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Hi Brian. Yes, you can do exactly that. If you are parking cars in the garage, we recommend using a garage floor parking mat. Hot tires will eventually peel up 1-part epoxy paint. Usually sooner than later. A parking mat will prevent that.

Hello. No, clear coats are not designed nor intended for moisture vapor mitigation from below the slab. They provide protection from abrasion, staining, and chemicals to the surface of bare concrete and color coats. If you have moisture coming from below the slab, the last product to apply is a 1-part epoxy paint. It will just peel right up if you have moisture issues. Did you do a calcium chloride moisture test to determine how many pounds of moisture vapor is being transmitted? If it's more than 3 lbs., the proper product to apply first is a 2-part moisture vapor blocking epoxy primer.

Bubbles can be caused by a variety of things. Examples are not waiting long enough for the concrete to dry after etching, rolling it too fast and heavy, air getting trapped if aggressively mixing it in a bucket, or applying it in the early afternoon with rising air temperatures. The best way to fix it is to apply another coat. First, sand the surface with 100-120 grit sandpaper to knock down the bubbles and any sharp edges for those that popped. Sweep/vac and then wipe down with denatured alcohol applied liberally to a microfiber mop pad. After that, you are ready for the second coat. If you believe it's moisture vapor from below the slab, then that requires something completely different. You would need to grind the coating off and do a moisture test in a few areas to determine how much moisture vapor transmission you have. If it's greater than 3 lbs, you will need to apply a moisture-blocking epoxy primer. These are more expensive than RockSolid and have a lower coverage rate. You then apply a new coating to that within 24 hours.

Our website has multiple articles discussing why porcelain tile is a great option for garage flooring. It's not an easy DIY install though like interlocking tiles are.

Hi John. Unfortunately, applying more coats of 1-part epoxy paint is similar to adding more layers to a sand foundation. It gets thicker, but not better. If you want to eliminate hot tire pickup, it will require removing the epoxy paint via grinding and then applying a quality thermosetting coating. The grinding will prep the concrete at the same time. And when we say a quality coating, we don't mean a water-based DIY home improvement store product such as EpoxyShield. Sorry for the bad news, but your suspicions are correct.

@@allgaragefloors Thank you for your reply. Not what I was hoping for, but ultimately waving the white flag now instead of wasting another entire weekend just to be disappointed is more palatable now I suppose. Just like most things, the difference in cost of materials makes sense now.

@@JohnMartin-cd1qm Yes, you really do get what you pay for with garage floor coatings. There are some great commercial-quality DIY garage floor coatings that we evaluate, review, and recommend on our website if you want to take a look. Another option is placing a large garage floor parking mat over the area where you park. G-Floor makes a semi-clear/opaque mat that will allow the color to show through. As a result, the mat doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. You check them out here at Amazon: amzn.to/3N4QE42

Hello Daniel. Technically, you can apply 1-part epoxy over 2-part epoxy if the 2-part epoxy is fully cured. It requires sanding the surface with 120-grit sandpaper to provide a mechanical grip for the 1-part epoxy. But why would you want to do so? You are effectively reducing the performance of the 2-part epoxy coating by applying a much inferior product on top of it.

Hi Chris. Yes, we would seriously consider going with the Ribtrax Smooth Pro for the entire floor next time. The only thing that would hold us back from doing that is the fact that the Ribtrax Pro (non-smooth) stays clean looking for so long. We've had solid top tile floors before and I know from experience that those require more maintenance to keep clean just like any other garage flooring option. We went 6 months without any cleaning and couldn't believe how nice it still looked.

Hi Rick. I've laid my fair share of porcelain, ceramic, and natural stone tile floors in past homes. With few exceptions, I agree that the layout should always start in the center of the room. However, plastic and PVC tiles layout differently due to expansion characteristics. The industry standard is to always start at the entrance of the garage at the doors.

Hi Patrick. You don't want G-Floor sticking out past the door. The sun will cause it to expand which can make it ripple across the mat as soon as you open the door. It's best to keep them just inside or at the most, under the door.

