Garage floor

[phil1967]

Hi,
I am considering painting my garage floor with epoxy. For those that have done this, how was your surface already? Mine has a single layer of paint over a brushed concrete floor. I have no damp issues so that's ok. My first question is how best to prep the floor and when it came to the garage floor entrance, does anyone have any good advice on what to do with the transition area between the garage and the outside world? I attach pics.

[Losangeles]

Regarding the edge, you could stick a piece of right angle aluminium strip over the edge to protect it and get a clean line

I was thinking about doing a two pack epoxy floor but was put off by the cost of getting someone to lay it (and the prospects of making a mess of it if I tried it myself – you get one chance to get it right and there seems to be quite a bit of prep needed). It seems that chemicals in modern tyres can stain just about any type of floor and you can’t get it out – so having a renewable finish might be better.

I have had a painted floor for the last few years but the paint was stained and/or gone where the car sits. Laying a PVC tiled floor looked fiddly and time consuming in terms of cutting the edges and dealing with the small elements of expansion / contraction that needs to be taken account of if covering the entire floor. In the end I have gone for a tiled pad which covers almost the entire floor but leaves a deliberate border around the edge. It will protect the concrete where the ‘traffic’ is. Laying it took about an hour. I left the black edge ramps off the perimeter so that I could repaint the grey to within a couple of inches all the way around and then added the ramps once dry.


I chose the 7mm thick dark grey tile from TilePlans which is about the same colour as tyre staining so the chemical colouring from the tyres should not be visible. I did look at a similar product from Eco Tile but they were more expensive and their ‘leathergrain’ is more grainy which just means more pronounced ridges and then less easy to keep clean. TilePlans were quick to respond to my enquiry and offered good advice about their colour / texture options. Once ordered, the tiles arrived within 48 hours and I am very pleased with the outcome. The cyclists in the family are also appreciative – apparently if you are padding about in socks the floor is smooth and warm !

I also attach a pic of an underslung platform which I would recommend to anyone who has the luxury of building a new structure. I just asked the builder to attach four lengths of galvanised strapping to the timbers before putting up the ceiling. Once everything was finished I was able to construct a platform and bolt it to the four straps. This is perfect for stuff you don’t need too often and can provide a lot of extra storage space. Mine has motorbike panniers, garden parasol etc. You just need to think where your lighting is going so you don’t end up putting a lot of the garage in shadow or make provision to include lighting to the underside (and obviously make sure not to foul the garage door).

[Losangeles]

Sorry here is the pic of the platform.........