Whether you’ve been looking forward to making a change to your garage space for years or you’re ready to enter into your well-earned new construction with a dash of luxury, transforming your garage floor takes a little bit of thought and preparation.
Would you rather prioritize functionality or aesthetics?
Would a high gloss or satin finish pair best with the flow of your entire home?
Do you want a garage floor that requires regular upkeep or something that you can invest in for at least a decade or more?
To some, the answers might be obvious.
To others, not so much.
Regardless of how your thoughts about your current garage floor lie, there are options available that can cater to your individual preferences. And uncovering the answer that works best for you usually starts with the question:
Should I opt for garage floor epoxy paint or epoxy floor coating?
What are the Pros and Cons of Garage Floor Paints?
Garages are one of the most heavily trafficked areas of our entire home.
Day in and day they take a beating by being exposed to a range of climates, traffic, loads, and both chemical and oil spills. In light of this, making over your garage floor with epoxy paint often appears to be the low-hanging fruit of the DIY home remodeling camp, and might look something like this:
Step 1 – Visit your local hardware store and purchase your DIY epoxy paint kits and supplies.
Step 2 – Clean your garage workspace and prepare (clean, repair damages, and prime) your concrete floor for a much-needed facelift.
Step 3 – Apply the epoxy floor paint to your concrete floors.
But for the sake of saving the everyday remodeling enthusiast a headache or two, let’s break down the pros and cons of garage floor epoxy paint.
Pros of Garage Floor Paint
Garage floor epoxy paint is typically made with latex acrylic paint and a small amount of epoxy added to the product. Through the addition of epoxy, the paint is now able to adhere to the concrete base of your garage floor and allow your floor to become more durable than if you were to only apply a coat or two of acrylic paint.
For more information about epoxy floor costs, visit our epoxy floor cost guide.
Cons of Garage Floor Paint
Although paint is a quick and simple solution to transform the look of your garage floor, the cadence of upkeep might be a deterrence. Typically, a garage floor painted without epoxy paint can expect bi-annual touch-ups with the potential of a complete re-do every two years (or 3-4 years if your paint has epoxy resin comments mixed in), even if your garage has minimal traffic and doesn’t anticipate a future with any chemical or oil spills.
To this point, it’s worth reiterating finding a garage paint with epoxy and not a purely acrylic-based product. Far too often we see individuals with the best intentions purchase garage floor paint without epoxy, hoping to achieve a variety of aesthetics that simply aren’t possible. The addition of epoxy is necessary if you are trying to achieve a look that adheres to your concrete floor while also being durable and sustainable for longer lengths of time.
If the paint purchased at your local hardware store lacks epoxy, the chances become much higher that your garage floor will fall victim to more frequent hot tire pickup. This occurs when the top layer of paint lifts from the floor and adheres to your vehicle’s tires.
What are the Pros and Cons of Garage Floor Epoxy Coating?
Perhaps one of the best investments when looking to transform your garage floors is by way of epoxy coatings.
Step 1 – Contact your local epoxy and polished concrete professionals like Craftsman Concrete Floors.
Step 2 – Craftsman Concrete Floors will initiate the process by starting with floor prep – cleaning your garage workspace and priming your concrete slab with a thorough cleaning and repairing of any damages sustained prior to the process.
Step 3 – Professionals like Craftsman Concrete Floors will mix the two components of the epoxy coating – one part epoxy resin and one part polyamine hardener – and apply the epoxy coating to your floor in a temperature-controlled, limited time frame. (The sub-steps involved in the application of the epoxy coating system look like the following: primer, body coat, broadcast layer, and topcoat)
So now that we know the steps, let’s break down the pros and cons of investing in epoxy floor coating for your concrete garage floor.
Pros of Epoxy Coating
For many homeowners, the idea of incorporating a luxury showroom into their house is a dream come true. Luckily, epoxy flooring is usually the conduit.
As we’ve stated before, many garage floors across America let alone the world, are some of the most heavily trafficked areas of any home. Not only is there heavy foot traffic, but each and every day vehicles weighing thousands of pounds and filled with oils and chemicals are rolling in and out of our garages to carry us to and from wherever life takes us.
Garage floor coatings such as a professionally applied epoxy coating, are very thick and durable while simultaneously capable of exuding a luxurious shine, gloss, or color. Whatever you find your personal aesthetic to be, epoxy can be customized to meet it.
Cons of Epoxy Coating
While admittedly a bit more of an investment than latex garage floor paint, epoxy floor coatings are a sound investment for almost anyone serious about turning their home into a bonafide, luxurious sanctuary. Depending on how much square foot you are looking to cover, the price can vary in the high three to four figures.
Which Process Is Best For Your Garage Floor?
Regular garage floor paints are a fantastic option for many garage owners when looking to overhaul their workspace aesthetic at a fraction of the price; however, a finished floor that oozes luxury, durability, and longevity can be hard to pass by. So if you’re in the market for a garage floor that perfectly fits your personal style and aesthetic, epoxy coating on your floors is a guaranteed win.
Looking For More Information About Residential Polished Concrete Floors?
Visit our polished concrete floors page for links to articles about the types of polished concrete floors, galleries, and other content.
As always, give us a call for your risk-free consultation.
