This article was updated on February 7, 2023
Are you tired of your garage floor looking messy from oil spillage and chemicals? If yes, the solution is to install an epoxy floor. Epoxy makes your floor resistant to chemicals, abrasions, and oils. What’s more is that it is durable and easy to clean. If you've been looking for epoxy for your garage floor, you probably wonder, “What is the best epoxy for my garage floor?
The best epoxy for your garage floor should be durable and consist of more than one coat. The best epoxy has a primer coat, basecoat, and a clear epoxy topcoat. One of the best epoxies is Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield , which features a 2-part epoxy (primer and topcoat). You might also like Rust-Oleum RockSolid, an oil-based epoxy, or Restore-a-Garage, a resin solid that requires two coats but lasts for years.
When installing epoxy to your garage floor, you may have questions like, “Can I epoxy the floor myself?”, “How long will the epoxy last?” or “How much does epoxying cost?” Worry less. This article will answer your questions and help you upgrade your garage floor without much stress or hassle.
Takeaway
The most popular DIY epoxy is the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield. It comes in gray or tan, and the kits are sized for a one-car or a 2.5-car garage. Anti-skid is available in a few kitts.
Check the latest price here: Get Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield
Is it Worth Putting Epoxy on the Garage Floor?
“I will never epoxy my garage floor” is the rallying cry of Reboot My Garage. While some of us refuse to epoxy our garage floor, we know that others will forge ahead with epoxy, the right tools, and a strong back to finish the job. So we asked our resident epoxy expert to give us the low down on the best epoxy for your garage floor.
Epoxy will help you make the appearance of your garage better, make it easy to clean, and prevent it from hot tire pickup. Installing epoxy on your garage floor is a worthy investment due to the following reasons:
- Durability: The epoxy floor is among the most durable flooring materials you can use. With good maintenance practices, epoxy will last for over ten years without being damaged by chemicals or fallen objects.
- Better Appearance: Epoxy floors are clear, bright, and have an appealing appearance that beautifies your garage floor. The epoxy makes the floor surface smooth, and you can apply personalized designs to it to make it more beautiful.
- Pocket-friendly: When upgrading your floor, you don't want to hurt your pocket. Epoxy cost per square foot is cheaper than other flooring types. The price of an epoxy floor is lower since you can do it yourself without hiring a professional, and you can place it over different types of floors and concrete.
- Additional safety: To protect your garage and loved ones, install an epoxy floor that is fire-resistant and has reduced spillage. Furthermore, the coating prevents stains, moisture, and grease from damaging the concrete. This safety and protection save you the money you would have spent grouting.
- Resistance: Though an epoxy floor is slippery when wet, it is water-resistant and helps prevent moisture from damaging your floor. You can add extra grip on the top coating to reduce the spillage. More interesting about epoxy floors is their resistance to liquids such as gasoline, transmission fluid, oil, etc. Epoxy is also resistant to heat, germs, and bacteria.
Overall, investing in a quality epoxy floor will be a good decision as you enjoy the above benefits. Besides, it increases your property value, hides any defects on the floor surface, and makes maintaining a clean dustless garage easy.
What are the Disadvantages of Epoxying the Garage Floor?
Though the epoxy floor has numerous benefits and advantages, it has a few disadvantages. However, the demerits should not put you off if you want to make your garage floor better. Some of these disadvantages include:
- Tedious and Time-consuming: Preparing the floor, applying the epoxy, and preparing it are time-consuming and tedious. You will have to clean the concrete floor and ensure it has no solvents such as oil and grease. More so, you have to fill any cracks before applying the epoxy. It takes several days for the coat to dry completely, which is time-consuming.
- Attracts additional costs: When installing an epoxy floor, you may have to buy chemicals that help the epoxy stick on the floor. Additionally, you will purchase protective clothing such as breathing devices to protect yourself from these chemicals.
- Might not last long: Though epoxy flooring is durable, it may not last long if installed improperly or applied when humidity is high. Furthermore, the epoxy wears out quickly if the surface is moist during its application.
Though epoxy may have a few disadvantages, it remains one of the most affordable and durable flooring materials.
How Much Does Epoxying Cost?
