Bought a house, n00b questions re: doing the garage floor

I am not much of a handyman, but I am a cheap SOB (must be that Scottish heritage), so I do a lot of things myself.

We just bought a house; we'll be moving in at the end of the month. It's got a 2-car garage (446 sq.ft., about 21'x22') with a concrete floor. I don't think it's got any sealers or anything on it (I'll have to double-check), it's got some small cracks (long, but not wide or deep), and it's about 10 years old.

We have a minivan and my motorcycle. The bike's got a slow oil leak, so while I'll wipe it up daily or get a mat, I want a floor that can handle the oil drips without staining too horribly (so I'm guessing I'll want a good clearcoat). I don't think I want a tile floor, I think I'd prefer epoxy/urethane coating. I'm in the metro Phoenix area, so not much wet and no salt etc., but much heat. (Although the garage is on the north side, so it won't be quite as hot as it could be.) I wouldn't call it a "working garage", but I do most of my own wrenching on the bike, and it's a '94 with 54k miles on it, so that means I'm working on it a fair bit.

I've read a bunch of the threads here, and so this is what I'm thinking:

• Diamond grind, renting from Home Depot (and does that mean I won't need to acid-etch it?)
• Fill cracks (with what? what's best for thin shallow cracks? before or after grinding?)
• Clean, clean, clean

Then I see the different options for coatings, ranging from "cheap" to "more expensive":

• Seal-krete, Home Depot, primer and "paint" and clear-coat, about $200-250.
• Rustoleum Pro, Home Depot, about the same
• Durall Duraseal 400, probably similar price but waiting on estimate
• Legacy HD600 kit, plus primer and clearcoat, ~$750
• Rocksolid kit, ~$700 (would it need primer? didn't see any reference to primer on their site)

(Yes, I'm sure I've missed some that others have talked about, but these seem to have gotten the most "airplay" here on the forum.)

I'd prefer the "cheaper" solutions, but will the durability and lifetime be that much better with the more expensive solutions? I'd rather lay down something that'll last 10+ years than end up having to re-do it all in 5 years or less.

And two last stupid questions:

1. I was thinking of putting a decal in the floor. Would laying down one of those Fathead vinyl things on top of dried "paint" and underneath a clearcoat work?
2. I've never liked the "flake" look, I think I just want a solid colour (e.g. a light/slate blue). Why do so many of these kinds of floors have the flakes? What would be the advantages/disadvantages of just not doing it?

regarding the decal - yes, put something like that on the floor and clear over it for extended durability. Note, however, that some clears can react badly with printed graphics, ink, vinyl, or adhesives... so I would recommend a test or finding someone with direct experience before making a full commitment.

Also note that there are graphics intended specifically for flooring applications and should come complete with a clear vinyl (or lexan) laminate on top to maintain a reasonable coefficient of friction. I don't know if you could expect to turn a car tire over them without risking damage, however.

My graphics shop can make these but I don't do enough floor graphics to justify the material investment....try a local sign shop around you.