Concrete floor paint
Concrete floor paint , epoxy forms a hard durable surface and a strong bond to a properly prepared concrete surface and hence is the most widely applied form of floor painting. Epoxy paint should not be exposed to direct sunlight for longer durations as they fade; but epoxies have a strong chemical resistance and they come in solvent or water-based formulas. Concrete floor epoxy paint should be applied at temperatures between 60-80 degrees at low humidity as they become thick and cure too slowly if they are applied at temperatures below 50-60 degrees. The epoxy thins and the cure time is reduced if they are applied at temperatures above 90 degrees. It takes a matter of several days for the epoxy to become hard enough for vehicle traffic but gets cured to the touch in just a few hours .It requires temperatures above 140 degrees for cured epoxy paints to soften.
While applying concrete floor epoxy paints ,the usual problems that occur are bubbling, color streaking, or blush. When air is trapped from use of a heavy nap roller cover or concrete contaminants, bubbles occur. Color streaks are caused because of moisture problems , contaminants or incomplete mixing. The reaction of epoxy hardener with moisture in the air causes blush. Epoxies are a long lasting alternative for creating an attractive garage floor and if bubble form or blush occurs, it must be removed by sanding before additional layers of epoxy may be applied.
Polyurethane: Concrete floor paint urethanes are less likely to fade when exposed to ultraviolet sunlight and resist chemicals better than epoxy. Polyurethane is not recommended for direct application over the concrete surface and they are extremely durable and after applying it you get a very high gloss finish. An epoxy primer is required before applying polyurethane to adequately bond to the concrete. Urethane chemically bonds to the epoxy and the epoxy in turn mechanically bonds to the concrete surface. Often, for this reason polyurethane is used as a protective top coating over epoxy.
To create special effect top layers concrete floor paint polyurethanes are used over epoxy. An epoxy base is first laid ,then granite or plastic flecks are dispersed in a layer of polyurethane and then topped with a final finishing coat of polyurethane to create a granite or terrazzo look.
Concrete floor paint polyurethanes are also more expensive than epoxies, latex and acrylics. But if you are looking for that one of a kind custom look ,a polyurethane top coat is hard to beat.
Latex paint: For garage floors there are various concrete floor acrylic latex paints. Some of these are resistant to hot tire pick up. You can park on it in 3 days after application and walk on it in 3 hours.
Concrete floor paint latex is the least expensive option to garage floor coatings.
Concrete stains: Acid stained concrete floor paints can create a very warm and unique finish in multiple hues and color. The look of a stone or leather can be created with acid stain. With great depth of color patterns and other designs are all possible. Unlike coatings that paint over and adhere to the concrete surface, the stain is translucent and forms one-of-a-kind design with the imperfections of your concrete. For this reason, the concrete must be very clean of contaminates. A protective acrylic seal coat is required to obtain a finish that is permanent. If heavy garage equipment is dragged across the floor or if this acrylic sealer is exposed to ultraviolet sunlight, then the acrylic sealer can be damaged. The sealer requires waxing one or more times per year and is not maintenance free.