Best Options for Covering Garage Floors

If you're looking for a way to cover your garage floor, you have many different options. In this blog post, we will discuss five of the best garage floor coatings: floor mats, floor paint, floor epoxy, and floor tiles. Each of these coatings has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you will need to decide which one is best for your needs.

Most home garages start with a plain concrete floor, but it's not a good idea to let that be your only garage flooring. Concrete is easy to damage, and even easier to stain. Often all it takes is a year or two, and you'll start seeing pitting from road salt. Resurfacing the garage floor is a very good idea, and can significantly extend its lifespan and cleanability.

So, let's quickly look at your options in garage floor surfaces, and when each would be the best option. Here is a closer look at each of these options.

Floor Mats for Garage Floor Coating

One of the simplest and cost-effective ways to cover your garage floor is with floor mats. Floor mats come in a variety of colors and styles, so you can find one that fits your garage's decor. They are also easy to install; simply roll them out on the floor and you're done. If you do a lot of work in your garage and want the floor to be more comfortable, floor mats made of rubber or polyvinyl plastic can be a good choice. These are typically resistant to impact, and resilient enough that if you slip and fall, you won't hurt yourself too much. However, mats can shift and tear causing tripping issues. Also most mats don’t do to well when chemicals or oils are spilled on them. Plus mats are just covering up the floor - you'll still need to occasionally pull up the mats and clean underneath them. Finally, mats trap water underneath causing mildew growth.

The main disadvantage of floor mats is that they can be difficult to clean. If you spill something on them, it can be hard to remove the stain. Additionally, floor mats can move around and bunch up, which can create trip hazards. Finally, floor mats can trap dirt and moisture under the mat causing mold growth.

Floor Paint for Garage Floor Coating

Another option for garage floor coating is floor paint. Floor paint is available in a variety of colors, so you can choose one that matches your garage's decor. It is also easy to apply; simply brush it on the floor and wait for it to dry. Floor paint is probably the least expensive garage floor coating.

Floor paint looks nice the day it applied. But, there are many disadvantages of using floor paint. First of all, it takes a long time to cure. Even if you do an excellent job of cleaning and prepping the floor, it won’t be long before it starts chipping and peeling, not to mention it’s vulnerability to chemicals, stains and hot tire marks. Be careful, floor paint is very slippery!

Floor Epoxy for Garage Floor Coating

If you're looking for a  durable garage floor coating, floor epoxy is a good option. Floor epoxy is a two-part coating that is applied to the floor and then allowed to cure. Once it cures, it forms a hard, protective surface. It's possible to buy kits to spread a coating of epoxy on your own garage floor. However, these kits are typically not as strong as a professional job. Just as important as the kit is the preparation of the floor before applying the epoxy. Otherwise, it won’t be long before your epoxy starts peeling, just like a floor you might have painted.

The main disadvantage of floor epoxy is that it can be difficult to apply. If you don't mix the two parts correctly, the coating will not cure properly and will not provide the desired protection.   Since floor epoxy becomes very brittle over time, eventually it will start to lose adherence to the floor and start to peel and chip. 

Floor Tiles for Garage Floor Coating

A garage floor can be covered in tiles, similar to the bathroom or kitchen. This is a decent solution and can last a while if the tiles are installed properly. Still, over time, they will become damaged or start to peel. Also, the spaces in between the tiles will tend to collect dirt or even harbor microbial life like mold or bacteria. Tile is also very slippery when wet and can be damaged from freeze/thaw cycles. Floor tiles can be easy to install and can make the garage floor look nice. But, they can get pricy.   They come in a variety of materials, colors and styles, so you should be able to find one that matches your garage's decor.

There are a lot of disadvantages to garage floor tiles.  Depending on the type of tile used, they can warp, crack, trap dirt, delaminate and all are very slippery.

Polyaspartic Garage Floor Coating

For the best and strongest garage floor, a professional polyaspartic coating installation is the way to go. It's nearly indestructible, and will easily last the lifetime of your garage while being exceptionally easy to clean and maintain in the meantime.Polyaspartic garage floor coating is slip-resistant and non-porous. It is a multi-layer process making it extremely durable and stain resistant.

Polyapartic garage floor coatings come in many different colors and styles and work great on floors that have been previously chipped, cracked or stained. This coating can also be used to fill in garage floor joints and cracks where other alternatives can’t. The main disadvantage of Polyapartic Floor Coating is its not a good choice for do-it-yourselfers. It should only be professionally installed.

Concrete Floor Paint

Probably the simplest option is to slap a coat of durable paint on the concrete, which can at least cover up the stains and some of the cracks. However, this is a short-term solution at best. Even if the floor is perfectly prepared, paint just doesn’t adhere to cement that well. Also, the paint itself will become damaged over time. Most paints are also going to be vulnerable to hot tire damage and peeling. Most importantly painting your garage floor will make it slippery!

Get the Best Garage Floor Coating From the Experts!

Don't leave this important project in the hands of anyone but the best. Garage Finisher has the experience and expertise to get the job done right. To learn more about the benefits of polyaspartic coating, contact Garage Finisher and ask about our Forever Floor!