how do i paint my garage floor?

It's a question we get a lot and there are many factors that go into taking on the job.

Has the floor been painted already? If so, how long has it been and do you know what type of material was used?

A a painter, I've painted hundreds of garage/carport/driveway floors as well as countless pool decks and other concrete slabs. It's an arduous job that many homeowners aren't willing to take on (if they knew what's involved)

To start, if it's a new slab you'll need to wait some time before taking on painting or staining the concrete. If it's an older surface, you'll likely be dealing with stains and cracks. Either way, know that you'll be getting yourself into a 2-5 year maintenance plan to keep your floor looking new.

Simple steps in painting your garage floor.

With all other painting jobs I've done (ie: houses, roofs, interiors/exteriors, airport hanger type Quonset huts to multiple story buildings) I use one brand of paint. With regard to my floor paint/stain, I've stayed with Home Depot's one part epoxy or concrete stain. (btw - when painting trim white....Home Depot has the whitest white I've ever used and have compared them all!)

unpainted surface:
-Start with cleaning the area to be painted with a pressure cleaner. (yes - prior to de-greasing)
-If your floor is porous - you can look at renting a sander to even the floor.
-find a de greaser to work out oil stains. Use CLR or a similar cleaner for rust (Sno-bowl works great on well water rust)
-I would pressure clean the area again and squeegee off any water prior to etching the surface (to make porous enough to accept the (paint/epoxy/stain) As a contractor, I mixed 50% muratic acid with 50% water and used a pump sprayer to evenly etch the surface. After a few minutes RINSE!!!
-rinse-rinse-rinse!
- dry-dry-dry-dry-dry and make sure the surface is DRY!
- If never painted before, use a bonding agent recommended by the manufacturer. Home Depot's is called something like 880. (note - a gallon can do several garages! use very little of the bonder and let it dry 24 hours prior to painting or staining.
-(applying your stain/paint/epoxy.) Work in small 4x4' areas and apply light coats! MANY people do not do this and suffer later. The problem with laying it on thick is that the outer (top) shell of the paint/stain/epoxy will dry leaving a shell of "wet" paint that will never really dry. I would typically push a light coat in and let it dry overnight before applying my finish coat"s".
-Dry-dry-dry-dry. Most products say to wait 24-48 hours to dry. I would usually tell people to wait 1 week before driving on the surface. The longer the better!

Of course you can always ask a profesional painter or hire one (www.DrivewayPainters.com)