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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 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. Additionally, the better bond helps to resist peeling and problems with hot tire pick up.
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 – $20 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 paint does best with foot traffic and not so much with vehicle traffic.
With that in mind, we’ve selected a few brands that we can recommend and a one 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 is available in 4 popular colors. You can usually find a good selection here at Amazon.
*** UPDATE ***
Lately it has come to our attention that Dryloc E1 can be harder to locate and purchase. Home Depot is one possible source.
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. Kilz garage floor paint is availabe in either Slate Gray or Silver Gray colors.
Etching of the concrete is required. If you can’t find Kilz at your local home improvement center or hardware store, you can find it here at Amazon.
Our honorable mention would be Epoxy-Seal garage floor paint by Seal-Krete. This is a 1-part epoxy/acrylic hybrid.
This garage floor paint used to be available in multiple colors. However, since they were acquired by Rust-Oleum in 2016, Slate Gray and Armor gray are your only choices.
Hot tire pickup seems to be more of an issue with this paint if the surface is not prepped well and/or the recommended primer is not used.
If you can’t find it at your local home improvement center, you can usually find it here at Amazon.
Application is easy, but if you read their application instructions, they recommend applying Lock Down bonding first to achieve the best performance. Lock Down can sometimes be found at your nearest home improvement center. If you can’t find it locally, you can find it at Amazon.
The video below is a great example of how Epoxy-Seal is applied to your garage floor. These same instructions are fairly basic for all 1-part epoxy paints for a garage floor.
Most 1-part garage floor epoxy paints will cover an average of 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.
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.
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.
Sam says
I noticed that you didn’t mention the Epoxyshield paint by Rust-Oleum. I’ve used it before and was happy with the way it turned out. I did get some hot tire lift but it wasn’t a big deal because my car covered it most of the time. Do you think the Drylok is better?
Shea says
Hello Sam and great question! Yes, the Epoxyshield 1-part epoxy paint made a lot of people happy. The problem though is that they discontinued it and replaced it with an acrylic latex paint. We actually called Rust-Oleum about this and their response was that there was too much confusion between the 1-part epoxy and their 2-part epoxy paint kits. So they substituted it with acrylic instead. The Drylok is a good replacement over the old Epoxyshield 1-part paint if you were happy with that.
Tom K says
Menards does carry this one part epoxy paint again.
JK says
What is the difference between DryLok E1 and the current Rust-oleum EpoxyShield? Does EpoxyShield contain epoxy at all or is it just regular paint? If it’s just acrylic paint, what makes it tougher than regular acrylic paint? I’m thinking we should just sell our gallon of tinted EpoxyShield on Craigslist and get your second recommendation of SealKrete, which is easier to find than DryLok in our area . . . .
Shea says
Hi JK. The DryLok E1 is a self priming acrylic floor paint with and epoxy additive to create better durability. The Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Concrete floor paint is a self priming acrylic floor paint without the epoxy additive. What makes it better than regular acrylic paint is that it’s formulated to adhere better to concrete. If you can’t find the Drylok locally, you can always order it here from Amazon.
MIKE says
Lock Down is the best to use on concrete floors. How I overcame hot tire pick up was to mark four good places on the floor where my tire park at most times. Then I got some nice black tiles and made them wide front and back to park on. New car showrooms sometimes have them parked on tiles. Always clean floor. Most of time this is what will get you in trouble with flaking on the floor and always use a good primer. Flaking up will drive you nuts walking in and out in your home. Hope this helps.
Robert Lewis says
In this article of the Best Garage Floor Paint no mention is made of Silicon Acrylic solvent based paints ( concrete stains usually cleaned up with zylene). My experience has found these concrete paints/stains absolutely superior to everything except the most expensive commercial 2 part epoxy concrete finishes.
H&C Concrete Stain solvent based is an example of one of these type paints, and there are also others available just as good, but almost all easily identified as solvent based with clean up with zylene – and they’re Tuff, Stick like glue with No Peel Up! ( if the floor is simply washed with a 6-1 acid before applying). I’ve always had great success with these paints! They’re Tuff and Long lasting… (and resistant to scuff, chipping, and almost all fluids and chemicals).
