Garage Floor
Painting
For many homeowners garage floor painting is a must to give the garage a
professional appearance. This is a great project for the do-it-yourself homeowner. A painted garage floor looks
great and makes cleaning the garage much easier. It takes
approximately three days to complete the project, less if
the weather cooperates.
When there is heavy traffic on a
garage floor and work
area in the garage, the type of floor paint should be selected with care. Epoxy
garage floor paint has a hard
finish and holds up well to heavy traffic. It comes in many
different colors. It consists of an epoxy resin with a
polyamine hardener. It is a two part mixture that must be
mixed on the job just before application. Most epoxy paints
have a short shelf life, meaning that there is a limited
time between mixing and applying the paint. Most epoxy paint
manufactures recommend that it be used within two hours
after mixing.
The critical step in garage floor
painting with epoxy paint is the cleaning process of the
floor. The floor must be thoroughly cleaned of all grease
and oil stains or the paint will not adhere to the surface.
After a thorough cleaning the concrete must be etched with
an acid solution. The best concrete etching solution is a
50/50 mixture of muriatic acid and water; however, there are
other commercial products available. Etching the concrete
will help remove any residual oil that is in the pours of
the concrete.
How to do it:
- Remove all items from the garage
including items that cover floor space that you want
painted.
- Insure that the garage is fully
ventilated
- Clean the floor by sweeping and
scrubbing to remove all traces of dirt, grease, and oil.
- Fill any large cracks with
concrete crack filler and let dry.
- Use a 50/50 mixture of muriatic
acid and water or equivalent product to scrub the floor.
Wear protective gloves, goggles, and a face mask during
this step as the muriatic acid has a toxic odor and may
be harmful to your skin.
- Let the floor dry thoroughly.
- Apply masking tape between the
wall and the floor to avoid getting paint on the walls.
- Mix the two part epoxy paint
according to the manufactures recommendations.
- Apply the paint with a roller
covering the entire floor in one application. Use a
brush in hard to get areas such as corners.
- Let dry for twenty four hours
before moving items back into the garage.
Materials required:
Tools required:
Paintbrush
Garage
floor painting gives any garage a professional look and
provides a pleasant atmosphere to work in.
Related articles:
Garages and Garage Doors
Garage Door Maintenance
Garage Door Openers
Painting Garage Doors
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