My neigher almost painted his garage floor until his dad warned him not to.  The few searches I did and reviews I found at Lowes.com didnt look too promising either

Is there a Garage Floor Paint that works?

Would the stuff sold in stores work if the surface was given even more prepartation than the directions call for?

We used a floor paint at my work years ago, mainly to create seals between the floor and wall for when we hose the place down, and it seems to work OK, but it isn't for high traffic areas, those areas have chipping going on now.
It was a two part deal we only had like 30 minutes before it set up, I can't remember the name though. But there is no way I would have used it where I'd drive a car on.

6speedonline.com's garage forum will have many threads on this. Careful, the garage pr0n over there is more addicting than crack.

I have painted 2 garage floors, with mixed success. Note that I have pretty low standards, I'm not trying to achieve the glossy mirror finish like they show in the ads, with a classic mustang parked in a pristine garage. Just a serviceable floor that's brighter and easier to clean than the usual oily concrete.

First floor: I used a 2-part epoxy, IIRC it was made by rustoleum. The house was built in 1958 so the concrete was fully cured. It was fairly clean, without a lot of oil and grease. I cleaned it with simple green, and did no other prep. First coat of epoxy was rolled on and looked great, nice glossy finish. But it was slick as snot when wet. So I rolled on a second coat, with some non-skid grit mixed in. That's when the trouble started. The paint flaked off easily, sometimes in big patches.

Joe Bob says, "Pass on the rustoleum 2 part". Caveat: acid etching the floor might improve adhesion.

Second floor: This time the concrete was of 1977 vintage, very dirty with lots of soil and grease ground in. Several passes with a power washer, simple green, and detergent recommended by the paint mfg. Then, the acid etch. That's the key. The paint is a Behr 1-part . One coat did the job, no non-skid needed and it's not terribly slick. After 5 years it's holding up well, except for a few hot-tire pickup spots.

Whatever you use, prep is the key. The surface has got to be fully cured, clean, and etched. You could rent a scarifier to rough up the surface for better adhesion.


If I were doing it again, I'd probably spring for one of the tile floorcoverings.

http://garagejournal.com/  has some good info.

i've been told (by a sub cre  Idible source) that it is a bad idea in homes built after the 80's.  he tells me that there is a chemical they put in the concrete to make it cure 3x's faster.  In order to paint the garage floors (90's or newer)  you need to take off the first 1/8 inch of concrete with a grinder, WTF  I figure i like my concrete al'natural  

Screw the paint.

I tiled my garage and its held up for 6+ years and looks great.

At our previous home in the Ft Lauderdale beach area (weather/sand/no trees except for palms) we carpeted (cheap grey and black office carpet) the garage and it looked great for years, as well. I just paid Stanley Steamer $50 every 6 months to do it up. We did have new cars so there was never any 'drippings'.

Now, the tile is holding up very well and looks incredible. NO CRACKS and I didn't prep it differently then you'd prep any floor. Don't believe the crap about having to do something special for tile to hold the weight, as I've got 12 x 12's in the whole thing.

Personally I think epoxy shop floors are a great ticket to a broken back, after working on a few.  A little anti freeze or oil in the wrong spot and they are slick as ice if there's no aggregate in the paint.

Two part epoxy works great if you do the proper prep work. 5years and counting...

The prep is key, just like any other type of paint that you want to last.

my Godfather has his 3 car garage epoxied, he is meticulous about upkeep around the house and previously would use a scrubber  with HCl to scrub the concrete driveway and garage.

i forget the brand but I bought it at Lowes.
It is a 2 part epoxy/paint that you mix.
while it is still damp you sprinkle some little flakey chips on it.
It has held up for 5 years and still looks good.

Natron

First clean the floor until you would be comfortable licking it. Then clean it some more

Do mot do this if you live in a northern state where salt is applied to the roads in the winter.  I prefer to just seal the concrete versus painting.  Much easier to reseal down the road than to repaint it.

http://www.racedeck.com/


Take it with you when you move.  

What about sealing it instead?





I've seen floors like this, and they were much easier to clean than plain concrete.



ETA: I see someone else has the same idea...





 

I used H+C concrete stain on my last house. It was a disaster. There was nothing good about it. I prepped it with muriatic acid, per the instructions. No matter, it peeled up within 6 months. I used solvent and removed the worst of it and re-coated it. It came up again and again. Plus everything stained it. The only time it looked good was right after I applied it. I don't recommend it.

We use a 2 part epoxy on the hangar floors at the airport. It lasts fairly well. The latest application has some grit in it to prevent slipping. That is nice, as tires don't "stick" to it and peel it up. I think the grit makes it last longer. If I remember correctly, one of the times they painted the floor, they spread some grit then painted it again. The grit does make it harder to clean.

I chose not to paint the garage floor at my current house.

I used the Quikrete (valspar) epoxy kit from Lowes on a new slab, and it's held up great for 3 years under fairly heavy shop use.  I did all the recommended prep (thorough cleaning + etching).  This was a virgin slab with no cure/seal or stains.

go to:  Ucoatit.com.  I've got this in my garage and it is great.  I decided to get it after seeing how it held up at the Carlisle Fairgrounds.  It has survived their abuse and neglect for many years, and a good mopping will make it look like new.  The four keys to a good finish are: preparation, preparation, preparation and a good product.

I had a 40x80 metal shop with a full slab built last year, and had every intention of having some type of coating applied.


I looked at everything available from contractors in my area. Clear sealer, epoxy, ceramic, etc. prices were from $2500-8000!  Every person I spoke with told me how great it would be, but when I asked then what they would put down in their shop......all I got was 'the stare'....


Most all of them said the upkeep will be a PITA, and sooner or later it will have to be re-applied in heavy use areas. So no coating for me. The heavy vinyl tiles look pretty good for use in the work stalls, and rubber mats in the walkways.

THIS - don't waste time with paint. Poured epoxy or MMA is better but done right, it will cost more than tiles.

20X20 single color runs about  $1500.

There is a garage in base housing where they had to paint the floor.....

after the guy hack sawed his wife apart in there