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Due to the numerous emails, comment questions, and some unfortunate mistakes made when purchasing clear top coats for garage floor coatings, we have decided to post this article to help clear things up (no pun intended). Our objective here is to prevent some of the confusion, disappointment, and poor results some people have encountered when choosing a clear coat.
As a refresher, clear top coats have many advantages when applied to a garage floor coating. Besides creating a nice, semi-gloss to glossy finish to your color coat, clear coats lock-in and protect the color flakes and act as a sacrificial layer that protects the underlying base color coat.
The problem, however, is that some people are unknowingly purchasing the wrong product, poor product, or trying to apply a clear coat to paint.
No Clear Coats for Garage Floor Paint
The first mistake is purchasing latex acrylic garage floor paint or 1-Part epoxy paint for your garage floor with the intention of applying a clear coat to it. Paint for concrete is designed as a one-and-done product.
Technically, paint is not a coating. Unfortunately, marketing practices by the large companies that produce these products intentionally do not make that very clear, especially when they call it epoxy paint. Coatings actually seal the concrete of your garage floor while paint does not. Read here for more information about the difference between paint and coatings.
The main reason that most clear coats will not work with paint is because the majority are solvent based or has some form of solvents in it. The moment that you apply it to your water based latex garage floor paint, the paint can soften and sometimes even bleed into the clear as you are applying it.
Technically you can rough up the surface of latex paint after it has dried and apply a water based epoxy clear to it. The issue though is that it doesn’t make much sense to do so in most cases. Water based epoxy clears are generally three times more expensive than paint. If you are going to spend the money for an epoxy clear coat, you should also apply an epoxy coating to the concrete initially and not paint.
Some of these paint companies do offer an acrylic clear that can be applied to paint. Do not use it! These acrylic clear coats are water based and inferior for garage use.
They are designed for foot traffic such as patios and walk ways. They will soften, smudge, and peel the moment you spill any gasoline or brake fluid on it. Most petroleum based products such as oil or transmission fluid can cause it tor break down if it sits on it for more than a small length of time as well.
Unfortunately we have seen some online vendors of actual 2-Part epoxy garage floor coatings offer what they call a “clear glaze coat” for a clear coat. This is an acrylic product as well and people often complain of the poor performance. Again, we recommend not to use it.
Home Improvement Centers Don’t Sell Clear Coats
With some exceptions, home improvement centers and hardware stores do not offer the proper clear coats for concrete coatings. They do a good job of carrying the traditional DIY epoxy garage floor kits, but most do not carry the manufacturer’s optional clear coat to go with them. Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield and Quikrete are good examples. You generally need to special order the clear coat from the stores or purchase them from vendors on line.
We have noticed that this trend is slowly changing however. Home Depot, for example, has started carrying RockSolid’s new Polycuramine garage floor coatings and some sell the optional clear coat to go with it. Lowes sells the Valspar line of garage floor epoxy kits with the optional clear epoxy as well.
What they don’t carry at all is the commercial quality polyurethane and polyurea clear coats as well as the high solids commercial quality epoxy clear coats. We suggest reading our article on how to choose a clear top coat to get a better idea about the difference in clear coats and which type may be best for you.
As a rule, home improvement centers in general are not the best place to start your search and gather information for garage floor coatings. While they may have the product that you ultimately decide is best for you, do not rely on the information that they may provide. This article will help to explain why.
Don’t Buy Polyurethane For Wood Floors
This is an unfortunate mistake that we’ve received quite a few emails about. While we applaud the fact that these people took the time to research and learn that polyurethane has many advantages over epoxy, they didn’t take the time to read the product label of the polyurethane that they purchased and applied to their garage floor coating.
Can you guess where these polyurethane coatings were purchased? You got it — home improvement centers and hardware stores.
The polyurethane we are referring to are the water based and oil based polyurethane for wood floors and furniture. Varathane and Minwax are good examples.
This type of polyurethane is not compatible with epoxy and certainly not compatible with concrete for that matter. If applied to epoxy during the recoat window, you will end up with a yellow tinted mess that you will need to scrape up off the surface. If you are lucky, it will not have contaminated the epoxy color coat in the process.
Where Can I Buy A Clear Top Coat For My Garage Floor Coating?
If you want a clear top coat and are thinking of purchasing a traditional garage floor epoxy kit from a home improvement center, verify first that the clear coat is available from them. If not, here are some epoxy clear coat examples from Amazon that are available.
The higher performance clear coats such as polyurethane and polyurea are generally purchased through concrete coating vendors online. Many of our sponsors are good examples. These vendors specialize in concrete coatings and carry a wide variety of quality products. They specialize in garage floor coatings and are a great source of information as well.
