Hello! My name is Shea Walker. With over 30 years of combined experience within the garage flooring industry, my associates and I have created All Garage Floors.
Our goal is to provide you with the expertise and helpful information often needed regarding the many garage flooring options and products available today.
We specialize in the knowledge and application of garage floor coatings and sealers. In addition, we have years of experience with garage tiles, mats, concrete color stains, concrete garage floor repair, and more.
The information and helpful tips provided on our website have been featured in The Garage Journal, This Old House, WikiHow, Family Handyman, Reddit, numerous newspapers, car forums, and garage floor coating companies. In addition, we have been selected by Redfin as a top garage floor expert.
What We Do
Most consumers are only aware of the budget-quality and big-brand DIY garage flooring products seen at local home improvement centers and hardware stores. We work hard to expose you to better quality, higher-performing materials, and products that are typically available from professional vendors and other sources.
What we do is review, evaluate, and sometimes test the numerous coatings, sealers, tiles, and various garage flooring options available. We even include garage accessories. This allows us to make unbiased recommendations on what products perform well and where to buy them. We list these products on our Shop pages and the many reviews and articles on our website.
Furthermore, you can find an abundance of questions and answers in our comments section below the articles.
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We want to be candid with our supportive audience as we work to provide a good experience when using our website. All Garage Floors earns commissions by participating in various affiliate programs. Because our reputation and credibility are paramount, we strive only to provide recommendations for flooring, materials, and accessories that fit your needs.
So please enjoy All Garage Floors and feel free to add any comments or questions below. Want to ask us something directly? You can contact us here.
a johnson says
hi
I have a twenty year old garage floor with one, worn coat of Thompsons water seal on it. I want to use the P104 densifier product and would like to know if I need to to acid etch the floor first or just clean it with TSP. Would the densifier soak into the floor even if not all the Thompsons is removed? thanks A
Shea says
Before you can apply anything to the concrete, the first thing you need to do is remove the old sealer. The Thompson’s will effectively block a densifier, or any other penetrating sealer for that matter, from penetrating into the concrete. The only way to do this is to grind the surface. You can’t remove a sealer by acid etching because the sealer blocks the acid from reacting with the free lime in the concrete.
Allen says
Can you recommend a good vendor/ company to buy
polyurea /polyaspartic floor coatings. I would like to start
installing garage and commercial floor coatings, we have been
a painting and remodeling contractor since 2003.
Thank you
Shea says
Hello Allen. HP Spartacote is a very reputable manufacture that you can purchase polyurea polyaspartic coatings from. Many concrete coating companies and contractors buy from them.
Sam Tyler says
I have had garage tiles in my garage now for over 10 years and will never go back to paint or epoxy. I bought Racedeck diamond plate and really have not had to do anything but clean it. So, anyone looking for a great option, go with garage tiles.
Shea says
Hello Sam and thanks for the report on your tiles. A member of our family has a combination of RaceDeck Diamond and Free-Flow tiles in their garage and absolutely loves it. It’s only been a couple of years now, but they work on cars in their garage and it still looks like new.
Chris says
I’m moving into a new home and want to put a durable DIY friendly floor coating on. I want something that looks good and will last for 10-15 years (is that possible?). I’m intrigued by ArmorPoxy and Roll on Rock as options. What should I be considering between the two and do you recommend one over the other?
Shea says
Hello Chris. It all depends on what ArmorPoxy kit you are looking at. They have a variety of options to choose from. The base Roll On Rock kit is a two coating system that consists of a high solids epoxy base coat, full flake coverage, and a clear top coat with the option to choose the higher performance 5073 polyurea clear coat. They also have the option an intermediate clear build coat. This creates a smoother floor and adds to the durability. Compared to the ArmorPoxy 2 coating system, Roll On Rock has the edge since it includes full flake coverage. There is no worry about the coating ambering since the epoxy is fully covered. Both should take you to your minimum 10 year requirement. However, the ArmorPoxy Armor Clad kit is a 3 coat system that includes an epoxy primer and 100% solids epoxy plus the clear coat. This is more durable than the previous two and is typical of a professionally installed commercial quality system that will go 15 years or more. However, it is a little more difficult to install since the 100% solids epoxy has a shorter pot life. When comparing kits from different vendors it’s important to look at everything these kits include. You want to compare coverage rates, how many coats, the type of materials, the amount of color flakes, and any other supplies that may come with the kits.
