EpoxyPRO vs Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield and RockSolid: Garage Floor Kits Compared

Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield is a water-based epoxy that dries to 3.0 to 3.5 mils in one coat and works out to about $0.37 per sq ft. Rust-Oleum RockSolid is a 96% solids blend of epoxy, urethane and polyurea with no published film thickness, at about $0.66 to $0.83 per sq ft. The EpoxyPRO Garage Pro System is a 100% solids epoxy base coat at about 14 mils under a UV-stable clear topcoat, tools in the box, at $2.01 per sq ft for a 1-car floor. The box kits cost less and take a car sooner. The Garage Pro kit puts about four times as much coating on the slab and finishes it with a topcoat. Buy the box kit for a floor with no car on it.

EpoxyShield, RockSolid and Garage Pro side by side

Competitor figures come from Rust-Oleum's technical data sheets (TDS) and the Home Depot product pages, checked October 15, 2026; Home Depot prices rechecked November 3, 2026. Our data sheets are available on request. Prices as of November 2026.

	Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Garage Floor Coating Kit	Rust-Oleum RockSolid Polycuramine Garage Floor Kit	EpoxyPRO Garage Pro System
Chemistry	2-part water-based epoxy, 3:1 mix (TDS)	"Proprietary blend of epoxy, urethane and polyurea," 2-part burst pouch (TDS)	B-707 High Build Epoxy, 2-part 100% solids epoxy, 2:1 mix, plus a clear topcoat
Solids by volume	52.6 to 52.8% (TDS)	96% (TDS)	100% (base coat)
Dry film thickness	3.0 to 3.5 mils, one coat (TDS)	Not published	About 14 mils base coat, plus topcoat: T-521 at 3 to 5 mils wet, or T-444X at 5 to 12 mils wet over flake
Coverage per kit	About 250 sq ft per 120 oz kit (TDS); 240 oz 2.5-car kit listed "up to 500 sq ft" (Home Depot)	200 to 250 sq ft per pouch, 2 pouches in the 2.5-car kit (TDS)	1-car kit 350 sq ft; 2-car 700; 3-car 1,050; sizes to 2,100 sq ft
Coats	1 (TDS)	1 (TDS)	1 base coat and 1 topcoat
Pot life or working time	2 hr at 60 to 70°F; 1 hr at 81 to 85°F (TDS)	45 min to 1 hr; mix one pouch at a time (TDS)	30 to 50 min per 1.5 gal batch at about 70°F
Walk-on	24 hr at 70 to 80°F (TDS)	8 to 10 hr (TDS)	Day 3, the day after the topcoat
Drive-on	3 days (TDS)	24 to 36 hr (TDS)	4 to 7 days
Application temperature	60 to 85°F (TDS)	40 to 90°F; 55 to 90°F optimal (TDS)	60 to 90°F; 45°F with the B-181 cold-weather base coat
Hardness and abrasion	Not published (TDS)	Shore D 90; Taber abrasion 40 mg (TDS)	B-707 base coat: Shore D 80; Taber abrasion CS-17, 1,000 g, 500 cycles, 32 mg loss (per the B-707 data sheet, Rev. 09/2026)
Topcoat included	No; a clear coat is sold separately (product page)	No; RockSolid Clear Topcoat is sold separately (TDS)	Yes. T-521 water-based polyurethane gloss on solid color; T-444X polyaspartic clear on full flake
Flake included	Yes; quantity not published (TDS)	Yes, optional; quantity not published (TDS)	Full Flake kits: one 40 lb box per 350 sq ft
Tools included	Concrete etch and instructions (product page)	Foam roller, etch and instructions (TDS)	18 in roller frame and 2 covers, 18 in notched squeegee, mix wand, chip brush, spiked shoes, mixing bucket, gloves and safety glasses
Price	$185.00, 240 oz 2.5-car kit (Home Depot, Nov 3 2026)	$332.12, 180 oz 2.5-car kit (Home Depot, Nov 3 2026)	$702.99 1-car; $1,270.99 2-car; $1,862.99 3-car, solid color
Price per sq ft (our arithmetic)	$0.37 at 500 sq ft	$0.66 at 500 sq ft; $0.83 at 400 sq ft	$2.01 1-car; $1.82 2-car; $1.77 3-car
Warranty as published	None in the TDS. Product page offers a "no peel promise" with no terms published	None. TDS says the product is guaranteed only to conform to Rust-Oleum's quality standards	None
VOC	Under 100 g/L (TDS)	Under 1 g/L (TDS)	B-707 under 2 g/L; T-521 306 g/L; T-444X under 95 g/L

Rust-Oleum also sells a solvent-based EpoxyShield Professional kit: 69.1 to 72.1% solids by volume, 3.5 to 5.0 mils dry in one coat, 4 days to vehicle traffic, no topcoat in the box, per its TDS. Home Depot also lists a 2 gal water-based EpoxyShield kit, model 251870, at $106.69 for "up to 500 sq ft" (as of Nov 3, 2026).

