Garage floor epoxy colors....

You'll see water marks and tire marks on epoxy, so having some of the chip in it (as shown) will help.

Is that tan color on your floor now? I had that in my garage and it was awesome. The black or dark gray floors make it hard to see a bolt if you drop it on the floor.

Falcon wrote:

You'll see water marks and tire marks on epoxy, so having some of the chip in it (as shown) will help.

Is that tan color on your floor now? I had that in my garage and it was awesome. The black or dark gray floors make it hard to see a bolt if you drop it on the floor.

The tan color that everything is laying on is Ramboard. So you are saying the busier the better? I know it's hard to find bolts with the busier mixes, but I was hoping number 2 would be a good pick as you would be able to find nuts/bolts on it.

I did epoxy on mine but went with a light grey to keep the garage as bright as possible. That darker color does look cool though.

Has anybody used VCT? I have seen it in photos but most guys end up with epoxy.

Not that you asked but this is Vital so I'll give you info you didn't ask for....


Go with RaceDeck or SwissTraxx tiles.

Pros:
1/2 day install you can do yourself
Cheaper (I bought RaceDeck via discount as I am a member of garagejournal.com forum - I think 10% off and free shipping)
Totally customizable with many colors and flooring style. Diamond plate, button top, or vented (not sure on the official term)
Easy and cheap to repair if damaged - If you crack a tile or spill something that stains just pop in a new tile or tiles
You can take it with you if you move (if you want to)

Cons:
Not a perfectly flat surface (but pretty close)
Not the best if you're using floor jacks and lifting very heavy items (passenger cars and light duty trucks are typically not an issue)

For epoxy to be done right it takes a few days between prep and install and curing. It makes a huge mess. And nearly every person I know with epoxy has it peel up within a few years or they chip/stain the floor at some point and you just have to live with it. Spot repair isn't really a thing with epoxy.

Before:


About 5hrs later (and I have zero experience with flooring install)

I used the "Swisstrax" Floortrax in my garage. Perfectly flat surface. Over 5000 psi compressive strength. Have had it a couple of years. No problems. Mop to clean. Checked out epoxy first but there are definitely issues including it melting when you park a car on it immediately after a highway trip. Some guys put carpet strips down to help with it. Here's the stuff I used. Took about an hour to install using a tablesaw. http://swisstrax.ca/products/floortrax/

jasonward73 wrote:

Not that you asked but this is Vital so I'll give you info you didn't ask for....


Go with RaceDeck or SwissTraxx tiles.

Pros:
1/2 day install you can do yourself
Cheaper (I bought RaceDeck via discount as I am a member of garagejournal.com forum - I think 10% off and free shipping)
Totally customizable with many colors and flooring style. Diamond plate, button top, or vented (not sure on the official term)
Easy and cheap to repair if damaged - If you crack a tile or spill something that stains just pop in a new tile or tiles
You can take it with you if you move (if you want to)

Cons:
Not a perfectly flat surface (but pretty close)
Not the best if you're using floor jacks and lifting very heavy items (passenger cars and light duty trucks are typically not an issue)

For epoxy to be done right it takes a few days between prep and install and curing. It makes a huge mess. And nearly every person I know with epoxy has it peel up within a few years or they chip/stain the floor at some point and you just have to live with it. Spot repair isn't really a thing with epoxy.

Before:


About 5hrs later (and I have zero experience with flooring install)

Hmmmm...so there's no prep work involved other than cleaning the garage floor? My garage floor is currently raw concrete with no sealer on it, so I guess all I would need to do is put some sealer down sealer down and then these plastic tiles lay on top of it?

How much do you think it costs per square foot? Is it easy to vacuum all the crap that gets in between the grooves of the tiles?

I would like to hear from others who have this. And also others who may have epoxy floors that chipped/crack/discolor.

I paid about $2500 Canadian for a 24' x 22' garage for the Swisstrax. Clean your floor is all the prep you need. The cracks are so tight on the floortrax that nothing gets through.

Here's my floor. Gratuitous bike included in photo.

Are those tile systems perfectly fine if you park a truck on it daily? Thanks

I'm in and out of garage all day. I have wide 21" and 22" tires on my heavy cars and the tiles will buckle only if I really crank the wheels hard to the left or right with the car stationary but normal corrections while pulling in and out are no issue at all. I have the tiles that allow water to drip through and then drain/dry as usual. I've never vacuumed them and unless you get on your knees and look close you can't tell and debris are down there. I blow out the garage once or twice a week with a powerful leaf blower and it does the job to cover my OCD. If you go with the solid tiles nothing will get through except liquid. And if you need to clean it up if it was oil or paint you can quickly pop up the tiles in that area and clean as you wish. And if any of the tiles are stained or don't clean up you can cheaply buy a few replacement pieces.

The only downside with my tiles is that its a little uncomfortable if your don't have shoes on or kneeling on the floor. I'd probably do the solid tiles if I was to do it again. These just look really cool. I'd never go epoxy. I have a 3 car garage and my total bill was around $1600-$1700ish.

My only prep was to sweep and mop my garage. I don't even think sealing it is necessary.

What happens if you spill a beer on the tiles ? Can it get underneath ?

I would not want a dark coating in my garage, it will make it very dark and dungeon-like inside.


Having your bare concrete floors polished instead of coated is a good alternative as well. It looks pretty nice and you don't have to worry about any coating being damaged.


Example:

Foghorn wrote:

I used the "Swisstrax" Floortrax in my garage. Perfectly flat surface. Over 5000 psi compressive strength. Have had it a couple of years. No problems. Mop to clean. Checked out epoxy first but there are definitely issues including it melting when you park a car on it immediately after a highway trip. Some guys put carpet strips down to help with it. Here's the stuff I used. Took about an hour to install using a tablesaw. http://swisstrax.ca/products/floortrax/

Awesome, might have to end up using this once I've re-built my crumbling garage. The fact it's Canadian makes it even better.

