Best epoxy floor product?

[Rubrsidedown]

As you can see I am totally new here.

I am looking to epoxy our garage floor 700sq ft. but I REALLY only want to do it one time, not looking to repeat this process some 3, 5 10 years down the road.
Is there a product that can and will last the test to time for a normal residential garage?
Thanks in advance.

 

[kwfloors]

Vortex applied coatings would give you the longevity your looking for. Its not epoxy but polyphatic so you will need to find a dealer in your area.

 

[kwfloors]

Look at this site.http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete-coatings-buyers-guide/polyaspartics.html

 

[Rubrsidedown]

Thanks for the info thus far, greatly appreciated.

At first I was sold on U-coat-it but after reading several reviews I started doubting that product.
Wolverine Products looked to be a good one but the guy that sells it looks to be in poor health and a halt was put on selling and shipping the products.
Armorclad is another one but I have yet to research that one as much.

Once again thank you for your suggestions.

 

[Rickstir]

Novice here, needing advise

We bought a home with a garage that is 9 years old. The only flaw I see is an oil stain about 2 inches in diameter. It looks fresh. What prep would I have to do this floor in order to out an epoxy coating on it?
Problem 2. We are putting an addition on the back of the house and will have a concrete floor poured. How long do you have to wait before you can treat the floor with epoxy?
Thanks.

 

[moodysj]

I used Epoxy-Coat in smoke blue, available at many big box home stores. I've had it a year and love it.

 

[Trey T]

If you have limited time for research on which is the best, go with brandname products like Rustoleum and Sherwin-Williams and get their commercial/industrial epoxy. Both brands offer about the same price $210-240 for two-part epoxy to cover 500sq-ft.

If you have Sherwin-Williams nearby, go check them out; they're very knowledge people that know chemical, not just paint.

I went with Epoxy-Coat brand from Lowe's bc of a lot of people use on here and I didn't make much research until afterward. I'm gonna paint my garage soon when time and temperature permits.

 

[Rubrsidedown]

Re: Novice here, needing advise

We bought a home with a garage that is 9 years old. The only flaw I see is an oil stain about 2 inches in diameter. It looks fresh. What prep would I have to do this floor in order to out an epoxy coating on it?
Problem 2. We are putting an addition on the back of the house and will have a concrete floor poured. How long do you have to wait before you can treat the floor with epoxy?
Thanks.

I would use a good degreaser of some sort, Super Clean by Castrol works great, Simple Green is good stuff as well.... Gunk brand Engine degreaser isn't too bad (Easy Off might work too).
Spray it and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, don't let it dry and hit it with a stiff bristle brush, rinse real well and repeat if needed.
Should come right up.

 

[Rubrsidedown]

If you have limited time for research on which is the best, go with brandname products like Rustoleum and Sherwin-Williams and get their commercial/industrial epoxy. Both brands offer about the same price $210-240 for two-part epoxy to cover 500sq-ft.

If you have Sherwin-Williams nearby, go check them out; they're very knowledge people that know chemical, not just paint.

I went with Epoxy-Coat brand from Lowe's bc of a lot of people use on here and I didn't make much research until afterward. I'm gonna paint my garage soon when time and temperature permits.

Thanks for the info and we do have a Sherwin Williams here in town so I will pay them a visit.
Lowes and Home Depot are around as well.
I want to make sure with whatever I go with it last for MANY MANY years, I don't want to hate it some two or three years down the road.

Thanks again

 

[Rubrsidedown]

This is a very helpful/great site btw.

 

[Trey T]

I believe Rustoleum an Sherwin sells thir product to much higher traffic and duty C/I facilities than homeowners. You can't go wrong with their industrial products.

 

[NitroShark]

I used Tnemec http://www.tnemec.com/

 

[Garage Flooring]

As you can see I am totally new here.

I am looking to epoxy our garage floor 700sq ft. but I REALLY only want to do it one time, not looking to repeat this process some 3, 5 10 years down the road.
Is there a product that can and will last the test to time for a normal residential garage?
Thanks in advance.