Sherwin Williams is another source if you are looking for a brick and mortar store to purchase from. They won’t sell their best commercial quality product to the general consumer, but they do carry some good quality epoxy and polyurethane coatings for residential use.
The reason you will not find commercial quality epoxy and clear coatings at home improvement centers and hardware stores is for the simple fact they require some attention to detail to apply properly. They cannot provide the type of assistance and information required for applying these types of coatings. Most kits offered by major retailers are designed to be easily applied. This is why the quality isn’t the best when compared to product offered by the specialty vendors.
Final Tips
If you are considering a particular type of garage floor coating and are unsure about your clear coat options for that product, take advantage of the toll free number that the manufacturer provides and ask for assistance.
Stay within the manufacturer line. For example, if you apply a garage floor coating by Rust-Oleum, then the Rust-Oleum clear coat will work with your coating. This insures that you will not have any compatibility issues with your clear top coat.
If you opt for a higher performance clear coat such as polyurethane or polyurea, contact the vendor you are interested in and ask about compatibility.
If you are considering the higher performance garage floor coatings available from online vendors, take advantage of their knowledge and experience. Give them a call or email them for information. They can help qualify you and provide options based on your needs. Plus, they are great for assisting you with questions about application and concrete preparation.
Finally, if you ever have the slightest doubt about your clear top coat options, compatibility, or application, make sure to seek help from the vendor or manufacturer before you make your purchase. That way you are insured a successful outcome instead of a poor and potentially costly experience.
It’s funny that this article now says not to use a 1-part epoxy “coating” when another article lists it as an option and doesn’t mention these problems. I used this 1-part epoxy after reading an article on this website and now this other article on the same website tells me that it’s useless.
Hello Sam. We are not sure what article you are referring to where we state that clear coating “paint” is an option? We do discuss the best 1-part epoxy paint that we recommend in this article here, but it specifically states in the article that it is not intended for clear coats. Also, nowhere in our articles do we state that clear coats are recommended on paint. In addition, we point out in many of our articles that paint is not a coating.
I used Rust-Oleum’s coating kit for my garage. However, there were areas that the concrete absorbed more than others, and now it reflects the light differently because their wasn’t a thick enough layer of the epoxy resin.
I have already laid down the flakes, but the difference in reflection and overall finish of the epoxy coating (some areas still feel like concrete) is quite noticeable.
Is there a recommended clear epoxy resin that I can use as an additional coat to help do a proper seal?
Hi L.R. Rust-Oleum has an EpoxyShield Clear Coat that you can use. However, it’s not going to change the look of the color coat. It’s just going to add a layer of clear over it. If you want a color coat with uniform color and tone, it will require applying another color coat first.
Hello. I appreciate your article and all of the information provided. I actually ended up reading about 4 of your articles as I was following different links.
I want to apply a 2 part epoxy over a latex painted garage floor. Is that possible with out having to remove all of the latex paint? Is there an epoxy primer and, if so, would that be an option to help the 2 part epoxy adhere better?
Hello Mitch. It can be done with the proper prep, however, we highly advise against it and recommend removing the paint via grinding. One of the benefits of high quality coatings is that they adhere so much better to concrete than paint. Because a floor coating is only as good as what it is attached to, the resistance of future peeling and hot tire lift of your new coating system would be entirely dependent on the latex paint (not good). It’s like building a nice house on a sand foundation. If want to apply it over the paint anyways, it would require sanding the surface with 120 grit sandpaper first in order for the coating to bond to the paint.
Hello. Thank you for the advice. What if I was applying epoxy over epoxy? Should I worry about that too?
By the way, you guys are great! Thank you so much.
Epoxy over epoxy is fine, Mitch. When putting a system together it’s best to stay with the same manufacturer if you can, but sometimes that is not possible depending on the system. Resinous coatings achieve a chemical bond with additional coatings when applied within a specified recoat window (typically 24 hours). This bond can be stronger than a mechanical bond. If applying an additional outside the recoat, then it will require deglossing of the surface first via sanding.
What “Clear Coat” can I apply over “Pebble Sone?”
Hello Steven. 100% solids epoxy clear is typically used with pebble stone for application. It would also be the type of epoxy required to coat over the pebbles for indoor applications if you desire. However, it cannot be applied as a clear coating over it if it’s an outdoor application. Epoxy is not U.V. stable and will amber and chalk up with that much exposed to sunlight.
So is there anything clear I can use on Pebble Stone outdoors?
What you can use is a clear acrylic sealer. Acrylics are U.V. stable and will not amber. MMA acrylics are the most durable and what we would recommend. Here is an example. Keep in mind that acrylic sealers go on thin – thin to win. You generally apply two coats. Acrylics are not used to fill voids and level a rough surface.