Solvent based paints/stains may be currently out of favor, but as long as they’re available I’ll keep using them – and my garage and basement concrete floors look and last Great!
Shea says
Hello Robert. The reason we don’t mention H&C concrete stains is because they are not a paint. They are basically a tinted, solvent based acrylic sealer that are opaque in color. By definition they would fall under acrylic sealers and not paint.
Billy Orndorff says
Hi Shea,
Love the site, great info, and you’re more clear than any other source I’ve found.
I’m completely cleaning out my parents garage this weekend, and before moving (hopefully) only 30% of their stuff back in I decided to put a coat of Drylok E1 down. The house and garage floor are both 40 years old. The garage floor is basic concrete with a fairly smooth (almost glaze) finish on it, never had cars parked on it or anything, just a snowblower and other random stuff. It has never had any coating, stain or treatment of any kind applied.
My question for you is about pre-paint prep, which is a very important step from the research I’ve done. Once empty, I’ll be scrubbing the entire floor with a degreaser/water combo and ensuring all oil stains, etc. are gone. Once dry, should I put down a bonding or primer agent before rolling on the Drylok E1? My goal is to do it right the first time and have this coat last as long as possible.
Thanks Shea!
-Billy
Shea says
Hi Billy and thanks for the kudos! You ask a good question. Dryloc E1 does not require a primer or bonding agent like some other 1-part epoxy paints. However, if the concrete is smooth like you state, then Dryloc recommends acid etching the concrete as part of the concrete prep. We have an article about how you can do that here. In fact, you can immediately acid etch after degreasing the surface. Just remember to neutralize properly and let the concrete dry thoroughly before applying the Dryloc.
angela says
Hi we just painted our garage floor with tuff coat acrlic stain. We let it cure for 3 days drove the mower in the garage and it left tire marks. Now we are doing a sealer coat what can we do to prevent tire marks from coming on the floor driving my husband nuts?
Shea says
Hi Angela. Make sure your husband is not putting it on too thick. Thicker does not mean better with acrylic sealers. It can lead to all kinds of issues. You are much better off with two thin coats than one thick coat. When put on thicker it needs longer to cure and our guess is that it wasn’t cured all the way when the mower was parked on it. This is a common mistake that people make with acrylic sealers.
Cindy A says
I’m thinking about painting the floors in an old apartment and using a large rug instead of carpet. The concrete floors have had carpet before and there are pock marks where the old carpet tack strips were pulled out.
Question #1: What do you recommend I fill these little divets with to smooth out floor?
#2: Would it be ok to mix 2 colors of the same type of DRY LOK latex based concrete paint (thinking tan and brown) to make a mottled color? I can’t imagine why not but don’t want to mess it up.
#3: What I read about the DRY LOK paint, it said it was non-slip. Is there a texture in this paint?
Thanks so much for your help!
Shea says
Hi Cindy. #1 – Fill the divots with a 2-part epoxy patch with something like the Rust-Oleum Concrete Patch. #2 – It’s OK to mix the colors after each product has been mixed separately. We can’t tell you how it will look though! #3 – There is not a texture to the paint. The non-slip statement means that it will not be real slippery when wet.
The most important part is the prep of the concrete Cindy. Unless the surface of the concrete is rough already, you will need to acid etch (which can be very difficult in an apartment) or grind the floor for preparation. We suggest you read their TDS data sheet which you can find at the bottom of their product page.
Jim says
I brought a house 10 years ago that had Garage floor paint on it (found the can). The areas that the tires sit and travel over Are worn down to the concrete. while the rest of the floor is still grey paint it has worn down pretty thin in most spots ( very faded except near walls ). Can I just etch the entire floor,clean and Paint 1 part epoxy paint?
I also have a fine #9 p gravel driveway, with a 15 ft concrete apron up to the garage. I do get some small rocks in the garage ever once in a while. This is why I was thinking of going over the faded paint with epoxy?
Recommendations?
Shea says
Hi Jim. Etching only works when it reacts with the free lime in concrete. It will not remove or prep paint. Also, 1-part epoxy paint is not the same as an epoxy coating. You may want to read up on that here to understand better. If you plan on painting over the existing paint, then a 1-part epoxy will work fine for that. Your best best is to rent a floor buffer with a green scrub pad. Clean the floor real well with that using a degreaser. It will remove any loose paint still on the floor and prep the concrete for the 1-part epoxy paint.
scott riley says
Can i use any of these products over a concrete floor that has been stained?