SupraTile by ArmorPoxy are one of the best flexible, PVC coin tiles. You can price them here: armorpoxy.com/4-5-mm-t-joint-supratile-coin-textured-interlocking-floor-tile

Yep. Everybody has their own reasons for selecting the type of garage flooring they think suits them best. That is what's most important. However, If a screw or anything else falls between the ribs, it is very easy to pop a tile up. So that's not a problem, other than the fact that you have to go through that exercise to rescue the screw :)

Clean the concrete well, but don't use a wire brush. It will leave metal transfer marks in the concrete that is hard to remove. As long as the concrete absorbs water droplets, you can apply Rust Bullet DuraGrade concrete without further prep. Make sure the concrete is thoroughly dry before applying it. Basements require longer to dry than garage floors.

Yes, that would be correct. One 2.5-car kit will not sufficiently cover 500 square feet. You can actually purchase a much better performing commercial quality single-part polyurea coating kit for approximately the same price as buying all those kits. It's thicker, UV-stable, and more durable. You can learn about single-part polyurea kits and where to buy them here: allgaragefloors.com/polyurea-best-garage-floor-coating-kits/

@@allgaragefloors I am in Canada so unfortunately i can't get those. I have seen many videos where they don't do the topcoat after, is that a mistake or should that also be done?

@@CamGreer-q4g A clear topcoat is not required, but it's highly recommended. It locks in and protects the color flakes as well as the color coat. The coating lasts longer as a result and is easier to clean since you don't have exposed color flakes catching dirt and sometimes getting dislodged from traffic and cleaning.

Hello Donald. Assuming you are looking at 12" square tiles, you would multiply the length and width of your space to get the approximate tile count. That would be 720 tiles. If the measurements are slightly larger than 20' or 30', then you would need an additional row to trim to fit. Don't forget to account for the ramp edges which are approximately 2" in length. Also, some website have a tile designer and calculator which can do all that for you.

That is the best option if you don't want to worry about damaging a coating or take various precautions to prevent it. We discuss sealer options that work well for such workshops in this article: allgaragefloors.com/sealers-large-shop-garage-floors/

What exact epoxy product did you use and how long ago was it applied?

@@allgaragefloors applied it 12 hours ago, the kit from bunnings here in australia

@@no1stato I'm sorry, but that does not tell me EXACTLY what you used. We are in the U.S. and not familiar with the product and that is why I asked. Most epoxy allows for a 24-hour recoat window. After that, you must rough up the coating to apply another coat. If you apply the clear coat, the color flakes you toss on top are going to stand out compared to the ones covered by the clear coat. The best way to correct for the lack of color flakes in areas is to apply a clear coat to the floor, toss the color flakes where you need them, and then apply another clear coat over that.

Glad it was helpful!

Yes, we are aware, Scott. We had an unknown problem with our audio for a couple of videos. It has since been fixed.

It works great. The heat in the concrete radiates up through the flooring and warms the space nicely.

You definitely want to use a coating and not paint or 1-part epoxy paint. Don't use epoxy, though. It's not flexible and will crack if the floor flexes. A single-part polyurea is a great choice. It flexes, it's easier to apply, and it lasts longer. You can learn about them here, including where to purchase them: allgaragefloors.com/polyurea-best-garage-floor-coating-kits/

Yes, you can. It requires degreasing the surface and then roughing it up with 120-grit sandpaper first. Sweep/vac and then wipe it down with denatured alcohol or equivalent applied liberally to a microfiber mop pad. Give it 15 minutes or so to evaporate and then it's ready for the coating.

Ahh... I see where you are going with this. DuraGrade by Rust Bullet is a very durable single-part moisture-cured polyurethane thermosetting coating. It is one of the only coatings that can be applied without the requirement to etch if the concrete passes the moisture absorption test. We have an article about it here if you have not seen it: allgaragefloors.com/duragrade-concrete-coating-review/ We refrain from mentioning this coating when talking about concrete prep because we have found it to confuse the issue when folks are just learning about application processes 🙂 What you need to do is place a few water drops in various places across the concrete. If the concrete absorbs the water within a minute, then you are good to go with DuraGrade. If the water sits there without doing anything or takes more than a minute to absorb into the concrete, then the concrete is either too smooth or has a sealer present.

