When we first started “fixing the garage” (it’s a really understatement, I know), one of the few things we knew we could save was the concrete floor of the first bay (where our prop shelf lives). The second bay (where our sofa lives now :)) is rotten wood + dirt so we need to pour. For most of the renovations, I was budget-oriented (this was not a budget project, I care), and I tried so hard not to spend more than I needed to. So I said, “I’ll just leave it concrete, maybe just seal it off, but that’s it.” There are no flashy epoxy or garage floor companies for us. But of course, when it was all over, the pine was on the wall, it was so clean, rusty rusty floor pop out, and I changed the song. So today we’ll show you what we did and why.
OK, this was an OG prop storage garage and floor. I think the darkness was wet. I don’t know how old the concrete is, perhaps 10-20 years, but it was fine. Like, it’s not incredible, but it’s not worth a demonstration or repeating it. There was a crack and it wasn’t super level, but it was fine.
look? In the garage, it was “OK.” Of course, when you’re redoing your garage, are there many other options available, like epoxy, fancy finishes with flex, or even rubber squares? But they all cost over $5k and that wasn’t where we wanted to put our money in.
This floor (the other bay) had to be poured with new concrete. The reason we cultivated this is because we actually treated the two differently. It was really not important to spend time and money, as something I usually don’t. You will see.
For Sofa Bay, Ken poured new concrete. wonderful. It looked really beautiful. And they just had to seal it off. We called it a day using satin polyurethane he just rolled over.
However, for prop garages with more dirt and rust marks (and cracks), we decided that more coverage was needed. Something to cover the dirt and make it look as fresh as possible.
But of course we were in a hurry. It was Thursday and IKEA Taskrabbit was here on Tuesday to set up a closet (one that was installed could not be moved). I did something stupid – I was choosing a clear dye from Sherwin Williams and immediately thought I had chosen a deep blue. But then I realized…
I actually chose opaque concrete paint (aka, not transparent, not stains, but full paint colour). Now I like the colour, don’t get me wrong. But it was so intense and jarring. I walked in and immediately called my brother (this was one coat, thank you for your gratitude), and said, “Sorry, I was wrong.”
I was hoping it would look like a clean garage floor. It’s a suitable gray cement colour. However, you cannot select “Grey”. There are lots of greys that look bad, cold, clinical, and our garage is clean! So we sampled a lot of people and took into account the wood on the wall and the greenery on the front of the cabinet.
Left to right: Mega Grage | Hurry the river | Felt wool | Elephant ears | Fantastic greenery
You should pretend that the floor is not blue and that the colour connects the wood to a green cabinet. They are all neutral and all warm grey (even for couples).
SW Mega Greige | SW Rush River
SW felt wool | SW Elephant Ears
And there was a winner – Fantastic greenery. ftw! What looked great in the cabinet and wood was the slight green undertone, but it was still very neutral, making the cabinet a star. Incidentally, I used Sherwin Williams color match concrete paint. Two coats, each took about 3-4 hours to dry (no long cure sessions).
Certainly it looks gray here, but I promise that the bad gray may look flat, sad, depressing, and this gray complements the green well.
It should be perfectly coverage and easy to clean. Very low maintenance and really easy to get stuck.
In that shot you can see more of the undertones and see how they complement the cabinets and wood. It was the cheapest option (not just apart). My brother first cleaned it and pickled it just to raise all the rats so it sticks together, and then the dark blue paint became essentially an introductory book to the colour of this paint. That’s how we drew concrete floors “Pouch and Flooring” products. Non-spon, Ken became a great friend of the local SW crew, so he was comfortable using the products they recommended. Thank you, Ken!
Cute images Caitlyn Green | FROM: My New Prop Garage Exposure – Includes IKEA Shelf (non-spon) and many vintage collections
Source: Emily Henderson – stylebyemilyhenderson.com