This is one of the questions that comes up again and again. There are a lot of great products on the market but keep in mind that the product is only half the battle. Most epoxy failures in DIY installations, IMHO, are due to concrete conditions, installation issues and really really poor expectations and directions on the part of the manufacturers and distributors.

The big key is doing the prep correctly. Rent a grinder, take your time and do it right. You can try acid etching and will know pretty quick if it is profiling the floor.

Do a moisture test and spend the extra money for the primer. Make sure you use a top coat, and make sure your base coat is 100% solids epoxy. Everyone has their own opinions on what is best. Obviously I love the products we sell and believe they perform very well. If I was not in this business I would buy from Scotty at Legacy Industrial.

I am not a fan of buying from the paint stores or home centers. First often they do not know what they are doing when it comes to residential garage floor epoxy. Second some of their product is good and some of it .....

Lastly, if you can afford it, go with a full broadcast system.

 

[Rubrsidedown]

This is one of the questions that comes up again and again. There are a lot of great products on the market but keep in mind that the product is only half the battle. Most epoxy failures in DIY installations, IMHO, are due to concrete conditions, installation issues and really really poor expectations and directions on the part of the manufacturers and distributors.

The big key is doing the prep correctly. Rent a grinder, take your time and do it right. You can try acid etching and will know pretty quick if it is profiling the floor.

Do a moisture test and spend the extra money for the primer. Make sure you use a top coat, and make sure your base coat is 100% solids epoxy. Everyone has their own opinions on what is best. Obviously I love the products we sell and believe they perform very well. If I was not in this business I would buy from Scotty at Legacy Industrial.

I am not a fan of buying from the paint stores or home centers. First often they do not know what they are doing when it comes to residential garage floor epoxy. Second some of their product is good and some of it .....

Lastly, if you can afford it, go with a full broadcast system.

Forgive my stupidity but what do you mean by a "full broadcast system"?
I TOTALLY understand it's ALL in the prepwork.
Also,
what will a grinder do, will it take some of the top surface off and hide some of the ugly stuff from salt damage? Its spots approx 1/8 deep and there are quite a few.

Is this a good kit?
http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/legacy-hd-system-600-sq-ft-p-202.html
I wonder what the thickness is of this product?

What about this type of coating?
Polyaspartic Coatings
Better than or not as good as an epoxy with solids?

Thank you for the advice though, its greatly appreciated.

 

[kwfloors]

Full broadcast means full coverage as in paint chips.

 

[Shea]

Read this article here about grinding or acid etching. It will help explain why you need to do one or the other and which method is preferred.

Grinding will not remove all the salt damage. You will need to repair that before you epoxy.

 

[Rubrsidedown]

Read this article here about grinding or acid etching. It will help explain why you need to do one or the other and which method is preferred.

Grinding will not remove all the salt damage. You will need to repair that before you epoxy.

Perfect,
great into.
Thank you

SO,
I plan on repairing the floor there are some really bad spots (a couple are 2-3" deep and 8" long) but should I repair it before grinding or after?
What product would work best filling 2" deep spots to 1/4-1/8" deep spots?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to do it right thats all.

 

[Trey T]

I would grind the entire floor first then go back with smaller grinder (I.e. makita 9227c with variable speed) to roughen up (for concrete bonding) the damaged area before patching.

 

[Garage Flooring]

It looks like your questions about grinding and full broadcast have been answered. I would give Scotty a call about that specific kit. The forum is awesome, but in the end talking to the company you want to buy the product from and going through your needs and expectations is the best way to go. But yes, his products and his service are outstanding.

 

[Rubrsidedown]

Floor has been cleaned but will be grinding within a few weeks then patch with Epoxy patch then touch up with grinder, epoxy primer, epoxy, flakes and gloss top coat.

Pics of crappy garage floor.
She needs some serious tlc.

Sent via my New England Telephone Rotary Dial device

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

This is one of the questions that comes up again and again. There are a lot of great products on the market but keep in mind that the product is only half the battle. Most epoxy failures in DIY installations, IMHO, are due to concrete conditions, installation issues and really really poor expectations and directions on the part of the manufacturers and distributors.