Carlos says
This website is a fantastic resource. Really appreciate what you’ve done here.
Shea says
Thank you, Carlos.
Gail Jarvis says
My husband has been updating our garage and contracted with a company to paint the walls, garage doors and floor of the garage . Once complete, with assistance he installed new and large steel garage storage and tool containers with sliding doors as well as a large wood top work bench along with other miscellaneous furniture and accoutriments. However before we even had a chance to park a car on the floor, it chipped in several places and showed marks with just the most minor use. The contractor seemed to have no explanation as to why this was happening saying they never had a problem with the product they used on the floor even on driveways. when asked why they had not clear coated the floor after painting it with the HC Exterior color top, they said they never had found it necessary. My husband and
I have insisted it was necessary and that the job was incomplete without it.
However in light of their apparent lack of knowledge of a clear coats efficacy, I am hesitant to rely on their supposed expertise as to what to use now.
From what I had read on your site, it appears that a variant of polyurethane would be best.
Do u think we can get a bond from polyurethane over the floor coating already installed which is from HC Concrete & is called HC Exterior/ color top ? If so, exactly what should we use and who should our company purchase it from AND should we use this company to instal it? Their work is neat but wasn’t it incomplete?
Shea says
Hello Gail. Sorry for the long reply, but the issue you are experiencing is a result of the product used. H&C Exterior Colortop is a solvent-based acrylic coating that has been tinted for a solid color. It is not paint (not that paint should be used). These type of thin coatings are sometimes marketed as concrete stains as well. They don’t come close to what a true garage floor coating system provides in terms of durability and protection. In addition, you cannot apply a polyurethane or a similar resinous clear coat to an acrylic coating. They are not compatible. The only clear you can use is an acrylic. It does not surprise us that you are already having issues. Unfortunately, this type of coating is not suited for a semi-busy garage floor environment and should not have been used. They are best for foot traffic only. They work OK if all you did was park a car on it, but they will wear out and have issues.
General contractors, renovation companies, handymen and painters typically are not knowledgeable about garage floor coatings. Neither are home improvement centers. From our experience and the many reports we get from our readers, these type of companies tend to use inferior DIY products that are easy to apply. In addition, we get numerous emails from our readers looking to solve a problem where a painter or general contractor was involved. In most cases the wrong product was used or the directions were not followed because they incorrectly assumed that applying a coating to concrete is the same as painting a wall – it’s not. Concrete garage floor coating is a specialized profession and these companies only coat concrete. It requires knowledge of concrete preparation and how resinous coating work together to form a coating system. The one exception are those that specialize in garage renovations only that involve storage, cabinets, and flooring.
I suggest you read our article about epoxy floor coatings. This will give you an idea of what a true garage floor coating should consist of if you want something durable. Polyurea and polyaspartic coatings are another example. Our suggestion if it’s in the budget is to find a garage floor coating company to remove the current coating and apply a proper one if you want something durable that will last for years. The other option is to live with what you have for now and budget for a better coating in the future. Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
Jamie I. says
Put down Rustoleum Epoxy Shield in my Kitchen. We purchased flakes from a concrete supply company as we didn’t like the limited colors from Rustoleum. We did a medium to medium/heavy random broadcast of flakes. Can still see tinted epoxy underneath. I saw where a full broadcast on Epoxy shield isn’t good due to the thinness of the epoxy to accept the flakes. Feeling in retrospect like a thicker random broadcast isn’t so great either. We did put down the epoxy and flakes within the recommended pot life time.
