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A garage floor, above all, must be practical-but it can also be pretty.

New coatings can add color to your garage and function as well as or better than bare concrete. They also make it easier to clean the Hoor.

There are many different products on the market, each with slightly different instructions. There are clear coatings and colored epoxy coatings: Choose one specifically made for garages.

Good preparation is key to success:

Vacuum and clean the existing floor to remove oil stains as recommended by the manufacturer. If there is already a coating or a previous coat of paint is peeling, follow instructions closely. Some concrete must be etched first for good adhesion.

Use only a paint made to withstand hot-tire pickup, such as one-part epoxy acrylic garage floor paint. Two-part epoxy is also available for particularly tough jobs.

Don’t use porch and floor enamel or ordinary epoxy in a garage. Hot car tires will stick to the coating and can even pull it off of the floor.

1. Use a roller to apply the coating to the garage floor. (Clean the floor as well as possible beforehand, vacuuming up every trace of dust.) Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and applying

2. If desired, sprinkle small chips of an accent color in the wet coating. When cured, this finish will provide an attractive and practical surface that will last for many years, even with heavy use.