Shea says
Hello Scott. If you mean concrete that was color stained then yes, you can, as long as there was not a sealer applied over the stain. If there was, you will need to remove the sealer first.
Ron Lynch says
Is there any special prep needed to use the Drylock E1 over stained concrete that was applied 10 years ago. There is no peeling just mainly dirty and some tire marks.
Shea says
Hello Ron. Paint does not need the same concrete surface prep as an epoxy coating. If the surface is not smooth and will absorb water without beading up, then nothing else needs to be done other than cleaning real well and letting it dry for 24 to 48 hours before application. If the surface is very smooth and/or will not absorb water well, then you will need to etch the surface first before applying it.
Ron says
Thanks, that is helpful information. Since my garage floor is smooth and water beads I’ll have to etch it. Do I use Muriatic acid, 1 part acid to 3 parts water? Any additional directions for this process?
Shea says
You don’t want to go any stronger than 3 to 1 water to acid. We have an article on how to acid etch here. Since your concrete was stained previously and the water beads up, you will want to make sure there is not a sealer on the surface as acid will not work on a sealed surface. You can check by testing a small area first with the acid. If it bubbles and fizzes immediately after application then you are good to go. If just sits there without much action, then you have a sealer. The only way to remove a sealer is by grinding.
Chris says
I service pools for a living! Can I use a solution of water and Muratic Acid to clean and etch my garage?
Also what do you think of Rust-Oleum Restore? They say it’s 20 times tougher than epoxy!
Samples seam pretty thick but great color and shine!
Shea says
Hi Chris. Yes, muriatic acid is commonly used for etching concrete. We talk about how to do it here. The Rust-Oleum Restore is getting a lot of poor reviews from unhappy people. In fact, there was talk of a class action law suit being filed against Rust-Oleum for the poor performance of the product.
mike says
So……..what is the best epoxy to put on the floor to achieve the greatest thickness and most durable.
Shea says
That would be a high solids or 100% solids epoxy. Our sponsors EpoxyMaster, Legacy Industrial, and Garage Flooring LLC are great examples of where you can find it. They all have various types of kits you can purchase depending on your budget.
Steve says
Any of those available in Hawaii?
Shea says
They should be Steve. If not, you may want to check with having them shipped there. They are a low VOC product and should pass Hawaii’s shipping restrictions.
.Robert E says
can i apply Dryloc E1 be applied directly over
old exiting rustolem garage floor coating.
Shea says
Hi Robert. Yes you can as long as you rough up the surface of the coating first. Use 100 grit sandpaper. Keep in mind that the Dryloc E1 is a 1-Part epoxy paint which would be inferior if you are applying it over a Rust-Oleum product that is most likely a tougher 2-Part epoxy coating.
Esther says
Hello! We applied a concrete sealer because we were going to use a different product before reading your blog. After reading the horrid reviews on the other epoxy paints on the market, we’d like to move forward with the Drylok E1 epoxy paint mentioned here or the Rust Bullet paint mentioned in your next blog. The problem is, we’ve already applied 2 thin coats of Valspar Concrete Sealer. Can either the Drylok e1 or Rust Bullet be applied over a concrete sealer? Or must it be applied to straight clean and etched concrete?
Shea says
Hi Esther. Unfortunately you would need to remove the sealer first by grinding the floor. Acid etching won’t work because the etching works when the acid can react with the free lime in the bare concrete. The sealer will block the acid from the bare concrete and just sit atop the surface doing nothing. The other option would be to chemically strip the sealer from the surface and then acid etch. If you choose to use Rust Bullet, chances are you will not have to acid etch if you choose to chemically strip the sealer.
In terms of product, Drylok E1 is a good product as far as 1-Part epoxy paints are concerned. Rust Bullet however is far superior and will last for years and without any hot tire pickup. There is a bigger price difference however.
Esther says
Thanks for your input! If stripping the sealer is not an option, can we use the primer we purchased and then attempt to use Drylok? Or does the Drylok E1 only work on clean concrete?
