Should I apply a clear top coat to my epoxy garage floor coating? This is a reasonable question that pops up from time to time for the average DIY’er looking to save some money. The real question, however, is why wouldn’t you apply a clear coat? After all, there are many benefits to adding a clear top coat over the color coat for a garage floor.
Anyone who has installed a garage floor coating properly will tell you that the hardest and most time-consuming part is prepping the floor for the epoxy. Applying the epoxy goes fast. For many, it is the fun part of the job. So after all that work of getting the concrete ready, you should consider spending a little more time and money to ensure a longer-lasting and even more beautiful floor coating.
There are various clear coating options to choose from. However, the one rule to keep in mind is that the clear coat should perform just as well if not better than the color coat. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the top 10 reasons why you should apply a clear topcoat to your epoxy garage floor.
1. Adds durability and wear
A proper clear coat will extend the life and add durability to your garage floor coating. Depending on the type of clear used, it can provide better stain and chemical resistance than the color coat. Lastly, the additional coat adds thickness to the floor coating to absorb impacts better and reduce any chance of hot tire pickup.
2. Protects the color coat
A clear coat acts as a sacrificial layer to protect the epoxy color coat. Without it, the color coat can lose its luster from wear. Though resistant to most chemicals, some oil spills or leaks allowed to sit for long periods can discolor the coating depending on the quality of the color coat applied.
3. Protects the color flakes
If you apply paint chips or color flakes to your floor, the clear coat will lock them in and protect them from peeling up and collecting dirt at the edges. Cleaning the floor and other activities can cause color flakes to pull up or chip away. When a clear coat is added, the color flakes are protected by the clear coat layer.
4. It is easier to clean
A clear coat makes a garage floor coating easier to clean. Dust mops and microfiber mop pads can glide over the floor coating without catching color flakes. This is especially true if you have a heavy flake coverage on your floor. It also allows for scrubbing without the worry of losing color flakes or dulling the color coat.
5. A Clear topcoat Adds depth to the floor coating
The additional layer of a clear topcoat adds depth to the look of the garage floor coating. This creates a richer-looking surface that appears more luxurious and thicker than it is.
6. It Creates a glossier looking finish
A clear coat will add a glossy shine to the floor coating and reflect light better than the color coat.
This is a great benefit when working on projects in the garage or automotive maintenance. The additional light reflection will brighten up your garage space. You may not need to purchase more overhead lighting or as much as you thought you might need.
7. A Clear Coat hides scratches better
All garage floor coatings will develop microscopic and sometimes larger scratches on the surface. A clear top coat helps to hide or camouflage these scratches so they are less noticeable and do not detract from the coating’s appearance. It does this by effectively acting as the sacrificial layer to prevent the color coat from being scratched which is much more obvious.
8. It’s a good medium for anti-slip additives
Anti-slip additives are hidden much better in a clear coat. Because most anti-slip media is translucent in color they will not stand out. Without a clear topcoat, they are added to the color coat instead. This makes the anti-slip granules much more visible as little bumps resembling sandpaper on the garage floor.
Furthermore, anti-slip media is more effective in clear coats. This is because many clear coat options are thinner in dry film thickness which allows the anti-slip media to protrude more. When used in thicker color coats, it does not protrude as much and is less effective.
9. Can be recoated to look new again
After many years of use, an epoxy garage floor coating can start to show its age depending on how much activity it has seen. If it has a clear topcoat, it can easily be roughed up with sandpaper to have a new coat of clear applied.
The sanding of the old top coat removes any blemishes, scratches, and other imperfections that the clear coating acquired over the years. Once the new clear coat is applied, your garage floor coating will look brand new again.
10. Clear topcoats just look awesome!
When you compare an epoxy floor coating with a clear coat to one that does not, there is no question about which looks better. The clear coat gives the garage floor that extra depth and showroom shine that screams “Look at me!”
If you’re on the fence about whether or not to add a clear topcoat to your garage floor coating, think about all the benefits it will provide in the long term. Yes, it will cost a little more money and yes, it may mean one more day of being without your garage. However, once you add a clear coat, you will be rewarded with a garage floor to be proud of for years to come. You will be glad you did it!
Update – Please read
Clear coats are designed for application over 2-part resinous coatings and single-part thermosetting resinous coatings. Do not confuse garage floor paint or 1-part epoxy paint as a garage floor coating. These are very thin acrylic latex paints that will not form a chemical bond with a resinous coating. Please read our article about applying clear coats over paint if this is your plan.
Hello,
Thanks for all the helpful information! We got a bad batch of clear Top Coat (Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield
90 oz. Clear High-Gloss 2-Part Epoxy Interior Low VOC Premium Concrete Garage Floor Top Coat Kit (2-Pack)). The first pack had large rocks of sediment. We tried to break it down, but there were still small pockets of sediment (i.e. a few millimeters thick). When we got to the second pack, there were no rocks. That’s when we realized that the first pack must have been a bad batch. We finished our floor and now we see a bunch of those small sediment rocks throughout. It looks like bubbles and you can feel the raised surface as well. We’re thinking about putting another clear Top Coat on top of the bubbled Top Coat. We’ll still see the bubbles, but we’re hoping it’ll at least be a smoother surface.
