What's the best garage floor coating? the hc epoxy or the rust o'leum?

Question:garage floor coating, epoxy, with flakes, the do-it-yourself-kind

Answers:
Anything specifically designed for doing garage floors will work; however the best option would come as a 2 part epoxy. The Rust-Oleum product that I believe you mention comes in a kit and has everything that you will need for the project. Be sure to do everything that the directions show; or the coating will lift off after a very short period of time. If you use a cheaper coating that is just a generic garage floor paint; follow these steps.

1. clean off all the oil and grease from the floor; Benjamin Moore has a good oil and grease emulsifier that works well. It is basically a soap with a little extra added to it.

2. Damp the surface with water

3. Pour a soultion of Muriatic Acid on the concrete; agitating it while it is reacting with the concrete. (This is the most important part of the process; as it is neutralizing a layer of lime on the surface if the concrete that keeps the coating from sticking). This process is known as etching.

4. Paint.

The main difference between the kits and using a regular paint is that the kits come with a different concentrate to use instead of the acid. Either way, the etching process is required no matter what kind of coating you use.