Choosing the Best Garage Floor Coating

Many garages benefit from a premium garage floor coating, which offers incredible protection from chemicals and abrasion while improving the appearance of your garage. If you’re considering a floor coating, you’ll want to understand the differences between paints and epoxy.

Polyurethanes are odorless and dry quickly, making them ideal for occupied spaces. However, they are typically more expensive than epoxies. Click here for more info.

Rust-Oleum Rocksolid Coating

ROCK SOLID Polycuramine garage floor coating is 20 times stronger than epoxy. Its resistance to gasoline, antifreeze, oil, salt, and harsh chemicals makes it one of the toughest floor coatings in the industry. The textured satin finish creates a showroom-quality floor that is easy to clean and maintain.

Each kit contains enough colored ROCK SOLID Polycuramine to cover up to 250 sq. ft. Also included are decorative color flakes, concrete etch solution, foam roller, and instructions. Unlike the original RockSolid polyurea DIY garage floor coating that it replaces, this version does not include a clear coat.

This product is advertised to be a step up from traditional DIY epoxy garage floor coating kits found at Big Box stores. However, the square foot coverage is inconsistent between kits and the color selection is limited. This is the same problem that caused the original RockSolid polyurea coating to have delamination and finish issues for the average DIY user.

Rust Bullet Polycuramine Garage Floor Coating

This polycuramine garage floor coating has excellent chemical, scratch, UV, and hot-tire pick-up resistance. It’s also less expensive than epoxy and comes in a variety of colors, so you can style your garage just how you like it. It dries quickly, so you can get back to using your garage as soon as possible.

Rust Bullet can be applied over bare concrete, but it requires a fairly coarse texture for a good mechanical bond. A pole sander with 80-grit sandpaper, or an electric grinder with an 80-grit disc pad should work fine. It’s low in VOCs and has a very pleasant, but slightly chemical odor.

It has the lowest per-gallon coverage area of any paint on our list, so you will likely need two coats to achieve a smooth, even appearance. That means your project will take longer and cost more, which is why this product is farther down our list. But, it does last a long time and is a great option for budget-conscious DIYers.

Rust-Oleum Polyaspartic Garage Floor Coating

This product is designed to protect the concrete in your garage, basement, workshop, or carport. It’s easy to clean and provides chemical resistance against gasoline, salt, engine oil, motor coolant, and antifreeze. It also resists abrasion and comes in a variety of colors. It has a low odor and zero VOC.

A great alternative to epoxy, this polycuramine kit from Rust-Oleum dries clear and is abrasion resistant. Its shiny finish can handle hot tires and is UV, moisture, and acid-resistant. It’s easy to apply and dries quickly.

It’s more durable than a sealer and can be used year-round. It’s also cheaper and easier to install than epoxy. The kit includes a burst pouch of colored polycuramine, decorative color chips, foam roller, cleaner, and instructions. You can use this on fresh concrete, as well as those that have been previously coated. It’s available in six colors and covers 250 square feet per coat.

Garage Floor Paint

Many homeowners choose to paint their garage floors instead of coating them. These products are cheaper and can be used on concrete, unlike epoxy floor coatings which must be applied to a properly prepared surface. They also require less maintenance and cleaning than coatings.

Most garage floor paints are latex or acrylic and use a similar method of application as wall paint. They dry into a glossy finish that protects against chemical spills, hot tire pickup, and stains from automotive fluids. These garage floor paints are usually more affordable than epoxy floor coatings and can be purchased at most home centers.

Most true epoxy coats are two-part formulas that must be mixed together before they’re rolled on. However, some brands of epoxy paint have come out with a one-part product that eliminates the need for mixing and reduces the chances of mistakes during DIY application. The Rust-Oleum Rocksolid Coating is an example of this type of epoxy paint. This tough polycuramine floor coating is 20 times stronger than epoxy and resists scratches, abrasions, odors, moisture, and UV damage. Browse the next article.