Despite being the first room that most homeowners see when they enter their houses, the garage is probably the most ignored and least talked-about room when it comes to home improvement.

The typical bland and stained concrete garage floor suffers from years of heavy foot and car traffic. Fortunately, there are ways to make even the most beat-up garages look great-and homeowners can do it themselves. Professional concrete epoxy coatings can revitalize a garage floor, make garage cleanup easier and help prevent the need for future costly floor repairs. Here’s how to restore your floor.

Tools Of The Trade

To restore your garage floor, homeowners will need Quikrete Epoxy Garage Floor Coating Kit (including instructional DVD). This all-in-one, easy-to-use kit beautifies and protects concrete garage floors from hot tires, gasoline, oil, scuffs and wear and tear with a coating twice as strong as concrete. You’ll also need a flat, stiff bristle brush, plastic watering can, garden hose, push broom, a 3/8-inch roller with extension handle, roller tray and a 2-inch, solvent-resistant brush.

What To Do

• Careful preparation of the garage floor is essential for positive end results. Using a push broom, sweep entire area to remove all dust and debris.
• Wet concrete surface, add Bond-Lok concentrate to 3 quarts of water in watering can to degrease, clean and etch in one step.
• Working in sections, sweep watering can back and forth while pouring to ensure proper coverage. Use bristle brush to thoroughly scrub stains and spread cleaner.
• Once each section is cleaned, rinse away dirt with a garden hose. Repeat process until entire surface has been cleaned, following with a final hose down of the garage.
• Wait until concrete is completely dry (at least 4 hours) before epoxy application.
• Combine Part A of product with Part B and allow epoxy to sit for 30 minutes before use.
• Starting at the back of the garage, spread epoxy coating in smooth, even strokes across a 2-by-6-foot area.
• If using color flakes, they must be applied to wet paint. After covering each 2-by-6-foot section with the epoxy coating, lightly sprinkle flakes onto concrete.
• Continue process, working in sections, until entire garage surface is covered.
• Allow epoxy to harden for 12 to 24 hours before light foot traffic and 72 hours for automobile traffic.