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Painting your garage floor can improve the look of your garage while making it easier to clean. You don’t want to use standard wall paint, though. Regular paint will chip or peel off. An epoxy paint designed for concrete will adhere to your garage floor for lasting good looks. You’ll be able to drive on it or store equipment without worrying about damage to your new finish. Consider one of these epoxy paint coatings for your garage floor.
Summary List
- Best Overall: Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Floor Coating
- Best Value: Rust-Oleum Epoxy Basement Floor Kit
- Best Looking: Supercoat Slate Gray Epoxy Floor Coating
- Quickest Drying: KILZ Concrete and Garage Floor Paint
- Honorable Mention: INSL-X Hot Trax Paint
Best Garage Paints: Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall
Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Floor Coating
Best Value
Rust-Oleum Epoxy Basement Floor Kit
Best Looking
SUPERCOAT Slate Gray Epoxy Floor Coating
Quickest Drying
KILZ Concrete and Garage Floor Paint
Honorable Mention
INSL-X Hot Trax Paint
Our Verdict on the Best Garage Paints
The Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Floor Coating is a high-quality epoxy coating that will make your garage floor look beautiful.
The Rust-Oleum Epoxy Basement Floor Kit is a smart choice for someone on a budget.
Benefits of Garage Paints
- Protection. Spills and leaks happen all the time in the garage, especially during car repairs and in places where tools are stored. Quality paint doesn’t absorb liquids like an untreated, concrete garage floor, which prevents automotive fluids from leaving stains. It also protects the floor from mold, water, and mildew.
- Dust-free. The main benefit of painting a garage floor is that it becomes dust-free. Concrete floors don’t only collect all the dust and debris, but they also produce it. By painting it, you get rid of the concrete dust and keep your garage cleaner. This way, you also make sure not to walk the dust into your home.
- Easy maintenance. Painted floors are easier to maintain than bare concrete ones. They don’t absorb liquids, so picking up spills and leaks is a breeze. Also, concrete floors are susceptible to the weather, and they might crack or become uneven, which makes them even harder to clean. On painted floors, sweeping or dusting does the trick.
- Apparel. Garage paints also make floors look better and more professional. Unlike concrete floors, the painted ones give the room freshness and make the time spent in the garage more enjoyable.
Types of Garage Paints
Acrylic
This is the most common type of paint you can find everywhere, from online to local hardware stores. It’s an inexpensive option that comes in many different colors, and it’s easy to apply. The main drawback is the durability because acrylic paints are the least durable type. Frequent reapplication might be needed depending on the weather and working conditions.
Epoxy
Epoxy-based paints are actually protective coatings. They are one of the toughest finishes you can apply to a garage floor. The epoxy coating is thick and durable and protects the surface against cracks, damages, and stains, and keeps it dust-free. It also makes the garage floor look professional and neat. The only downside is the long drying process that can last for almost an entire week.
Urethane
Urethane or polyurethane floor paints are heavy-duty coverings that offer more protection than all other types of paint. They are more scratch- and abrasion-resistant and last longer. The installation, however, might be a little difficult because urethane quickly bonds to concrete and dries fast. Professional help might be needed.
Garage Paint Pricing
- Under $60: At this price point, you can find quality standard paints that will protect your garage floor from some common threats such as fluids and abrasion. Still, they might not be as durable as pricier urethane and epoxy paints.
- Over $60: For a few more bucks, you can get heavy-duty garage floor paints that offer a high level of protection. They keep the surface safe from hot tire marks and harmful chemicals, and they last longer. More expensive paints also contain a clear coat for a perfect glossy finish.
Key Features
Protection
The main reason for applying paint in the first place is to protect a garage floor from a variety of hazards. A garage floor can be damaged in many situations, given it comes into contact with different materials such as steel and wood. The best garage floor paint should be strong enough to withstand impacts from tools, car wheels, boxes, and other heavy stuff, and remain intact. Consider how much abuse your garage floor will get and then opt for a particular paint. You don’t need to spend the extra money on highly protective paints if you’re not planning to use your garage that often.
Durability
A quality garage floor paint should be highly durable. If you want to get a paint that will last for some time and won’t require frequent reapplication, you should look for one with weather protection. Floor paints suffer the most from chemicals, abrasion, and climate. All of these threats can significantly damage the paint over time, so it’s smart to look for products that offer all-in-one protection.
Installation
It’s essential to check the compatibility of the paint with your garage floor. Not all garage paints are the same, so it’s crucial to get one that will perfectly adhere to the floor. You can always prepare the surface for a particular product yourself, although in some cases you might need professional help. Quality paints that offer the highest protection are usually difficult to apply, but they do guarantee more durability and easier maintenance.
Other Considerations
- Capacity. You don’t want to find yourself in the middle of the garage floor painting process without enough paint to finish the work. Measure the floor in your garage before the purchase. In most cases, the manufacturer will provide information about how large an area you can cover with a particular amount of paint.
- Appearance. Another important thing to consider is the finished results and how the garage will look after painting. If you want to go for a transparent final look that will only add some shine to your garage floor, epoxy paint is an excellent choice. For a more professional and elegant look, you can opt for urethane paints that have a gray or black satin finish.
Tips
- You have a few options when it comes to the color and pattern of your garage paint. The most common is gray, but you could also pick white, black, blue, red, or tan. Then you need to think about whether you want a plain color or a flake in it.
- No matter what paint you choose, it’s vital that you prep your garage floor correctly. If you skip this step, you won’t get the lasting finish that you want. Thoroughly clean, dry, and scuff the floor. Always follow the manufacturer’s directions.
- Pay attention to the amount of moisture coming through your concrete floor. The more moisture, the more risk there is for bubbling and peeling. You can buy an epoxy coating designed for high moisture areas to account for this.
FAQs
A: You can expect to get one to two years out of a garage floor paint. If the paint is one part epoxy, it will last longer. For the longest useful life of three to five years, choose an epoxy coating. Coatings that are more paint and less epoxy require more frequent touch-ups. If you live in a warm or humid climate, you need to choose a coating formulated for this for longer wear.
A: You should sweep or dry mop your floor once a week. This will keep it dirt-free. For a stronger clean, mix dish soap with water and use a foam mop. Use this mixture on paint formulations. Don’t use it on epoxy-based formulas, as it will cloud the glossy finish. Ammonia and warm water dilution will work better.
A: Start by figuring out the square footage of your garage. Measure the length and width and multiply them together. This is an estimation of how much you’ll need to cover your floor. It’s smart to factor in 20 percent extra paint. Rough patches will require more paint than what you initially plan. You also want to have enough readily available for your second coat. Then there is the temperature to think about. Cold temperatures cause your paint to thicken, which will result in smaller square footage coverage.