So you’ve finally decided to spruce up your garage by adding some color to the concrete and you want to find the best garage floor paint that won’t break the bank. It must be easy to apply and reliable. With so many products available today, it can be difficult making a good decision on which to purchase. So, let’s take a quick look at which type of paint is best for your garage floor and why.
One of the biggest advantages to garage floor paint is the relatively inexpensive cost to completely change the look of your garage when compared to other floor coverings. But first of all, we need to make sure that it’s paint you are after and not an actual epoxy coating. If you aren’t sure what the difference is, then we suggest you take a moment to learn about epoxy vs. paint. If it is paint you are after, then read on!
Best type of concrete floor paint
Since paint is not as durable as other garage flooring options, the key is to choose the right formulation for the best wear. There are generally two types to choose from – latex acrylic paint for concrete floors and pre-mixed 1-Part epoxy garage floor paint. Hands down, your best choice between the two is the 1-Part epoxy paint.
The reason 1-Part epoxy paint is the better choice has to do with the properties of the epoxy ester resin that is mixed in with the acrylic latex. It helps to provide for a paint that is more resistant to mold and mildew, chemicals, gasoline stains, oil, scuff marks, and chipping. It also tends to bond to the concrete better than standard latex acrylic concrete paint. This can help resist peeling and hot tire pick up as well.
Typical latex acrylic floor paint needs to be retouched or painted over about once every 6 months to a year depending on how much use and vehicle traffic that your garage sees. 1-part epoxy paint can last almost twice that long for an additional expense of only $10 or so per gallon depending on brand.
Best garage floor paint by brand
The problem with choosing good garage floor paint is that reviews for these products are all over the map in terms of good and bad. Part of the problem is just poor garage floor preparation and application and not with the product itself. Plus, this type of garage floor covering does best with foot traffic and not so much with vehicle traffic.
With that in mind, we’ve selected our favorite brand that we can recommend and a second that falls in the honorable mention category.
Our first choice that we recommend is Drylok E1 by United Gilsonite Laboratories. We feel that this product is one of the best garage floor paints that you can purchase.
It has the highest moisture tolerance of other paints, it dries to a thicker coating, and it is one of the few paints that don’t require a primer to work at its best. It also has better reviews regarding resistance to hot tire pick up among other 1-part epoxy garage floor paints.
Dryloc E1 starts at over $50 per gallon and is available in 4 popular colors. You can find some of the best prices here
*** UPDATE ***
Lately it has come to our attention that Dryloc E1 can be harder to locate and purchase. As a result, our readers have been informing us of a different brand that has introduced a new 1-part epoxy paint that they have had good results with so far.
This new paint is Kilz 1-Part Epoxy Concrete and Garage Floor Paint. Like Dryloc E1, Kilz 1-Part epoxy paint does not require that a primer be used. It comes with a satin finish and requires two thin coats to achieve the best results.
One gallon can cover 300 – 500 ft² depending on whether you have a rough surface or smooth surface. Etching of the concrete is required. If you can’t find Kilz at your local home improvement center or hardware store, Amazon has excellent pricing here.
Our honorable mention would be Epoxy-Seal garage floor paint by Seal-Krete. This is one of the lesser expensive choices that is a 1-part epoxy/acrylic hybrid and starts around $35 per gallon. They offer some of the best color choices and can be found at most home improvement centers. Hot tire pick up seems to be more of an issue with this product, however.
Sometimes you can find some good prices on Seal-Krete here at Amazon
Application is easy, but they do recommend applying their bonding primer, Lock Down, first in order to get the best performance from their product. Though not a requirement, Lock Down can be purchased for under $20 per gallon if you shop around. If you can’t find it locally, Amazon has it here. This does bring you back up over the $50 mark, however, and is one of the reasons we recommend Drylok E1.
Both products cover 300 – 400 square feet per gallon depending on surface porosity. They have a long pot life, meaning that you can pour the paint into a tray and not race to get it applied to the concrete as is required with some 2-Part epoxy coatings.
One advantage with paints and coatings is that your garage floor will be much easier to clean. A soft bristle broom works great for loose dirt and debris while a mop and mild detergent works great on the tougher stuff.
A word about hot tire pick up
Unlike a good epoxy coating, most garage floor paints will experience hot tire pick up at some point in their lifespan.
