4 Types of Paint to Use on a Garage Floor

 

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Garage floors put up with a lot of abuse. Not only are they walked on, but they're put under intense pressure by the large objects they're forced to hold up. They can be spilled on, frozen over, melted under the sun, scuffed, chipped, and nailed.

When you're planning on painting the garage floor, you need to know that you're buying the best product to keep it safe; when a garage floor begins to show issues, it's a bit of a nightmare to have it fixed. Once the paint goes on it's often difficult to get off.

Choosing paint for the garage floor depends on how you use the garage. If it's used for simple things like storing your car, a few tools, and the Christmas decorations, you'll need a different type of paint than if you use the garage as a machine shop. Here are a few options to help you decide what will work best in your home.

1. Epoxy Paint

This is the gold standard for painting a garage floor—the material can take a licking and keep on kicking. The epoxy is resistant to wind, rain, heat, and cold, so it's difficult to actually chip and crack the surface. For this reason it won't need as much upkeep as other options. However, applying epoxy paint is a bit more time-consuming than other options because you have to be very thorough. A sloppy job will actually result in an uneven floor.

First, the floor needs to be completely clean of previous paint, dirt, grime, stains, and any kind of oil or other substance that could disrupt the paint's smooth finish. Often, epoxy paints come with a cleanser that can be used to clean the floor properly before you lay the epoxy down. After the floor has been stripped, you can then paint the floor with the epoxy. It has to be applied thoroughly because if you miss any sections, the flooring will be uneven. After the epoxy is applied, you should use the clear coat that is often provided with it. This will give you a clean, flat surface that will last a long time.

2. Masonry Paint

Masonry paint is one of the older paints available with which to paint your garage floor. Like epoxy paint, it's also known for its durable nature, however, masonry paint needs to be refreshed from time to time and the floor has to be washed with acid if it's cement. So while masonry paint can be used on a garage floor, it's not the most convenient option.

3. Latex Paint

The kind of latex paint you can use on your garage floor isn’t much different than what you put on your walls. However, when you purchase it, make sure to get the kind of latex paint that can be used for a garage floor. One benefit to this option is that it comes in different colors, giving you the opportunity to be creative with your garage floor. If you know that your garage is just going to be used for storing cars (not working on them) and you live in a mild climate, this may be the paint for you—because while it doesn’t do as much, it also doesn’t cost as much.

4. Concrete Stain

This is the most basic of things you can do to your garage floor. If you're interested in just making sure that your garage floor doesn’t get cracks or chipping, then this may be the best choice for you. Concrete stain does not come in an expanse of colors like latex paint, however, its application process is simple. You can just put the concrete stain on and forget about it. You do have to acid wash the garage, but after that you just place the stain and be done. If you want to, you can you add more layers, making this the choice that gives the most options while still being the most basic.