Essentially, we got some bad advice and bad recommendations on products… we really don’t want the hassle and chemicals in the air that comes along with removing the sealer… So, we’re looking for other options.
Do you recommend continuing on and priming and perhaps painting the floor? We will not be driving cars or anticipate a ton of traffic – the garage will be used for storage and for a gym.
Shea says
No coating, paint, or primer is going to stick to the concrete Esther if you don’t remove the sealer first. There are many chemical strippers available that are environmentally safe with low to no VOC’s. Here is one from Franmar as an example. You brush them on thick, wait 15 to 30 minutes, and then scrape the lifted sealer off. After that you rinse liberally with water and maybe a degreaser. It’s not that difficult, just a little messy.
Your other options would be garage floor mats or interlocking floor tiles. These are easy systems to install, just more expensive.
Esther says
Hi Shea! Thanks for all the great info – too bad we got terrible advice and didn’t find you first. Good to know about the sealer…not sure why we were told to seal, prime THEN epoxy paint but appreciate your help, so much!
All the best, Esther
Dave says
Awesome site and information. My question is I had just put down Drylok garage floor paint which is actually the model below the E1 1 part expoxy paint and is basically a paint/primer latex for concrete. I would like to put a clear polyurethane coat over top but before I proceed I would like to know what i can do and use with what I had just freshly put down. I didn’t discover the 1 part expoxy paint until after already buying and applying this Drylok product. So with what I just applied can I put a polyurethane clear over it or is what I applied qualify as a good primer base coat for something else being that it is a flat finish and I haven’t done anything else with it yet?
Shea says
Hi Dave. Polyurethane can only be applied over 2-Part resinous coatings such as epoxy due to the solvents in polyurethane and the fact it is not compatible with latex paint. The primer you put down is compatible with latex acrylic concrete floor paints and 1-Part epoxy paints, not 2-Part resinous coatings.
Dave says
Thank you Shea for your reply very greatly appreciated. So if I understand you correctly I can actually proceed and coat over top of the Drylok garage floor paint I has just put down with the Drylok E1 paint. Which means I owe you a big thank you for getting me out of that jam. And after doing that is there any clear top coat that I could put on top of the Drylok E1 to add to the appearance and protection? I noticed they have high gloss coatings and sealers in their product line however they don’t specify as to whether you can use them as a top coat to their floor coatings and I have looked at others in the similar price range but there again I haven’t seen a lot of information as to being able to use them as a top coat on a painted floor. Thank you again Shea for your response and information. Very very much appreciated.
Shea says
Your welcome Dave. Yes, go ahead and apply the Drylok E1 over the primer. Drylok is one of the few epoxy paint manufacturers that makes a glossy clear coat that can be applied over it. What you need is the Drylok Wet Look High Gloss Sealer. Drylok states it can be used in the garage. One thing to keep in mind however is that it’s just an acrylic clear coat. It’s not nearly as durable or chemical resistant as 2-Part epoxy clears or polyurethane. This means that gasoline and brake fluid for example can cause the coating to break down within moments of it contacting the surface. Oils and other less caustic chemicals have less effect. We aren’t the biggest fans of applying acrylic clear over paint and 1-Part epoxy paint for this reason.
Without the clear coat, if you happen to damage the surface or encounter a caustic chemical that damages the surface, it is fairly easy to fix. Just clean and reapply more paint. However, with a clear acrylic top coat it becomes much more involved to repair and look nice. It’s completely up to you.
Dave says
Wow thanks a million Shea you’re certainly the guru if concrete finishes! Although the Drylok High Gloss Wet Look sealer seemed like a good idea and I’m sure would look nice however I think I’ll take your advice and skip out on that bc the idea by the way you put it it wouldn’t be an easy fix if something would go wrong with the Wet Look over top. I just put down the E1 and I have to say I’m pretty impressed and pleased with how it went down and looks. So basically with the direction I took Wet Look would be simply eye candy and apparently that’s about all it would be since you said it wouldn’t have the durability of a 2 part expoxy and having to touch a floor up sounds better than having to strip a sealer off to make a simple repair and so it seems that with the direction I took Drylok E1 should be the furthest the floor should go. So with all that being said I thank you greatly for your sound advice, input and knowledge that helped me to do the right thing with good choices with the direction I took and to help me avoid serious headaches down the road. The Drylok E1 was a good recomendation and very impressive ans something I don’t think I’m going to regret. You’re the best Shea! Thanks again for your help. This is a great site and a wealth of knowledge I passed it on to some of my other garage monkey friends in the same boat however they are waiting to see how mine goes before they do theirs. Once again can’t thank you enough Shea! You’re the best!