When hot tires sit on paint, the heat tends to soften the bond that the paint has on the concrete. The footprint of the tire eventually constricts as it cools, which in turn causes the paint to collect up with the tire. When you back out of your garage afterwards, you end up with a bare spot where the tire was.
This can be greatly reduced if you park your car on a mat, tire runners, or some other type of covering such as pieces of old carpet under the tires. If you do this, you may prevent the frustration that can develop from this annoying characteristic of garage floor paint.
Note: One important bit of information that we want to point out is that standard latex garage floor paint or even 1-Part epoxy paints such as these are not designed for a clear coat option. Most clear coats are solvent based and will soften the paint if applied. Technically you could apply a 2-Part water based epoxy, but the cost is much higher than the paint. With the expense, it’s not wise to apply a higher performing clear top coat to a lower performing color base coat.
Choosing the best paint for your garage floor is important in order to obtain the best performance. Make sure you follow all manufacturers’ instructions to insure a successful installation and be sure to pay particular attention to cleaning your floor properly. If you do this, you should get good results and a much better looking garage floor.
Thanks for all the useful information. I am painting the concrete floor of the pond house. The concrete is 2 years old. I want to make sure that the surface is not slippery when the kids, grandkids and the elderly go inside to use the facilities. What process and products would you recommend to have a solid color floor that is durable to foot traffic but not slippery when wet.
Thanks for your help in advance!
Hello Kris. If you anticipate the surface getting wet, we recommend adding an anti-slip additive to the final coat. Most vendors carry the appropriate grit for the product you use. SharkGrip is the most popular and works well with paint and thinner coatings.
Can you use an anti-slip acrylic latex cement paint on top of old epoxy painted garage floor?
Yes you can Mary. It will require that you rough up the surface of the epoxy first with 150 grit sandpaper. Just keep in mind that the latex acrylic paint will be much less durable than the epoxy coating.
what is the difference between Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield 2-Part Gray Gloss Garage Floor Epoxy Kit (Actual Net Contents: 240-fl oz) and Seal-Krete Epoxy Seal by Rustoleum…Which is easier to put on old garage floor.. which requires least prep..
Hello Frank. Seal-Krete EpoxySeal is an acrylic paint. It’s made by Seal-Krete, not Rust-Oleum. The Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield is a true epoxy coating that is much more durable than acrylic paint. You can read this article to learn the difference. The paint by Seal-Krete is easier to apply, but it is not nearly as durable as the EpoxyShield epoxy coating.
My garage floor had a sealer of some sort applied when it was done many years ago. It is very slippery when damp from humidity or walking on it with wet shoes. Not so worried about the looks as the safety…what to use?
Hi Nancy. The sealer that was applied will prevent you from doing anything with the concrete unless it is removed. A permanent fix would be to grind the concrete surface to remove the old sealer. The grinding provides for a surface profile that is not slippery when wet. You can then seal the concrete to protect it with a penetrating sealer such as this one. It will not change the look of the concrete and it will not be slippery when wet. If you prefer, you can apply a decorative sealer such as epoxy to seal the concrete. You could then add an anti-slip additive to the last coat. We also have an article on slippery garage floors with some suggestions you find helpful.
I have a concrete basement floor that has been cleaned; however, there are still small spots of mastic I cannot get up scrubbing with Bean-e-doo and concrete degreaser. I used a phosphoric acid etch and everything bubbled, but the concrete is darker in some spots where you can still see the old tile grid. I want color flakes to full refusal and a clear top coat containing soft skid media. My question is, is there a clear coating you’d recommend for concrete in this state? Is there a primer/color flake/clear coat combo that will work for me? Can I use HD6525MMA CONCRETE SEALER, or an acrylic sealer, or is my surface only clean enough for 1-part epoxy paint?
Hi Cassandra. It’s not uncommon to see discoloring in the concrete from oils, glues, and other chemicals after it has been cleaned and acid etched. As long as those areas will absorb water, they are good for paint. However, if you have actual mastic that is still adhered to the concrete, that has to come up regardless. Grinding those areas with a small 4″ grinder would be the preferred method.
