I'm looking for recommendations also, new house w/ 1 car garage.

So far, I like the black and white tile idea the best. MotorWeek had a blurb on the show about the interlocking mats a few weeks ago, tried to find out more about it on the web but couldn't find anything

 

Tom,

I painted my 1 car garage floor right after moving in (new house). It never had a car in it and I was making it into my shop. I used Home Depot concrete paint and I used a cleaner first. I have my go kart and workshop in there. No pealing, but no hot tires either. I did a couple of coats and found it went much farther than the can said. I have one un-opened container left and was planning on buying another and painting my 2 car. It needs a lot of prep because of oil spills, etc, but the etching process is really not difficult to do.

Another thought is to use the tiles, but put in a Griot's oil absorbing mat in the centers.

There is a developer in my town that offered painted garage floors as an option and I know many of the houses have it. It was a professional installation and I believe quite costly. You could choose different color/texture options. If I find the vendor info, I'll let you know.

 

I have been looking at doing this for my garage and it seems somewhat inexpensive for the interlocking tiles, plus they look great and not much manual labor is required. Check out http://www.motormat.com.

 

Damn, those are sweet!! I don't know my sq ft off the top of my head, so I will be getting that tonight

 

Hey! I painted mine three years ago with Griot's Garage grey floor paint, and it is great. It was expensive and took four gallons to do it right with three thin coats. Have not had a single problem since, that stuff is indestructible! I used muratic acid from Home Depot to etch (did it twice)the concrete, then cleaned the whole garage with a pressure washer. What a huge mess, grit and sand all over the walls and ceiling from the spray, but when I was done the floor felt like 100 grit sandpaper which is the key for good adhesion, just make sure that you wash thoroughly with ammonia to neutralize the acid and then vacuum with a shop vac as much as possible to get all residue and dust up! I put on three coats of the paint with a roller, spreading it thin and letting it dry 8-10 hours between coats. First coat took two gallons, the next two coats went on with just one gallon each. The finish was great, kinda of a semigloss look, with enough roughness from the etching to make it nonslip. I researched this thoroughly three years ago when we moved into the house and the consesus was that Griot's was the way to go. Every other type will not last. I checked with HD, Lowe's and all the major paint stores and they said their paint will only last two years at best. I abuse mine (spills, oil, brake fluid, paint cleaner) and not a single defect or mark anywhere, no tire lift either! If you dont want to spend the money on the Griot's (@$240 with shipping for a two car garage) and don't plan on spending the time to prep and put on multiple thin coats (@ 3-5 days work) then don't bother with it. If you use something else and it doesn't work, you're screwed. Once it has been painted or sealed, you can't do it over again without removing all the previous product down to the bare concrete.

Good Luck!

 

Hmm.. I saw this on Motorweek too.

My big question is that since the "Perforated surface allows water and other fluids to pass through. " Where does all this brake fluid, water, oil, antifreeze go? It can only go onto the concrete floor below. And unless you peel up the tiles and mop those chemicals up, you can damage your floor.

They look really nice, but could be a major PITA.

 

The floor of my brothers garage is tiled and it is nicer to work on cars at his house. It was that way when he bought it so there is no record of cost or installation. I can say that it cleans up easier and does not seem to hold tire marks.

Mine on the other hand is stained concrete and an occasional vacuum is all the effort it will see from me. It holds up the car ok and I don

 

I painted my garage floor and driveway with a special concrete paint - it is Xylene based rather than oil or latex. Xylene is one powerful chemical and will eat into any other paint no matter how long it has been on - if you're looking for a superior paint stripper, Xylene is it.

Anyway, to cut a long story short the paint has now been down 18 months, hasn't peeled and looks great - except for where I park the Stook . Those super sticky S02s (and this is part of the reason I think they are so good) just lift the paint off anywhere they sit overnight.

I have a number of other vehicles in the garage (with different types of tyres) and none of the others cause this problem. So there you have it.

Having said this I would not go with any other paint. I couldn't buy the paint at any regular paint or hardware store, I had to go to a specialist concrete coverings supplier - it cost me around Aust$150 ($75US) for 20 litres which gave me two coats.


..... The S2k, it grips so well it peels the paint off your garage floor.

[This message has been edited by 2kturkey (edited January 03, 2001).]

 

I think I'll just vinyl coat my garage with the stuff they put on supermarket floors or wrap buses with.

 

There was a good article in Sport Compact Car last year on putting in a garage floor. It went into installation details, what to buy, necessary tools, cost, etc. The product they were showcasing received excellent reviews. I'm not sure which issue it was in, but I'll try to remember and check...then you could just order it from them or find it online.

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