We would recommend a product called DuraGrade by Rust Bullet. It's an easy to apply 1-part moisture cured polyurethane coating that is extremely durable. It typically can be applied to bare, unsealed concrete that will absorb water drops. The only prep required is proper cleaning. Any other scenario would require proper floor prep no matter what product you used. Floor prep is the MOST IMPORTANT part of any application. White is a color that always requires a minimum of two coats and many times three. Glitter should be tossed into the final white color coat. A coat of clear DuraGrade is then applied to lock in the glitter and protect the color coat. You can read our review of DuraGrade here: allgaragefloors.com/duragrade-concrete-coating-review/ You can also purchase it from Amazon here: amzn.to/4gjK5bc Whatever you do, do not use standard concrete paint or 1-part epoxy paint. These are residential quality products that are not designed for glossy clear coats and will last an average of 2-3 years in a residence. An ice cream shop is a commercial setting that will see more foot traffic in three months than a residential home will see in three years. Plus, manufacturer's will not warranty them in commercial settings. You will be throwing good money after bad with such an application. I hope that helps.

We wanted to compare and review both designs. Because most of our foot traffic is in the back of the garage, we decided to add the Smooth Pro there. We preferred the look of the Ribtrax Pro when inspecting individual tiles and looking at images online, so we opted for the majority of the garage to be that option. However, the Ribtrax Smooth Pro looks very nice once installed on the floor. The Ribtrax Pro is not hard on the feet and toolboxes and floor jacks roll nicely across it. The Smooth Pro is even better in that regard. We discuss it more in our 6 month review video: th-cam.com/video/-MQ2kDkBulo/w-d-xo.html

@@allgaragefloors thanks for the feedback and honest opinion on both floor types. I’ve been contemplating which finish to go with and heavily leaning on the smooth version and this helps tremendously. I’ve also been rethinking the silver color for smooth because of the dirt accumulation. I would think silver on pto would look cleaner than silver on smooth so perhaps grey is the happy medium for smooth. I know it’s highly subjective but always helpful to ask and hear feedback. Thanks

@@MrAmonts You are welcome. If you watch the video of our initial 6-month review, we purposely did not clean the floor since the day it was installed so that you can get an idea of what to expect in terms of dirt accumulation. We show you the results. You may be surprised.

Hi Midge. It depends on the product. You need to wait a minimum of 10-12 hours for EpoxyShield and 6-8 hours for RockSolid. EpoxyShield allows up to 4 days to apply it and RockSolid 7 days. After that, the surface needs sanding first. Just an FYI, these products are not paint. They are concrete coatings.

@@allgaragefloors thanks for the reply and will definitely consider the shield after the coatings . Using RockSolid

@@Midge1k You are welcome. You need to use RockSolid Clear Coat if using RockSolid color coat. EpoxyShield and RockSolid are not compatible.

Yes, they can with proper prep. Sand the surface with 60-grit sandpaper to cleanup the wood and remove any glues and other wood treating residues. RockSolid is the better choice since polycuramine has some flex to it. Epoxy does not flex and can crack if the wood floor flexes. You may need two coats.

I'm glad the video helped. I try to get the best information to our viewers. Thanks for using the link!

My pleasure!

Hi Arthur. Tiles won't spin up or unlock when turning the wheels of your car. If you center the floor, the most concrete you would have exposed on either side if you don't want to trim to fit would be just under 8". However, we do recommend that you trim the tiles in the back of the garage. If you don't, you may experience the entire floor shifting when pulling in and stopping. It all depends if you have heavy items on the floor or another car. Right now you can get 10% off Swisstrax through September 4th. Use this link: bit.ly/3utqNgD and code LABORDAY24 at checkout.

Hi Doug. Is EpoxyShield on the concrete currently? If so, what shape is it in? Proper prep is very important depending on what is on the concrete currently. Lock-Down is a latex acrylic primer for paint and not compatible with coatings. DO NOT use it. Nohr-S Polyurea by Legacy Industrial is applied similar to other coatings. The color coat goes down followed by the optional color flakes and clear coat. It is a commercial quality coating that is far superior to EpoxyShield. If you choose to go that route (best value for the money in the long run), you will need to remove the EpoxyShield coating via grinding first. If not, you will not gain the tenacious bonding of the polyurea and your coating will subject to how well the EpoxyShield is adhered to the concrete. It's like building a nice home on a poor foundation.

