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Sam's Garage Beautification Project Completed

sammyb

Luke Skywalker
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Where's the Advil?!?!?!

(Picture of before attached here (actually it's after removing all the equipment and pressure washing the floor, it was really dirty before!!!)...next is the after.)

I started and completed my garage clean-up and beautification project. I've always wanted to epoxy my garage floor, so I finally did it!

It essentially took me three days of cleaning, acid etching and painting. It's curing right now, so all the cars are outside. Luckily the weather has been great.

I did all the work myself. I'm basically the worst cosmetic guy in the world, so even though there's some inconsistency in the amount of gloss in different areas, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. The concrete was put in when the house was built in 1987, and had tons of paint and oil spills.

I even managed to ruin a few posters and break a picture frame when the pressure washer wind gusts pulled them right off the walls!
 

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sammyb

Luke Skywalker
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Now after.

On tuesday I can bring the cars back in!!!
 

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wow! looks great!

mark
 

drooartz

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Boy, that looks nice. Someday I'll have to follow your example. you won't even want to put cars on that nice, clean floor now! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

Basil

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Looks great! Garage makeover is one my list of things to do before I die also /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

DART

Darth Vader
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Great job Sammy, looks clean enough to eat off of....but none of the things in that nasty thread jbird started. Guess you will have to change the pic on your posts now. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 

weewillie

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Looks great Sam wish mine looked like that, of course I would have to build 4 walls and a roof first
 

tony barnhill

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
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Beautiful, Sammy...your next job is on the road...Gurley, alabama to be exact! hehehehe
 
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sammyb

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The garage is definitely a "20 Footer." Since the concrete was old, it had tons of chips and divots. I tried filling them, but when I went to paint, the roller essentially pulled all the filler chunks right out. (The epoxy is so thick and sticky.)

The great thing about the epoxy paint is that it actually makes it easier to deal with oil spills.

And the third bay is great -- especially because it enables one to park a LBC in between, so it's essentially a four-car garage.

Tony, I'd be happy to help, provided I never have to use a roller again. My back is KILLING me. Being 6'4" is not great when it comes to standard-length handles.
 

jayhawk

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Very nice! Now those little triumph leaks will stand up nicely on that pretty sealed floor! I intend to do the same-- anything other than the roller a problem?
 

R6MGS

Yoda
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Wow...Even the before pic puts my garage to shame.....
 

jlaird

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Just checked my garage, discusting.

Only comment is that a bit of Roundup will take care of those weeds in the drive and will not bother your back. Ask me how I know. Always keep a sprayer of roundup handy.
 

weewillie

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Geez Jack if I didn't keep my weeds I wouldn't have a cushion when I am lying under the car on the driveway
 

jlaird

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Tell that to the wife. hehe.

Oh yea, what product did you use on that beautiful floor?
 

Steve

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Sammy, that looks great.....nice job. I'd be interested to learn how the floor paint holds up. My dream is to move to a house with a nice, newly-poured garage floor and apply paint to it.
 
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sammyb

Luke Skywalker
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I hit the weeds with Roundup the day before -- and they hadn't quite died yet. Couldn't wait for the weeds to die before starting the project.

I used Griot's Garage Epoxy. I got it for $21 per gallon at their "Garage Sale" event, and I used 5 gallons (actually more like 4 gallons...some went to waste.)

The whole process is pretty back breaking!

My guess is that most people in this forum would have the same issues that I had -- meaning it took me hours upon hours just to get all the crap out of the garage. Lots of tools, compressors, oil change stuff, garbage, rags, etc...

Then cleaning the floor was a pain. Hours of scrubbing with degreaser and power washing.

The acid etching was also painful. You pour this toxic junk on the ground and use a scrub brush to work it in, then rinse. After the whole acid etching, you have to power wash again.

So the whole process was:
-Remove junk
-Sweep and Vacuum (This took forever!)
-Use degreaser on oil/grease spots and paint stripper on paint splatters
-Power Wash
-Acid Etch/scrub
-Power Wash
-Apply first coat
-Wait 12 hours
-Apply second coat
-wait 4 days for complete curing.
 
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