Anyone have any advice for what product to use to seal concrete in the garage in a heavy automotive environment?

 

I work for sherwin williams part time and we sell this stuff called H&C concete sealer. It's pretty heavy duty and should work really well for you. www.sherwin-williams.com to find the closest one. If that doesnt seem tough enough for you you can email them or call the customer service line and they can put you in touch with a sherwin williams chemical coatings store that sells industrial grade stuff too, but I've never heard anyone disappointed by the H&C.

It comes in water and zylene bases and you can get it in a ton of different colors, I always favored a grey/blue shade for the garage. Won't show dirt real well but you'll know if you have an oil leak. FYI the zylene base reeks to high heaven so be prepared to leave the garage door open for a few days with a fan running if possible.

 

H&C products. Don't forget to ask for the preferred customer discount card from Sherman Williams-good for 20% off.

 

Or you could work there and get 40% off

 

Here's another option. They sell the etching acid to prep the concrete as well.

 

Yeah, I tried the Griot's paint- they don't really give you all the info until you get the paint- any kind of damp environment will render the paint useless in that it will not adhere to the floor- also, the floor must be 6 months old. Even what appears to be a dry environment, often is not. You have to tape a section of Saran Wrap to the floor and wait for a week to see if any moisture gets released from the floor- which is often the case. Desert/dry areas should be fine- I'm in New England, not fine under most circumstances.
I'd like to have my floor coated- but that's big bucks.
Tiles (Racedeck, etc) are neat, but man, those are big bucks, too; $4 per (sq ft)
My garage is 26x36, or 936 SF- that's nearly $3800- but it's removeable, very customizable, and very easy to put down. Still too much $ for me, now.

 

I just put up an over 8500sq. Ft. garage and don't recall the brand, but I know you want to make sure you get an epoxy based concrete sealer. The other non-epoxy sealers will break down over time and brake fluid will eat them in short order- as where the epoxy sealer will probably out live you. Of course the epoxy costs a lot more, but worth it if you plan on being where you are for a while.

 

Not the best quality pics.





This is more of a matte finish and is not slippery when wet. It's a beige color. Let me know if you want more info. I forget what I used, but I did this 15 years ago. As you can see, it still looks good.