Your concrete is already sealed. Vocomp-20 is a cure-and-seal product for newly poured concrete. It's a film-forming acrylic topical sealer. Here is the link: www.wrmeadows.com/vocomp-20-concrete-curing-sealing-compound/ You can't apply any additional sealers or coatings to the concrete unless the Vomomp-20 is removed via grinding or some other mechanical means such as shotblasting. You can apply Swisstrax right over it if you like. We have a video that shows the correct was to install Swisstrax the correct way: th-cam.com/video/DiQcVLlfMIM/w-d-xo.html In regards to polyurea, it is one of the more tenacious bonding coatings when applied to concrete that is profiled properly. It can pull small chunks of concrete up with it during adhesion testing when installed properly. Prep is the MOST important step when applying coatings and the one people don't do well because they don't like to or don't want to. A strong etching solution is required at the minimum. Grinding is better. Flaking will only occur if the prep was not done properly or if the concrete was in poor shape to begin with. For example, if you chose to apply polyurea and tried to etch your concrete instead of grinding to remove the sealer that is now on it, the polyurea would flake right off because the etch would have been ineffective. I hope that helps.

@@allgaragefloors thank you very much for your informative response. Well appreciated. I have contacted the Vocomp 20 representative in my area and he confirmed that additional coats of Vocomp 20, 25 or 30 can be reapplied. If I decide to go with a different brand or type of sealer then mechanical removal is an obligation. In regards to the confirmation from the Vocomp rep, I will be going with the Vocomp 30 which helps with the winter dirt, grime and salt. Down the road, if the sealer doesn't respond anymore to my needs I will look into Swisstrax or Polyurea coating. Thank you.

@@mas5040 We are glad to help!

Hi Chuck. We are glad the video made your floor installation go smoothly! The tiles are not hard to install, but it's very easy to make things more difficult on yourself if the procedures aren't followed. Have fun with your new floor!

Hi Peter. Was it a muriatic acid etch or less effective Eco friendly citric acid etch? Did you check if the concrete had previously been sealed? Etching solutions will not work on sealed concrete. The concrete does not necessarily look different after and etch. However, it should readily absorb water drops if it has been etched correctly. Did you do that test?

@@vegetablehead It does not disqualify the floor from being painted or coated. What it requires is first removing the concrete sealer via mechanical means such as grinding or shot blasting. Sealers effectively prevent muriatic acid or other etching solutions from reacting with the minerals in the concrete that create the etching process. This is why etching paint or coatings does not work either. The process of removing the sealer properly profiles the surface for a coating at the same time.

We didn't say that. What we said is that concrete paint and 1-part epoxy paint are not intended for clear coats. We tell you in the video how you can get around that problem and make a clear coat adhere and work on paint. We just don't feel it's worth the time and expense to do so since a clear coat costs much more than paint and may still peel up because it's attached to an inferior surface (paint) and not bare concrete.

RockSolid and EpoxyShield are not compatible. RockSolid Clear Coat can only be applied if EpoxyShield has cured for over 48 hours. It will require sanding the surface with 120-150 grit sandpaper to degloss the surface before you can apply the RockSolid Clear Coat. This achieves a mechanical bond. If you haven't applied EpoxyShield yet, then use EpoxyShield Premium Clear Coat. Apply between 12 hours and 76 hours after EpoxyShield has been applied. This will achieve a much better chemical bond. EpoxyShield Premium Clear Coat is a 100% solids epoxy that is compatible with EpoxyShield. You can find the best price here at Amazon: amzn.to/4dCtTAa

@@allgaragefloors Great, thanks so much for your reply.

I used a piece of cardboard and trimmed it until I was happy with curve. I then used that to draw the line on the tile.

Hi Ethan. Floor jacks, rolling toolboxes, and anything with wheels in general roll very well on the floor. When using a floor jack, you should place it on a piece of 5/16" plywood or something similar to help distribute the load. Because steel wheels don't have a flat footprint like a pneumatic tire does, all that weight on the small wheels when lifting a car or truck can cause indentations in the tile. This is true of any polypropylene interlocking floor tile system.

That's a great question! So far, we really like our Swisstrax floor. What I can tell you from experience is that RaceDeck in our opinion is the better solid top tile. However, we feel the Swisstrax Ribtrax Pro vented tiles are better. They are thicker and easier to work with. We just dropped a 6 month review of our Swisstrax floor if you want to check it out. th-cam.com/video/-MQ2kDkBulo/w-d-xo.html

@@allgaragefloors thank you!

@@earlyblackmz You are welcome!

Sorry to hear you didn't get a response. That is unusual. Yes, premium garage tiles have gotten more expensive as has other products these days. Swisstrax is not the only manufacturer to experience this. It's the same thing with quality garage floor coatings. The cost of raw materials keeps going up.

