To resist the damage from your car’s tires, you need paint that’s as tough as the concrete beneath it. The most unyielding garage floor coatings are polycuramine and 100% epoxy coatings, but using them can take a lot of work and money. Alternatively, consider using traffic paint, but be aware that it may not withstand heavy wear.
Learn about all your garage floor paint options before you find yourself staring down a wall of paint cans at the hardware store. Here are the best kinds of paints for garage floors.
100% Epoxy Coating: The Experts’ Choice
| Durability rating: 7.5/10 Pros: Durable, looks great, industry standard Cons: Takes a lot of work and prep Best for: Most DIYers Estimated cost: $0.12 to $0.13 per sq. ft. excl. installation |
I asked three handyman experts for their recommendations on garage floor paint: James Jennings of A1 Handyman in Boise, ID, John McTighe of Reliable Service Company in Chandler, AZ, and Craig Lloyd of Lloyd Handyman in Atascadero, CA.
All three experts said that epoxy coating or paint would be the best option for maximum durability, with the less powerful of the two being 1-part epoxy paint. What does that tell you? 100% epoxy is the industry standard.
This powerhouse coating contains hardeners and epoxy resin, which bond to create durable, waterproof surfaces. If you do the right prep and you know how to apply it, you’re in for a floor that can stay polished for 10 to 20 years.
On the downside, epoxy takes a lot of work to apply, and it’s a bit more expensive than paint. But personally, I’d take the pros’ word for it that it’s worthwhile.
Read how to apply any coating or paint: How to Paint a Garage Floor
Polycuramine Coating: A Step Beyond Epoxy
| Durability rating: 9/10 Pros: Most durable, looks great Cons: Most expensive, takes a lot of work Best for: A high-end option Estimated cost: $1.05 per sq. ft. excl. installation |
If you can believe it, polycuramine is even tougher than epoxy—about 20 times harder—and built to last a lifetime. It contains part epoxy and part other resilient ingredients.
So why is epoxy still more popular? Its tough cousin is also significantly more expensive.
Traffic 1-Part Epoxy: Convenience Meets Durability
| Durability rating: 5.5/10 Pros: Easier than coating, variety of colors as opposed to other paints, good value for money Cons: Will eventually fade just like any paint Best for: The most durable paint option Estimated cost: $0.09 per sq. ft. excl. installation |
If applying coating is too much work for you, the most durable paint option is 1-part epoxy. It’s essentially a water-based paint with some epoxy added. You can apply it similarly to normal paint.
The bottom line is that even though it’s not the same as coating, it’s still paint that’s made to withstand traffic. “You can use regular exterior-grade flat-sheen paint, but it won’t be as durable, especially in high-traffic areas,” says Lloyd. 1-part epoxy paint is made for concrete and garage floors. Unlike other traffic paints, it offers a variety of color options, so you can protect your surface in style.
Nevertheless, Lloyd notes that any paint will eventually fade under the heat of your tires, so if you choose it, you’re setting yourself up for inevitable maintenance. That’s why 100% epoxy and polycuramine are still better.
Traffic Acrylic-Latex: The Beginner’s Friend
| Durability rating: 2.5/10 Pros: Easiest to apply, easiest to clean, lowest VOCs, most affordable, dries the quickest, UV light-resistant Cons: Least durable, limited color options for traffic paint Best for: A temporary project, a first DIY project, a project on a budget Estimated cost: $0.07 to $0.11 per sq. ft. excl. installation |
If you’re new to the world of DIY, latex paint is where you might start. It’s water-based, simple to apply, easy to wash off, and won’t leave your place smelling like a chemical lab. Some brands are very affordable, making acrylic-latex the friendliest to your budget.
However, the easy application comes at a cost, albeit not a financial one—latex isn’t as durable as the other paints. It won’t last as long as its more robust cousins, sometimes caving under wear and tear in just a few months.
If you choose latex, don’t just pick regular latex paint. “You ideally want to use ‘traffic paint,’ which is what the road department in your city uses to paint lines in parking lots and such,” says Lloyd.
He continues, “You should be able to find it at most hardware or paint stores, but it usually only comes in the typical colors you’d see on the road—yellow, red, white, blue, etc.” Once again, if that’s not really your style, you can use regular exterior-grade flat-sheen paint, but Lloyd warned you it will be even less durable.
Traffic 100% Acrylic: More Durable Than Latex
| Durability rating: 3.5/10 Pros: More durable than acrylic-latex and dries almost as fast, UV light-resistant, easier to apply than 1-part epoxy Cons: Still not very durable, limited color options for traffic paint, costs almost as much as epoxy coating Best for: Easy application, UV light resistance, and fast drying time with more durability than acrylic-latex Estimated cost: $0.11 per sq. ft. excl. installation |
100% acrylic allows you to have some of the benefits of acrylic-latex, but with more durability. Once again, the traffic variety has fewer color options but lasts longer.
However, I’ll be honest, if you really want paint rather than coating and don’t want it to peel off soon, I think 1-part epoxy is the better choice. It provides more colors, better durability, and a better long-term result—and you can even get it cheaper.
How Much to Buy
Epoxy: One gallon of epoxy covers approximately 533 square feet at a thickness of 3mm. For a typical 2-car garage of 400 to 720 square feet, you’d need one to two gallons of epoxy for a 3mm coat. 3mm is a standard thickness for garage floors; if you want to lay it on thicker, you can buy a third gallon.
Polycuramine: Check your label. Polyurea’s 1-gallon kit covers approximately 200 square feet.
For a typical 2-car garage of 400 to 720 square feet, get 2 to 4 gallons of product.
Paint: One gallon of paint covers approximately 400 square feet. For a typical 2-car garage of 400 to 720 square feet, you’d need one to two gallons of paint for a single coat. Of course, you’ll need multiple coats.
How to calculate it: Divide your floor’s square footage by your paint’s coverage rate to get the total number of gallons you need.
So, for example, if your floor’s square footage is 720 square feet and you want to use epoxy at 3 mm thickness, divide 720 by 533. You get 1.4, so you need around 1.4 gallons of epoxy—but they don’t usually sell them like that, so just buy 2 gallons.
When calculating how much paint to get, don’t forget that you need multiple coats.
| Tip: It’s always a good idea to have more coating or paint on hand. You don’t want to find yourself urgently running back to the store in the middle of your project. |
Tried Your Best? Here’s What’s Next
Just because garages are associated with grease and grime doesn’t mean your floor can’t look polished and sleek.
According to experts, a 100% epoxy coating is the best option for achieving top-notch, long-lasting results. That said, it’s pricey and takes serious time and effort to apply—honestly, I wouldn’t have the time myself.
Feel the same way? Call a pro to help transform the look of your garage floor.
Home Gnome delivers the best home service experience at the click of a button. Book reliable, skilled services in seconds and leave the rest to us.
What to read next:
- Types of Concrete Sealers and How to Choose
- How to Etch Concrete
- How to Stain Concrete
- How Much Does It Cost to Paint a Garage Floor?
Main Photo: A freshly painted garage floor with a gray epoxy finish sprinkled with blue, black, and white plastic chips. Joni / Adobe Stock
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