renting garage

[Energyblue98]

I know this has probably been asked a million times.. But I can't seem to find all the specific answers to my situation.

I just started renting a townhouse. It has a 500 sqfoot 1 car garage. It's pretty big for a one car. The place is 3 years old and the concrete is still in fairly good condition. I work on cars, A LOT so i would get oil, coolant, trans fluid, brake fluid, all sorts of stuff on the floor. so I dont want this soaking into the floor.

What is the cheapest method that I have to get this done RIGHT. and keep the floors clean for when i move out in a year?

I'm leaning towards attempting the epoxy flooring from lowes (It was like $75 for the kit that includes a gallon of epoxy??)

I asked the landlord, she was fine with me putting in epoxy flooring but she wasnt willing to pay for it. (obviously..)

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

One year?
I would put down a few coats of clear sealer and call it good.

Here is our offering : http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/hd6600-gloss-sealer-interior-p-257.html

Clean it well, roller apply two coats. Will handle the chemicals you mentioned as long as you clean-up right away.

 

[DTE]

I have used black top sealer on concrete , it holds up great. tires do not stick to it you can drag floor jacks on it etc.

 

[Energyblue98]

probably would prefer a black color because that would hide things better.. a black gloss would be AWESOME. I could end up staying longer than a year, that's just what my lease is for..

Problem is that i may not be able to clean up spills right away. (for example, I have a car in my garage now that I started working on the rear end, and I bend the driveshaft at a certain angle that made the rear differential leak VERRY slowly. the next day there was a big puddle..)

 

[DTE]

The stuff I have used is not gloss, it is flat. I do not know what brand it was but I get it at Lowes. And I am sure it was the cheapest they had. A 5 gal. bucket was like $25.00. I have not had any trouble with oil making it turn loose. It is about as permanent as you can get. I just put it on with a paint roller and trim it out with a big paint brush around the edge, it is pretty thick.

 

[Energyblue98]

http://www.lowes.com/pd_373321-21374-HK-0800_0__

how bout this? how hard is it for a novice to do this?

 

[Shea]

Epoxy-Coat is 100% solids epoxy and will stand up very well to the environment and chemicals you describe. It's very durable and requires just as much floor prep as any other epoxy. That's the hardest part - prepping the floor. You will need to acid etch the concrete at a minimum. Grinding is better. A novice can do a nice job, but I suggest you read up on what needs to be done before you decide to install it.

 

[retfr8flyr]

It's a rental why spend money for epoxy. Get a roll out mat from Justin at GaragFlooringLLC http://www.garageflooringllc.com/blt-garage-floor-mat/ and take it with you when you leave.

 

[Energyblue98]

because all of those options are over $600 for my dimensions, and epoxy would cost me under $300 if I do it myself.

When you say acid "etching" do you mean that I would use the "cleaner" that comes in the kit and scrub the floors with it?

 

[rugerlady]

If you are referring to our Epoxy-Coat kit, we do supply the acid to etch and clean. If it is heavily contaminated with grease and oil, a good degreaser and hot water would be a good idea before you acid wash.

 

[Energyblue98]

what is the difference between your epoxy-coat, and the valspar kit that I can get at lowes?

Do i need special shoes to walk on top of the epoxy as I'm laying it down? squegee, brush, etc.?

My car is technically a 1 car garage, but it is about 520 sq feet, which package would be better?

 

[retfr8flyr]

If you put down an epoxy floor you are increasing the value of the property. I would talk to the landlord again and see if she will go for splitting the material cost, with you supplying all the labor. If she is smart she should jump at that offer.

 

[Energyblue98]

well i wouldn't mind paying the $75 for the one at lowes, but the $300 for the epoxy-coat one might be a little much for me to invest in a rental?

would the $75 one be that bad?

 

[ddawg16]

If your renting....do not put down epoxy.....chances are you will loose your deposit....

Do a few coats of clear coat/concrete sealer. I put concrete sealer on my garage floor about 6 months after being poured....everything wipes up nicely....

Look at my garage build and you will see some pics of it.

 

[lilredex]

You could be over thinking the whole issue here, it's temporary.....

I work on my concrete drive all the time and use big cardboard box (sections) from washers/dryers/fridges, etc. for the general area protection and for specific leaks like your differential, get a larger pan on top and throw in some kitty litter.

Some of my projects have lasted for months (years?) with no ill effects.

 

[Energyblue98]

Yes, but I can't always predict when leaks like the rear differential. That's the point, the landlord agreed to epoxy on the floors. She just didn't want to pay for it.. How much does it cost to lay the clear coat/ concrete sealer?

 

[Energyblue98]

I will be testing the concrete for moisture tonight for 24hrs. If there is minimal moisture, I will buy two of the $75 Valspar epoxy flooring from Lowes and install it.

 

[rugerlady]

Water based epoxy will peel and lift.

 

[dandan111]

^true.I would just seal it. Less money,easy install and you
won't be giving the next guy a peeling floor.

 

[dcs Inc]

"SOME" water based epoxies peel and lift.

 

[onemore]

A friend of mine has a great looking shop/ garage and his "secret" is good old concrete floor paint once a year. Cheap and paint before you move. Just and idea

 

[Energyblue98]

well i believe it was sealed when i built the place. I called up a local place that does epoxy flooring and he said it would be $2300 for epoxy flooring because he'd have to remove the sealing. OR it would be $700 for just re-sealing the floor. So I said meh, I'll just stain the floor with my oil for the next year...

 

[Daler]

You could look at RaceDeck Flooring.

I got the FreeFlow tiles. They snap together and apart.

Quick and easy. Floor prep is mostly just sweeping. Then when you leave you can take it with you.

 

[Energyblue98]

RaceDeck Flooring would cost $1975 to cover 520 sq feet. That's more expensive than laying down actual epoxy..

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

RaceDeck Flooring would cost $1975 to cover 520 sq feet. That's more expensive than laying down actual epoxy..

Installed epoxy would be more, DIY would be less.