Garage floor epoxy and concrete coatings
A good garage floor project starts before the coating is mixed. The best cart usually includes cleaner or degreaser, crack repair, the coating or sealer, anti-skid additive when traction matters, and the rollers, tape, and rags that keep the job moving.
Start with the floor
- Concrete should be clean, dry, and porous enough for the coating or sealer to bond.
- Oil spots, dust, old loose coating, and moisture are the common reasons garage floor coatings fail.
- Patch cracks and damaged areas before coating so the finished floor looks more intentional.
Choose the product for the surface
- Cracks and control joints in a garage slab, driveway or sidewalk: a self-leveling polyurethane such as Loctite PL S20 or Sikaflex Self-Leveling Sealant. Henkel and Sika both list garage floors and driveways, and Henkel rates PL S20 for foot and vehicle traffic.
- Vertical cracks in foundations and block walls: non-sag Loctite PL S10, which Henkel says needs no primer on concrete, brick or stone.
- Clear sealer for patios, walkways and basement floors: Okon Seal & Finish, a water-based low-gloss sealer under 50 g/L VOC. Rust-Oleum does not recommend it for driveways or garages, so use it on light-use slabs.
- Water repellent and waterproofing for above-grade masonry walls: Okon W-2 or Seal-Krete Original. Neither stops hydrostatic pressure.
- Painting a concrete porch or floor: prime clean, etched concrete with Valspar Concrete Bonding Primer and topcoat within 4 hours.
Plan for temperature and cure time
- Valspar lists 50 to 90°F for its bonding primer, and Okon Seal & Finish lists 50 to 100°F with no rain for 24 hours.
- Loctite PL concrete sealants reach full cure in about 7 days; wait for full cure before painting over them.
- Use closed-cell backer rod in deep joints so the sealant bonds only to the two sides of the joint.
Shop every concrete sealer, waterproofer and crack sealant in Concrete & Masonry Sealers, and find caulk, foam and backer rod in Caulk & Sealants.