After Epoxy dried, I scraped floor North South and East West, swept and vacuumed floor but didn’t sand it. I feel like I should have sanded. Put down 1st coat of Rustoleum Clear Finish and it seemed to soak in and around flakes. Waited a day and put down second coat of Clear. This made an improvement but I waited another day and put down a 3rd coat of clear.
Floor is smoother with the 3rd coat but still has areas that seem too rough. Socks catch on the flakes in some areas when walking around in the kitchen, which is the most annoying part, and there are one or two spots where a flake sticks up slightly and sharp to the touch.
It has been about a week since the 3rd coat. I’m contemplating adding another coat of Rustoleum Clear but I don’t know if that will make a difference. Part of me just thinks my expectation of the floor being smoother is not the reality of having this type of floor. Should I sand the floor and focus on smoothing out any of the rougher spots and apply another coat of Rustoleum Clear Finish? Or should I maybe sand the floor a bit and then apply a thicker polyurethane coating that I can purchase from a concrete supplier? Any recommendations on brands if I go that route? I don’t mind some texture in the floor, I just feel like it needs to be a tad smoother and I don’t want random sharp spots, but I want the next step to be the last one if possible. thanks for any advice!!!
Shea says
Hello Jaime. Yes, you are correct in your summation that medium/heavy broadcast of color flakes does not work well. There is a reason that Rust-Oleum only supplies a limited amount of flakes in their kits. EpoxyShield is an old formula/technology epoxy of residential quality that cures to a thin coat. Unfortunately, you could have applied a very thick commercial quality system for what you have spent in applying the additional coats. The good news is that you can easily fix your issue. Sand the entire surface with 100 grit sandpaper using a pole sander or rotary sander. This should smooth out any areas where the color flakes were poking out. The entire surface will now be deglossed and have a scratched-up hazy look. This goes away when the new coat is applied. Sweep/vacuum the surface and then wipe it down with denatured alcohol applied liberally to a microfiber mop pad. The floor will be ready in a couple of minutes after that for a new clear coat. With exception to the texture created by all the flakes, any proper clear coat should feel much smoother and not snag socks.
Polyurethane does not go down thick. When applied correctly, it’s actually a bit thinner than the EpoxyShield (approximately 2.5 mils). It’s a long-wearing and highly stain resistant topcoat and not a build coat. DO NOT purchase polyurethane from your local home improvement center. They are for wood floors only. The problem with a proper concrete polyurethane indoors is that the majority are solvent-based and have VOCs that will stink up the house. If you want something that will wear better than EpoxyShield, then we recommend RockSolid by Rust-Oleum. It’s a higher gloss coating with good abrasion ratings (compared to epoxy) for wear. EpoxyShield does not publish its ratings.
Curt says
Hello. I think I talked to you on eBay. I’m looking for help. I want a heavy broadcast system for a 600sqft garage. Black, white and gray flake.
Shea says
Hello Curt. No, it wasn’t us. We are an informational website only and do not sell products. We provide accurate and helpful information for our readers about various garage flooring options, especially coatings. We do not recommend shopping for deals on eBay unless they are from a reputable concrete coating vendor. Here is an example of a vendor we would recommend for what you are looking for.
John says
Hello, I had a company remove and repair areas of concrete along 6″ from the outside walls, a couple areas are larger 3×3′ sections. They used a cheap concrete/sand mix with no aggregate and it was mixed too wet and it resulted in dusting of the surface of the concrete. You can rub the top layer of concrete off with y our finger, though I have only rubbed it about 1/16″ down, I am not sure how much further is it weakened.
Can anything be done to make this a suitable base for ceramic tile? I am hoping to avoid another tear-out & repour. So curious how stable a base this could be for ceramic tile to be installed directly over the weaken concrete or perhaps with a membrane in-between to hopefully prevent future crack through.
