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.

The beginning steps to installing any Quikrete concrete stain is to clean your garage floor until it sparkles.  Can a garage floor sparkle?  I guess you’re going to find out, aren’t you!?

Quikrete Etching Stain

This is the product that Quikrete recommends for use on garage flooring.  This is probably because the etching element will add texture, increasing traction.  Unfortunately, it’s also the most expensive option by far, clocking in at over $300.   It’s fairly easy to install, promising a one coat applications, although that’s sort of misleading since you still have to clean the floor, and then apply a sealant.  Neither cleaner or sealant comes with this product.  The end result is a very pretty, textured old world stone look.

Quikrete Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain

Quikrete recommends that you not use their Semi-Transparent Concrete Stain on garage floors.  Notice I didn’t say that they don’t recommend it.  That would mean that they omitted their opinion on the matter.  No, they actually specify that you should not use this stain on garage flooring.  Personally, I think it depends on what you plan to do in your garage.  If you only plan to park cars on it, I don’t see a problem since you have to use a sealant anyway.  I think the main reason they say this is because it doesn’t etch the concrete, which means no added traction, which I suppose could lead to liability.  Amusingly, though, one of the suggested uses includes driveways.  It may also have something to do with the fact that it is by far the cheapest option, costing less than $30.  Sometimes you get what you pay for, though, and customer reviews on this product are…bad.  Apparently it’s less a stain, and more a thin paint.  It sounds like when they say “Semi-Transparent”, they mean “You really should apply a second coat, but that would make this not so cheap”.  Proceed with caution.

Quikrete Multi-Surface Concrete Stain

It’s a sealer!  It’s a stain!  It’s…something.  No one can seem to make up their mind exactly what this product is.  Quikrete calls it a stain, but every place that sells it sells something with “Sealer” on the label instead of stain.  Maybe it’s supposed to be both?  I’m honestly not sure, and at over $100, I’m not willing to guess.

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.

For our purposes, we will define “coverings” as things that can be moved, and “coatings” as solutions that cannot.  Keep in mind, interlocking garage floor tiles can easily be moved, while peel and stick tiles cannot.

Garage Floor Coverings Can Be Moved If Desired

There are a few different situations that come to mind where a garage floor covering may be a better idea than painting the garage floor. Permanency is a big factor. Do you need something that is going to protect the floor forever, or something that you can just pick up when you’re done? Some people like the look of a clean concrete garage floor as opposed to paints, mats, or tiles. Of course, this preference obviates the need to keep said the concrete very clean, which is where garage floor mats come in quite handy.

Garage Floor Coverings Are Quick To Install

Even a garage floor mat that is designed to cover the entire garage is faster to install than paint. Most of the time, it’s just a matter of cutting the mat to fit, then throwing it down onto the floor, and you’re all done. This is opposed to paint, which takes hours to install, or tiles, which can sometimes take even longer, depending on their design.

Garage Floor Coverings Are Easily Tossed If Needed

When it comes to garage flooring, sometimes you just have to anticipate taking losses. There are some things that even the toughest paints, tiles, or garage floor mats simply are not going to survive without taking some damage. Although it can be an expensive proposition, a garage floor mat can easily be thrown away and replaced if damaged or stained. Interlocking garage floor tiles are even better in this situation because you can just take out the damaged or stained tiles while keeping the good ones. For these reasons, some people who paint their garage floors use mats or interlocking garage floor tiles as well – to protect their paint! They may cover their entire garage when they get ready to work, or just the area likely to be contaminated. Even if not anticipating damage or stains, it’s much easier to clean a mat than it is to clean an entire painted floor. Just be careful that you do not get into any anti-environmental habits as it becomes very easy to just dump everything out of your garage floor mat onto the ground outside.

Garage Floor Coverings Are Easy To Install

For those of us whose backs or knees are not up to kneeling or stooping for hours, a big garage floor mat may actually be cheaper, even though paint by itself is far less expensive. This is because even those with physical issues can generally install garage floor coverings on their own. When you factor in the cost of install, suddenly the price savings of using paint go right out the window.

