Garage Floor Epoxy ??'s

[turbotim2]

I have read through most of the old posts on the subject but had a couple of questions. How long are guys letting concrete cure before coating with epoxy? Are there any new updates/opinions on the epoxy coatings available to the consumer? Thanks!

 

[HOJO]

The epoxy coatings are nice , I didnt get mine clean enough the first time and had to redo it but I have done others that have lasted years , and hold up really well, your concrete has to fully cure , Im not sure the exact time frame on that maby 90 days maby less .....

 

[RolledItAgain]

I let mine cure for 60 days prior to coating. The trick is what HOJO talked about, etch, etch, etch, I think I did mine twice and maybe three times over the bad (greasy) areas.
I used the Rustoleum epoxy kit from Home Depot and am very happy with it, if rolled my loaded engine stand with very small wheels over it and not had one spot flake off.

Prep is key.

 

[NicksTrix]

a big key is to get all sealers off. it's just like body work. all in the prep.

 

[lowbush]

RockSolid Polyurea Garage Coat is a nice product, it's not epoxy it is Polyurea like Line-X or Rhino, it is not a 2 part heated Polyurea, which the beadliners are but it is strong none the less. In my opinion it is far better than the epoxy products.

 

[turbotim2]

Did you guys just use HCL from Home Depot for etching? I suppose that is covered in the prep instructions on the epoxy. I don't plan on having any oil containing vehicles or equipment on that floor before I coat it so hopefully I won't have to worry about that.

 

[bknbronco]

We have done our garage twice in the last 15 years or so. Both times with rustolium brand. This was on 40 year old concrete. Id pressure wash, etch, pressure wash again. Follow the directions. We do alot of working in the garage and sliding of stuff so it only holds up for about 5-8 years and then it still looks ok, we just decide to do it again. We dont use the traction flakes although next time we may. Without the flakes its really slippery for the first year expecially with a dusting of snow on your shoes. We love the epoxy floor paint because you can just wipe up a oil spill or whatever. We actually mop thye floor every once in a while, that way you can run out into the garage to get something with just your socks on and not have to worry about tracking crap back in the house. I also just saw some plastic sheet that you stick down in front of the steps that is sticky. Before you walk into the house you step onto the sticky plastic and it pulls all that crap off your shoes. After it gets full of junk you peel off the top sheet and there are like 30 more under it. My mom gets metal slivers sometimes in her foot from whet we drag into the rest of the house so this sounds like a ausome product. I think i saw it a menards.

Go to the website of the epoxy you plan on using. Rustolium has a kit, and they have a bunch of other stuff like epoxy crack repair and such.

 

[KyleQ]

That epoxy is nice, but it sure doesn't like sparks from welding or cutting steel, which mostly rules it out in my book. I'm thinking of just waxing the floor - school's auto and metal shop had just wax and it help up awesome to all the students...

 

[WorkerBee]

60-90 day cure should be adequate.

Like others said, prep is key. You can acid etch as well but it's fairly dangerous and you need to ventilate well. Muriatic acid is harsh and you'll need the proper respirator. It'll open the pores of the concrete the best. the very best method is mechanical from a diamond cup or blast-trac.

the over-the counter products are decent for the money, however any one part system is going to be full of thinners and preservatives for shelf life. there are many products out there that are 100% solids but the price goes up significantly.

I have done both one part systems in garages and 100,000+ square foot warehouses with the really expensive stuff. For the average garage and budget, home depot/lowes stuff works fine if you do the right prep.

Good luck!

 

[HOJO]

I used the acid etch kit from lowes back when I did it, not sure about the details, but like everyone said clean it degrease it and etch it..it will last very well

 

[RolledItAgain]

Also, if you don't have a vapor barrier between the slab and dirt nothing will stick for very long. Moisture will wick up and delaminate the "paint".

 

[turbotim2]

Also, if you don't have a vapor barrier between the slab and dirt nothing will stick for very long. Moisture will wick up and delaminate the "paint".

