Alright, so im going to be in the process of finishing off my garage, and am looking into the option of concrete staining and sealing as opposed to floor paint. Since you can do just about any color and design with it (not to mention it looks sooo awsum), i think it would be pretty cool (maybe even a Mini logo in it). Any thoughts, or experience in this process?

 

i did the snap together tiles in my garage.. i had a pretty good settling crack so paint would have still shown thru.
this came from sams club.. they had the black and gray.. i got the blue from samsclubonline.com

kind of pricey..but.. if i move , i can take it with me.

 

Same here. Tiles are the way to go.

 

The Sams club pricing is great, 40 sq ft for $59 is the best price I've seen.

 

Im looking for something more along the lines of this kinda: http://www.concretenetwork.com/photo...ate-shiny_855/


or:
http://www.concretenetwork.com/photo...ed-floor_5527/

Im planning on doing my basement first, but am not sure on the holdup in a frequently used garage (tho, i think our factory uses something similar on their concrete floors)

 

Yeah, I've seen stained concrete floors in homes in the south (too cold up here to do that) and they are beautiful. If you're really positive you're going to live in that home a long time, it's a viable option. I wouldn't think it would be a good investment if you leave the home in less than 10 years... prospective buyers may not give a crap about how the garage floor looks. Most people are not like us car nuts.

 

True that. Were pretty much renovating the whole house right now, and it will be a little while before the garage is ready, but curious how well it holds up compared to the epoxy floors that are painted on.

 

Costco has tiles as well, although the price is not nearly as good as Sam's.

I like the stained concrete, although it's a bit fancy looking...I don't know how I think that would look in a garage.

You'll have to let us know how it turns out if you decide to do it!

 

I think it could look GREAT in a garage. They can do pretty much any color and design you want these days. But... Toad, you already have an existing concrete floor. I thought stained concrete was POURED that way. I didn't think they could stain existing concrete.

Edit... did a little reading of the link you posted and yeah, they can acid stain existing concrete. Very cool !

 

http://www.ucoatit.com/pgs/main.htm

I used this ...proper prep is CRITICAL ... Old oil stains from the previous owners caused it to lift /peel ...

 

I just finished staining the entire floor of my house and I love it. The garage is next. It was easy, cheap, and looks awsome. I used Soycrete because it was easy to handle and do (just sponge on and seal, no harsh or harmful chemicals or need for gloves or extra ventalation) and it looks almost exactly like acid staining except you have more control of the color. I highly recomend it Cost me about $300 to do my 900 sq foot home and I have plenty left over for the 2 car garage.

PM for pictures, etc

 

Wow that soycrete looks cool. I'm using this kit Memorial Day weekend. http://www.epoxy-coat.com/index.php
Just finished prepping the floor this weekend so I can hit it on Saturday and then just enjoy the rest of the weekend.

 

Does the car come with the tiles? LOL nice car

 

I wish I could do tiles. We get way too much salt, sand and crud infested snow on our roads. Makes a mess when it melts.

Or do the tiles have a draining system?

 

This is who I used. I am sure that they must have franchises around the country.
http://www.elitesurfaces.com/
It looks great and cleans very easy.

 

Yeah, the tiles will drain underneath as long as your garage floor was poured properly and slopes toward the doors and doesn't have any low areas, of course. But the tiles snap together so tightly, most of the water will lay on top of the tiles and just evaporate.

During the winter, the chemicals will leave the tiles looking white but it mops up easily.

 

I put inexpensive commercial grade carpet down in half of my garage. The half the Mini parks on. I couldn't afford tiles and this leaves the other half of my 2 car garage open for working on vehicles where I don't have to worry about spills. Just another option if tiles are out of your budget.

 

Does anyone know if the snap together tiles can hold up to jacking up cars and having cars on jackstands on them?

 

They will... I've done it. But I don't know if I can recommend it. I put a tiny (I mean half the size of a dime) mark in one of my tiles.

This past weekend, I pulled the MINI out of the garage and did the work in the driveway. That first time may have been a fluke and the mark is hardly noticeable but I didn't want to take any chances.

 

I've been eyeing the cheapy garage carpet tiles, like these:



Or these:


I think I could do something really cool...I just gotta find the right inspiration.