You need to clean the floor for any repair. You will need brushes, de-greasers, and grinders to prep the floor for repairs.
Here are the best products for fixing the garage floor, based on the garage repair discussions in the following articles (opens in new windows on this site). Here are the best garage floor repair products mentioned in the garage floor articles listed at the bottom of this page.
The Best Concrete Floor De-Greaser
Oil Eater is hands-down one of the best de-greasers I've ever used.
It removes caked-on grease and old oil stains from concrete, asphalt, and fabric.
Some stains take a few applications, but no stain is safe with Oil Eater around. Use an Oil Eater to remove oil, grease, and sticky substances from the concrete.
Use it undiluted on concrete, but if you use it in the house, dilute the Oil Eater with water according to the directions.
One of the reasons I prefer Oil Eater is that it is safe for septic systems.
De-greasers often contain materials that muck up septic tanks.
For light grease, you can probably let it sit for a moment, brush it a bit with a push broom and then rinse it off. For deep stains, scrub the stain with an undiluted dose and a stiff brush.
Allow the de-greaser to sit for at least 10 minutes before rinsing.
Stains usually come up in one try, but stubborn stains might take two rounds.
Learn more on the Oil Eater Amazon page.
The Best Angle Grinder for Concrete Floor Repair
You use an angle grinder to expand a low spot or widen a crack before repair. This is to get a clean and smooth surface to repair.
My favorite angle grinder is the DeWalt DWE402K.
This is the angle grinder that is designed to grind in close spaces.
Multiple safety features are built into the design.
The DeWalt has an excellent reputation for ease of use and durability.
Angle grinders are dangerous.
Take precautions. PLEASE NOTE: This is a spark-throwing tool, so be sure you:
- (a) wear safety equipment and
- (b) understand how to safely use the angle grinder
View the DeWalt grinder on Amazon.
The Best Crack Chasing Blade for Concrete Floor Repair
Crack-chasing blades come in many sizes.
The DeWalt angle grinder above takes 4 in. disks.
In case you already have a grinder and need a disk, the EDiamondTools crack chaser blade comes in 21 varieties.
I don't own an EDiamondTool blade myself, so I looked at the reviews.
- “Cuts like a hot knife through butter.”
- “A bit pricey, but very well made and durable.”
- “Worked fast, expanded crack to 1/2 inch opening”
- “Great product, easy to use and works great, very durable. I'm very happy with this product.”
This blade has 97 ratings and they're all like this.
I don't see how you can go wrong with this crack-chasing blade. View your blade options on Amazon.
The Best Non-Acid Concrete Etcher
Etching the garage floor ensures it will most readily accept paints, stains, and sealants.
This used to be done with acid, but that has hazardous downsides.
Rust-Oleum Clean & Etch does everything muriatic acid does, without the fumes or burning.
This is the acid-substitute etching product that has no odors, no acid, and no dangerous chemicals.
It does not need to be diluted after application the way acid does.
It's harmless to plants, pets, and kids.
This bottle will treat up to 500 square feet of concrete garage flooring.
While you don't need to neutralize Clean & Etch after application, you should rinse the floor three times to ensure no product is still etching your concrete.
View Rust-Oleum Clean & Etch on Amazon
The Best Concrete Floor Densifying Sealer
Concrete Sealer USA's PS104 merges the best qualities of a densifier and a sealer in one easy-to-apply product.
PS101 prevents concrete breakdown from salt and water exposure.
After application, the floor is stronger and better able to resist pitting and spalling.
You will still be able to paint the floor after application if you choose to paint your garage floor.
View the PS101 Densifier Sealer on Amazon.
The Best Polymerized Patcher for Small Concrete Repairs
Use Sakrete Top-n-Bond to patch small areas of spalling, pitting, or low spots up to about 1.5 in. deep.
Polymerized concrete is a sand, polymer, and concrete patching material.
Since new concrete will not stick to already-cured concrete, the Sakrete polymer forms the bond you can't get with a new batch of concrete.
You do not need to mix parts together as you would with an epoxy product.
Add Sakrete and water to a bucket.
You do need to act quickly after adding water, or the concrete patch will harden.
Apply the mixture with a trowel.
Err on the side of mixing in too little water until you're happy with the consistency.
You have 20 minutes from mixing to feathering, so only mix what you can use.
Sakrete Top ‘N Bond is easy to apply and dries to a rock-hard and level finish.
One 10 lb. pail covers 4 sf. at 1/4 inch depth.
You can walk on it after one day, and drive on it after three days.
Buy Sakrete on Amazon.
The Best Polymerized Patcher for Large Concrete Repairs
Sakrete Flo-Coat Concrete Surfacer is the best polymerized concrete patch for large areas.
After prepping areas of spalling, pitting, cracks, or uneven surfaces, use Flo-Coat to fill and level the repair. Flo-Coat is a slush you apply with a squeegee rather than a hand-held trowel.
If you have any cracks that are 1/8 inch wide, mix a small portion with less water.
Trowel this tougher mixture into the crack before using the looser mixture.