1. Do you think that would work (i.e. second clear Top Coat would even things out to make a smoother Top Coat)?
2. Do we need to apply the second clear Top Coat ASAP? We applied the first coat on Thursday and it’s now Saturday.
3. Do we need to do anything to the first Top Coat before applying the second Top Coat (e.g. sanding, etc.)? Or can we just apply it now since it’s recently done/dried.
Rust-Oleum customer service is closed over the weekend and we’re worried we need to do something ASAP. If you see this message, we’d greatly appreciate any advice!
Thank you!
Danny
Hi Danny. It sounds like the resin pack crystalized in chunks. Rust-Oleum allows up to 4 days to recoat. However, I can’t tell you for sure if a second coat will smooth over those bumps without knowing the size of them. It may be worth your wait to contact Rust-Oleum on Monday. They have good customer service and it would not surprise us if they sent you a new kit at no charge. If you wait, it will require that you degloss the surface with 120 grit sandpaper first. Sweep/vac and then wipe the surface down with denatured alcohol (or equivalent) applied liberally to a microfiber mop pad. The sanding would allow you to smooth down the chunks and make the floor look better.
My wife and I put down epoxyshield 2 part “basement” on our basement concrete 4 days ago
Can we do a clear coat on our basement floor? What product would you recommend?
Hi Jordon. Yes, you can apply the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Premium Clear Coat. It’s low to no VOCs and safe for use in the basement. This is due to the 100% solids formulation. It may be hard to find at your local home improvement center. You can purchase it here from Amazon. The recoat window for Rust-Oleum Epoxy is four days. If it’s more than four days, you will need to scuff up and degloss the surface of the current coating with 120 grit sandpaper before applying the clear coat.
So should it rest for 4 days following the application of the poly products to my epoxy covered garage floor?
Hi David. You need to wait 24 hours before walking on it, 48 hours before moving things onto it, and 4-5 days before driving on it.
Is one coat of the epoxy sealer ok?
Hello Steve. Yes, one coat of clear is fine for a light to medium broadcast of color flakes or no flakes. The clear coat is the wear coat and sacrificial layer that protects the color coat and color flakes. It does not need to be thick.
Is EpoxyShield 2-part with a coat of EpoxyShield clear the most economical way to achieve glossy sealed surface in the basement? Are there products that provide better value per dollar? I’ve read numerous of your articles on the topic, and there are much better products, including pro-grade stuff. They are something I would consider for a garage floor due to durability and chemical resistance requirements, but for a basement, I just want a nice shiny floor for the best price.
Hi MJ. Floor coatings that will only experience foot traffic don’t need to be as robust as those that experience vehicle traffic and all the other activities that may take place in a garage environment. The most important about applying a coating indoors, particularly in a basement, is that it needs to be low in VOCs or it can stink up a house for days. This article here explains more. Also, make sure to test for moisture when applying coatings in a basement.
To answer your original question, the EpoxyShield color coat and clear coat are low-VOC coatings and safe to apply indoors. However, the color coat is water-based and does not provide a glossy sheen, despite what Rust-Oleum wants you to believe. This is true of all water-based epoxy. It has a satin finish at best. The newly updated EpoxyShield clear coat is a 100% solids epoxy with a glossy finish and low VOC content. However, it will not make the color coat look glossy. It will be apparent that the clear coat is glossy when viewed at different angles and it will improve the overall appearance, but it will not provide a standout glossy finish if that is what you are looking for. It’s similar to applying a glossy wax coating to flat paint on a car if that helps.
If glossy is one of your primary requirements, then you may want to consider RockSolid floor coatings instead. Both the color coat and clear coat are much more glossy than EpoxyShield. Another would be DuraGrade Concrete. It is very glossy and does not require etching the concrete in most cases like other coatings.
Thanks for the answers, Shea!
So I was perusing Rust-Oleums site yesterday, and found that they explicitly call out not using their clear on basement floors in the FAQ. I was surprised by that. Do you have any idea why that might be the case?
Are RockSolid and DuraGrade also low-VOC and safe for indoors? DuraGrade has way more colors too! Seems like an interesting product, especially if I can avoid etching. The test you are referring to is taping down a square of plastic, right?
Hello MJ. The Rust-Oleum clear that you need to use is their newer 100% solids low VOC. You can view it here. It does not say to not use it in basements.
Both RockSolid and DuraGrade are low VOC coatings. DuraGrade is a higher quality product than RockSolid and is easier to apply. Taping down plastic is the initial test that can be done to check for moisture. It is ideally performed during the wet months of the year. Doing it during dry months may provide a false reading of no moisture.
I put two coats of Epoxy Seal garage and floor paint. Should I use a clear topcoat? and what kind?
what I put down is latex can I put all oil based over top of the two coats?
Hello Chery. No, you cannot apply an oil-based clear coat over paint. Those clear coats are designed for wood floors and furniture, not garage floors. In addition, they have a yellow tint. Garage floor paint is not intended for clear coats, but there is a way to make it work if you accept the fact that it may still peel up from hot tires. We have an article here that gives you the information you need to know as well as a video here.
we put a coat of epoxy paint and put the flakes on them. I do not like the flakes can we put another coat of epoxy paint and will this cover them?
Hi Jim. Yes, you can do that. However, if you are past the recoat window for the product, it will require that you first scuff up the surface with 120-150 grit sandpaper to provide a proper mechanical bond. What that recoat window is depends on the product. What product exactly did you use? Epoxy paint is a commonly used and vague term that can mean 1-part epoxy paint (latex acrylic) or an actual 2-part epoxy coating.