Sealing Garage floor
 

Anyone who has had their garage floor or lanai area sealed: who do you recommend and approximately how much did it cost? Also, has anyone here doen it themselves, and if so, how hard was it and what product do you recommend? I need it to be waterproof.
Thanks

Epoxy, for the garage only. But, don't do it yourself. And, make sure it has some type of texture on the surface to prevent it from being slippery when wet.

Most people use concrete stain for the lanai.

Tim Miller is good, 352-217-0561.

Check the solids content in any epoxy you are going to put down. Most of them are not 100% solids - far from it, most are less than 50% solids. This equates to far less life of the product. You want 100% epoxy with a clear poly coat on top - this provides the best surface and longevity. (Well, using poly all the way is even better but costs $$$).

I did my own - a 2 car extended garage. I took me about 4 days total as I did one side and then the other. Turned out fantastic! I did a lot of research on garage floor epoxy products, and epoxy-coat kept coming up with great reviews from trade journals as well as customers. Epoxy Flooring Kits | Epoxy Coatings & Paint for all Surfaces | Epoxy Coat

I used Millers. My garage is huge so you should simply call Millers and request an estimate.

I've seen many jobs that Tim Miller has done, and I highly recommend him. Not only is the application important, but the prep work. You don't just roll on the coating. There is grinding and proper cleaning involved.

I did my own, I made a mistake and used HCT Xylene based sealer with shark grip. Took 1 day as the 2 1/2 car garage was completely empty. The only problem, is this product is NOT good for a garage as it does not stand up well to chemical spills (gasoline, paint thinners, etc.) Mine is a working garage, and now a "sealed" floor with stains. I am considering recoating, but I have a lot of research to do, as the garage is now full and it will not be practical to have the existing coating ground off.

TIM MILLER ...... Nuff said, now let's move on :a040:

Check out DIY Garage Tiles, which can also be purchased on Amazon.

I costed both, then had Black Dog Garage Floors do mine. The cost was almost identical to a DIY installation but they did all the work including moving all the junk in and out of my garage. And, since I own a vintage British sports car ( most all leak a drop or two of oil) I can say that the tiles are impervious to minor oil spills and clean-up quickly.

I chose a checkerboard pattern with dark and light gray tiles. Really attractive.

My issue with having someone do the job (and Tim was highly recommended) was that my garage had lots of stuff in it - including a washer, dryer, and refrigerator. I had nowhere to move everything while the job was being done. You have to move everything out - it takes a couple of days for them to the prep and install, then you have drying time - at least 24 hours, 48 is better - then move everything back in. And I can't leave a washer, dryer, and refrigerator outside for this length of time.

I needed to have it done 1/2 at a time - that way I could move everything to one side of the garage and time no longer became an issue (as well as where to put everything). This really means 2 jobs for any installer as there is time in between each half, they have to return twice, prep twice, etc. The cost in this instance becomes really high for an installer - and I understand why.

Doing it myself saved me about $1,000 based on the estimates I received, and the product I used was better than what any of them were using - plus I added a poly coat on top. 10x the wear of epoxy.

Yeah, it was a lot of work... but I'm retired!

What product did you use that was better?

The product is called epoxy coat. I used the "good" garage version product and added the polyurethane clear coat top. (Good Kit Archives | Epoxy Flooring Kits | Epoxy Coat).

The better and best versions include an epoxy clear coat, but a poly clear coat is 10x stronger and lasts 10x longer than the epoxy clear coat, so I ordered the good version and added poly as an option.

Mine has been done for 2 years now, and zero wear on the floor.

What brand of poly clear coat did you use, and does this resist automotive fluids? Thank you.

The poly clear coat is from the epoxy coat company (same link as before). It's a 2 part poly (this is fairly new), and you mix and apply just like epoxy.

So far it is completely resistant to every fluid that has hit it. I've spilled oil, paint, and stain, and no issues to date. It just wipes up.

Thank you, I have sent the manufacturer a note to see what they recommend for my situation.

I would highly recommend calling Amy at Liquid Floors. 352-518-0855