Should I paint, seal, or stain my driveway and garage floor?

Question

We live in south Texas and the driveway always shows rubber marks from the car pulling in and out, hate that, I like to put something on the driveway and garage area to hold up and not come off with hot tires and keep a clean look.

Answer 1

need more info. is the driveway asphalt or concrete???
the garage:
etch & clean with muriatic acid, available at most paint/hardware stores.
rinse repeatedly with LOTS of water.
let it dry a week or so, then i would suggest a concrete stain. it is thinner than a paint, so it penetrates into the concrete, and bonds better than paint. a silicone acrylic concrete stain will hold up EXTREMELY will to hot tires, grease, oil, etc. if you have a concrete driveway, i would use the same thing on it.
if the driveway is asphalt, seal it with driveway sealer.
http://www.benjaminmoore.com
Benjamin Moore makes a great concrete sealer/stain that will do great. it should be around $30 or so a gallon, and is available at benjamin moore stores. find the closest one on the website.
good luck, and don't be afraid to ask lots of questions at the store, benjamin moore retailers are well trained, professional paint experts.

ps: don't use any type of two-part epoxy on the driveway. people alway suggest epoxy, but they don't hold up well in exterior applications. they will fade/lose glossiness more quickly than any other paint.

Answer 2

Concrete Stain Vs Paint

Answer 3

I recently moved to Texas from Colorado (best decision I ever made!) and bought a new home here and will NOT make the same mistake on this home as I made in Colorado. I painted my garage floor in Colorado with the 2 part epoxy made by Rust-oleum. I followed the instructions and it pealed on one part of the garage and became a mess. As for the tire marks on the drive, in Denver I used a power washer and some TSP once a year to clean the drive. Because of the intense sun there I never used a sealer either, because they typically wear away quick and re-sealing becomes another maintenance issue. Having built and lived in several homes, I learned to keep the concrete clean and not try to seal it, paint it, or stain it. If your worried about preserving the concrete or driveway, I will all but guarantee that the concrete if kept clean will hold up and last longer then you will live in your home. If the concrete is in bad shape due to poor construction or if it is spalling, there is no product that will prevent furthur spalling, or cracking. So I guess IMO the best thing to do with concrete is to LEAVE IT ALONE, once you stain it you can't undo it.

Answer 4

Benjamin Moore Concrete Stain

Answer 5

there's a product called Quentop its a resin compound for concrete flooring. i do not imagine its low priced. that is going to cover the scratches and is not person-friendly wearing. or you pick to strip off the paint and prepare a product together with Thompson's waterseal. Stripping the paint will be a tricky job. Floury answer yet wish it helps

Answer 6

Driveway>seal and stain
Garage area> first I'd put a degreaser on it, then paint it with a garage floor paint.

Answer 7

with the heat of texas, if you got concrete already id go with a light color stain, otherwise if you seal it, its just gonna fade from the sun and youll be resealing everyother year to keep it black.