Also, if you are applying paint or 1-part epoxy paint and not a true 2-part epoxy or other coating, you cannot apply flakes to full refusal and you cannot clear coat. Paint is too thin to accept that many flakes and it is not compatible with clear coats. This article about clear coats will explain why. You will need to install an actual epoxy system in order to do that.
I’m looking for something that will adhere to an already painted basement floor. I etched the floor and painted it with a latex product I bought at Menards about 4 years ago. Th finish itself is holding up but it’s showing a lot of dirt and I can’t seem to get it clean. So I would like to paint over it with something that will clean better. Any suggestion?
Hello Dustin. You can apply a water based epoxy such as Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield. Since it’s water based, it will not soften latex paint. You will need to clean and rough up the surface with 120 grit sandpaper in order for the epoxy to achieve a mechanical bond. Epoxy is much more scratch resistant than paint and will be much easier to keep clean.
I am in the market for finished paint look for an older garage floor. It has sealer on it that was applied to stop moisture coming up through and for flaking. The product was D-tech sealer. Not sure which way to go for final look.
Hello Judith. We believe D-Tech is a densifier. You can apply paint (latex acrylic or 1-part epoxy) to concrete that was treated with a densifier if that is what you are asking. If you want to apply a coating such as epoxy for example, you will need to grind the concrete first.
If the floor does not have a sealer on it does it have to be etched if I am going to use Drylok 1 part epoxy floor paint. How can I check it to see if it needs to be etched. Also do i need to seal it?
If the concrete will absorb water, Clarence, then you shouldn’t need to etch for paint. Drip small drops of water in various areas of the concrete surface. If the drops get absorbed within a minute or so then you should be OK. If they tend pool or bead you will need to etch. If you do need to etch, you can use one of the ECO friendly concrete etching kits that are sold at your local home improvement centers. They are safe and easy to use. Paint and 1-part epoxy paint (Drylok) cannot be sealed. You need to upgrade to a true coating (which is a sealer unto itself, unlike paint) to use a clear coat. This article explains why.
I have an old shop 1000 sq ft, with an old wood floor. I want to use Drylok E1 to paint the whole floor and put a coat of Rust Bullet over Drylok E1, on the part of the floor, ~ 400 sq ft for mechanical works. Is it possible to use Rust Bullet over Drylok E1?
I want to make these 400 sq ft a solid floor. Is there a sealant that would work with Drylok E1 or Rust Bullet to seal the gaps between the wood?
Thank you for your help!
Hi Valentin. No, you cannot apply Rust Bullet over Drylok E1 as they are not compatible. Drylok E1 is a latex acrylic paint and Rust Bullet is solvent based. Due to the solvents in Rust Bullet, the Drylok E1 will soften and bleed if the Rust Bullet is applied. Technically a floor coating can be applied to a wood floor, but the gaps between the wood must be fairly tight to begin with. The gaps will also need to be filled with with an epoxy or polyurea filler with a high elongation rate since wood expands and retracts with temperature and humidity. Also, because wood floors flex, it would require a coating that flexes as well. Rust Bullet will work since it is a polyurethane, but you will need approximately three coats to achieve a consistent looking finish. A single-part polyurea will work as well. The problem with wood floors (assuming yours is plywood or similar laminate) is that it takes quite a bit of coating and sanding to achieve the thickness required to create the solid look with no seams. It can be an expensive endeavor that may or may not achieve the results you want.
Hi, I’m interest in using a Drylok product for my floor. I’ve seen tons of positive reviews for Drylok garage floor paint but not much of anything for Drylok E1. I’m interested in their products because I feel like if mess it up (such as a bad etching job) it would be the easiest to correct. What is your opinion of the two? Any other thoughts would be appreciated.
Hi Nathan. Drylok E1 will not be any more difficult to work with than their standard paint. The only difference is that E1 has an epoxy additive to make the paint more durable and help resist fluids better than their standard paint.
Older house,dirty and grease all over concrete,,,what is the paint to use. We r older ,also,hopefully ,easy. Thanks
Hello Linda. You can’t paint over grease, so the first thing you will have to do is extensively clean the concrete. If water beads up or is repelled by the grease and oil stains, then the paint will not adhere. You can always hire someone to clean and pressure wash the concrete if you are not able. Once the concrete is clean and will absorb water, then you can apply paint. If you just want paint and not a coating, then Drylok E1 would be our first recommendation.