Rust-Oleum Garage Floor Epoxy

[pwaug]

Has anyone used Rust-Oleum Garage Floor Epoxy??? Interested in how it holds up over time and how it resists hot tire pickup??

[C. Charles Hahn]

I have it in my utility barn; only lawn and snow removal equipment are ever rolled on it so I can`t comment on hot tire performance, but it is very resistant to chemicals/gas/oil. I even spray painted the deck on one of my mowers and got overspray on it, and it cleaned right off with a little APC and a scrub brush.

[Dan]

Which one are you asking about? The stuff that is water based and sold on the shelf at HomeDepot? If so, stay away, the stuff gets horrible reviews, I wouldn`t consider it at all.



Rustoleum does have a professional line that is worthy of consideration, it is a solvent based epoxy and is priced very attractively, at least on the surface. It contains fillers that compromise the surface strength and solvents that reduce the film build.



I really am a cheap-*** at heart and I was totally on the fence about Epoxy-Coat vs Rustoleum Pro. The Rustoleum looked cheaper overall, however I had to apply the stuff in a short window so time was a big consideration. According to the instructions I would have had to put at least a couple more layers of Rustoleum Pro down to get the same build as Epoxy Coat. EC claims to be no solvent, it crosslinks. EC also advertised ready to park on in 3 day, which turned out to be quite a bit untrue. It took a week before the surface wasn`t tacky at all. I ended up parking on cardboard for a few weeks just to avoid hot tire pickup issues.



Looking back at it, I probably would have spent about $350-400 for a Rustoleum setup to equaly the $500 I spent for the EC. I`m certainly glad I went with that kit as it had more than an adequate amount for a two car garage. I was a bit miffed about their claim that it would be ready to park on so soon, but I`m sure everyone would flock to a competitor if they were completely honest.



The key to using any of the systems is prep work. The prep easily take 2-5x the time that coating the floor does. I started with virgin concrete and prep was still a TON of work. The included acid was a joke, luckily I spent the better part of 16 hours reading garage journal stories on what it really takes to prep the floor.



I think the vendors hold back the truth as if people really knew what is involved in getting a solid bond, they`d just not do it or call a pro.



In all, I`m extremely pleased with the result. My floor is glossier than a most cars. Everyone that sees it can`t stop talking about it. There is almost no dust in the garage now. I can`t imagine being without it.



If you only take away one bit of advice, this should be it... go to garage journal... read, read, and read some more:



Flooring - The Garage Journal Board (http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=20)



Quick Epoxy-Coat review - The Garage Journal Board (http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162852) <--my review of EC



Epoxy Coat Garage Floor Coating | COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS (http://www.epoxy-coat.com/comparative_analysis.php) <--cost analysis of various systems



Epoxy Coat Garage Floor Coating | COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS (http://www.epoxy-coat.com/comparative_analysis.php)

[pwaug]

Thanks Charles and Dan for the input. I`ll begin my reading before I make a move.

[jfelbab]

How slippery is this coating in the winter?

[pwaug]

How slippery is this coating in the winter? I believe with any of the systems there is an additive that assures the floor won`t be slippery.

[C. Charles Hahn]

I believe with any of the systems there is an additive that assures the floor won`t be slippery.



Correct. The non-slip additive is surprisingly effective, though I would still recommend using caution.

[pwaug]

Dan--thanks for all the informative reading!!! How long has it been since you installed your floor and how has it held up? I noticed EC says the floor is "slip resistant"--is that the case??

[Juan@Turbo Wax]

Please allow me to share my experience; no long ago I did my garage, while doing my research I found out that some of the inexpensive or home depot brands don`t seem to hold on too good. My primary concern was the in and out with the car, I ended purchasing a professional grade coating and so far is holding amazing. The company is Legacy Industrial (http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/) . and just like with the detailing jobs the secret is the prep work, I ended removing ALL of the old paint by hand, then washed with degreaser/ Acid etched/ washed with degreaser/ primer/paint/clear non slip coat. The total cost was around $500.00



a few photos of the end results. I hope this helps :)



http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/TurboWax/049-4.jpg



http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/TurboWax/233-1.jpg



http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g24/TurboWax/232-1.jpg

[Dan]

How slippery is this coating in the winter?



If you don`t use any additives and you don`t add any flakes, your floor will be as slippery as ice with any sort of water on it.




I believe with any of the systems there is an additive that assures the floor won`t be slippery.



There is, however there are drawbacks to that additive. It is very gritty and will cause your floor to wear faster and it makes mopping/cleanup harder. I chose to add my flakes onto the base layer after the coating had gotten tack. The goal was to not let the flakes sink in but rather sit on the surface of the base layer. After I topped with clear, this left a somewhat bumpy profile. It helps when the floor is a bit wet, but it is still very slippery with lots of water on the surface.




Dan--thanks for all the informative reading!!! How long has it been since you installed your floor and how has it held up? I noticed EC says the floor is "slip resistant"--is that the case??



I`m at the 4 month mark, way too early to tell. I have dragged some stuff across it and done all sorts of work on it, it seems very durable. It did take a couple of months before it actually got rock hard though.



http://www.datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/epoxy_coat_1.jpg

http://www.datasmuggler.com/images/car_cleaning/epoxy_coat_2.jpg



As Juan said, its all in the prep work, and wow is there prep work involved in getting the floor ready.

[tom weed]

I have some experience with this... Several years ago, I etched my garage floor and applied the Garage floor paints/epoxy I got from Lowes, it wasn`t a mixable type, it lasted maybe a year and was coming up like crazy, so I did it again, (I didn`t learn the first time) this time I had sanded and cleaned the previous coating which took forever as best I could and applied the product again, same results! I will never use this again! This time and went and rented a machine that grinds all the paint down and etched the floor again with Muratic Acid, not a fun process and applied something called Epoxy-coat after reading some favorable reviews on it. This stuff has worked great, the sun has faded it somewhat, but it`s tough as nails... My only regret is I didn`t put down the silica sand that came with it, I wanted the floor to be smooth... In the first couple of years, it was fine when it was wet because it has some adhesion to it, but once that wore off, it`s very slick when it`s wet... if I had it to do over or if I ever coat it again, I will use the sand...