When mixed with the correct (looser) ratio of water, Flo-Coat flows into the damaged area, covering it with a medium-gray concrete bond.
Flo-Coat fixes cracks and damages up to 1/2 in. deep.
At about 1/4 inch of layering, 20 lb. of Flo-Coat covers 9 sf.
At about 1/16th inch per layer, 20 lb. will yield 36 sf. of coating.
You can add red or buff color pigment to your mixture.
Apply when the temperature is between 50 and 90 deg. F.
Buy Flo-Coat Concrete on Amazon.
The Best 3-Part Epoxy Patch for Big Concrete Cracks
Epoxy Patch is the best three-part concrete crack repair system.
This is the patching epoxy that dries 10 times stronger than regular cement.
It can be applied to cracks up to 1 inch thick.
Epoxy Path creates a 100% waterproof crack repair.
You can also use it to fix holes and pitting in concrete, as well as asphalt, wood, and metal.
Epoxy Patch is a resin-hardener-aggregate kit that dries in about one hour and cures in two to a medium gray color.
You have an hour to work with the mixture, which is much longer than other epoxies give you.
Note to New Users: Please remember that you have to work within the product guidelines.
Fill deeper cracks with sand.
Don't just pour Epoxy Patch into a vast canyon of a crack.
If you're at all concerned that the crack is structural, get a professional to assess the damage.
Don't expect a crack filler to fix a flood under the concrete structure.
This product fills cracks with a hard, expanding, waterproof patch.
Learn how to diagnose a structural crack in our article: How Do You Fix Garage Floor Cracks?
For up to 1-inch wide x 2-inch. deep cracks, fix it with the easy-to-use Epoxy Patch.
Buy Epoxy Bond on Amazon.
The Best 3-Part Epoxy Patch for Larger Spalling, Pitting and Holes
Rust-Oleum TurboKrete Concrete Patching Compound is the best 3-part epoxy patching compound for larger areas of concrete spalling, pitting, cracks, and holes.
This is the epoxy that fixes relatively large and severely damaged spalled and pitting.
If you need help with fixing spalling and pitting, see my article How Do You Fix Garage Floor Spalling and Pitting?
TurboKrete compound dries to 3x stronger than concrete.
Walk on it in 4 hours.
TurboKrete requires careful planning.
From the time you mix the aggregate, base, and activator you will have 20 minutes to set it in place.
It's really important to be ready to use the TurboKrete as soon as it's mixed.
Mix up the amount you're about to put down in a 10-minute period.
It dries in the bucket after 20 minutes. Sand is included with the product.
The more sand you use, the tougher it will be to trowel.
The product will work fine if you hold back up to a third of the sand. Unlike other epoxies on this page, TurboKrete is not readily mixable by hand. Use a drill-powered mortar mixer.
Apply TurboKrete only between 45 and 90 deg. F.
It will dry to a light grey.
Buy TurboKrete on Amazon.
The Best 2-Part Epoxy Patch for Smaller Concrete Cracks and Spalling/Pitting
Rust-Oleum Patch & Repair is the best 2-part epoxy patch repair for concrete cracks up to 1 inch, and small areas of spalling/pitting.
This tried-and-tested concrete patch dries in 8 hours.
It will permanently bond to the existing concrete.
Patch & Repair dries to a medium gray.
You can paint it a day after curing but wait until warm weather for the best results.
You have a 30-minute working time before the mixture starts to harden.
The repair dries 3x harder than concrete.
Patch & Repair fixes cracks up to 1/2 inch, but users often find it can handle larger cracks than promised.
Buy Patch & Repair on Amazon:
The Best Self-Mixing Epoxy Crack Repair for Hairline Cracks
RTG Concrete Crack Filler is an epoxy, but you don't have to mix it on cardboard or rush to apply it before it gets hard.
That's because RTG mixes the resin and hardener for you, right inside the dispensing tube.
As you push the bottom of the applicator, two cartridges release their epoxy components into the tube.
You get a mixed epoxy crack filler right out of the mixing tip.
RTG gives you a waterproof crack repair up to 1/2 in. wide.
Install the applicator into a caulking gun, aim, and fire.
It's best if you wait for warmer weather to apply RTG.
Wait until it's at least 55 deg. F. Paint after one day.
Buy RTG Crack Filler on Amazon.
Concrete Repair Product Cheat Sheet
To Fill Small Concrete Cracks:
- Use a Polymerized Concrete Patch to fix small low spots, pitting, cracks, small holes, and spalling
- Use a 2-Part Epoxy Patch to fix small concrete cracks, spalling, or pitting areas
To Fill Large Concrete Cracks:
- Use a Polymerized Concrete Patch to fix large low spots, pitting, cracks, small holes, and spalling
- Use a 3-Part Epoxy Patch to fix large holes, pitting
- Use a 3-Part Epoxy Patch to fix large concrete cracks
To Mix Concrete Repair Materials:
- Use a power drill mortar mixer to mix epoxy parts
To Prepare Concrete for Repair:
- clean garage floor cracks with a wire brush
- vacuum cracks after brushing