It goes on about four times thicker

The EpoxyShield TDS puts the wet film at 6.0 to 7.0 mils and the dry film at 3.0 to 3.5 mils; about half of what you roll on is water, and it leaves. B-707 is 100% solids, so the 14 mils you squeegee out is the 14 mils you keep, and one 3 gal kit covers 350 sq ft. That is about four times the dry film of the EpoxyShield kit, our catalog figure against Rust-Oleum's TDS.

RockSolid publishes coverage (200 to 250 sq ft per pouch) and solids (96%) but no film thickness, so there is no mils comparison to make.

Hot tires, sunlight and how long the floor lasts

Hot tire pickup happens when a warm tire softens a thin or soft coating, bonds to it, and lifts it when the car pulls out. The other cause is a weak bond to the slab from poor profile, dust, moisture or oil. A thicker, harder, fully cured film under a hard topcoat resists the first. Prep handles the second, with any kit.

What each manufacturer publishes: the EpoxyShield page says "No hot tire pick-up" and cites no test. The RockSolid listing says it "resists chemicals, hot tires," and the TDS gives a Shore D hardness of 90 and Taber abrasion of 40 mg for the product alone, with no comparison against another coating. Rust-Oleum's "20x stronger than garage floor epoxy" and "5X stronger than 1-part epoxy" lines come with no published test either. The B-707 data sheet, Rev. 09/2026, gives Shore D 80 and Taber abrasion of 32 mg (CS-17, 1,000 g, 500 cycles) for the base coat alone, also with no comparison test. We publish no head-to-head test; our film thickness and topcoat are in the table.

Epoxy ambers in UV light; aliphatic polyurethane and polyaspartic clears hold their color, which is why a topcoat goes over epoxy. Neither Rust-Oleum kit ships with a clear coat. The EpoxyShield page says "Indoor use only," and one Garage Journal owner recoated an EpoxyShield floor after about 2.5 years because it was yellowing from window light. The RockSolid TDS says "Do not apply in direct sunlight" and publishes nothing on UV stability. Every Garage Pro kit ends with a UV-stable topcoat, T-521 or T-444X.

Rust-Oleum publishes no service life for either kit, and we publish none for ours. A law firm posted an investigation page in 2018 alleging that EpoxyShield peels; it is a notice with no case filed, and the TDS lists no failure rate.

Enough flake to cover the floor

A full broadcast, where flake covers the base coat completely, takes about 40 lb per 350 sq ft. The Garage Pro Full Flake kit ships that 40 lb box per bay and a 2 gal kit of T-444X clear over it; the Rust-Oleum kits publish no flake quantity. Blends are on full flake epoxy floor kits.

What you get at Home Depot or Lowe's vs ordering a kit online

At the store, the box holds the coating, an etch packet, chips and instructions. The clear coat is a separate can on the same shelf, and so is any roller or squeegee. Help is the instruction sheet.

Online, the Garage Pro kit is sized by bay, 350 to 2,100 sq ft, so a 580 sq ft garage gets a 700 sq ft kit, with the topcoat and the full tool kit in the order. Every order comes with a free 20-minute consultation; call (877) 703-7699, Monday to Saturday, 8am to 6pm ET, and if we miss you we call back within an hour. Orders over $500 ship free, which every Garage Pro kit does; orders ship within 2 business days and arrive 3 to 4 business days after that. There are no returns once an order ships; a damaged or defective product is replaced or refunded when you contact us within 72 hours of delivery with photos.

When the box kit is the right buy

• A floor with no car on it: a shed, a storage room, a laundry area out of the sun. A 3 mil film is a real floor there.
• A quick refresh before a sale or on a rental, where the budget is under $200.
• You want to buy it today and drive on it soon. EpoxyShield takes a car in 3 days and RockSolid in 24 to 36 hr per their data sheets; our epoxy takes 4 to 7 days. Our fast option is the Garage One-Day System, a car two days after the clear coat, from $854.99.
• A cold slab. RockSolid is rated from 40°F. Standard epoxy, theirs and ours, wants 60°F; our B-181 cold-weather base coat goes to 45°F.

