# Slippery Garage Floor



## direwolf23 (Jan 7, 2008)

The guy that poured my garage floor did a beautiful job at finishing the cement... that is, of course, unless it is winter. Any snow on your feet results in a sore rear end. It is so slick that even the dog has a hard time on it if it is wet.

Every floor that I have seen that has been painted with the floor stuff from Home Depot/Lowes looks like crap after a few years. The paint chips, wears off, or something else. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do about this? I had considered garage floor mats but that would run in the area of $1200. I thought about sand blasting it to rough it up but doing that evenly would be difficult at best and no matter how you shake it, it would not look very nice.

The wife is on me about this pretty hard... she thinks that after three years of asking me I could have done something about it. She might be right, but I will never admit to it.


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## hellbilly (Aug 17, 2008)

How many sq ft is it? You could put down a concrete sealer with a traction aid in it. Where are you located at? It could probley be done under $200. Most concrete places carry sealer it is used mostly for decorative concrete but in you case it would work.


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## direwolf23 (Jan 7, 2008)

I am in Mt. Pleasant. The square footage is 480.


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

paint the floor with 2 part epoxy, then sprinkle sand into the paint when it is almost dry. Did this in my dads garage. Worked out great for years. 

When painting the concrete you have to take the time and do the prep work. Or yes a few years down the road the paint will chip.


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## jstfish48162 (Mar 8, 2003)

this may sound stupid, but after 17 years as a garage door service tech, i have been in ALOT of garages. most garages i work in are used as storages units.

is your garage used for vehicles or just storage of your "toys", kids' toys, huntin' clothes and equipment, etc.?

my 2-1/2 car garage has only had our vehicles in it a dozen times...mostly for maintenance. so it is mainly used for storage, deer processing,fish cleaning and for UFC fight parties, cook-outs and Tiger games in warmer months.

i have an 8 X 14 indoor/outdoor carpet in front of my workbench and smaller/longer carpet for my traffic areas in and out. this would be a little cheaper for now and maybe buy you some time to consider all options before making a decision. the dog will catch on very quick and use it for his/her means of travel inside the garage.

just a thought......


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## Schroeder's Song (May 25, 2004)

Garbage picked carpet (or even LARGE appliance cardboard boxes layed flat) works well for this....will get nasty from the salt drippings, & can bunch-up, making trip hazards (tip-don't turn steering wheels while on it), but it is cheap (free), & can be tossed when it gets bad.
A nice bonus is, if you have to work on vehicles, it is much nicer than kneeling/laying on cement.


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## direwolf23 (Jan 7, 2008)

Yes, my wife parks in the garage daily. 

Maybe I will give the Home Depot stuff a shot... if it is just the matter of the prep work. I like the sealer idea.


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## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

My brother-in-law brought over an industrial sprayer with a concrete attachment and sprayed our garage floor for us (it had way more power than my standard power sprayer).. I swear that thing took off a full layer of cement because it looked like it was just pured when he was done.. Anyways, even after all that work, the cement paint we used still flaked with-in 2 years. If I were to do it again I would hire a reputable company and make sure it was warranted for so many years before going through all that work again just to have it possibly flake again..


CB


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## Gina Fox (Nov 4, 2007)

I have the same problem in my kennel!

The floor is finished smooth and sealed and it can get slippery but not as slippery as the ceramic tile in my other building...I just walk slower! The dogs don't seem to have a problem with it, and it does make the building easier to sanitize.

If there are some tile guys out there, I have a question, can you tell me if Pourous Plus would work as a sealant and an anti slip coating? OR if not what sealer can I reseal the both floors with that will give more traction 

Great thread I look forward to the replys.


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## Ole Spike (Nov 22, 2004)

Have also used carpet remnants. Cheap and you can throw them away when they get real nasty.


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## Duckman1 (Oct 14, 2004)

Get 2 jugs of Muratic acid and a PLASTIC brissel broom. Por out the acid and lightly brush working in small sections. Water will stop the action of the acid. Do this over the whole floor. Suck up with a shop vac or run it down a floor drain. The acid will eat away a thin layer of the smooth cement and give it a tooth for better traction.


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## roger23 (Jan 14, 2001)

the sealer he used made it slippery I am sure ...I would check with a real painter before you paint it ,,,,any moisture will screw it up,,,,I have seen many floors bubble and peal with in a couple years because they were not properly done,,,these were done by big money contractors ,,,in food service plants,,and factories...


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## jjc155 (Oct 16, 2005)

Duckman1 said:


> Get 2 jugs of Muratic acid and a PLASTIC brissel broom. Por out the acid and lightly brush working in small sections. Water will stop the action of the acid. Do this over the whole floor. Suck up with a shop vac or run it down a floor drain. The acid will eat away a thin layer of the smooth cement and give it a tooth for better traction.


that was gonna be my suggestions too. The acid will etch the smooth surface. You would have to do something like that anyways if you go with an epoxy so the paint would stick. Might as well try it first to see if it works for you and if not you are half way done with the prep for the epoxy.

Other think might be to rent a floor buffer and run a concrete texture pad on it if you needed alittle bit more bite on the surface.

J-


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

Prep is key and if you dont get the old off you are wasting your time, I think grinding the old finish (paint) off will be the challenge. Acid is standard procedure with all the epoxy apps these days. Its a good summer project for sure. I used the sand to ensure I wasnt creating a new problem.


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## direwolf23 (Jan 7, 2008)

I was reading about acid etching (there is no paint or sealer on the floor currently) and found an article about sand blasting to get the same results. Has anyone tried this?


Thanks for all the info


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

direwolf23 said:


> I was reading about acid etching (there is no paint or sealer on the floor currently) and found an article about sand blasting to get the same results. Has anyone tried this?
> 
> 
> Thanks for all the info


You can go that route. But it can end up being more expensive then epoxy floor covering. Especially if you hire a sandblaster to do it. But you should be able to rent the equipment from some where locally. 

If you go with this route. Make sure you get a tyvek suit, respirator, and safety googles. Also make sure you have ample ventilation. Because the sandblasting will make a lot of dust.


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## direwolf23 (Jan 7, 2008)

bigcountrysg said:


> You can go that route. But it can end up being more expensive then epoxy floor covering. Especially if you hire a sandblaster to do it. But you should be able to rent the equipment from some where locally.
> 
> If you go with this route. Make sure you get a tyvek suit, respirator, and safety googles. Also make sure you have ample ventilation. Because the sandblasting will make a lot of dust.


Right, actually after talking to my brother today I found out that he has everything that I would need. He owns a body shop and has a pretty high end sand blasting setup that I would be able to use. He told me pretty much the same thing you said as well. So, total cost of this operation might be two bags of silica sand of which he said would cost me about $6 a piece and the cost of running my compressor of which would be nominal! 

Thanks to everyone for all the input.


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## jondahighlander (Nov 10, 2008)

My brother in-law owns his own pavement sealing company..............the easiest and cheapest way is a simple cement sealer laid on a little thick (2nd coat) and throw silica sand (sandblasting sand) liberally and spread around. after it dries sweep up and you'll have great traction-------jon


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## bigcountrysg (Oct 9, 2006)

Oh and if you do the sandblasting. Make sure you have an air dryer inline with the air hose. Wet air will turn that sand into mud and you will be dealing with clogs all day long. 

The moisture will build up in the blasting gun. Which will make the sand stick to the inside of the gun. Eventually you will have a clog you have to clear.


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## Kevin_D (Dec 3, 2005)

but it is possible to etch with a pressure washer with the right nossle.
Just a thought.


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