Shea says
You’re welcome Dave!
Dave says
We had our garage floor poured a month ago. Is it too soon to go with the E1 …should we plan for 2 coats and also will we need to prep other than sweeping?
Shea says
Hello Dave. You need to wait a minimum of 30 days. We recommend doing the simple plastic sheet moisture test first before applying it. Depending on how smooth your surface is you may or may not need to acid etch the concrete first. Here is a link to the data sheet for E1 that explains how to apply it and prep is required. If your concrete is rough, you may want to apply two coats.
Nsh says
We are doing nee construction
The garage will have two car elevators with room for six cars below on concrete slab and two on above ground.
I am open to suggestion but what i want is that clean white glossy glasslike finish i have seen on occasion. Some tell me its a type of concrete with colour snd epoxy built in. Do you know what we can do to acheive this?
Shea says
Hi Nsh. It’s a a multiple coating of epoxy or something similar like polyurea or polyaspartic. It’s not colored concrete with epoxy mixed in. White is not the easiest to do and is best left to the professionals. However, Legacy Industrial has a new DIY polyurea garage floor coating that we are very impressed with. It has white as an option. You can read about it here.
Angela says
We used the 1 part epoxy about a year ago on our garage floor. We have those hot tire spots that you mentioned. The rest of our garage floor is still in great condition. How can we just touch up these tire peeled places without doing the whole floor? After repairing we will definitely get mats for the garage to prevent this from happening again.
Shea says
Hi Angela. Just clean the bare spots well and let it dry for 24 hours. Before you apply the paint, rough up the surrounding areas of paint where it will overlap with some 150 grit sandpaper. It should only take you a minute. You are just deglossing the surface, not trying to remove any paint. After that, wipe up the dust residue from the sanding and then apply the paint.
Alex says
You said and the drylok company states 300 to 400 square feet. What you don’t state, or drylok, is only one coat. To do the job you need two coats wich bring the surface coverage to 150 square feet. Very expensive product.
Shea says
Hi Alex. One thing to keep in mind, 1-Part epoxy paint cannot be applied at varying thicknesses like a high solids 2-Part epoxy can. It has to go down no thicker than 4-5 mils wet film thickness. Normal application with a 3/8″ roller will achieve that. Anything thicker and it will not dry properly. That is why it has a specific coverage rate of 300-400 square feet depending on the surface. A true 2-Part epoxy is more expensive and has a smaller spread rate, but it will last much longer as well.
Ricky Honaker says
Shea,
My garage floor is 18 years old and I applied a concrete sealer (do not know name or type) about 15 years ago. Does the sealer need to be removed or can I go over it? This is a great site with some gray info. Thanks
Shea says
Hello Ricky. If it’s a topical sealer you will need to remove it. If it was a penetrating sealer then it depends. If the concrete beads water at all or is slow to absorb it, then you will need to prep the surface properly. Grinding is the best way to remove and prep a sealer. If the water is readily absorbed, then just follow the prep directions for the paint you are interested in.
Dwight says
Shea,
Thanks for all the info. What is your opinion on the Behr 1 part epoxy. I am thinking of putting it on basement floor, but not sure how well it would hold up. I want to put a high gloss clear coat over it for the shine and to help it to last longer. The floor will have foot traffic only.
Shea says
Hi Dwight. For a 1-part epoxy paint Behr would not be our first choice, however, that is based on performance in a garage environment. We are sure it would do much better with just foot traffic. One thing to note is that 1-Part epoxy paints are not designed with clear coats in mind. Most clear coats are solvent based and will soften the paint if applied. Technically, with the right prep you can apply a 2-part water based clear epoxy over it, but then the cost goes way up compared to the paint. At that point you would be better off with applying regular 2-part epoxy to begin with.
