Sweet Garage Flooring

What is the cheapest garage floor cover for garages?

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.

Quikrete is a name that many have heard, but didn’t really have a product to put with the word.  It’s one of those household names that most of the people in the household are pretty clueless about.  This article aims to clarify exactly what Quikrete is, and is mainly aimed at Quikrete garage floor coating.

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.

If you’re doing the job yourself, then the hardest to install by far is going to be the epoxy garage floor coating kits.  Although they will likely protect your garage floor far better than any of the other alternatives, they are far harder to install, and a far cry from the simple cut and toss installation of the whole garage floor mats.  It may not be as hard as you would think, though, as there are DIY videos out there online, and kits to make the entire process go a lot smoother.  Everything is easier if you know how to follow directions, after all.   It’s really only 4-6 hours of labor time, but this time has to be spread out over 2-3 days due to dry times, which you would not want to skip, of course.  Also, you’ll want to apply a sealant coat, generally provided with the kit, so that the epoxy garage floor coating maintains its finish.  An epoxy garage floor coating can last up to 20 years.  That’s right, TWENTY years.  Most pets don’t last that long.  Don’t get me started on hamsters.

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.