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So after what has been close to a year of planning I have finally completed my garage floor.
It took a lot longer to get this project off the ground - as my brand new garage floor was not as pristine as one would expect from a new house. But after a couple of months of badgering my builder and a garage scrape later - we were finally ready to go.
I purchased a Dy-Mark Epoxy Kit from Bunnings for this project as my research into their product showed that their product had everything I needed in one simple kit to get the job done: https://www.bunnings.com.au/dy-mark-8l-epoxy-clear-garage-floor-coating-kit_p1580413
I also spent quite a bit of time caulking my garage. A slight gap between the garage floor and the skirting meant that there was possible risk of seepage of the epoxy when laying it down. So some quick caulking and taping of skirts was completed just to ensure there was no epoxy going under my walls or onto the walls
As my garage floor was brand new - there was no need to complete any deep cleaning or etching of the garage floor. This easily saved me a couple of days of work.
Once the floor was all prepped I began the process of the mixing the contents of the epoxy kit. Due to the temperature on Good Friday (below 15 degrees) I had to mix the activator and the base for slightly longer than the recommended 8 minutes and the resting time was recommended at 25 minutes so I left it for 30 minutes just to stay on the safe side.
Word to the wise - when the instructions say wear gloves and avoid contact with your skin, listen to it. Although not harmful to your skin - the adhesive nature of the epoxy meant I added close to an extra hour to the project trying to scrub off all of the epoxy that was covering my hands.
Once the epoxy has had time to rest after mixing it's time to start rolling out the epoxy with a simple paint roller. The instruction suggested painting in square metre sections so as to give ample time to apply the coloured flakes. I stuck to this instruction as it made the process of cutting in and rolling out the epoxy pretty simple - and meant I didn't get too boxed in during the application.
After each square metre was rolled out I applied my flakes pretty liberally across each section - I defintely went overboard in the first few sections which meant I was running pretty low by the end of the garage so I suggest going easy on the flakes.
The difference between the old garage floor and the epoxy is night and day as you can see below - seeing some instant results as I worked definetely made the rest of the work a lot easier.
After close to 2 hours of rolling out epoxy and liberally throwing around coloured flakes my new garage floor was complete. The drying time due to the temperature was 72 hours - so I tried to keep the garage open for at least 6 hours a day as the smell of the epoxy was incredibly strong.
Now I wait another 10 days before the floor is ready for vehicle use and I can adding in some garage storage products to really flesh out my garage.
Community manager's note: Check out How to apply epoxy to a garage floor for expert advice.
Fantastic project, many thanks for sharing in such detail @maknilsin. I'm sure this will inspire many other community members.
It will be great to see some more photos when the floor has fully dried and you have installed some storage. You might like to check out some of this previous posts for storage ideas:
Thanks again,
Jason
I saw in this article that epoxy is also now being used for interior floors - http://www.realestate.com.au/lifestyle/6-types-of-flooring-youve-probably-forgotten-about/
I Googled and saw some very bold floors. They aren't to my taste - I prefer timber or polished concrete - but they certainly make a statement!
For those interested in transforming their own garage floor, I hope the D.I.Y. video below can provide some further assistance.
Good luck with your project.
Jason
Hi. Is this epoxy self levelling? I have to correct a small amount of error where 3 smaller slabs join. Its for a new ensuite area. I realize I would have to do something about the edges so it doent flow away. Im thinking of timber to hold it in while it dries. I was going to do tiles but I dont want to risk following the wrong curves. Thanks. Regards Marita.
Thanks for joining in the discussion @Marita. Let me tag @maknilsin for you so he is alerted to your question. Other Workshop members like @PJA and @MartyH might also be able to assist.
This previous discussion might also be of interest, although it relates to a timber floor - https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Whole-of-House/how-to-level-chipboad-subfloor/m-p/4663
Let me extend a very warm welcome to the Workshop community. We're pleased you could join us and look forward to reading more about your projects and plans. Feel free to post whenever you need a hand or have something to share.
Jason
