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If you ask a person who has used a Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield or Quikrete garage floor epoxy paint kit to give you a review, you will get a different answer almost every time. Many people do not have kind words for these kits. They complain of the epoxy paint peeling up fairly quickly or of the coating itself wearing out in places. There are times however when Rust-Oleum or Quikrete don’t always deserve the bad reviews that they receive.
These kits of course are the ones you can purchase from your local home improvement center or online for $65 to $75. This one here is a good example from Amazon. They are water based, you generally have a choice of tan or gray colors, and they even have decorative paint chips to toss onto the surface. All of these kits will include some form of a citrus acid etch and cleaning solution for the concrete.
So why are so many people unhappy and bringing the reputation of these epoxy paints into question? The answer lies partly in people’s expectations, their lack of knowledge on how epoxy paint works, and the marketing of the paint kits themselves.
So why the problems with Rust-Oleum and Quikrete?
When the decision has been made to upgrade the protection and looks of the garage floor, some don’t want to break the bank or are on a budget which is understandable. When they visit their local home improvement store to see what paint is available, they may be advised on the added benefits of epoxy instead.
They are then pointed to the epoxy paint kits instead of the standard latex acrylic garage floor paint. Once they see the nice shiny picture on the box promising a beautiful epoxied floor that goes on with ease, they spend a little more money expecting the long lasting and durable coating that is advertised on the box.
The other scenario is the online shopper looking for a deal on epoxy floor coating products. They find great deals online for these epoxy garage floor paint kits with all the promises of a beautiful epoxy floor for less than half the price of other epoxy systems. They then make the purchase not really knowing what they are getting.
So, what are they getting? Both the Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield and Quikrete epoxy paint is an actual 2-part water based epoxy coating — one part is a tinted epoxide resin and the second part is a polyamine hardener. Both have approximately a 50% solids content by volume with the remaining being water. The water acts as a carrier agent for the epoxy and allows it to be applied very easily, just like paint and that is why they are marketed as such.
What happens, however, is this water base evaporates as the epoxy cures and what you are left with is just over 50% of what originally went on the concrete. Actual dry film thickness is approximately 3 mils for the Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield product and 2.4 mils for Quikrete.
————- Epoxy Review Update ————-
Due to the amount of questions we have received, we want to update this article to include the Valspar garage flooring kit as well. It falls into the same category as EpoxyShield and Quikrete. The Valspar product is a water based 2-part epoxy paint kit that cures to a dry film thickness of 1.5 mils.
Lowes generally carries this line, but you can find it here from Amazon and usually at a much better price.
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A better quality kit that is more expensive but doesn’t get as many bad reviews would be the Rust-Oleum Professional Series epoxy. The Professional series is solvent based instead of water based.
Best yet would be a higher quality epoxy that has up to 100% solids with no VOC’s to worry about. It’s more difficult to work with and you have a shorter period in which to do it, but when it cures, very little evaporates and what you have left is 100% of the product on your floor. As an example, epoxy paint is on average 2.5 mils thick when cured and 100% solids epoxy is 9 to 12 mils thick.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Rust-Oleum and Quikrete epoxy paint is a one coat product with a semi-gloss finish, where as commercial epoxy systems are a minimum of three coats with at least one of those being a glossy clear coat. This is what gives epoxy floors their shine and depth.
So as you can see, there is a big difference between a one coat product such as the Rust-Oleum or Quikrete epoxy and the much thicker and more expensive multi-coat system of commercial epoxy floors. You cannot expect to get the same protection, durability, and shine from these simple one coat kits that you do from a higher quality commercial product.
The big issue though is that many home owners are not aware of these differences in epoxy floors and expect the best from the lesser expensive kits.
This video is a good and honest evaluation of the typical DIY epoxy paint kits you can purchase from home improvement centers
Another problem is poor preparation of the floor when these kits are installed. This is probably the biggest mistake that is made. The pores of the concrete surface need to be exposed in order for epoxy to mechanically bond to it. This is called profiling the concrete. Rust-Oleum and Quikrete both give you a citrus acid cleaning solution to use on the concrete to help expose these pores, but the problem is that it’s not always effective. Many times you need something stronger such as muriatic acid to etch the floor.
A few drops of water on various spots of the floor can test this. If the concrete turns dark and immediately absorbs the water, then the concrete is profiled correctly. If it sits there without absorbing right away, the pores are not exposed and the epoxy will not bond well.
Poor profiling of the concrete is what causes the delamination or peeling of the epoxy paint within a few weeks or months. The pores of the concrete must be exposed and be free of all oils and dust. It takes more work to prep the floor than it does to apply the epoxy paint. Poor floor preparation is the cause of most bad coatings.
Can we recommend Rust-Oleum or Quikrete epoxy paint?
So, are the Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield and Quikrete garage floor epoxy paint kits truly bad? No, not necessarily. If you properly prepare your floor then you should be satisfied with the results as long as you are aware that what you are applying is not the same as a commercial epoxy coating. There are many people who have done just that and give great reviews about their floors.
For additional protection and a longer lasting floor coating, you can purchase an optional second coat of clear epoxy which will enhance the look and prolong the protection of the floor by doubling the thickness. The average life expectancy of these floors is 3 – 5 years before they start to show their age and even longer if you apply a second coat of clear.
Dollar for dollar, Rust-Oleum and Quickrete epoxy paint cannot compete with a commercial quality epoxy coating when you cost average your floor over years of service, but if you are on a budget, then these just might be the product you are looking for. In fact, there are actually more satisfied customers who have purchased these products and would recommend them again, than there are bad reviews. Just be sure that you know what to expect.
