Rust-Oleum donated product for this post. All opinions expressed are our own.

As part of my big project to convert half of my garage into a dedicated workshop, I knew right away that I wanted to do something with the boring, ugly floor. I considered various epoxy floor coatings, concrete paint, and other professional finishes, but after lots of research I decided that Rust-Oleum's RockSolid Garage Floor Coating would be the perfect solution for me.

The RockSolid is a polycuramine coating that's actually 20 times stronger than epoxy, and provides a super durable, glossy finish that's easy to maintain. This would be perfect for my workshop! Our friends at Rust-Oleum were happy to hook me up with enough RockSolid to totally transform this floor into something amazing.

VIDEO: RockSolid Garage Floor Coating overview

Here's a quick overview of how the whole floor came together, including plenty of cleaning, proper surface prep and priming, and of course application of the RockSolid.

VIDEO: RockSolid Garage Floor Coating Tutorial

If you'd like to see a longer video showing the entire process with more detail about the cleaning, prep, and application of the RockSolid, view our full-olength video on YouTube.

BEFORE: The old garage floor

Let me start by showing you the old garage floor. Like most, it's a big slab of ugly, splotchy concrete. It's super durable, sure, but concrete stains so easily and I swear it actually creates dust and dirt on its own.

As common as the concrete floor is, the layout of the garage is pretty unique. This is a basement garage that we use for winter boat storage (we live on the lake), so it's a typical width, but is twice as long as normal. We'll be continuing to use the back half for the boat, but the front half will become my workshop.

Step 1: Clean the concrete

Just as with any project, proper surface preparation is key. I started by cleaning the floor thoroughly with Rust-Oleum Cleaner & Degreaser For Concrete. I mixed the cleaner with water and poured it all over the floor, then poured some undiluted cleaner on the tougher spots, and let it all soak in for 20 minutes. Then I used a stiff brush to scrub it mercilessly until I had all the greasy spots and dirt removed.

Then I gave everything a really good rinse with the hose to get all the soap off.

Step 2: Apply concrete primer

With the floor clean, the next step was to apply a primer. Some floor coating solutions might require etching, sanding or grinding, and if my concrete hadn't already been sealed, I would have had to do the same. However, since my concrete was sealed, I was able to skip the nasty mess and apply Rust-Oleum Concrete & Garage Recoat Primer instead.

I started by cutting in around the edges with a large brush.

Then I filled in the middle with a roller on a long handle (which meant I could stand and paint, rather than being on my knees the whole time.)

I could not believe the difference this coat of primer was making on the floor. It was so satisfying to cover up that ugly concrete.

It only took me a couple hours to paint the whole floor, and it was dry the next day. Can you imagine the hassle I would have had etching or sanding? Yipes!

Step 3: Apply RockSolid Garage Floor Coating

The RockSolid Garage Floor Coating kit contains just about everything you need to coat the floor, most notably the two-part foil pouch that contains the chemicals that make up RockSolid's polycuramine coating. There are also foam rollers perfect for application and plenty of little decorative chips for sprinkling onto the surface later.

To activate the coating, I just rolled the pouch from side A towards side B, squeezing it like a tube of toothpaste until the seam between the two burst.

From there it's mix, mix, mix! You've got to stir, shake, knead, and flip the bag all around for 2-3 minutes to thoroughly mix the liquids inside, so that you get even color distribution and a good chemical mix.

Then you snip a corner off the bag with scissors to create a spout for pouring the coating out, right onto the floor.

You have to work REALLY quickly with this stuff, because it starts to set up in under an hour. Jo came over and helped me with this step, and having two sets of hands was a real lifesaver. We started by cutting in around the edges with a brush, moving as quickly as we could.

Then we poured a ribbon of coating onto the floor in a line, just enough to cover a workable piece of the floor.

We used the roller to roll the coating out, first pulling any excess towards us so that it didn't pool at the wet edge. We rolled as evenly as we could, working in small areas at a time, and trying my best to keep a wet edge as we went.

Whenever there was a good section of floor done that was within reach but not along the edge, I went ahead and sprinkled the decorative chips over it. I used very tiny pinches of flakes each time, and made sure to toss them high into the air so that they distributed evenly across the surface.

Once the floor was completely covered, it was so glossy and pretty and we couldn't believe we'd do so much in such a short time. Just look at that glossy shine! You can see the overhead lights reflected so perfectly in that beautiful finish.

And those flakes! I was so happy with how they came out. They really add some interest to the floor, and will help with hiding any damage or mess that might occur later.

We left the wet coating to cure overnight (takes 8-10 hours, depending on temperature) and I went to bed, anxious to see the results the next morning.

AFTER: The new garage floor

The next day, I was delighted to find that even though the floor still looked wet, it had actually cured to a super glossy, hard finish. I couldn't believe how slick and smooth and glossy it was.

I've used and seen other concrete paints and coatings before, and the RockSolid really impressed me with how easy it was to apply and how durable the finish. It was so satisfying to see this go from ugly to awesome in just a few days.

The whole garage feels so much cleaner and crisper and I can't wait to get everything moved in to start setting up my workshop.