Two pack epoxy floor paint

[Smithy77]

I've decided to spruce up my garage and plan to use the above for the floor. Reading the archives, a lot of people recommend Watco and I have spoken to them for advice and specification. I'm slightly put off with their price though; I have also spoken to a local paint supplier and both companies are asking for well over £100 for a 4/5L can. 

Watco epoxy

Does anybody have any experience of using a cheaper variety of the same stuff?

Regal Paints or Epoxyfloorpaint.co.uk do the same stuff at considerably cheaper prices and I think I'm going to go for one of them, but I just wondered if anyone has used something similar?

Epoxyfloorpaint.co.uk also has the advantage that they sell the stuff in 2.5L cans, and because my floor is 14m2, 2.5L is the perfect amount for one coat. If I went with someone who only sells it in 5L cans, I would need to buy 10L and only use half of each can, so I can potentially save even more money here.

Cheers

[Domus]

 

As I understand it the prep must be perfect for even the most expensive stuff to stick.  The cheaper stuff will lift whatever you do.  I went for plastic floor tiles,  they are very good, make the place look good and add a bit of insulation when lying under the car.  The only prep was to sweep, and chisel off the worst of the high spots.  Done in a day and you can park on it as and when.

[simonpa]

I've not tried epoxy yet, but it's supposed to be great for floor levelling.

Preparation is all for any floor paint.
If you have bare concrete (new or old) it will need stabilising.

When we moved into our current house, we extended and laid a new garage floor (manually tamped screed).
When it had dried, all I did was sweep over with 2 coats of stabilising/dustproofing solution (5l tins from Wickes), which hardened off in a day.
I then painted with normal garage floor paint.

It's still looking good after 15 years - and I use the garage all the time.  Stands up to all sorts of fluids, plus mechanical wear (tools/trolley jacks/axle stands).

I'm looking into extending out the rear of the garage, so will probably look into epoxy levellers to keep the whole floor the same.

 

 

[Smithy77]

The cheaper stuff will lift whatever you do.

How do companies stay afloat selling goods which simply do not work? One would think, if prepped in strict accordance with the manufacturers instructions, that it should work as intended. If the difference between Watco and cheaper alternatives is it lasting 10 years instead of 20, then the cheap stuff will do me fine as I'll probably be out the house in less than 10years.

If you have bare concrete (new or old) it will need stabilising.

 

When we moved into our current house, we extended and laid a new garage floor (manually tamped screed).

When it had dried, all I did was sweep over with 2 coats of stabilising/dustproofing solution (5l tins from Wickes), which hardened off in a day.

I then painted with normal garage floor paint. - See more at: http://www.lotus7.club/forum/techtalk/two-pack-epoxy-floor-paint#sthash.3br3uKxo.dpuf

I do have bare concrete which is c.25 years old, but speaking to Watco they made no mention of 'stabilising'. All they said was thorough cleaning/degreasing, and if the surface is porous, use an epoxy primer before the top coat. Stabilising maybe only a requirement for the domestic single pack stuff...?

[Ian B]

Lidl have cheap floor paint quite regularly. No idea of the quality as never tried it, but may be worth a look?

[elie boone]

No epoxy paint should lift, unless the under ground is not correctly prepped. On bare concrete you can use an epoxy primer or put double thinner in for your first coat. then 2 normal coats, it should last forever but beware when wet is can be very slippery.

[Jonathan Kay]

I used a Firwood floor paint on top of their sealer. It hasn't lifted but it can't take the pressure of the Vespa stand. I'd use a two-pack epoxy if I were doing it again.

Jonathan

PS: Are you doing the bottom of the walls? It adds quite a lot of light under the car.

[Mark w]

Why not try Wickes floor paint . 

Its been fine in my garage , hasn't lifted and easy to apply another coat ( with a roller ) when it gets grubby . 

[pugwash]

I started thinking epoxy but in the end I used the Watco water based concrete sealer.  The one with the grey tint.  This followed a previous thread on here and I blatmailed someone who had previously used it.

i had 500sq feet to do so used 2 tins.  Floor was 10 year old dusty concrete.  I just gave it a brush and a vacuum over to get the worst dust off them poured from the tin and pushed it around with a broom.  First coat really soaked into the concrete.  Second coat flowed nicely over the top.  Dries to leave a surface that feels like it is plastic coated.  Eight months on, no lifting, I have jacked up cars on it, left cars parked on it for lengths of time, all good.  Would recommend.

 

[Paul Deslandes]

I've had 2-pack Watco epoxy on my garage floor for 11 years and it's been great.  Only minor problems were where the concrete was pretty scrappy underneath.

If you go the epoxy route, don't even consider cleaning the roller or brushes between coats, just buy cheap and chuck them away or you'll end up with a nice blue finish to the sink, to which it seems to stick even better than the concrete floor.

Paul

[Rev]

I've used epoxy and from my experience the look is exceptional and it is very easy to clean.... But!

It's dreadful stuff to work with. As has been said throw the rollers away after use. You'll never clean it.

Mix it well and then mix it again. Failure to do so means streaky odd colours.

Where the car tyres sit it can sometimes be pulled from the floor by the suction especilly if the car sits on the same spot for a while. Sticky soft compound tyres are the worsed.

It can be Very slippery when wet.

Mask off all areas well and take the tape off asap after it's dry. The edges of the walls and corners are a begger as you're doing it with a roller and then have to use brushes for the little bits and they go rock hard really quickly. And remember you'll be working against the clock, so have everything prepared before you start. The stuff sets and does not dry like paint.

One coat is not enough!!!! I ended up doing 3.

If you go that route make sure the floor has been laid and dry for a long while before applying. I had a dreadful experience when applied to soon. Hours of scrapping it off!

If I was starting over again I'd have tiled the floors now. It would have been nearly as cheap!

Hope that helps a little.

:-)

[Smithy77]

Thanks all for your input / experiences, all very useful indeed.

I currently have some c.15mm thick black foam interlocking tiles down (from the frevious house owner), and I had a look under some bits which I hadn't seen before at the weekend and they are hiding some concerning features, i) quite an uneven concrete finish (some looks quite smooth like a wood float finish, and in other areas it is quite rough where the aggregate has come to the surface/concrete surface has broken away, and ii) a large spilage of white paint which is a few mm thick in places.

I'm guessing removing the white paint would be a nightmare, so I'm now thinking whether a paint solution is the best way to go.

Perhaps a better form of (i.e. firmer) interlocking tiles to what I've got now might be a better solution? Back to the drawing board...