Behr does make their Wet-Look Sealer that can be applied over the epoxy paint. It’s an acrylic product however and does not get very good reviews by people who use it for that purpose.
Dwight says
What would be your recommendation I want the gloss look and with only foot traffic I did not see it worth spending the money on 2 part epoxy
Shea says
Unfortunately Dwight, if you want the glossy look then you will need to spend more for the better products to get it. Keep in mind that the Behr 1-Part epoxy also requires a primer for best adhesion. That puts you closer in cost to a 2-part epoxy coating, but you would still need to purchase a glossy clear coat. Polyurethane is best for that and will cost about as much as the epoxy.
The only other option that would be less expensive is to apply a tinted MMA acrylic sealer. It would hold up fantastic to foot traffic only. The color is translucent, meaning that it’s not a solid color that hides the concrete, but it still looks nice.
Bruce says
This coming spring I will be building a garage/shop. Do I have to prep or etch the concrete if it is new? I am not concerned that the finish coat is shiny but I do want a very durable coating. What would you recommend?
Shea says
Hello Bruce. If you treat the new concrete with a “cure and seal” product to aid with curing, then you will need to grind the concrete to remove it before applying anything. If you don’t apply a “cure and seal” then some paint products can be applied with a good wash only. Keep in mind however that paint and 1-Part epoxy paint are not going to be a long lasting coating. A 2-Part resinous epoxy coating would be what you need. They last for years and years depending on the system installed, but they do require etching or grinding before application. They exception to that would be Rust Bullet. It’s a single part moisture cure coating that has many of the long lasting benefits of epoxy, but doesn’t require the mixing or the concrete prep.
Heather says
So glad I found your site… I am currently in process of painting my concrete floors (half house 1940s settler cabin concrete in good shape -other than zillion tack holes, other half addition built in 70s concrete many cracks) I am in the high desert of California and love the cool concrete in hot summers so I immediately (!) pulled up the avocado green shag and tack strips, filled holes, cracks, with feather edge twice, sanded em twice, scrubbed with ammonia- no water beading- then primed with Zinsser gray “Bullseye 123 water base interior and exterior primer for all surfaces” which hid some smaller sins.
However, I cannot remove my furniture so I will be basically painting half a room then moving funiture back and completing. This worked fine with the Zinsser- dragged 2 couches over and no scratching! I am desperate for suggestions now I’m to the painting stage; my first priority a low VOC product since it will be in my entire house. Second the option of color and durability- noticing most epoxy you listed have limited choices -I am set on a light to medium turquoise with a gloss finish either in or applied after. Cost isn’t really an issue only about 1000 sq, as long as I don’t get sick from the chemicals, and I like the color and it lasts. Thank you for your time, Heather
Shea says
Hello Heather. It sounds like quite the project! Because you primed the concrete with a latex primer, you are limited to a latex concrete paint or 1-Part epoxy paint. A 2-Part resinous epoxy coating needs bare concrete or an epoxy primer to adhere to. Behr 1-Part epoxy paint is one such product that comes to mind. Click on the link for all the available colors. Seal-Krete epoxy paint is another. Most of your 1-Part epoxy paints are going to be in a satin or semi gloss finish however.
Michael Pittman says
Shea, love the information. Thank you. Bummed I did not do my research first, because i would have bought the 100% solid epoxy. Instead I am stuck with the behr 1 part epoxy paint i already put down and facing hot tire pick up and peeling in my near future. looking for advice on if i should just leave it as is, or put a clear sealer or clear coat polyurthane over the top of it to help protect it. sounds like i may have to redo it at some point and i am not opposed to starting over. any advice?
Shea says
Hello Michael. You really can’t put much on the 1-Part epoxy. It can’t handle the solvents of a good clear coat. Your best bet is to enjoy your current floor as long as you can. When it gets to the point you want to redo it, you can grind the paint off and do an epoxy coating.
Derek says
So after the initial reviews what sits as the best thing for me to put on a 800 sq. ft. garage floor? Thanks
Shea says
Hello Derek. We discussed that in the article. The Drylok E1 is the best in our opinion if you want to paint your garage floor. If you just want to know what the best garage flooring is, then that is something completely different. We suggest reading this to help you determine what to do.