Garage floor paint will provide you with an excellent garage floor coating, and will also give you some nice color as well.  This paint is designed to keep your garage floors nice looking, in addition to protecting it from chemical stains and other damage.  There are quite a few brand names and types of garage floor paint out there, so we’ll quickly take a look at a few of them.

Rust-Oleum EPOXYShield Epoxy Garage Floor Coating

Rust-Oleum’s EPOXYShield garage floor coating is available mostly in browns and other tans.  To some, this may be a deterrent, since many people purchase paint because they want to add some colors to their garage floors.  However, if brown is okay, or you simply do not care what color your garage floor is, than this Rust-Oleum might be good for you.  It comes available in a kit that is designed for a one car garage, and even includes an instructional DVD for installation.  It is, like most garage floor coating, waterproof and stain resistant as well.  The reviews on this particular product are great, which really speaks for the ease of install.

Weatherbeater Epoxy Garage Floor Coating

Generally available for a little less than Rust-Oleum’s product, the Weatherbeater Epoxy Garage Floor Coating offers most of the same promises, minus the instructional DVD.  It’s not rated as well, but does come with decorative chips to accent your garage floor.  Without the instructional DVD, it’s very likely that the poor reviews are coming from people’s inexperience at installing garage flooring, so you may want to take those reviews with a grain of salt.  Speaking of salt, Weatherbeater claims that their garage floor paint is resistant to salt, as well as other chemicals such as gasoline and oil.

Quikrete Epoxy Garage Floor Coating

Quikrete is probably the most popular garage flooring paint, and is available in over 40 colors.  They also include color flakes, like the Weatherbeater, if you would like to add such accents to your garage floor.    Their formula is twice as strong as concrete, and they claim that it is the toughest garage floor finish available.  It is a bit more expensive than the other two, however, and reviews are hard to come by.  Sometimes no news is good news, though, and you can bet if this hadn’t worked on many garage floors for whatever reason, there would be plenty of negative reviews.

Although probably the hardest to install, especially correctly, garage floor paint is definitely the cheapest option of all.  If you are willing to do the work yourself, you can easily coat an entire single car garage for under $75.  Considering the money you’ll be saving on repairing concrete in the future, that’s a heck of a deal.  There’s no doubt that there are many other reasons to choose an epoxy garage floor coating.  Just make sure you check out all your options first, before deciding, since it would be rather difficult to undo.

You may want to just cover some old, stained concrete.   Maybe you just want a better look.  Some people install a garage floor to get a softer step.  You’d be amazed at how much nicer it is to walk around looking for misplaced tools when you’re not jarring your back with every step.  These garage floor solutions are often quite a bit easier to clean than concrete, which is unbelievably easy to stain. In fact, after your first ugly concrete stain, you’re very likely to be hating yourself for not having installed a garage floor protector much earlier.

There are many different types of garage floors out there to chose from.  You may want floor tile, epoxy garage floor covering, a garage floor mat that will cover the entire floor, or maybe just throw some containment mats out there to catch the spills.  Don’t say you don’t spill.  Everyone spills.  I’ve owned cars where it was truly impossible to change the oil without spilling some of it, and I’d much rather it be on a mat than on the concrete where it will surely stain.  Or on my face or clothes for that matter.  I’ve actually caught myself catching oil on my shirt because it’s easier to clean than the freaking concrete.  Having a nice epoxy garage floor coating would have certainly kept my clothes cleaner.

Whatever your reason, there are plenty of options out there to chose from.  You can pay someone to install your garage flooring, though some types are plenty easy to install on your own.  As with anything, it all depends on how much money you’re willing to spend.  You just might be surprised, though, at how cost effective installing a garage floor can be.  It may seem like a luxury right now, but once you’ve covered that concrete with something far more effective and attractive, you’ll wonder how you ever did without, even if it’s something as simply as garage floor paint.

Concrete.  Psht.

On this site, you will find explanations and descriptions of the various types of garage floors that are available, and why you might want it (or not).  We’ll cover everything from mats to epoxy garage floor coating.  So hang on, and enjoy the ride.  Even though we’re not leaving the garage.