The big key is doing the prep correctly. Rent a grinder, take your time and do it right. You can try acid etching and will know pretty quick if it is profiling the floor.

Do a moisture test and spend the extra money for the primer. Make sure you use a top coat, and make sure your base coat is 100% solids epoxy. Everyone has their own opinions on what is best. Obviously I love the products we sell and believe they perform very well. If I was not in this business I would buy from Scotty at Legacy Industrial.

I am not a fan of buying from the paint stores or home centers. First often they do not know what they are doing when it comes to residential garage floor epoxy. Second some of their product is good and some of it .....

Lastly, if you can afford it, go with a full broadcast system.

Much appreciated, back at you sir!!

It is safe to say that major retailers, generally, do not invest time and energy into training the people behind the cash register or walking the aisle with real world knowledge. You may get lucky and get an ex-plumber in the plumbing aisle (those folks are priceless).

IMO, when push comes to shove and you need answers, look to people who really are in the industry and understand your needs.

On Saturday night, when you potentially made a mistake or need to double-check something, will your major retailer be available to talk to you or return a text?

 

[Rubrsidedown]

Scotty has certainly answered each and EVERY question I have asked.
I truly feel I am in good hands not to mention will be getting a good quality product for my garage floor when the time comes.

This "process" will take some time and I am in no rush to get it done. I want to do it right and do it once.
This project will be completed before the end of summer.
It has taken SEVERAL years to get to this point and it WILL be addressed this summer for sure, it'll look great in the months to come.

1st step, Grind the concrete floor then patch with epoxy patch.

I WILL be sure to post pics after each step if anyone is interested.

Scotty,
A big THANK YOU thus far for the support.

 

[benwah]

Will you be using a surfacing epoxy w/ fumed silica mixed in to fill those giant craters, or some kind of cementitious mortar?

 

[Rubrsidedown]

Will you be using a surfacing epoxy w/ fumed silica mixed in to fill those giant craters, or some kind of cementitious mortar?

Epoxy with silica.
I do love winter but MAN its tough on things such are concrete, vihicles etc...

 

[600SL]

I would say asking whats the best epoxy on this forum would be the equivalent of asking whats the best oil to use for your car in an auto forum. The most we can do is give you our experience.

I tried a Home Depot Rustoleum epoxy installed buy HD contractors. It looked great but came up 2 years later in huge sheets when the temp dropped. I came in one cold morning and found a 4ft by 2 ft roll of epoxy floor in my garage.

Two years ago I redid it with the Armorpoxy 3 part Ultra system, again it looked great, I did it myself and it was easy to do. Unfortunately I moved so I have no long term experience but I did get a lot of confidence with the system. But I will be trying it again this week in my new shop.

The bottom line, the Armorpoxy system cost about 3 times as much as a Rustoleum system and is about 3 times as thick. So you get what you pay for, or should I say I will see if you get what you pay for.

 

[Rubrsidedown]

I would say asking whats the best epoxy on this forum would be the equivalent of asking whats the best oil to use for your car in an auto forum. The most we can do is give you our experience.

I tried a Home Depot Rustoleum epoxy installed buy HD contractors. It looked great but came up 2 years later in huge sheets when the temp dropped. I came in one cold morning and found a 4ft by 2 ft roll of epoxy floor in my garage.

Two years ago I redid it with the Armorpoxy 3 part Ultra system, again it looked great, I did it myself and it was easy to do. Unfortunately I moved so I have no long term experience but I did get a lot of confidence with the system. But I will be trying it again this week in my new shop.

The bottom line, the Armorpoxy system cost about 3 times as much as a Rustoleum system and is about 3 times as thick. So you get what you pay for, or should I say I will see if you get what you pay for.

I agree, it was a VERY open ended question looking for input and I got it. At first I was leaning in the U-Coat-It product direction before coming on here and I'm glad I did. U-Coat-It has some great advertising thats for sure.

Anyway,
like I stated earlier, I only want to do this once. I'm not looking for the cheapest product out there but I also don't want to pay a premium thinking it's the greatest product out there only to find out it comes up in sheets a few years down the road. I quickly found out I do NOT want a water based product. Solids is the way to go and I am glad I asked questions.