I’m going to paint my basement with the epoxy shield basement kit from rust-oleum. My floor has been ground and cracks filled with their patch kit.
I’m also going to treat the concrete with radon seal to help with any water permeation .Shouldd I use a primer first before the epoxy shield?
Hello Terry. The only proper primer for a base epoxy color coat is an epoxy coating primer. These are not to be confused with concrete bonding primers which are only latex acrylic paint and not compatible with epoxy. These epoxy primers are not available from home improvement centers and are higher quality than Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield. You would be better off applying two coats of EpoxyShield (the first would act as a primer) if your goal is to get even color uniformity due to the repairs that have been made.
Can I use different brand of sealer over another brand
Hi Bob. We need more information than that. What sealers exactly are you referring to?
Hi, I just coated my garage floor with Rust-Oleum RockSolid polycuramine kit. They make a clear top coat to go with this kit however, I’m wondering if this is necessary and/or highly recommended? Has anyone had experience with the RockSolid coating without a clear coat? On one side, I don’t want to risk ruining the floor by not protecting it with a clear but then again if it’s pretty darn durable without the clear, I don’t want to waste time and money adding the top coat.
Hi Raz. A clear coat is recommended, but not required. It acts as the sacrificial layer and protects the color coat. This article here explains more.
Hello,
I am in the process of painting my garage floor. I have finished all of the prep work and painted the floor with 1 part epoxy garage floor paint yesterday. I am not happy with the outcome (streaky and too light of coverage). I will be applying a second coat tonight. I wish I would have done more research before doing all of this work. I wish that the floor had a thicker, more glossy finish. I appreciate your article because I was considering buying a gloss to put on top of my paint but now see that it is not recommended. I will not be parking a car in my garage as I intend to use it more of a game room (ping pong, air hockey, pool, darts). Do you have any advice as to any final product I could use to add a glossy finish? or should I just leave it alone after the 2nd coat of 1 part epoxy garage floor paint?
Hi Brenda. Yes, 1-part epoxy paint is not glossy. It has more of a semi-gloss to satin look. After the second coat is applied and has dried a couple of days, you can rough up the surface with 120 grit sandpaper and apply a water-based epoxy or polyurethane. Don’t use a solvent-based clear or it may cause the paint to bleed. The polyurethane is more water clear and will more glossy than the epoxy, but it is more expensive. Here is an example of water-based polyurethane for concrete coatings. DO NOT confuse polyurethane for wood floors with concrete coatings. More than one person has gone to their local home improvement center and bought polyurethane for wood and had a mess on their hands.
Thank you for the article, was very helpful. I did see where you suggested to stay within the manufactures product line. I put down performance epoxy coat is it turned out amazing, absolutely perfect but i did not get the clear top coat, don’t ask me why. Now i am scrambling to find a clear coat as i don’t want to sand and scuff this up and wait for the clear from original company. What would you suggest. 8 was thinking the rust oleum but not sure.
Thanks, Dave
Hi David. An important rule when applying a clear coat is that the coating should perform just as well, if not better, than color coat. If you applied a high performance epoxy, chances are that the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield clear coat is not going to provide the same protection, nor be as glossy as the color coat you applied. You will effective reduce the gloss and the wear resistance of your coating system.
We just had a concrete floor contractor refinish our garage floors. He did a 2 part high solid in black with black grey white and chrome flake. At the time I turned down the clear coat layer. I’ve now had second thoughts and would like to do it since I consistently keep brining chrome flakes into the house. I’ve determined I can probably accomplish this top coat myself. Can you recommend any particular products top coat wise that I should be looking for? I have a Lowe’s, HD, and sherwin locally. I’m not sure of the brand that he applied all I was told is it’s for commercial buildings and airplane hangers. Any top coat and application methods suggestions would be much appreciated.
Hello Doug. Applying a clear coat is going to require that you degloss and rough up the surface with 120 grit sandpaper in order for the clear to adhere properly. You are going to loose some flakes in the process. Once swept / vacuumed, wipe the surface down with denatured alcohol on a microfiber mop pad. Your local home improvement stores do not carry quality commercial product. It’s all DIY residential quality and does not compare. The general rule of coatings is that the clear top coat should perform just as well if not better than the color coat. Sherwin-Williams carries a moisture cured polyurethane called ArmorSeal Rexthane. It would be better than anything you can find at a home improvement center, but it’s still not considered a top quality clear coat. We would recommend purchasing a polyurethane or single-part polyurea clear from an actual concrete coating vendor that sells commercial coatings.