I am so excited to share with you this post on the epoxy garage floor project and how you can save thousands of dollars by doing it yourself! This garage floor coating project has been a to-do on my project list for so long. I felt intimated at first, but I am here to tell you if I can do it, you can do it! Let’s get right into it!
Garage Clean-Out
In order for you to start this epoxy garage floor project, your garage space needs to be completely empty. We have a standard two-car garage and it was a total disaster. Matt took time to purge, clean out and donate as much of the clutter as he could.
I would say dedicate a weekend for this project but depending on how much clutter you have in your garage, you may need another day or two. Also, I was working on one side of the garage alone – Matt and the girls were away on a church retreat by the time I started. So if you have an extra pair of hands this project will go quicker.
Tip: If you are not planning on painting the entire garage all in one weekend, make sure you lay down tape between the halves. The reason being – there might be a slight color variation between paint bags in the kits. So instead of having uneven brush strokes, you have a clean line that is easier on the eyes.
Steps for Epoxy Garage Floor
Gather Your Materials
Save yourself time and make sure to gather all the materials before you begin the epoxy garage floor project. These trips back and forth to Lowe’s took time but could have been avoided if I had gathered everything I needed in advance. Click here to shop the materials you will need or click on the image below.
Tip: Do not get a cheap squeegee or scrubber brush. These are the two items you will use the most in your prepping.
Clean Garage Floor
Get your leaf blower and blow out all that debris and dust. Then get your power washer – or manually give your garage floor a good hot water and soap scrub. You want to make sure the floor is dust, debris and dirt free. Which brings me to another point – check the weather forecast. If you end up on a super windy day, this may complicate the epoxy garage floor project a bit.
Etching and Degreasing Garage Floor
An important and absolute must step in the epoxy garage floor project is prepping the concrete well.
Etching is a deep cleaning process that maximizes the bond between the paint and the concrete. Etching makes the concrete feel like sandpaper and allows the paint to adhere to the surface.
You also want to degrease to remove grease and oil stains from your garage floor.
Now to save myself a step, I found a product called Quick Prep that etches and degreases simultaneously. The epoxy kit does come with its own etching but I decided to use this instead. Just follow the directions well.
Repair Cracks and Holes
This step may be optional if you do not have substantial cracks or holes in your concrete. I had superficial ones that got covered with the epoxy paint. But if you have substantial ones, I recommend using this product – Rust-Oleum Concrete Repair – as I had heard it is fairly easy to use and apply. Make sure to follow drying time directions before you move on to painting!
Time to Epoxy the Garage Floor
This is the fun and easy part if you can believe it. I highly recommend the kit I used – Rust-Oleum RockSolid Garage Floor Coating Kit in Dark Gray High Gloss. This is known to be 20 times stronger than the regular epoxy paint. The kit comes in 2.5 car garage or 1 car garage options. And it includes color chips but I purchased additional ones just in case.
Follow directions to the detail! The directions call for 2-3 minutes kneading the paint bag and I did it for 3 minutes to make sure paint coverage will be even. Don’t get too excited and skip or skimp on directions. The better you follow them, the better the application will be. Just trust me on this.
Once you open the paint bag, you need to move fast. This paint has a drying max time of one hour I believe depending on the temperature. Once you open the paint bag, it is a done deal and you have to paint now!
I used the roller brush that came with the kit. I just screwed it on to an existing broom/scrubber handle I had. You can apply the paint directly from the bag to the floor in one vertical line and work your way outward instead of inward so you don’t paint yourself in a corner. It does help if you have someone throwing down the color chips while you are painting. As you are laying down the next vertical line of paint, make sure it is not too close to where you laid down the color chips last – or you will end up painting over the color chips themselves.
Once done, stand back and admire your creation! Do a happy dance and brag about this epoxy garage project to all your friends. You definitely deserve it.
Apply Clear Coat to Epoxy Garage Floor
An optional step – that I did not do – is applying a clear finish coat for extra durability and protection. I linked Rust-Oleum Epoxy Shield Clear Finish in case you want to do this. I am still debating because the paint itself is far stronger on its own.
And with that, I hope this gets you excited to tackle this project if you have been avoiding it. You can totally do it on your own and you will save yourself thousands of dollars!
For more home projects and decor, check out my other posts here.
