RUST-OLEUM EpoxyShield Garage Floor - Showroom Floors!

For the past several years I used my garage floor as my biggest worktable... Yep. you would see me here, building, gluing, and of course painting to my heart's content without using any surface or material to protect that floor. All those memories smeared on the floor weren't that attractive, and that's why I decided to give my garage floor the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield treatment.

It's been a year-long journey coming to this point, with the first task being decluttering this space, and the building of a mudroom being the last project tackled here. I didn't have the time to record a video of my new mudroom because I literary had to run to clean that garage floor.

Temperatures were dropping drastically, and that's one of the important factors you need to have in mind if you want to epoxy your garage or basement floor. The outside temperature needs to be between 60 and 85 degrees, and the humidity not greater than 85%. You can find more information within the kit.

The shop vac, power washer, and all the Rust-Oleum products were ready to go, as you can see in this picture below when we were right about to start.

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| Ryobi Power Washer | RIDGID Wet/Dry Vac |

I'm going to give you a recount of what I did. The complete instructions come within the Rust-Oleum kits you buy. I tried to follow them to the t. But I'm also going to give you some tips, things that worked for me and maybe you can find them helpful.

If you're going to embark on this project, let me tell you that it's very doable and maybe you can complete the main part during the weekend. However, depending on the condition of your garage floor, the cleaning process might be tough.

1. EMPTY YOUR GARAGE

That first task took me a year to complete. :D  

Yes, it took me a full year to get rid of tons of stuff I had scattered all around the garage. I had to build storage solutions and get organized.

Look at the mess this garage was before!

Most of my builds are now on wheels, except for one. That tall cabinet full of tools was not going anywhere, even empty. It was too heavy. It stayed in place, but we propped it on two 2 x 4's and secured it to the studs on the wall.  The only space we didn't epoxy was underneath those 2 x 4's, but hey, nobody will know when you bring that cabinet down.

2. CLEAN, CLEAN, AND CLEAN SOME MORE!

One full day was dedicated to cleaning that floor.

I first used my shop vac to get the biggest messes, then Mr. RLC used his trusted blower to get rid of what still remained there. Phff that was a cloud of dust!

RUST-OLEUM CLEANER AND DEGREASER

You need to wash that floor to remove dirt and grease! Enter here Rust-Oleum cleaner and degreaser. 

For our garage, approximately 500 sqft we used two of these gallons.

As per instructions, we mixed it with water.

| Rust-Oleum Cleaner & Degreaser |

This is when the fun begins! Just kidding. 

The scrubbing begins. We divided the area into four parts. The first part was this one, the back-left area. Mr. RLC is here, using a tough brush, which I recommend. I was using a broom, and even though is one of those heavy-duty brooms, it wasn't a nice tool for this type of job.

| Professional Scrub Brush |

Once you see the area free of grease and dirt, it's time to rinse it. We used our Ryobi power washer, which was also good at removing stuck-on dirt.

After rinsing that left area three times and squeegeeing the excess water, we went to the other side of the garage to do the exact same thing.

EDGING

The cleaning continues, this time using the citric acid or concrete edge that comes with the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield kit.

The powdery stuff is mixed with water, and then you go back to square one to start scrubbing again. 

Then, rinse the citric acid off the floor.

And going to the other side of the garage... edging and rinsing one more time.

We rinsed that floor about seven/eight times. Really! We didn't want any residue of any of those products compromising the adhesion of the epoxy.

| 24 In. Floor squeegee with handle |

This is how the floor looked at the end of the day.

After 24 hours the floor was dry, and I went to see if there was any dusting. I passed my fingers through several sections, and it was clean!  

If you find dust on your fingers, you need to rinse the floor some more.

3. FILL HOLES AND GAPS

I could've applied the epoxy at this point, but I, first needed to fill holes and gaps. I used the Rust-Oleum Concrete Patch and Repair kit. It is a two-part product that you mix. 

I closed a few holes in the middle of the garage and then, I started to fill a section of that gap that exists all around, where the floor meets the foundation wall, but my oh, my! This small section ate half of the product and look how it ended... Just the same as it started!  I didn't waste more time or product and left that gap the way it was.

| Rust-Oleum Concrete Patch and Repair Kit |

4. APPLY THE EPOXY

I taped the area to be epoxy. My kids were the ones helping me on those corners, and those guys can't keep a straight line with the brush.

I waited 48 hours after washing the floors to apply the epoxy.  The Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield is a two-part product that you mix right there in the burst pouch. Pushing part B into part A and then mixing it.

Depending on the temperature, you have to let the mixed epoxy sit/rest before applying it. See the instructions for more information.

While my two helpers were brushing the product on the corners, I rolled it on the main area.

| Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield | Epoxy Roller |

My son was in charge of adding the paint chips. He didn't like them, but there was no way I was not going to use them. They distract from the imperfections on the floor, and I think they look cute. :)

This is how the floor looked right after we finished applying the epoxy. 

A completely new space!! 😊😊 

I could've stopped here, the floor looked really good, but I went the extra mile...

5. APPLY A TOP COAT

Yes, I wanted that shiny coat!

This topcoat is yet, another Rust-Oleum kit with a two-part product that you mix there in the burst pouch and the anti-skit additive to prevent it from being too slippery specially when wet.

Applying the product is easy. Mr. RLC brushed the corners, and I rolled it. However, I had a tough time keeping an eye on those wet lines. It is transparent... HARD TO SEE!

| Rust-Oleum Clear High Gloss Garage Floor Kit | 

Of course, I had plenty of missed spots as you can see below. Well, the very bright spots are the reflection of light through the little windows on the garage door.

Trying to solve this problem, I went ahead and applied another coat of the clear high gloss product. This time, I did it the other way, taking advantage of the light coming through and showing which areas were covered and which ones weren't. 

The missed spots from the first coat were saturated with product, and in the end, the entire floor looks shiny, but the variation of color/shade on those spots persists.

Well guys, that's a minor thing because this entire garage looks a million times better!!

| DIY - Lumber Rack |

| Ryobi Devour Debris Sweeper | Garage Shelves |

We already rolled in the workbenches and lowered that charging station/tool cabinet. It all looks awesome!

| DIY Pegboard | Husky Mobile Workbench | DIY Miter Saw Station |

Can you believe this is how this garage looked a year ago?! 🤮 👇🏼

It certainly, was the wrong way to keep our garage.

Well, change did come to this garage. Check out all that was done here! 👇

1. The Garage Overhaul - The Plan
2. DIY - Lumber Rack
3. A great storage solution
4. Some more cleaning was done here
5. DIY - Miter saw station
6. Mudroom Plan
7. DIY-Garage platform
8. Framing the mudroom
9. Mudroom Staircase
10. Slate Tile install in mudroom
11. DIY - Mudroom cabinets
12. Mudroom back cabinet and sliding door
13. Mudroom bench
14. Mudroom Shaker cabinet doors & faux cabinet
15. Mudroom reveal
16. DIY -Epoxy garage floor

*This post contains affiliate links.

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