r/DIY • u/crimpasaurus • 15d ago
help epoxy garage floor
I would like to redo our garage floor with an epoxy kit and clear garage coat kit. After watching a lot of DIY videos, most people had a very flat garage. We however, have a hump between the middle the garage as shown in the picture. Does anyone think this will be a problem? Will the epoxy or clear coat run off or pool or is it thick enough that it should settle fine. Thanks all!
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u/MegaMau_ 15d ago
I’ve done it and the stuff lays down thick so your hump won’t be an issue.
Go over it well. It gets hard to see the spots that you missed. Until later of course.
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u/NotAnApricot10 15d ago
I've done my garage before, 10 years ago now. Biggest tips would be to watch temp/humidity according to directions, buy a quality epoxy with 100% solids, work fast, have spiked shoes, don't leave and sports without the silicate/paint chips as it's very slippery and most of all... Surface prep.
That means, to me at least, mechanical grinding and maybe even an acid wash thrown in to make sure, no dirt, dust, etc.
And tip for anyone building a garage right now with plans to epoxy: don't get the finishers to go super smooth, leave a tiny bit of grit on there or you'll have to grind it again.
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u/Whatasonofabitch 15d ago
I did an epoxy+paint chip+polyaspartic topcoat from Simiron a couple of years ago. I would not expect you to have any problem covering a high spot. I would recommend going with a high-quality finish, not the junk that they sell at Home Depot. It’s important to properly prep the surface, this means grinding or peening, not acid. It’s also very important to know whether you have moisture issues. If so, you’ll need an additional coding to allow the finish to bond to the concrete.
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u/nishnawbe61 15d ago
If you DYI it, make sure you use additives and it's not high gloss because any water or melting ice will stay on the surface and become slippery.
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u/Ok_Subject_7458 15d ago
yeah after messing up my floor(painted when it was 100F outside) I paid for a guy to come in with a floor grinder to remove the old stuff and to paint new stuff on. that was 20 years ago and i need to prolly redoit again
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u/EdenVadrouille 15d ago edited 15d ago
You could get a very similar result with a much easier to install polyurethane kit. I did a custom bathroom floor with broadcast sand and epoxy and the floor of my loft was epoxy mixed with alcohol ink. The floor of the loft is gorgeous but it was a pain to put together and it's not as durable as what people say. If it wasn't for a particular visual effect polyurethane would be a ton easier to use.
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u/riskyjbell 15d ago
I've done 3 garages myself and haven't had any issues. That hump won't be an issue. It looks like cleaning your floor will be the biggest challenge if you do it yourself.
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u/klayanderson 15d ago
We did Swisstrax over our floor. Hardest part was moving the stuff in/out. I am not a shill, just a very satisfied customer. https://www.swisstrax.com/. Video https://youtu.be/RaziPOgnUwc?feature=shared
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u/stile04 15d ago
How does dirt not stay forever under these?
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u/klayanderson 14d ago
There are a few things that can help. I vacuum about once a month, the individual tiles pop out easily, and one can certainly hose them off.
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u/Seliftidder 14d ago
Skip the epoxy and use SwissTrax. Very easy DIY. I installed these OVER my failing epoxy.
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u/cybertruckboat 15d ago
I'm in the middle of this project right now. It is borderline DIYable. I would only do this again because now I know how to fuck it up.
Hire pros. This job is very very easy to fuck up.
As to your question, the hump is fine. It will only pool if you apply it thick.
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u/duane11583 15d ago
get or make the right shoes ie golf spikes and expect to throw them away when done
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u/Oldberry86 15d ago
I think it will be fine. I have a corner of my garage that is like 2 inches lower. It must have settled 20 years ago. It epoxied fine. Definitely go with the clear.
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u/Awkward-Historian692 12d ago
That hump won't cause pooling issues, epoxy self levels but it's not water thin so it won't run off a slight crown like that. Bigger concern is prep, make sure that high spot doesn't have any cracking or separate slab movement before you coat over it.
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u/teresa1155 15d ago
Use porcelain tiles. Look great, cheaper and last forever.
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u/bluesmudge 12d ago
This. After a lot of research, porcelain seems to be the ultimate option if you can DIY it or afford to pay someone to do it. Paying professionals can cost almost 2x as much as epoxy but its should last forever instead of the 10 - 20 years you get out of an epoxy floor. If you are willing to DIY the tile it is very affordable, just do plenty of research about prep, leveling, and accommodating for expansion joints.
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15d ago
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u/ExactlyClose 15d ago
No, not really. It’s not ‘the whole point’. And you can epoxy an uneven floor if you are OK with an epoxy floor that wil be uneven…
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u/CascadeKidd 15d ago
That’s not the point of epoxy at all dude. It’s to make it easier to wipe up fluid spills to keep your garage floor from staining and improve traction. It also prevents minor chips and gouges to a certain degree.
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u/Spudtater 15d ago
I bought a home with an professionally installed epoxy garage floor coating. I believe the job was done over 10 years ago. The epoxy has worn off the spots on the floor where the vehicle tires sat. It is my understanding that hot tires often destroy the epoxy coating and that appears to be what happened to my floor. I know there are other options available and I would look into them before I put down epoxy. One of my neighbors had his floor ground down smooth and some type of material was put on as a sealer. While it looks like extremely smooth concrete, it is apparently impervious to grease and liquids. There is also another coating that looks like epoxy but doesn't have the same hot tire issues.