the above products cause I personally have no experience with them. What I can tell you is that i was planning on going with the epoxy coat but i think i am going for the stained and clear option from Legacy instead. My way of thinking is I do a lot of side jobs and working on my own cars including welding, grinding, torches. And in my opinion the stain might hold up better in certain situations or at least not get me as upset if some sparks happen to burn through. Might be something to keep in the back of mind. I don't know how much of your own wrenching you do but I don't want to worry about the floor every time I pick up a tool. BTW nice snake I have a Oxford White 2004 cobra and three 1989 fox body hatches.

 

[Falcon67]

I think it comes to 1) prep work 2) water based or 100% epoxy. I used a 100% on my last shop (AFAIK - been 12 years ago) and a kit was $70 from Lowes. The 100% stuff wears mucho better and sticks better - I think, with good prep - than any other coating. And you'll pay more for the 100%, for sure. I will be parking race cars with slicks on my floor so good grip, resistance to all kinds of solvents and no-peel up is what I need.