Which Brand to Go With

[mrg7243]

I am new here of course

But which is the best brand to go with. Now I know this would be opinion based But I want to use the best product I can.

I have a 4 car garage that is 25 feet deep. This will be done by my father and I maybe one or two other helpers. But since I work in Maryland, my father works in DC, and the Garage is at our home in PA. We only have the weekends to work on it. Oh and here is the ultimate kicker, we need to have it to where people can walk on it by august 18. So a month from now.

I need something that will last long, subject to the abuse of dropped tools, garage queens sitting on it and dripping on it,

I from what research I have done I think I will go with the Epoxy-coat stuff.

 

[bdamico]

Same as any other advice I'd give to newcomers. Take an afternoon, read as many threads as you can backwards and then ask more informed questions. You only get out of this what you're willing to put in

 

[Zmw]

as a DIY, I think its more about prep and following instructions than which product to use.

Read about water based, solvent based, 100% solids, clear coat epoxy vs polyurethane. Also, read on use of primers and multiple coat systems vs 1 coat.

My cost estimate tripled because I went with 4 coats, but I like my results.

 

[rugerlady]

Call me if you have questions about your project that I can help with.

 

[thomasslide-lok]

Call Dave at slide-lok of the eastern shore. He covers DE, MD, DC and Philly.
He supplies and applies floor materials. He carries products of one of the first company's to create a unique line of garage products. Slide-lok

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Ditto. Search our name in the garage gallery. Many satisfied users.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

if you do it yourself or have a contractor applt it check out the best priced and most used in america www.elitecrete.com check out the pictures of reflector.
we suggest vb-5 wb primer to stop outgassing bubbles in your top coats, then after cure a base coat of reflector in pt-1 resin, and a final top coat of spart-all a super gloss non yellowing non svcratching clear top coat it is an polyaspatric .]
you wont touch this floor for ten years. before you jump look at what is out there. you can pay more but not get a better floor but you decide after looking at the pictures its wild

Boston is elitecrete selling materials to DIY now?

 

[thegarageguy]

non scratching clear top coat it is a polyaspatric .]

Wow, can't scratch it? Love to see a test of that

 

[mrg7243]

as a DIY, I think its more about prep and following instructions than which product to use.

Read about water based, solvent based, 100% solids, clear coat epoxy vs polyurethane. Also, read on use of primers and multiple coat systems vs 1 coat.

My cost estimate tripled because I went with 4 coats, but I like my results.

I have done all that reading. I know I want to stray away from Rustoleom as there have been a couple issues with the.

I know I am am going to lay primer them at least 1 coat of epoxy maybe 2. I read that flak is a pain to spread why is that?I clear over the flake obviously, I will lay maybe two coats of clear.

Call me if you have questions about your project that I can help with.

Thank-you!

Ditto. Search our name in the garage gallery. Many satisfied users.

Will do!

 

[JD in DFW]

Call Dave at slide-lok of the eastern shore. He covers DE, MD, DC and Philly.
He supplies and applies floor materials. He carries products of one of the first company's to create a unique line of garage products. Slide-lok

I'd sure stay away from anything Slide-Lok....they change coating suppliers like underwear and there warranty is just a selling feature....they don't back it up. I have had over a dozen customers burned by their "lifetime warranty" a number of years ago that went that way only to have the floor coatings fail.

Your doing your homework...that's great. Go with a coating company or pro installer that has some skins on the wall and some references to back their product or work. There are some on here and of course many online.

 

[pauls_workshop]

I have done all that reading. I know I want to stray away from Rustoleom as there have been a couple issues with the.

I know I am am going to lay primer them at least 1 coat of epoxy maybe 2. I read that flak is a pain to spread why is that?I clear over the flake obviously, I will lay maybe two coats of clear.



Thank-you!



Will do!

mrg and others: There are a handful of diy homeowners who lurk on the threads to help people who don't actually sell any products as a manufacturer. I'm one of them. You can easily tell when they don't immediately direct you to their website to only buy their product after posting a total of 3 times on these forums. Feel free to PM me any questions I could help with. I'm sure the other DIY homeowners also would be happy to give thoughts and opinions on products. Caveat Emptor always and especially with epoxy products - many varieties and some are way better than others, all with widely varying costs. - Paul

 

[retfr8flyr]

OP I was in your position earlier this year, deciding which coating to go with. I did all the reading and research, both here and on line. I decided to go with the Wolverine Coatings from Alpha Garage and I couldn't be happier with the results. The Wolverine Coatings is not the cheapest but they make coatings for many industrial applications and know what they are doing.

The one thing I really like about GJ is the vendors here will recommend their product but refrain from bashing other vendors products. I have even seen them recommend another vendor instead of their product. Give Fred at Alpha Garage a call, he is great to work with and will answer all your questions. If you need it done by Aug 18th you will need to get started soon.

 

[mrg7243]

So after looking around here is my plan of attack with this.