Hello Rosie. A 2.5 car garage kit is a generalization. The nitty gritty of applying coatings relies on the actual square footage. What is yours? The kit will cover 450-500 square feet under ideal conditions. Rarely are conditions of the surface ideal. We always recommend reducing those numbers by 10% when using RockSolid. If your concrete is more porous or not as smooth, it's not going to cover it all without being too thin. What you are experiencing are large patches where the coating is not thick enough. This is a common problem with RockSolid that we talk about in our video. The problem can be fixed by applying another 2.5 car kit. RockSolid gives you 7 days to apply any additional recoats within 7 days without further prep. You can coat right over the color flakes when you do this. Once a new coat is applied, the color will be full, rich, and glossy. If you are past the 7 day recoat window, you will need to degloss the surface first by roughing it up with 120-150 grit sandpaper. Sweep/vac and then wipe the surface with denatured alcohol or equivalent. After that, you can apply the second color coat.

@@allgaragefloors if an additional coat is applied as you suggest (over the flakes) will new flakes need to be applied? Or will they still be visible once coating dries?

@@Peter997S Yes, you will need to apply new color flakes over the new coating. The new coat covers up the old color flakes.

Hi Cindy. I believe it's your imagination. Interlocking tiles do not block moisture vapor transmission or air transmission. In fact, they are designed with channels underneath to support water drainage and air circulation. Mold and mildew cannot grow on the tiles and the environment under the tiles does not support such growth. It's one reason they are popular for basements that suffer from moisture issues with the floor. GarageTrac tiles are manufactured in the USA by SnapLock Industries, the same company that owns RaceDeck. They are designed as a budget option compared to RaceDeck tiles and are a good choice if budget is a concern.

@@allgaragefloors Very helpful!! Thank You!!

It depends on which tiles you purchase. The link I provided in the last comment takes you right to pricing. If you use code: AFG24 you can get an additional 5% off.

It's not necessary to pull the tiles up, particularly if you have a drain in the garage. However, it's very easy to do if you are concerned about the floor being dirty under the tiles. For example, it's not unusual for people who live in snow country to unsnap the section of tile a car parks on and haul it right out the door. This allows for easy cleaning of the winter debris. The tile section is then pulled back in and snapped back in place. Others just use a high pressure nozzle on their hose and blast the debris out from under the tiles since they have the channels underneath for water and debris to exit.

It really depends on how the floor is used and what your personal preferences are. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. It's like asking which type of truck is best. It all depends on how you plan to use it.

Washing my cars

@@gearlstrickland3365 We would recommend Swisstrax over a coating for washing cars. Coatings get extremely slippery when wet, particularly when soapy water is involved. It requires the application of a very aggressive anti-slip media to prevent slipping. The problem with such aggressive media is that it makes cleaning the floor difficult since microfiber mop pads and string mops want to stick to it and get torn up. If using Swisstrax, the water goes directly to the concrete below the tile. It's a popular flooring choice for detailers that wash cars inside. Most favor the Ribtrax Pro Smooth for washing cars. They say it provides more grip than the Ribtrax Pro for that purpose. Here is a link: bit.ly/3yjsNt6

Hi Chris. It depends on what type of clear coat you use. Acrylic clear coats designed for paint and 1-part epoxy paint is U.V. stable and will not yellow (amber). Epoxy clear coatings are not U.V. stable and will amber if exposed to direct sunlight or strong indirect sunlight. Polyurethane, polyurea, and polyaspartic clear coats are U.V. stable and will not amber.

Glad it was helpful!

Yes, there are various reasons why a clear coat is recommended. Primary is that the clear coat will lock in and protect the color flakes and color coat. The number one rule of clear coats is that they should perform just as well if not better than the color coat since the clear coat will receive all the abuse. We have an article here that discusses all the reasons why a clear coat is recommended: allgaragefloors.com/clear-coat-your-epoxy-floor/ We recommend that you use the RockSolid Clear coat since it is compatible. When using RockSolid, you have 7 days after application to add a clear coat or subsequent color coats before additional surface prep is required. If you are past the 7 day window or you choose a different clear coat option, it will require that you first degloss and rough up the surface with 120-150 grit sandpaper first before applying the clear coat. If you don't, the clear coat will not adhere.