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Garage Floor - Options to consider

PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
in The potting shed
Sorry to go off topic, but I'm confident of getting better advice here than anywhere else!  I've been wondering what to do about my garage floor for a while and the time has now come to do something.  The garage is an integrated one, under the house, approximately 10 foot wide and 17 foot deep.  Over the years, previous owners have patched the crumbling cement and applied floor paint.  The surface is uneven in places but it's not too bad.  I don't put my car in the garage but use it for storage of gardening equipment, a bike and car cleaning things, etc.  I also use it for potting plants and protecting them over winter as it has two large double glazed windows and absorbs heat from the house above.

The simplest option would be to repaint the floor but I'm unsure about preparation.  Filling the holes with cement is probably the first step but do I then apply a sealant or use a tanking slurry before painting?  (What are these?!) And then, which garage paint is best?  

There are other options which I've seen online but I don't like the idea of plastic interlocking tiles and don't have the DIY skills to do this myself!

I'd appreciate any thoughts and advice please.  Thank you.  Here's the floor as it is today:


Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    @raisingirl is pretty good on this sort of thing ... hopefully she'll see this ...

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Thank you @pansyface, that's a very good point about terracotta pots chipping the paint!  
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    I have no expertise in this field at all but I do know you can buy self-levelling floor screed quite easily & cheaply (Screwfix / B&Q etc) 

    When we had the kitchen done they had to chip away at the concrete floor for various pipes / central heating etc. They then filled the holes with concrete (a fairly coarse finish) and then applied the self-levelling compound to give a finer, level finish for laying tiles.

    Took a couple of hours to be walk-on dry.

    No idea whether any further prep work was needed sorry.

    Good luck!
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Thank you @Topbird, that's very helpful.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    @Plantminded, life's too short to fret about a garage floor IMO so I would just sweep it free of loose stuff and paint it over if you really want to, using a specialist garage floor paint. You'll need a dry warmish day and a good set of knees!
    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Good advice @Lizzie27, thank you!  I've just come to that conclusion myself after further research, I'd much rather be outdoors gardening!  I've just placed an order for some garage floor paint so that's my weekend organised!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I would do the same as @Lizzie27 has said. That's what I did in the toolroom at my old house.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Thank you @Busy-Lizzie, you're right, much better things to do now that the sun is shining!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


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