Garage floor painting

[S6 Devil]

Has anyone painted their garage floor? I've just degreased mine and repaired the old concrete. I've bought 20 litres of polyurethane paint but am wondering whether it needs sealing first and if so what with? Any tips?

[Barreti]

To seal it you need PVA diluted something like 4-1 but it will tell you on the container what you dilute it to for sealing.
Its like painting it with skimmed milk so only takes an hour or so to dry

I can't recommend painting the floor enough, it cuts down on all the dust so you only sweep up dirt rather than dust. In fact you'd notice the difference if you PVA'd and left it a while before painting, so I'd recommend you do that ASAP

Be prepared to repaint it every 3 years or so if its a garage you work in, and get some hardboard to put under hot tyres or they will lift the paint the first time you park a car on it.

Edited by Barreti on Friday 4th March 09:10

[sgrimshaw]

Barreti said:

and get some hardboard to put under hot tyres or they will lift the paint the first time you park a car on it.

So that's why my paint lifted!

I've been wondering about that for years

[Allandwf]

I sealed and painted my garage floor, was the worst thing I ever did. In the winter when it got wetter/milder the concrete stayed cold and I had terrible problems with condensation forming on the floor. Although looked great and was easy to clean, personally I wouldn't do it again.

[MrChips]

I did mine a couple of years ago. Sealed the floor with concrete sealer, although as suggested, diluted pva would work just as well.
Then painted over with garage floor paint from b&q. It's been well worth the time and effot. No dust, easy to clean and hasn't lifted/peeled at all. If it gets grubby then I just shove a load of hot water/washing up liquid down and brush it before rinsing. I'm actually suprised that it hasn't lifted at all yet.

Having said that, if you're likely to be in the house for the longer term, i'd recommend sealing the floor and then looking at getting some decent floor tiles down, as these are even better to work on, and normally have a little softness to them which helps if you're working on the car a lot.

Before:


After!

[S6 Devil]

Thanks Barreti, sounds like a plan!

MrChips said:

I did mine a couple of years ago. Sealed the floor with concrete sealer, although as suggested, diluted pva would work just as well.
Then painted over with garage floor paint from b&q. It's been well worth the time and effot. No dust, easy to clean and hasn't lifted/peeled at all. If it gets grubby then I just shove a load of hot water/washing up liquid down and brush it before rinsing. I'm actually suprised that it hasn't lifted at all yet.

Having said that, if you're likely to be in the house for the longer term, i'd recommend sealing the floor and then looking at getting some decent floor tiles down, as these are even better to work on, and normally have a little softness to them which helps if you're working on the car a lot.

Before:


After!

Wow, what a trasnformation, looks like I'm going to have to do the walls as well, are they just an emulsion? What concrete sealer did you use. PVA is one option, I would be interested in any others!

Edited by S6 Devil on Friday 4th March 10:54

[sgrimshaw]

I painted my garage walls as well.

Painting brick walls is a PITA, very glad I had a paint sprayer.

Mine was an old black & decker, but it was so much easier than roller or brush.

I'd give one of these a try, worth a punt at the price.

http://www.jmldirect.com/Paint-Sprayer-Pro-PP4467/

[S6 Devil]

sgrimshaw said:

I painted my garage walls as well.

Painting brick walls is a PITA, very glad I had a paint sprayer.

Mine was an old black & decker, but it was so much easier than roller or brush.

I'd give one of these a try, worth a punt at the price.

http://www.jmldirect.com/Paint-Sprayer-Pro-PP4467/

Yes, I like that. Definately worth a punt! Cheers!

[JFReturns]

Lots of useful tips in my garage thread.

I went from this:


To this:


And now it looks like this:


It doesn't matter how well you prep the paint, chances are hot, sticky tyres will ruin the finish. Have you considered rubber mats?

[.Mark]

On a slightly different note. I'm going to refit my garage once everything else is done
Going to plaster board the ceiling joists and walls and build some proper workbenches across the back (garage is 25ftx25ft), I also want to cover the floor and thought about that metal mezzanine type flooring but can't seem to find anything suitable at all - any ideas?

[Druid]

Sealed and painted mine with the same products from B&Q, not cheap but a great result. I have another garage which is carpeted, but I prefer the paint!

[Blues]

S6 Devil said:

Has anyone painted their garage floor? I've just degreased mine and repaired the old concrete

How did you do this? I have track marks worn into the surface of my floor, due to having a pebble drive i suspect. I was wondering of there was a liquid that i could just pur over it, which would fill all of the tracks and cracks, and produce a hard finish? Then seal and paint?
Cheers

[S6 Devil]

Blues said:

How did you do this? I have track marks worn into the surface of my floor, due to having a pebble drive i suspect. I was wondering of there was a liquid that i could just pur over it, which would fill all of the tracks and cracks, and produce a hard finish? Then seal and paint?
Cheers

I bought a tub of concrete repair from Wickes. It's a mix in the tub product which you then trowel in and smooth back with a sponge. I only did it yesterday but it seems to be drying well. Going to give it a week or so to cure then seal and paint.

[S6 Devil]

JFReturns said:

Have you considered rubber mats?

Yes, I think that's the way I'll go or just two longs strips of thin hardwood or vinyl for the tyres.

[Blues]

S6 Devil said:

Blues said:

How did you do this? I have track marks worn into the surface of my floor, due to having a pebble drive i suspect. I was wondering of there was a liquid that i could just pur over it, which would fill all of the tracks and cracks, and produce a hard finish? Then seal and paint?
Cheers

I bought a tub of concrete repair from Wickes. It's a mix in the tub product which you then trowel in and smooth back with a sponge. I only did it yesterday but it seems to be drying well. Going to give it a week or so to cure then seal and paint.

Thanks. did you explore a liquid (lazy) option?

[Milky400]

Blues said:

How did you do this? I have track marks worn into the surface of my floor, due to having a pebble drive i suspect. I was wondering of there was a liquid that i could just pur over it, which would fill all of the tracks and cracks, and produce a hard finish? Then seal and paint?
Cheers

Anyone tried Latex self levelling floor compound? the stuff you would use prior to laying floor covering in kitchen etc. Not sure how it would handle the weight.

[Blues]

Milky400 said:

Anyone tried Latex self levelling floor compound? the stuff you would use prior to laying floor covering in kitchen etc. Not sure how it would handle the weight.

Thats the stuff i was thinking about!

[anonymous-user]

We used Johnstones Paints on ours. We prepped the concrete with Acid Etch, then two coats of two pack water based epoxy floor paint. Wasn't the cheapest option, but we have stopped the paint coming up through hot tyres

Edited to add it took a week to cure

[Hoover.]

Mines got a red floor with white walls with neoprene sheet stuck to the walls where the doors open, just in case .... just to be different

[TallMark]

I'm going to be tackling my garage over the next few weeks.

That paint sprayer looks good for the money, has anyone actually tried it?

Also, my concrete floor is currently very bobbled and uneven. Obviously I'm not expecting a mirror smooth finish, but was hoping to smooth it out a bit before painting. What's the easiest option for a DIY numpty? It's not cracked, just a very rough concrete surface that I would prefer to even off a little.

Lastly, will garage floor paint be ok in the sprayer?