Before I decide on anything I know nothing about I like to research it and to be perfectly honest I research a lot.
Case in point, a year ago I though I knew what lawn tractor I wanted, after a bunch of reading along with several questions I made a change in models and I am very glad I did.
Most any new item looks but great after some use and abuse the tables turn and sometimes turn quickly.

I have been busy reading online here and elsewhere and it looks like I have made a decision on what product I will be using.
I also know, much like anything else it's ALL in the prepwork and I certainly have some prepwork to keep me busy. The easy part is laying the product down and I'll be REAL happy when I finally get to that point.

Like I said earlier, I only want to do this once.
I kind of knew the Rustoleum product was not the product I was looking for and was quite surprised U-Coat-It isn't far behind that product from what I have read. Then again, did the folks using those products do the prepwoork that needs to be done prior to laying the product down, who knows?

 

[600SL]

I agree, it was a VERY open ended question looking for input and I got it. At first I was leaning in the U-Coat-It product direction before coming on here and I'm glad I did. U-Coat-It has some great advertising thats for sure.

Anyway,
like I stated earlier, I only want to do this once. I'm not looking for the cheapest product out there but I also don't want to pay a premium thinking it's the greatest product out there only to find out it comes up in sheets a few years down the road. I quickly found out I do NOT want a water based product. Solids is the way to go and I am glad I asked questions.

Before I decide on anything I know nothing about I like to research it and to be perfectly honest I research a lot.
Case in point, a year ago I though I knew what lawn tractor I wanted, after a bunch of reading along with several questions I made a change in models and I am very glad I did.
Most any new item looks but great after some use and abuse the tables turn and sometimes turn quickly.

I have been busy reading online here and elsewhere and it looks like I have made a decision on what product I will be using.
I also know, much like anything else it's ALL in the prepwork and I certainly have some prepwork to keep me busy. The easy part is laying the product down and I'll be REAL happy when I finally get to that point.

Like I said earlier, I only want to do this once.
I kind of knew the Rustoleum product was not the product I was looking for and was quite surprised U-Coat-It isn't far behind that product from what I have read. Then again, did the folks using those products do the prepwoork that needs to be done prior to laying the product down, who knows?

Your best source of information is right here on GJ. And the vendors here sell good products. I would start by speaking to the vendors here tell them what you will be doing and that you live in Main. Then do some searches on this forum for results and user satisfaction. But remember prep is 90% and the most difficult part of the task.

Are any systems fool proof, I doubt it. I worked as Sikorsky Aircraft for 25 years and the epoxy and Urethane floors had patches everywhere but that was with heavy forklift traffic. Now at Honda Aircraft with bran new floors (about 4 years old) so far I haven't noticed any patches but these floors are about 1/8" thick of something.

 

[Rubrsidedown]

Now at Honda Aircraft with bran new floors (about 4 years old) so far I haven't noticed any patches but these floors are about 1/8" thick of something.

1/8" thick of something....

That's the something I want/need.

 

[600SL]

1/8" thick of something....

That's the something I want/need.

Well this will give you about 1/16" of something $$$$. Its about 3 times the thickness of what I got.

http://www.armorpoxy.com/commercial-floors-and-hangars/firehouse-heavy-equip-floors/

 

[josh133]

Totally get where you're coming from! I felt the same way before doing mine didn’t want to mess with it again a few years later. If you prep the surface right and go with a high-solids or 100% solids epoxy (not the box store kits), it can seriously last for decades. Just make sure to get a good topcoat too it’s what really protects the surface over time.

 

[logical]

Totally get where you're coming from! I felt the same way before doing mine didn’t want to mess with it again a few years later. If you prep the surface right and go with a high-solids or 100% solids epoxy (not the box store kits), it can seriously last for decades. Just make sure to get a good topcoat too it’s what really protects the surface over time.

The thread is 11 years old.

 

[josh133]

The thread is 11 year

I think i just came out of coma thanks by the way.