Useful Garage Floors:

1. Epoxy Garage Floor Paint – It’s cheap, it covers the entire concrete garage floor, and it’s nearly impenetrable.  The more expensive versions will even cushion your step.  The biggest downsides involve failed installs.

2. Garage Floor Tiles – If tools get dropped, they bounce.  Laying on good garage floor tiles is like laying on a bed in comparison to concrete.  The biggest downsides are cost, and the fact that you likely won’t end up covering your entire concrete garage floor.

3. Garage Floor Mats – Similar advantages to tiles, with the notable exception that they typically cover far less concrete.  Also, be careful that, if you’re going for function, you don’t purchase simple parking mats.  Those are not for working, but rather for trapping the dirt and debris that vehicles drag in.

4. Garage Floor Stain – Useless for anything but aesthetics.  Most stains do state that you should use some sort of sealant, though, which might provide some protection.

Pretty Garage Floors:

1. Garage Floor Tiles – Tiles can be had in a variety of colors, can include things like team logos, and some of them just look downright cool.  Even if they’re not any more functional than a good epoxy paint job, they can certainly look like they are.

2. Garage Floor Stain – Stained concrete can look downright elegant.  Some stains actually make concrete look like some sort of stone.  It’s also the cheapest option, and probably the most unique.

3. Epoxy Garage Floor Paint – Paint can be as colorful as tiles, though it sometimes takes some searching.  One can also add color flakes for extra flare.  Many garage floor paint kits can be ordered with different color flakes, too, so that you can actually make yours look unique.

4. Garage Floor Mat – It’s a mat.  It’s really not that interesting to look at, unless you just really like rubber.

Quikrete High Gloss Sealer

This is a water based, waterproof sealer that Quikrete says is intended for use on both painted and garage floors, so it stand to reason that it should be fine on painted garage floors.  It can also be used on bare concrete garage floors, and even masonry, brick, aggregate, stone, and pavers.  Hah, this means you could put it on a brick house and end up with a waxed looking house.  Anyway, since this is a sealant, you might not want to apply it to concrete that isn’t etched since you’ll probably end up with a pretty slick garage floor.

Quikrete Wet Look High Gloss Sealer

Another water based sealer, but a different product.  This one does not specifically mention one way or the other if it should be used on paint, but Quikrete does say that they don’t recommend it for use on garage flooring.  Upon deeper investigation into the product specifications, it does say “Previously sealed surfaces must be porous…”, which an epoxy garage floor coating is most certainly not.  So the verdict is, no, Quikrete Wet Look High Gloss Sealer should not be used on garage floors, painted or otherwise.

Quikrete Etching Stain High Gloss Sealer

I’m being dead serious with these product names.  In an age where people find much of their information on the internet, they couldn’t have made these different products harder to search for, using the same three words in every title.  Quikrete says that this product can be used on your garage floor.  They do not specifically mention painted surfaces, but the product information does say, “Avoid using this product on non-porous, sealed surfaces”.  That makes it pretty clear that, no, you cannot use this product over epoxy garage floor paint.  It also says that, as the title indicates, it is meant for use on floors that have been treated with Quikrete Etching Stain, so it would probably create a rather slick surface.

So, in summary, if your garage floor is painted or unpainted, you’ll want to look for Quikrete High Gloss Sealer, and be absolutely sure there are no other words in that title.

Epoxy Garage Floor Paint

As opposed to some other applications that also carry the name “paint”, the goal is not just to change the color of the garage flooring.  An epoxy garage floor coating will also provide some of the best protection for the concrete underneath.  It’s often the cheapest, too, as long as you can afford to install it yourself.  It will likely be the most difficult of any finish to install.  Epoxy garage floor coatings have a very long life span, and can often be installed over other paint jobs, depending on the kit.

Garage Floor Tile

Tiles are probably the next best thing when it comes to the most comprehensive solution.  Garage floors with tiles are protected almost as well as those with epoxy, but the install is not nearly as finicky, though it can be just as time consuming depending on the type of garage floor tiles used.  Unfortunately, tiles can also easily be the most expensive of all garage flooring.  Interlocking garage floor tiles will give you the flexibility and leak resistance of a mat, but they can be costly.  Peel and stick garage floor tiles are just as finicky as paint when it comes to the cleanliness of the concrete, and they depend on the human hand and eye to create a seal by getting them close enough together.

Garage Floor Stain

This option is not for those who want to protect their garage flooring, but more for those who want an interesting looking floor where they park.  The object is not to add any type of garage floor coating, but just to change the color of the existing concrete garage floor.  Concrete staining is really seen less in garages than interiors, so this would probably be the most unique choice.

Garage Floor Mat

There are two main different types of garage floor mats: parking mats, and compartment mats.  Both can be referred to as garage floor coverings, so be sure to check the sizes of what you are buying to be certain that you get what you’re looking for.  A parking mat may take up your entire garage, and be referred to as a whole garage floor mat.  Alternatively, it could only take up as much space as the vehicles that park there, since the purpose is to protect your garage flooring from their leavings.  Compartment, or containment mats generally have raised edges or some other method of controlling the flow of any dropped liquids, and are used primarily for working on vehicles.  They are not intended to be a full time garage floor covering, being only a temporary, used-as-needed tool.