It does have a vapor barrier and is heated (radiant). Will the heat make a difference in terms of how the epoxy will hold? I have done all my garages with radiant in them but have not done epoxy before.

 

[RV77]

Alot of folks over at garagejournal.com say they wish they NEVER did the epoxy flooring.

 

[jim3326]

I have used a silicon sealer on my floors and it works great. It's almost like water in the can, pour it on, mop it around, let it soak in and done. It keeps the oil from soaking in and staining the floor and doesn't burn when welding or cutting on it. The stuff I have left is about 40 years old so I don't know if it is even available anymore. Some tree hugger probably got it outlawed since it works%)

Jim W.

 

[turbotim2]

I have used a silicon sealer on my floors and it works great. It's almost like water in the can, pour it on, mop it around, let it soak in and done. It keeps the oil from soaking in and staining the floor and doesn't burn when welding or cutting on it. The stuff I have left is about 40 years old so I don't know if it is even available anymore. Some tree hugger probably got it outlawed since it works%)

Jim W.

I would bet that sealer is very similar to grout sealer for tile. Description and application sounds basically the same.

 

[dave67fd]

Alot of folks over at garagejournal.com say they wish they NEVER did the epoxy flooring.

I assume you mean the one-part epoxy's. I have been a member for a couple years and mostly hear good things about the better two-part coatings.

Don't waste your money on the one part coatings. Two part epoxy is the only way to go. Talk to the proffesionals. Epoxy-Coat or Legacy are two of the more popular preffered brands.

As mentioned, floor prep is key.
floors dry at a different rates depending on installation, locality etc... You can do a test and tape down a 1sq. foot section of plastic to the floor and leave for a day or two. Moisture content will be evident under the plastic.

If you decide to do the floor, visit: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=20
and ask and search.

 

[bknbronco]

Alot of folks over at garagejournal.com say they wish they NEVER did the epoxy flooring

The epoxy is the best thing we have ever done in the garage!! Right up there with a 80 gallon compressor!!

And we dont have plastic under our slab, and we weld, cut, etc on that floor. We beat the piss out of our floor and it look great still. We dont worry about trashing it because we just plan on redoing it every 6 or 8 years.

We used two part rustolium both times we did ours. In fact we also did the basement floor in the laundry room!

 

[jim3326]

I would bet that sealer is very similar to grout sealer for tile. Description and application sounds basically the same.

If your refering to the stuff that leaves it glossy then no. There is no change in the look of the concrete. The name of it is 'Sil-O-Dri', I haven't done a search to see if it's even around or not. When I have spilled oil on the floor, there is a mark where it was, after rubbing oil dry on it and letting it do it's thing for a day or two it's back to normal. The best advantage to it is it doesn't burn when welding.

I'm going to have to recoat my floor where I do a lot of welding because it has erroded and is kind of rough now, not the smooth finish as the rest of the shop.

Jim W.

 

[Broncitis]

I've thought about doing it in my garage a few times but have not yet due to the cost of the industrial products I looked at which will stand up better to weld spatter and my forklift than the common homeowner DIY kits which are not intended for that type of abuse.

There are products that will hold up as I have seen them in action on the floors in the welding cells and other manufacturing areas at Case New Holland and Harley Davidson when I worked there. However, many of these coatings are in the $5-$8/SF range as I recall which would be $12,600-$20K+ for my entire garage. I am now thinking of maybe just doing one bay which is partitioned off from the other two and will be getting converted into a machine shop in the next few years as we move equipment from my dad'd place to mine.

Another option I like is polished concrete similar to most Lowe's or Home Depots. This is done with a fine diamond wheel on a buffer and some chemicals that harden and seal the surface to resist staining from spills. The smoother surface is as easy to sweep and clean as a coated floor. This too is quite expensive as well (about the same as above).

 

[RolledItAgain]

It does have a vapor barrier and is heated (radiant). Will the heat make a difference in terms of how the epoxy will hold? I have done all my garages with radiant in them but have not done epoxy before.

I'm not sure how/if heat would affect it but I doubt it will hurt anything.