.5. Fill hairline cracks
1. pressure wash/ scrub the floor
2. acid etch for proper binding
3. seal the concrete(40 plus years of oil stain)
4. 1 coat of primer-water based to soak into the concrete
5. Epoxy, still haven't settled on brand
6. Flake
7. Polyurethane clear coat 2 coats with grit in 1st coat.

Now depending on cost I may go with a regular epoxy clear coat as the garage has 2 windows which both have curtains. The only sunlight the garage gets is when the bay doors are open.

 

[Zmw]

I had the same set up - WB primer, base coat (I used a solvent based - get a respirator!), 2 poly clear coats(get a respirator). I used shark grip but I used in the last coat. I would recommend that as the beads are very small and although the poly is a thin coat you may not get much traction if you put it in first coat.

I used 2/3 of the bottle of shark grip in a 460 sq ft garage. I wished I used the whole bottle as I want good grip as I have a small child. Other people use 1/2 bottle and are happy.

I am not sure about the step with the concrete sealer...

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

So after looking around here is my plan of attack with this.

.5. Fill hairline cracks
1. pressure wash/ scrub the floor
2. acid etch for proper binding
3. seal the concrete(40 plus years of oil stain)
4. 1 coat of primer-water based to soak into the concrete
5. Epoxy, still haven't settled on brand
6. Flake
7. Polyurethane clear coat 2 coats with grit in 1st coat.

Now depending on cost I may go with a regular epoxy clear coat as the garage has 2 windows which both have curtains. The only sunlight the garage gets is when the bay doors are open.

Oil stains?
Make sure the oil is gone prior to coating or prime with an oil-spot primer.

 

[mrg7243]

So my dad wants to skip many steps in prep and just pressure wash, primer and the rest.

How necessary is the acid etch? He did an hours worth of research and said well if the concrete absorbs water than we dont have to etch

 

[bdamico]

So my dad wants to skip many steps in prep and just pressure wash, primer and the rest.

How necessary is the acid etch? He did an hours worth of research and said well if the concrete absorbs water than we dont have to etch

My previous advice is above

 

[retfr8flyr]

Do some reading!! Prep is everything, if you do what your dad wants it will not have a good long term outcome.

 

[srode]

I've done the acid etch on one floor, and on my floor in our new home paid someone to grind it - I would HIGHLY recommend paying someone to grind it. You can save money acid etching but the results aren't as good and it is a ton more work. SOOOOO glad I paid someone to grind my floor this time - definitely worth the money.

 

[The Bramptonian]

Agree 100% with Paul and others.

I would like to add the following:

1) If you compare the tech data sheets, you will find that most reputed DIY suppliers source their products from only a handful of manufacturers. National Polymer is one of them. NP has solid products. So do your homework and ask for Tech data sheets and read them thoroughly.
2) Preparation is everything. With good preparation even Rustoleum will last 5 years, and with bad preparation the best epoxy will fail in no time. Grinding will give you best results and guarantees. Acid etch should be the last option.
3) Moisture test is absolutely must. Moisture is the sure killer. Oil is an another killer.
4) Finally, customer service is very important. Go with the supplier who you could contact 24/7 (in the middle of the job) in emergencies.
5) Do not expect the guarantees from any of these companies. Most will not honor them BECAUSE its not the product but the preparation that causes the job to fail. Don't expect too much from them.

I have stated the obvious but this was only my experience.

mrg and others: There are a handful of diy homeowners who lurk on the threads to help people who don't actually sell any products as a manufacturer. I'm one of them. You can easily tell when they don't immediately direct you to their website to only buy their product after posting a total of 3 times on these forums. Feel free to PM me any questions I could help with. I'm sure the other DIY homeowners also would be happy to give thoughts and opinions on products. Caveat Emptor always and especially with epoxy products - many varieties and some are way better than others, all with widely varying costs. - Paul

 

[dcs Inc]

Good post!

 

[The Bramptonian]

Just to add, here is the link to tech data sheets from National Polymer. For starter, you could compare these to DIY suppliers' products.
http://www.nationalpolymers.com/TechData-EpoxyPrimersAndCoatings.html

Agree 100% with Paul and others.

I would like to add the following:

1) If you compare the tech data sheets, you will find that most reputed DIY suppliers source their products from only a handful of manufacturers. National Polymer is one of them. So do your homework and ask for Tech data sheets and read them thoroughly.
2) Preparation is everything. With good preparation even Rustoleum will last 5 years, and with bad preparation the best epoxy will fail in no time. Grinding will give you best results and guarantees. Acid etch should be the last option.
3) Moisture test is absolutely must. Moisture is the sure killer. Oil is an another killer.
4) Finally, customer service is very important. Go with the supplier who you could contact 24/7 (in the middle of the job) in emergencies.
5) Do not expect the guarantees from any of these companies. Most will not honor them BECAUSE its not the product but the preparation that causes the job to fail. Don't expect too much from them.

I have stated the obvious but this was only my experience.