Shea says
Hello John. At issue with the concrete is the severe dusting. You should not be able to rub it off with your finger. If thinset is applied in its current condition, it will delaminate and cause loose tiles at a later date as the concrete the thinset is attached to crumbles away. The compressive strength should be OK, but not ideal. We would recommend grinding the upper layer until you find a harder surface. If it goes deeper than 1/4″ before you reach solid concrete that does not dust heavily, you will need to fill those areas with a self-leveling underlayment to level it out. You can tile directly to that. If it gets more than 3/4″ deep or so and it’s still soft, then we would recommend tearing it out and replacing it. When it gets that deep, it rarely improves. You can’t use Ditra or some other membrane between the tile and the dusting concrete. The reason is that the membrane is adhered to the concrete in the same manner as the tile. In other words, it will just delaminate.
Ben says
Shea – this is great! I have been looking to find someone to help us eliminate cat urine smell from our basement. Anyone you would recommend we use in the Milwaukee, WI area?
Thanks
Shea says
Hello Ben. We don’t have a database of contractors from each state in order to make a recommendation. However, we do have an article here on How to Eliminate Pet Urine Odor in Concrete. It is highly effective if followed correctly. We’ve had many readers comment that it worked better than the professional odor remediation companies they have hired.
Amy says
Hi there. Thanks so much for the great article on how to eliminate pet urine in concrete. Would that process work on mouse urine? I cleaned the area with a 1 part bleach to 10 part water solution prior to seeing your article. Do I still need to do the tsp part before using the enzyme cleaner? Thanks very much!
Shea says
Hi Amy. We don’t see why not, but we can’t state that 100% for sure. We’ve never encountered an issue with mice. We do not recommend using bleach to clean urine though. The reason is that most urine contains ammonia. If bleach is used to clean a heavy concentration of urine, toxic chloramine gasses can be created. In addition, it will not help at eliminating the odor and can actually make it worse. We would recommend cleaning the area again with TSP before using an enzymatic cleaner.
Amy says
Thanks so much for your speedy reply! Many articles online recommended cleaning with bleach because mouse droppings/urine can contain hantavirus, which the bleach kills. I will start over with the tsp and then the enzyme cleaner. Will be looking into coatings once I know I have the smell completely resolved. Thank you very much!
Shea says
Hi Amy. We were not aware of the hantaviris issue. Starting with bleach may have been OK in your case since mice seem unlikely to create the amount of urine (with ammonia) that pets and dogs do 🙂
Eduardo Rodriguez says
Hi, I need 250 square meters of this prodcut. Where can i Get it?
Shea says
Hello Eduardo. What product are you referring to? We can only help with locating product if you are in the U.S.
Jason says
I enjoyed reading about additives in epoxy floors. Now i have a question as big box stores have zero clue. I currently have an old floor has been done numerous times with the old battleship gray paint. About 5 years ago i applied another coat with shark grip and worked great for 5 years. I am looking to re do it again. So i razor scraped loose paint, cleaner degreaser, going to apply rust oleum garage floor primer this time as there is no way for me to get it back to virgin concrete on my own.
Heres where i used to just add shark grip directly into the gallon of epoxy and do 2 coats. Plain gray with texture. This time i want to add flakes.
Can shark grip mixed into gallon and 2 coats, flakes applied on second coat work? Or will the shark grip stop the flakes for soaking in and vice versa. I dont want to add into top clear coat in fact dont want to do the top coat at all if possible.
Goal is non slippery floor as so afraid someone will slip and not just plain gray boring floor.
Again cleaned, primed, shark grip mixed directly into gallon, 2 coats (second coat toss some flakes), no clear seal top coat. ANY help on this would be thankful for
Shea says
Hello Jason. Are you referring to the Rust-Oleum Garage Floor Recoat Primer? If so, pay attention to the requirements. It’s not recommended for bare concrete. Just older paints, coatings, and previously sealed bare concrete.