I'm military, so when I get posted I can just take my flooring with me... The next owners will have a shock when the garage goes from being all colour coordinated and finished to just a bare garage with a concrete floor!

Ebs wrote:

I would not want a dark coating in my garage, it will make it very dark and dungeon-like inside.


Having your bare concrete floors polished instead of coated is a good alternative as well. It looks pretty nice and you don't have to worry about any coating being damaged.


Example:

I have been there and done that....my other garage is polished concrete and I'm over it. I don't think these garages look like a dark cave and my garage is all finished with bright white paint. I think the only downfall I see to the tiles right now is what someone mentioned above - if you spill a beer or oil then you need to pull up the tiles to mop it up.

Ebs wrote:

I would not want a dark coating in my garage, it will make it very dark and dungeon-like inside.


Having your bare concrete floors polished instead of coated is a good alternative as well. It looks pretty nice and you don't have to worry about any coating being damaged.


Example:

All you have to worry about is walking in with wet shoes and busting your ass.

Those snap-down tiles can't be practical for people that actually work on stuff in their garage.

What happens when you spill oil or anti-freeze and it seeps down into the tiles? What happens when you have to weld or torch and you are throwing hot material all over the place? What about when you need to use a floor jack and the wheels don't want to turn?

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Does anyone have a very dark epoxy coating on their garage floor like number 1 or 2? I'm looking to possibly get number 2 but the installer claims it might be similar to maintaining a black car (shows all dirt).....not sure if that's the case? Let me know if any of you have very dark colors on your garage floor and how you like it. There's some duct tape and a black trash bag to reference the color:

I had my garage floor done in #3 back in 2014 and it’s held up great. It is a bitch fine nuts and bolts if you drop them on the floor.

mxtech1 wrote:

Those snap-down tiles can't be practical for people that actually work on stuff in their garage.

What happens when you spill oil or anti-freeze and it seeps down into the tiles? What happens when you have to weld or torch and you are throwing hot material all over the place? What about when you need to use a floor jack and the wheels don't want to turn?

There's pros and cons to any finish. I like the tiles as they're easy to clean. Easy to replace if you damage them (just snap in a new one) although I haven't damaged any in the 2 years they've been down. The floortrax ones I have are perfectly flat with no holes. You'd have to have a pretty big spill, laying there for a long time, to even worry about it and worst case, just lift a couple of sections and clean it up. I don't torch on the tiles, and wouldn't on concrete or epoxy as that's a recipe for damaging either (epoxy melts at 150 F and concrete flakes off). I have a few large stationary machines, some up to 500 lbs (Drill press, 18" bandsaw, Jointer) that I roll around with ease on wheeled bases. Floor jack wheels turn just fine on the type of tiles I have. Epoxy works fine as well although installing on a new properly prepared surface that hasn't had any previous spills and has proper control joints gives best results. Weigh the benefits of either and make a choice. Either would be good.

Yeah the tiles appear to be more of a park and store garage than a full workshop application. Now Im' confused...tried to do a quick photoshop of putting a darker color on Original 44's garage. If you squint, the darker color doesn't look to caved out to me...decisions decisions...

Black Diesel Bomber wrote:

Does anyone have a very dark epoxy coating on their garage floor like number 1 or 2? I'm looking to possibly get number 2 but the installer claims it might be similar to maintaining a black car (shows all dirt).....not sure if that's the case? Let me know if any of you have very dark colors on your garage floor and how you like it. There's some duct tape and a black trash bag to reference the color:

Original 44 wrote:

I had my garage floor done in #3 back in 2014 and it’s held up great. It is a bitch fine nuts and bolts if you drop them on the floor.

yours looks closer to number 4 than number 3 to me....hmmmm, looks good though.

I’ll try and get a better picture tomorrow.

Acid etching produces some pretty cool effects, but the last time I looked into it, it was pretty cost prohibitive.

Let's see some more photos of garage floor epoxy colors and your feedback on whether you like the color you have.

Thinking of maybe trying this tan color in one of the garages where I will be working on bikes. I think it would be easier to find hardware that is dropped on the floor. Anyone have any photos of a tan colored epoxy? Maybe it shows more tire tracks than gray though?

Big flakes or small flakes?

i've been wanting to do this in my garage too, i will go the lighter color as i work on my dirt bikes, bicycles, etc pretty much weekly and don't want to mess with not being able to see bolts if i drop them.

what product are you looking at using and how much per square foot is it usually? i have no knowledge of this stuff.

peelout wrote:

i've been wanting to do this in my garage too, i will go the lighter color as i work on my dirt bikes, bicycles, etc pretty much weekly and don't want to mess with not being able to see bolts if i drop them.

what product are you looking at using and how much per square foot is it usually? i have no knowledge of this stuff.

The product shown in the photo is from "Versatile" building products. I won't be doing it myself so I'm not sure how much it is for a DIY kit but there's a ton of product on their website. I haven't gotten a quote from a contractor yet so I don't know how much they charge per square ft.

I'm looking at their "4195" product line:
https://www.garagecoatings.com/product/4195-direct-to-concrete-pigmented-epoxy-flooring.asp

Here's the sample tile kit with the flake on the 4195 product:
https://www.garagecoatings.com/product/brindle-flake-sample-4x4-set.asp

thanks for the links, i'll be doing it myself as i'm too cheap to pay someone lol

peelout wrote:

thanks for the links, i'll be doing it myself as i'm too cheap to pay someone lol

Looks like you can piece together your own kit on this page:

https://www.garagecoatings.com/product/roll-on-rock-epoxy-polyaspartic-garage-flooring-system-kit.asp