I looked at several different paint/roll on floor coats. As has been
mentioned, floor preparation is critical.
The floor coating should also state "resists hot tire pickup"
The main problem with paint or roll on epoxy coatings is the concrete.
Concrete is porous and moisture will wick up from underneath unless it
has a moisture barrier under it. This will cause the coating to
separate from the concrete over the years. So if you have older
concrete with no moisture barrier, or newer concrete that is stained,
surface preparation and sealing of the concrete is critical. You will
need to etch the surface and seal it one way or the other unless it is
brand new. Paint and epoxy are the most durable coatings and probably
the least cost per square..
Snap together Tiles: The only problem I have with snap together tiles
is that they leave an air space under them. That is where the spilled
liquids go if you get the cheap ones with "drain channels", and if your
concrete floor is not sloped to drain, anything you spill will stay in
or under the tiles until you pull it up and clean it out. Just think
about if you spilled antifreeze, oil, gasoline or solvent and it went
under those tiles. How do you get it cleaned up? Pull the tiles up.
Some of the tile systems did have a silicone type sealer used between
the tiles to seal them from liquid intrusion. Others had a sort of
double locking setup to keep liquid from passing from the top. Highest
cost per square
Vinyl Flooring. I looked at this also. Vinyl is also susceptible to
collecting moisture under it. The difference is, anything you spill on
vinyl flooring can be cleaned up. The down side of vinyl flooring is in
order to get the stuff that will handle steel rollers and such, you need
the more rigid glue down tiles. Just look for vinyl that is rated for
heavier loads and steel wheel traffic. The downside there is, heavy
loads dropped on it will crack the heavy duty tile. Less expensive than
snap tiles, but more than paints and coatings.
What did I end up with? Large sheets of cardboard and a garage cleaning
twice a year. Once I get the rest of the stuff out of the garage for a
few days, I'll probably go with a high quality two part epoxy coating
guaranteed to resist hot tire pickup and withstand steel wheel traffic.
R. Ashford Little II wrote:
> I'm thinking of putting one of those epoxy coatings on my garage floor. I
> just had an estimate done by a Rustoleum rep and while nice it isn't cheap.
> Another alternative is UCoatit (www.ucoatit.com). This method is cheaper as
> I would supply the labor, but I am unsure of which is better. The Rustoleum
> guys do come in with a machine that sands the surface and should provide
> better adhesion.
>
>
> Comments?
>
>
> R. Ashford Little II
>
--
Glenn A. Merrell
Chairman, Triumph Stag Club USA (2007-2009)
The best trophies are miles on the odometer, stone chips in the paint, dead
bugs on the windshield!
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