Marcia says
How long does it take the one part Drylok floor sealer to cure? We will be putting padding and carpet on top of the sealed concrete floor.
Shea says
Hi Marcia. DryLok E1 needs a minimum of 24 to dry before use. However, Drylok E1 is not a floor sealer. It is a paint. There are much better products to use if you only want to seal the concrete.
Mark says
Hi Shea,
Thanks for this insightful blog.
I have a 2 car garage (20 x 24) that has been painted over 10 years ago. We have rented it since purchasing it and I don’t know what it was painted with. It appears in good shape from what I recall – just some stains and tire marks, no significant peeling.
We are moving in in a few weeks and I would like to apply a coat of the Drylock E 1 that you recommend. My concern is I don’t know if 2 part epoxy was used which Drylock does not recommend painting over (see their specific response below). You have recommended to some others above just to sand over previous paint to roughen it up.
Do you think its worth trying to just clean the floor and pole sanding lightly with 100 grit paper? I don’t really want to deal with an electric floor sander nor do I want to try to remove all the paint.
It would be nice if I could conclusively determine if 2 part epoxy was used. One person suggested I try a scratch test, i.e. if it scratches easily, its not epoxy. If it doesn’t, I am left with 1) just leaving it as I don’t want to work with 2 part epoxy 2) buying rubber pads which is an interesting solution but expensive or 3) taking the risk the paint will not hold (and being very disappointed).
Any suggestions would be appreciated greatly.
Thanks,
From Drylock:
Thank you for contacting us. In regard to your question, the DRYLOL E1 will not be compatible chemically with the 2part epoxy. Our E1 will bubble and blister when applied over the existing paint.A garage floor or exterior application will require the existing paint be removed completely from the surface down to the bare concrete as the E1 will peel from the existing coating.
Shea says
Hello Mark. You may want to give DryLok customer service a call to verify. I could see how it would react that way if applied over epoxy that was not completely cured. That is what you do when applying multiple coats. It forms a very strong chemical bond. We don’t see how the DryLok would react in such a manner if applied over fully cured epoxy however.
The scratch test with a sharp object such as a nail generally works well. If it’s just paint, it should scratch easily down to the concrete. Another method is to use acetone. Pour some on a rag and wipe a small area of the floor. If it turns color immediately or softens up, it’s paint. Your question about a pole sander is spot on.
Vinyl garage floor mats can be laid over epoxy floors without issue at all. If you do have epoxy and Drylok will not work on cured epoxy, you still may want to look at an inexpensive epoxy garage floor kit. They really are not much more difficult to apply than the Drylok. You just have to mix the two parts together first. Since they are a low solids epoxy, they roll on just like paint.
Mark says
Thanks for those recommendations Shea. Did 2 part epoxy paint for floors even exist pre-2006? I know my floor was painted prior to that.
Thanks
Shea says
Yes they did Mark. They’ve been around for quite a while.
Mark says
Thanks Shea,
You know I looked at the 2 part epoxy’s and clearly they require more time to dry. I am moving to Carson City, NV and I have one week (first week of May) to address the garage before moving in some personal belongings. At this time of year, temperatures swings are 35-75 as this is high desert. Only Drylock recommends painting in these conditions (see below).
I guess its a case of not only getting what you pay for but getting what you wait for. If I wait for higher temperatures, I would have to move a lot of heavy garage furniture I plan to install that would be hard to paint under (and yes, I am a perfectionist). Hopefully the E1 works well enough.
Thanks,
Mark
Vendor temperature recommendations:
Drylock:
Air and surface temperature must be above 50°F-90°F during application and for a minimum of 4 hours after application.
Rustoleum:
Do not apply coating if night time temperature is expected to drop below a low of 65°F (18.3°C). For best results, temperatures should not drop below 65°F for 24-48 hours after applying the coating
QuikRete:
Do not apply if rain, heavy dew, or temperatures outside of 50to 90oF (10 to 32oC) are expected within 24 hours.
Shea says
Yep, that’s correct Mark. We hope it works well for you!