SharkGrip and other anti-slip media are always added to the final coat. You do not want to apply any coats over one with anti-slip or it will get covered and be ineffective. You can toss color flakes into a final coat that has SharkGrip. However, there are two things to consider. The first is that depending on the amount of color flakes used, you can reduce the effectiveness of the anti-slip media since the flakes are covering it up. Second, we don’t recommend using color flakes without adding a clear coat to lock them in. Since they are exposed, they tend to loose grip and lift in high traffic areas. In addition, it makes it harder to keep the floor clean. Dirt and debris like collect around all the edges.
Larry Price says
Hello! Thank you for the information on garage flooring on your website. It is very inciteful!
I am looking for a garage flooring option that a vehicle can park on and that provides some thermal protection from the concrete. What would be your recommendations?
I love the look of epoxy flakes, but I am not sure if it will help keep my garage/woodshop warm in the winters (lows of 0 f outside temp).
Shea says
Hi Larry. A floor coating system will not provide any thermal insulation from the cold concrete. If you want something that will provide that, then you would need to use an interlocking floor tile.
Charlie says
I’m very glad to have discovered this site. Thank you! Which of the floorings would you recommend for basements?
We are buying a 1940’s house with an unfinished concrete basement. We’re not planning to finish it, but we’re planning to install good lighting and upgrade the floor for the laundry corner, storage, and a couple of exercise machines. A furnace is located in the middle, so we’ll have to work around that.
Shea says
Hi Charlie. Basements can be notorious for moisture vapor issues in the concrete. As a result, we don’t recommend coatings or paint unless proper moisture testing is done during the wet months. What we recommend is a floor covering that breathes. One of the best options is interlocking floor tile. It’s available in hard plastic and flexible PVC materials. It has channels on the underside structure that allows for air circulation and evaporation of any moisture vapor that may collect. There are many different types of surface designs to choose from as well. I suggest reading this article that explains the differences and then narrow it down from there. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Edward Mantanona says
I have epoxy shield in my garage floor do I have to strip it out if I want to use rock solid now? Thanks
Shea says
Hi Edward. It all depends. If the EpoxyShield coating is adhered well and not peeling up anywhere, then you can apply RockSolid over it. It will require prepping the surface by degreasing and then roughing it up with 120-150 grit sandpaper. Sweep/vac and then wipe it down with denatured alcohol or equivalent. This provides the best bond. Another option is to use the Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer. If the EpoxyShield is peeling up in areas, then it does not have a good bond. It will require removing it via grinding and then applying RockSolid.
John Byrd says
Great video on the Rustoleum products. VERY informative. We recently moved into a new house. The garage floor is 2.5 months old, but the builder painted it with a grey paint which looks OK, but is showing the dirt more than we would like. What would you recommend? And we live in Florida so the hot tire thing is real. We used Epoxy Shield before and it did pull up just like in your video.
1. Can I just go with a clear coat over the paint? If I can can I still use the flakes?
2. If number 1 is out, is there another product better for Florida and the hot tire issue?
Thanks.
John
Shea Walker says
Hello John. We have a video here about applying clear coats to concrete paint and 1-part epoxy paint (not coatings). If you want to add color flakes, it will require two clear coats. The first coat you would toss the color flakes into and the second locks them in and protects them. Our recommendation is to leave it as is and not waste your money on it. It’s still going to peel from hot tires at some point, typically sooner than later. Once it gets to a point that you don’t like the way it looks or performs, you can remove it and apply something better.
The other option would be to remove the paint down to the bare concrete via grinding and then apply a quality coating that will last 10-15 years or more and not peel from hot tires. Our recommendation would be a single-part polyurea coating. You can read about them here. Legacy Industrial, one of the vendors we recommend in the article, is based out of Florida as well.