Redoing my garage

[Ahashmi]

Hello All,
I plan on redoing my garage over the next couple weeks. Attached are current pictures which show the garage in a pretty embarrassing condition. My main focus here will be the floor where I will be putting down the epoxy. Nevertheless, here is my to-do list

1. Paint entire garage
2. Install recessed lighting
3. Take off existing cabinets and build floating storage shelves
4. Build shelves for shoes
5. Put down epoxy
   • I just emailed Armor epoxy with my list of questions and waiting to hear back.
   • I think the floor is currently sealed.
     • Not sure which route to go with. If grinding is an overkill, I prefer to etch. If I must grind, the plan is to rent a machine and diamabrush from HomeDepot.
     • Prime, epoxy and then top coat.

Any suggestion/tips are welcome. Thank you

 

[Rorin67]

Fun project! I just finished my 2-car garage remodel, so I've recently been there, done that. Mine kinda looked like yours to begin with as well. Some questions for yah:

- Why "recessed" lighting (which may not have great spread patterns in a garage)?
- Have you considered LED flat panels? I installed 6 dimmable LED panels (4'x'1) and they work great - I can perform surgery in the garage at night!
- Are you sold on epoxy? That floor is a bit rough and will need a lot of work to get ready for epoxy. Have you considered some form of interlocking tiles for a quick and easy install (no floor prep needed other than a good sweeping)?

Tip: Everything will take twice as long to do as you expect it to, and cost twice as much!

Best of luck!

Some before and after (for viewing pleasure):

 

[FMB4]

I agree with rorin67 100%.
Skipping the recessed light plan will save you a bunch of work and, as Rorin says, output better light.

And yes, epoxy is best used with 'new' or very lightly used concrete. The condition of your floor will need a lot of work no matter what. As for 'etching' the biggest prob I've heard of is neutralizing the etched concrete enough to keep the acid from biting you on the backside later on.

Meanwhile, I painted my badly abused g floor about 10 years after it was poured. Decided to use US name latex g floor paint. Did a thorough sanding, washing, and drying prep (this was lot of work). 7 yrs on it's going to need some touching up, or an overcoat. I definitely would have been better off, all said and done (for good) by going with interlocking tiles

 

[larry4406]

If there is living space above the garage (as is common in my neck of the woods) recess cans in a garage will need to be fire rated cans ($$$).

 

[Ahashmi]

Fun project! I just finished my 2-car garage remodel, so I've recently been there, done that. Mine kinda looked like yours to begin with as well. Some questions for yah:

- Why "recessed" lighting (which may not have great spread patterns in a garage)?
- Have you considered LED flat panels? I installed 6 dimmable LED panels (4'x'1) and they work great - I can perform surgery in the garage at night!
- Are you sold on epoxy? That floor is a bit rough and will need a lot of work to get ready for epoxy. Have you considered some form of interlocking tiles for a quick and easy install (no floor prep needed other than a good sweeping)?

Tip: Everything will take twice as long to do as you expect it to, and cost twice as much!

Best of luck!

Some before and after (for viewing pleasure):

Well first off, let's admire the Mustang you have in your profile picture.. I just sold my GT to get a Shelby later this year

I have a bunch of recessed lighting lying around from previous projects and I wanted to use them somewhere. Also, I am a bit tight on budget so I don't think I can spend more on the LED flat panels.

I thought about the interlocking tiles but I prefer a coating because of looks and maintenance. I am mentally preparing myself for degreasing and grinding the floor. If the epoxy really is a bad idea and is going to have a very low success rate then maybe I will need to reconsider.

 

[CraigStu]

I don't know if epoxy is worth it. Especially w/ a clear over it. The places I have seen always end up w/ small chunks that break and pop off the concrete. To fix them you have to mix a small batch and paint it in. I did a concrete stain on an add-on bay w/ a roller. The only problem was that you could see the pattern I ran the roller back and forth in. I suppose a couple more coats might have fixed that. But what I liked was it didn't come up in chunks and it was easy to brush in a small repair when I drug something across it. I would look at alternatives that are more of a one part paint. They may not have the WOW factor when new but you can probably just acid wash the concrete and skip any grinding, and they will be a lot easier and less expensive to maintain.

 

[FMB4]

Well first off, let's admire the Mustang you have in your profile picture..

Yes, let's raise a can, or 6, to Rorin67's Mustang. Sorry for going off track, err... off topic.

"If the epoxy really is a bad idea and is going to have a very low success rate then maybe I will need to reconsider."

Well, as with all paint projects, prep makes or breaks the job. If your G floor was my floor I'd go with latex or concrete stain (as CraigStu mentions) rather than poxy. But again prep is king when it comes to painting anything (I'm sure that you already know this).

 

[Rorin67]

Yes, let's raise a can, or 6, to Rorin67's Mustang. Sorry for going off track, err... off topic.

Thanks, guys - you're all very complimentary! The '67 has been my daily driver in L.A. for over 15 years and over 100,000 miles. It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun!

I'll re-iterate my recommendation for interlocking tiles. Ahashmi - I would recommend that you actually call any of the great floor-product vendors here on GJ and chat with them about your floor. They will give you a real-world opinion as to what's involved in getting your floor ready for epoxy, that is, if it actually can - or should - be done. They are excellent to work with and are happy to talk with GJ members. Ask me how I know.

BTW - Here's the '67 at rest, just for photo's sake (and you can see how I chose my online username):

 

[Ahashmi]

Thanks all for your suggestions. I think I might just do the interlocking tiles as you guys suggested. Here is a little update. I am not satisfied with the shelves I made but I guess I will keep them for now