If you already put down a box kit and it is failing

Find the cause first. Tape a 2 ft square of plastic to bare concrete for 24 hr where the coating came off; water or a dark patch underneath means moisture, and the slab needs P-409 Moisture Vapor Primer under the new floor. If the slab is dry, the coating lifted because the concrete was too smooth, still had sealer on it, or had oil in it. Grind off everything loose, grind the rest to the feel of 120-grit sandpaper, and recoat with a base coat and topcoat. The causes and the step-by-step are in why epoxy floors peel and how to recoat.

Common questions

What is the best garage floor epoxy

For a floor a car parks on: a 100% solids epoxy base coat at 12 mils or more under a UV-stable clear topcoat, over ground concrete. That is the Garage Pro System, or any kit that publishes 12 mils or more and ships a UV-stable clear. For a floor with no car on it, a water-based kit at 3 mils does the job at about $0.37 per sq ft. Sizing is in the epoxy floor kit buying guide.

Is an epoxy garage floor worth it

A 1-car Garage Pro kit is $702.99, about $520 more than the EpoxyShield kit. The difference buys about four times the film, a clear topcoat, the tools and a phone number to call before you mix.

How long does an epoxy garage floor last

Rust-Oleum publishes no service life for EpoxyShield or RockSolid, and we publish none for the Garage Pro System. What is published is film thickness, solids and whether a topcoat is included.

What Home Depot sells as an epoxy floor kit

Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield in a 120 oz kit and a 240 oz 2.5-car kit ($185.00 on Nov 3 2026) and RockSolid in a 2.5-car 180 oz kit ($332.12). The clear topcoat for each is a separate purchase.

What is better than epoxy for a garage floor

A polyaspartic or polyurea system cures faster and is UV-stable on its own. Our Garage One-Day System uses a polyurea base and a polyaspartic clear, goes down in one day, and takes a car two days after the clear coat.

Build the kit for your floor size at the kit builder, or call (877) 703-7699.

Sources

• Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Water-Based Epoxy Garage Floor Coating TDS (ESH-09, Form GDH-356, Rev. 012915): https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/44/4464ca72-1614-4782-b352-46e2b1a15b82.pdf
• Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield product page: https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/epoxyshield/garage-concrete-floor-coatings/garage-floor-coating
• Home Depot, EpoxyShield 240 oz 2.5-car kit, model 365187 ($185.00, Nov 3 2026): https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-EpoxyShield-240-oz-Gray-High-Gloss-2-5-Car-Garage-Floor-Kit-365187/314107168
• Home Depot, EpoxyShield 2 gal kit, model 251870 ($106.69, Nov 3 2026): https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-EpoxyShield-2-Gal-Gray-2-Part-High-Gloss-Epoxy-Garage-Floor-Coating-Kit-251870/100671422
• Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Professional Floor Coating TDS (Form GDH-1000, Rev. 120617): https://images.thdstatic.com/catalog/pdfImages/92/92720ada-7083-40b8-a152-7fc764e29446.pdf
• Rust-Oleum RockSolid Polycuramine Garage Floor Coating Kit TDS (Form GDH-810, Rev. 031417): https://pdf.lowes.com/productdocuments/324ab187-b24a-49a4-a199-fbac66bdab54/08655817.pdf
• Home Depot, RockSolid 180 oz 2.5-car kit, model 293513 ($332.12, Nov 3 2026): https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-RockSolid-180-oz-Gray-Polycuramine-2-5-Car-Garage-Floor-Kit-293513/325295894
• Garage Journal, "Recoated me floors" (Apr 24, 2016): https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/recoated-me-floors.326998/
• Garage Journal, "Polycuramine Application" (Jul 18, 2021): https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/polycuramine-application.484009/
• Slickdeals, RockSolid 2.5-car kit thread (May 24, 2026): https://slickdeals.net/f/19556244-rust-oleum-rocksolid-garage-floor-coating-kit-2-5-car-garage-dark-gray-177
• Sauder Schelkopf, EpoxyShield investigation page (Apr 26, 2018; modified Jun 13, 2024): https://sauderschelkopf.com/?p=8660
• EpoxyPRO figures: Garage Pro System, Garage Starter System, Garage One-Day System, B-707, B-181, T-521 and T-444X product pages, November 2026. B-707 hardness and abrasion from the B-707 High Build Epoxy technical data sheet, Rev. 09/2026. Data sheets available on request.