jkrswld
Well-known member
Hey guys,
I just stumbled across the forum at work and haven't been able to spend more than a couple of hours looking around for some information. I got a little held up in the gallery area
Anyway, I just bought a house with a 2.5 stall (will measure sq footage soon) garage that was built about 3 years ago. Very light stains and only cracks/separations are what apparently are called breather joints (floor is made of 4 slabs of equal size). This is my first home purchase (I'm only 23) and I haven't done much with construction. I can say that there doesn't appear to be any sealant on that concrete, and it currently feels rough equally all around. I have not done any water drop tests to check for absorption, but I see no signs of water coming up through the concrete or leaks.
I am looking into doing an epoxy coating before I move all of my stuff from my rented duplex into this garage and want to do so very soon. I have read about 100% solids epoxies being the best and know that preparation is the absolute key to a good floor solution. I am wanting to buy locally so that I can get everything I need right away and not wait for shipping if possible.
I've got an Ace hardware, Fleet Farm, Menards and Home Depot at my disposal. I am looking for opinions primarily on the type of epoxy I should look for. So far I've seen Rustoleum and Quikrete and Quikrete industrial kits.
My usage: Light mechanical work i.e tune ups and oil changes, car detailing, law mower/snowblowers etc. Primary traffic will be daily parking of 2 small cars and then people traffic/hanging out in there. I don't foresee myself getting into full car rebuilds or anything quite that heavy duty. I do not have any heavy equipment that will be in the garage or rolling around. The heaviest things will be the cars (no trucks or boats or anything like that) and a refrigerator. It is a detached garage with no drains installed, single door with a man door on the same wall. No windows, no insulation or finished walls. I will certainly post pics soon once I get a host and upload them.
I am wondering about the quality of these big-box solutions, and if water-based epoxy will be ok for my light duty usage. I have searched and will continue to search more since I know how annoying it is to have a new guy post questions that have already been answered - but I am wondering what everybody thinks would be some considerations to take for me. Thanks for your patience, pics will be posted soon!
-Oh, I should also mention I live in the wonderful land of Wisconsin, so the winters can get pretty crazy here and salt will definitely be falling on the garage surface. I am not opposed to putting down some additional protection in the winter months in the form of rubber mats or whatever.
I just stumbled across the forum at work and haven't been able to spend more than a couple of hours looking around for some information. I got a little held up in the gallery area
Anyway, I just bought a house with a 2.5 stall (will measure sq footage soon) garage that was built about 3 years ago. Very light stains and only cracks/separations are what apparently are called breather joints (floor is made of 4 slabs of equal size). This is my first home purchase (I'm only 23) and I haven't done much with construction. I can say that there doesn't appear to be any sealant on that concrete, and it currently feels rough equally all around. I have not done any water drop tests to check for absorption, but I see no signs of water coming up through the concrete or leaks.
I am looking into doing an epoxy coating before I move all of my stuff from my rented duplex into this garage and want to do so very soon. I have read about 100% solids epoxies being the best and know that preparation is the absolute key to a good floor solution. I am wanting to buy locally so that I can get everything I need right away and not wait for shipping if possible.
I've got an Ace hardware, Fleet Farm, Menards and Home Depot at my disposal. I am looking for opinions primarily on the type of epoxy I should look for. So far I've seen Rustoleum and Quikrete and Quikrete industrial kits.
My usage: Light mechanical work i.e tune ups and oil changes, car detailing, law mower/snowblowers etc. Primary traffic will be daily parking of 2 small cars and then people traffic/hanging out in there. I don't foresee myself getting into full car rebuilds or anything quite that heavy duty. I do not have any heavy equipment that will be in the garage or rolling around. The heaviest things will be the cars (no trucks or boats or anything like that) and a refrigerator. It is a detached garage with no drains installed, single door with a man door on the same wall. No windows, no insulation or finished walls. I will certainly post pics soon once I get a host and upload them.
I am wondering about the quality of these big-box solutions, and if water-based epoxy will be ok for my light duty usage. I have searched and will continue to search more since I know how annoying it is to have a new guy post questions that have already been answered - but I am wondering what everybody thinks would be some considerations to take for me. Thanks for your patience, pics will be posted soon!
-Oh, I should also mention I live in the wonderful land of Wisconsin, so the winters can get pretty crazy here and salt will definitely be falling on the garage surface. I am not opposed to putting down some additional protection in the winter months in the form of rubber mats or whatever.