Used to think epoxy floors were overrated until I saw my buddy's setup

I always thought epoxy garage floors were just for showing off, but last month my buddy Mike finished his 2-car garage in Nashville and let me help him park his project car on it. The lighting alone made the space look twice as big and I could actually see oil drips from his old Mustang before they stained anything. I found out from talking to him that a decent DIY kit runs about 400 bucks and takes a weekend, which is way less than I guessed. Has anyone here done a cheap epoxy job that actually held up to hot tire pickup?

2 comments

2 Comments

maxb461mo ago

Yeah I'm gonna push back on that one. My buddy's cheap epoxy job peeled up under his truck tires in less than six months.

oliver_ward141mo ago

What was the prep like on his friend's floor? I mean from what I've seen online and from helping Mike, the whole thing comes down to how much effort you put into degreasing and etching the concrete first. If you skip the diamond grinding or use a weak acid etch, the epoxy just sits on top like a sticker. My buddy did a Rust-Oleum kit in his Nashville garage two summers ago and it's still holding up fine after parking his daily driver on it through Tennessee heat, but he spent an entire Saturday just scrubbing with degreaser and doing two acid etches. He also let it cure for a full five days before parking on it, which I guess is where a lot of people get impatient and ruin it. Wearable clear coat on top seems to help a ton too if you're dealing with hot tires.