Racedeck, Swisstrax, etc or Epoxy for garage?

[jeromedawg]

Hi all,

Wanted to get some thoughts on potentially doing a racedeck/swisstrax (or whatever) type flooring in the garage or even epoxy. Epoxy seems like something you may want to consider having a professional come in and do - I've heard horror stories of DIY jobs not turning out very well and/or not lasting. Going the racedeck/swisstrax route seems a bit cheaper and easier especially if you don't want to lock yourself into a permanent solution. Has anyone done this? Has anyone tried or had good luck with the knock-off brands as well? Or do you pretty much want to just stick with those brand names?

[trollwithamustache]

I did the rustoleum epoxy with the additive package for a non skid floor on a toy hauler trailer that gets used little bit like a garage.  I like it a lot but note the non-skid makes it a lot harder to clean out really nice. It's easier to clean up ok since fluids don't stain.

[lthenderson]

Or do you pretty much want to just stick with those brand names?

To each their own but I stick to the concrete that came with it. I find all my friends that have done something to their garage floor spend a whole lot of time cleaning that floor that could be better spent doing something else. Here in a week or two, I will clean mine for the only time until next year at that time. I use a leaf blower to blow out the grit and it takes me about three minutes.

[nereo]

What problem are you trying to solve?  What is your garage floor currently made of, and what conditions is it in? Do you just not like the way it looks, or are you trying to get other benefits? How do you envision using that space?

The SwissTrax type systems look really good if you want that auto-collector’s look, but they are notoriously hard to manage if you use your garage like many people do…. Pulling wet, muddy cars into and out of, as an occasional workshop, storage place for bikes, chemicals, etc.

Epoxy can give you a uniform color that can cover minor staining and small cracks, but like any coating surface prep is key so if you have a lot of spalling or a cracked slab you’ll need to address that regardless.

if you have a concrete slab floor, the cheapest option is likely to just clean and pressure wash that, then seal to prevent future staining and make cleanup easier.

[ChickenStash]

A site like Garage Journal might be a better place to look for options on floor coatings.

I echo the other suggestions to define what it is you want out of the product, though, because all of those options have considerable pros and cons.

I consider mine to be a "working" garage as I am usually building or repairing something out there plus we have a lot of mud/snow/salt here and I say it's hard to beat the standard concrete. It can take a lot of abuse and is pretty simple to clean and maintain.

[chemistk]

Without going into too much detail, I got paid to DIY the Rustoleulm EpoxyShield in my garage last year (the same one as @trollwithamustache , probably). It's been 6 months since 'installation' and we've done everything but drive cars on it (our garage is a 1-car and our cars really don't fit). It's held up perfectly in that span of time, apart from getting a little dirty in spots where it sees heavy traffic.

That's probably the most I'd DIY floor epoxy, but I'd definitely do it again. Anything more complex than the RO-ES product, and you will absolutely want a professional to do the job, because if you don't mix it and apply it correctly, it's near impossible to remove and try again.

Like any project, the biggest challenge is prep. To put down such a product, you need to (mostly in order):

-Clear everything out of your garage. If you have a large one, you can do it half at a time. But you want every single thing off the floor.
-Deep (and I mean deep) clean the concrete. There are concrete degreasers specific for this - it's a lot of heavy scrubbing and a lot of water. 
-Do any crack repair - cracks (and especially deeper ones). Any surface imperfections are magnified 10x with an epoxy surface. I drilled out the ends of all the existing cracks to prevent them from growing, then filled and sealed them.
-Acid etch the surface - an absolute requirement for successful adhesion
-Clean, dry, and then KEEP DRY (for at least 24Hr ideally) after etching.
-Apply the product.
-Allow to cure.

In all, this process took me about 8 days from when I started moving stuff out to when I was able to move everything back in. It'll be longer if you have a 2 car garage, because you'll still need to wait until side 1 cures before moving everything over to side 2.

All that being said, it completely changed the look of the garage - not only does the uniform floor appearance make it look bigger, but it's much easier to clean and to keep clean.

[Just Joe]

Or do you pretty much want to just stick with those brand names?

To each their own but I stick to the concrete that came with it. I find all my friends that have done something to their garage floor spend a whole lot of time cleaning that floor that could be better spent doing something else. Here in a week or two, I will clean mine for the only time until next year at that time. I use a leaf blower to blow out the grit and it takes me about three minutes.

Same. The previous owner of our house painted the garage floors and the paint is wearing off. If you use anything with steel wheels such as a trolley jack or table saw - it will wear quicker.

I hit it with compressed air after a quick project or the leaf blower occasionally. Life goes on.

It would look nice if I had a display garage as seen in "Ferris Beuller's Day Off".