According to Home Advisor, most homeowners spend $3 to $12 per sq. ft. to professionally epoxy a concrete floor. The national average price for an epoxy concrete floor is $2317. The price of epoxying your garage floor is dependent on various factors, such as:
- Garage size: If you are epoxying a one-car garage measuring 250-square-foot, the cost will range from $750 to $3,000. However, a 400 or 500-square-foot garage may require a huge investment ranging from $1200 to $6,000. The cost increases with an increase in garage size.
- Materials and equipment: Epoxy flooring materials will cost you between $0.37 and $1.40 per square foot. Solid epoxy is more expensive, costing about $1.40 per square foot, while water-based epoxy costs about $0.37 to $1.20 per square foot. You may also go an extra cost to buy equipment such as rollers, protective gear, power washers, and various power tools.
- Labour: Epoxying is tedious and not a one-day job. You will incur the cost of preparing the floor, coating, and sealing. The labor cost can cost between $1 to $7 per square foot, with the prepping costing about $500 as it takes two professionals and a few days depending on how large the garage is.
- Epoxy type: Water-based epoxy is the cheapest option, and it goes for about $30 to $50 per gallon. You can also go for a more expensive solvent-based epoxy, which costs approximately $45 per gallon. The most expensive epoxy is solid epoxy, which can cost up to $150 per gallon.
- Method of application: While applying epoxy, professionals can use a roller or other tools such as a squeegee or sprayer. These alternatives may be more expensive and tedious.
When calculating the cost to epoxy your garage floor, you also need to incorporate a budget for additional charges such as storage and moving items. Before the preparation for epoxy begins, you need to move all the items from the garage. You may also incur costs for painting and sealing concrete.
If you use high-quality epoxy or urethane, the cost will range from $0.50 to $2.50 per sq. ft., exclusive of labor cost. If you are running on a tight budget, go for silicone or acrylic resin, which only costs $1.50 per sq. ft. to seal the concrete.
Other additional costs may include renting a storage unit, resurfacing the concrete ($3 to $10 per sq. ft.), traffic coating, and repairing the concrete before applying the epoxy.
What is the Best Epoxy Garage Floor Coating?
One of the most challenging tasks is finding the best epoxy garage floor coating since numerous options exist. If you are looking for the best epoxy floor coating that will make your garage more appealing and long lasting, consider these three top recommendations:
Restore-A-Garage Epoxy Coating
One of the most durable epoxy coatings that will ensure the protection of your garage floor is the Restore-A-Garage Epoxy. It is water-based, and upon application, it turns into a thick coating that ensures your floor is resistant to dirt, salts, chemicals, and moisture.
This high-build floor coating protects the floor against chipping, stains, and abrasion. It comes in 12 different colors, and you will only need a squeegee and roller to apply it. One gallon of Restore-A-Garage epoxy can cover 200-250 sq. ft. and will dry within 12 to 24 hours.
Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield
Rust-Oleum is among the top brands that specialize in epoxy coating. The Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield is a water-based two-part epoxy with 55% solids. You can use a roller to apply the epoxy shield, which covers about 200-250 sq. ft per gallon.
Once you apply this epoxy, you can step on it after 24 hours and drive on it after three days. The Rust-Oleum epoxy features a low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) finish and low odor to give your garage floor a showroom-like appearance and make it easy to clean using water.
Rust-Oleum Rocksolid
Rust-Oleum RockSolid is a two-part polycuramine coating that is 20 times stronger than epoxy. It is self-leveling, durable, and features a VOC and odor-free finish. With its fast-drying mechanism, you can drive on the Rust-Oleum RockSolid within 24 hours after application.
This coating comes in different colors, and one gallon can cover up to 500 sq. ft. It dries to make a floor resistant to cracking, chemicals, hot tire pickups, and peeling. Besides, the high-quality coating is super easy to clean using water and soap.
How Long Does Epoxy Floor Last?
Once you decide that you want epoxy, you might wonder how long it will last. Typically, epoxy garage floors in residential settings last between 5 and 10 years. The epoxy floor's durability depends on various factors, including maintenance practices and garage usage frequency.
You can increase the lifespan by hiring a professional to apply, rather than doing it yourself. Always keep the floor clean and repair any cracks to avoid accumulating the small faults into a disaster.
Final Verdict
Having a high-quality garage floor that is good-looking is a dream of all car owners. With epoxy, you can achieve the appealing, easy to clean, and resistant floor you’ve been yearning for. How? Pick one of the products in this post and hire a professional to apply it. You can also apply epoxy yourself by following the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