I did my garage floor 1 1/2 years ago and the color is starting to fade I cleaned it last week and i actually left a foot print with my shoe. I don`t understand what is happening. I was very pleased till now and I don`t know what to do.
Hi James. What epoxy product did you use exactly and what did you clean the floor with?
Used Rustoleum epoxy garage floor paint and am very disappointed. Many areas of discoloration are present. Followed directions very carefully.
Hi Dan. Discoloration is usually caused from one or two things – sometimes both. The first and most common is from not following coverage rates. Coatings can’t be stretched at all or they get too thin and discoloration results. The other is having concrete that is more porous in areas. Most of the DIY coatings you can purchase at a home improvement center are thin to begin with. If the concrete is more porous in areas it will absorb more of the coating which results in too thin of a coating. This is despite following the proper coverage rates. When either of these two things occur, the only way to make it look like it should is to apply another coat.
I bought Behr wet look sealer and it made it look much better.
Yikes… OK. The Behr wet look sealer is just a water-based acrylic coating. It does not hold up well in an automotive environment. Hopefully you won’t have any issues with it anytime soon.
I talked with the representative and was told this is designed to go over epoxy garage floor coating.
Yes, technically it can go over epoxy or paint. It doesn’t mean it’s the correct product to choose though for your floor coating project. Unfortunately, many of the representatives for the national brand companies that sell DIY products only know what will work with the product they carry. They don’t have first hand knowledge of the proper type of coatings to use for particular projects and as a result, they ultimately provide bad information for homeowners. For future reference, whenever applying a clear coat to an epoxy coating the clear coat should be of same quality or greater in order to protect the color coat and keep the same or improve better overall performance of the coating. You would have have been much better off to apply the Rust-Oleum clear epoxy. Acrylic coatings are much less durable than epoxy, particularly water-based. As a result, the acrylic clear will wear faster and have inferior chemical and stain resistance as the colored epoxy, thus downgrading how well the surface will perform. Hopefully it will do OK for you in the short run.
Could I use garage floor epoxy on a bar top in my basement
Hi Marc. It depends on the bar top material, what you expect the epoxy to do for you, and what percentage of solids garage epoxy you had in mind. There are 100% solids epoxy specially formulated for bar tops only. Many garage floor epoxy kits do not have a high enough solids content to just pour it out on a bar top.
Hi, Marc, thanks for your time and trouble in advance. I ripped up carpet and prepared the slab of the concrete floors in my living/dining areas 23 years ago with solid guidance from a pro: Muriatic acid, cracks/nail holes filled and sanded, then a base layer of epoxy, then faux marbling, then a clear layer of epoxy on that. I used a two-part epoxy resin product made by Coronado, and it’s held up remarkably well, only dulled a bit over the years. I’d like to clean, lightly sand, and wipe with denatured alcohol, then apply a fresh coat of epoxy to bring back the gloss but can’t find the same product on the market. What would you recommend? I can send a photo if you’d like.
Hi Kim. We are assuming this is indoors? If so, we would recommend using a 100% solids epoxy clear coat. 100% solids does not have the solvents in it as a carrier agent that can create VOC’s and bad smells. It’s also very glossy and goes down thick. Just be aware that you have an approximate 30 minute pot life. Another good option for indoors would be one of the newer high-performance water-based polyurethane concrete coatings. They are easier to apply. Though thinner than epoxy, they actually will wear better. This is an example.
Hi Shea, I really appreciate your effort keeping this discussion forum alive. I have a question. I purchased and applied Rustoleum EpoxyShield in my workshop and am now going to do my garage. My workshop and garage are 6 months old, never used. My concern is that the painters never used dropcloths and sprayed the baseboard all the way around with about 4 inches overlapping on the concrete. I etched the entire floor including the painted 4 inch strip. I though that I’d be ok not stripping the over spray paint because its in a not-traffic area. Am i going to have peeling in a few years? I’d like to not have to strip the over spray in my garage before I do it. Your thoughts?
Hi William. Etching does not do anything to paint. It only works on concrete. What you need to do is sand those painted strips with some 60-80 grit sandpaper. This will rough up the paint enough for the epoxy to take hold. As long as the overspray is adhered well, you shouldn’t have any problems with peeling since it’s a non traffic area.
Thanks, i was hoping you’d say that. Another question. I actually have 3 different areas that i want to cover. 1 a workshop, 2 a garage for motorcycles and bikes and a garage for 2 cars. How important is it that i now apply a top clearcoat?
Clear topcoats are not required, William, but they are recommended. This article here explains why.
Hi, my garage floor was painted by the previous owners. I would like to do the epoxy floor, but am concerned that whatever solution I choose, it will not stick because of the old paint? It is wearing in places and seems as though it was not done correctly. What do you recommend for preparation and what type of product would work best in this case.
Hi Jeff. Whenever an older coating is suspect, it needs to be removing via grinding. If not, then the new coating may just peel up with old. We have an article here about grinding. For removing coatings, we recommend using the 10″ Edco grinder.
HI I used the Rust Oleum professional epoxy from Menards almost 20 years ago on a 60×40 service shop. I don’t believe the name of it at that time was professional Rust Oleum. I know it was about twice the money then the garage coating and came in two parts. Both were gallon size containers. I see they now have a gallon and a smaller container for the reactor. After 20 years it has not peeled anywhere!
Very slight fading and it has had heavy use. I believe the prepping with Muriatic acid and the fact it was new concrete were the big factors in its durability. Also waited 2 months for complete cure of the cement before application.
That’s great to hear, Gaige. Most likely it was a high solids or 100% solids epoxy.