So, that’s all of the various garage floor finishes in one post.  Check out some of the other posts for more information about each individual option.

That’s a question that a lot of people ask, especially as winter hits, when there will be tons of nasty stuff being dragged into their garage with the snow.  Mud, sand, twigs…dog poop…you name it, will all be mixed in with the snow, so having a good, solid garage covering of some sort is very important.  However, no matter how important it is, it doesn’t mean people suddenly have a ton of money to spend on something like garage flooring.  With Christmas just around the corner, everyone has less money, and most can’t justify spending a ton on their garage floors.

Back to the original question.  There are really two answers, and I’ll explain that.

Generally, when someone mentions a garage floor covering, I immediately think of mats, or maybe tiles.  Garage floor tiles either use traction like mats, or stick to the concrete, and a garage floor mat just lays on top of it as well.  I usually consider epoxy garage floor paint more of a garage floor covering.  However, if you lump them all together under the even more generic “cover” term, I would have to conclude that garage floor paint is definitely going to be the cheapest, with a few caveats.

For one thing, it has to be installed.  If you plan to do it yourself, that means getting on your hands and knees to apply it, waiting for the various coats to dry, and so on.  There are also temperature (in general, the temperature needs to be between 55 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit) and moisture limitations that apply even if you have someone else do it, so think long and hard before you decide to take this route.  Depending on your area, this may not even be an option until March or April.

Now, if paint isn’t an option, or you just don’t want to mess with it, then you’ll be looking at tiles or mats.  Both will be much easier to handle here in the winter months, especially a garage floor mat, which you can just lay out on the floor and be done with.  Tiles do take some installing, especially the peel and stick variety.  The garage floor tiles that stick to each other can be installed no matter the temperature, but the peel and stick ones generally have some sort of temperature requirement.

In the complete opposite end of the spectrum would be interlocking garage floor tiles. They’re usually among the most expensive, so be sure not to confuse them with the peel and stick type. They will also give you unmatched flexibility, though.

So, What Is Quikrete?

First and foremost, Quikrete is a brand name.  They’ve been around since 1940, and produce a lot more than just concrete repair products, which is what they are best known for.  In addition to Quikrete garage floor coatings, they also make tile setting products, blacktop mixes, floor underlayments, stucco, sand and aggregates, as well as many other items.  They make numerous products that could be used on your garage floor as well.

Quikrete Garage Floor Preparation Products

These products are intended to be used before you apply any epoxy garage floor paint.  They include the Bond-Loc concrete cleaner, as well as an oil stain remover.  Although the oil stain remover can be used at any time, and probably should be used early since stubborn stains may require multiple treatments, the floor will have to be cleaned just before applying the epoxy garage floor coating, unless the directions for the coating say otherwise.  Both of these actions will have to be taken before any epoxy paint is applied, Quikrete or not.

Quikrete Garage Floor Clear Coating Products

If you simply want to add a clear coating to your concrete garage floor, Quikrete offers two products.  They have an stain sealer that will add a high gloss to your stained garage floor and protect it to some degree, and they also have a high gloss clear coating for garage floors that are not stained.  If all you are looking for is some protection against oil and other chemicals, then this might be your best choice, though it will not be as durable as an epoxy coating.  The regular clear coating can be used for painted floors, though, so that may be a good idea if you have an older epoxy paint job that is starting to fade.

Quikrete Epoxy Garage Floor Coating Products

Three different products are available from Quikrete when it comes to epoxy.  Their one part epoxy, which can be had in 16 different colors other than gray, is a resin based product.  They also have a clear water based product to coat any type of garage flooring.  The big daddy, though, is their epoxy garage floor coating kit.  It comes with their cleaner as well as color flakes, and is available in 64 different colors in addition to tan and gray.  There are even different color options for the color flakes.

Quikrete Concrete Stain

If the goal is to give your garage floor some color, but not necessarily add protection, then Quikrete Concrete Stain may be for you.  Applying it is quick and easy, it’s relatively cheap, and you’ll certainly end up with unique looking flooring.  Just keep in mind that you will need to apply a seal afterward, and that Quikrete Concrete Stain will not protect your garage floor on its own.

Unlike some other garage floor coverings, there is some floor preparation necessary for installing an epoxy garage floor coating kit; otherwise, the epoxy will not set correctly.  Again, all of this information will come with, and will likely be specific to your particular kit.  Only go the route of epoxy if you’re willing to invest the time and effort into getting it right.  If you just want something quick to slap down on some stained concrete, or to keep the concrete from becoming stained in the first place, an epoxy garage floor is not going to be your best option.  You’ll likely end up with a huge mess instead of a nice, protected garage floor.  Unless, of course, you want to pay to have your epoxy garage floor professionally installed, which is a whole different ballgame.  Though I would not suggest having ball players install your garage floor.  Unless they play ball as a hobby.  If so, that’s okay.

Epoxy garage floor kits will provide the best seal and the best protection for your garage floor.  It will look the most professional as well.  Epoxy garage floor kits resist stains and liquids, and many are self levelling, making them easy to apply and resisting drips.  They are slip resistant even when wet, which is something most of the other garage floor solutions cannot claim.