Painting Garage floor

[Dcollins85]

Hello, I am doing the prep work to put down Rust-oleum Epoxy flooring. I've swept, power washed and etched my floor so far. Now I am looking to fill in the cracks in my garage floor, my question is this: Can I fill in the cracks that were cut into my garage floor to allow for expanding / contracting too? They're not very deep cuts, maybe half an inch at most. I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The winters can get as cold as -50 and as hot as 100+ degrees ( 38+ Celsius ), so the weather can be on both extremes. The reason I ask is some of my cracks go through the expansion cuts. Thanks!

 

[Joeys79]

I'm not a concrete expert, but those don't look like expansion joints but control cuts. I'm told that concrete is going to crack - period... The cuts are supposed to give it a place to crack. I'm not sure of the cut debth vs crack, but mine are about 1 1/2 inches, and there is a crack down in every cut but not in the rest of the floor. Your 1/2 inch sounds a little shallow, and may be the reason you have the other cracks. I filled my cuts with a flexible gell filler I got from Justin at Garage Flooring LLC. It basically gets hard but rubbery and stays that way. It shrank a bit so I did two applications. You can still see the cut ever so slightly, but it's way better than filling with dirt. I believe he has something for your other cracks, and hopefully others will chime in with some ideas.

Good luck...

 

[papavolume]

Good to know, another useful thread for me since I would love to coat my garage floor sometime later this year.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

If the floor is done cracking, tap out any weak pieces/edges with a hammer, clean out the debris and fill with an epoxy gel crack filler. This will help to bond the cracks and provide a surface to coat over.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Hello, I am doing the prep work to put down Rust-oleum Epoxy flooring. I've swept, power washed and etched my floor so far. Now I am looking to fill in the cracks in my garage floor, my question is this: Can I fill in the cracks that were cut into my garage floor to allow for expanding / contracting too? They're not very deep cuts, maybe half an inch at most. I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The winters can get as cold as -50 and as hot as 100+ degrees ( 38+ Celsius ), so the weather can be on both extremes. The reason I ask is some of my cracks go through the expansion cuts. Thanks!

Almost looks like two things in the same pic. A straight saw cut and cracks coming off it. Can you get a wide shot of that. Might change the filler you want to use

 

[Dcollins85]

Yea, here's a wider shot.

The material I will be using to repair the concrete is Rust-Oleum Epoxy Shield.

 

[Garage Flooring]

IMHO If I was going to fill the joints I would use a gel based no grind joint filler that keeps some flex. They have a few kits. Make sure you get the one that has a good DFT. Some of the big box store has very low solids and like a 2.4 Mil DFT. Any surface imperfection will show through.

If memory serves me correct, moisture is a major concern in that area. I would at least do a quick clear plastic and duct tape test and see if you get any moisture coming through.

 

[benwah]

Definitely chip away any lose or failing concrete like Legacy mentioned above. I high highly suggest routing out any and all cracks in your concrete with a 4"-7" angle grinder with a concrete blade also. This includes your expansion joints if they've cracked. Then, like mentioned, fill with your flexible epoxy after cleaning.

Honestly, stay away from Rustoleum patch. You have extreme temperatures which causes a lot of thermal expansion. Your best bet will be to use the flexible epoxy filler.

Where you have chunks of concrete missing, I suggest mixing some fine sand into your 100% solids epoxy filler at a rate of .5-.75:1 by volume and fill those areas. If over 1" deep, do this in 2 lifts, ~8 hours apart.

I'm sure he can get you the flexible epoxy filler, if for some reason not... I have contacts in Edmonton, AB and Kansas City, MO that can.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I'm sure he can get you the flexible epoxy filler, if for some reason not... I have contacts in Edmonton, AB and Kansas City, MO that can.

If you don't know who to get it from out there than take BENWAH up on his offer and get it shipped out of AB. That way he can make sure you get the right stuff the first time and you don't have to deal with the import stuff.

 

[Dcollins85]

I can return the Rust-Oleum concrete filler. I only got it because I knew my floor already had cracks in it. What you're saying about the flexing of the concrete makes sense, along with the moisture.

Benwah, send me some information on the flexible epoxy filler in a PM or email ( [email protected] ) if you'd like.

Thanks for all the information.


Just a run down of what I have done to the garage floor in more detail.

1st day: Swept it out, put up plastic on the walls. Power washed it thoroughly.
2nd day: Power washed it again, let it dry over night.
3rd day: Used a degreaser agent on the oil stains on the garage floor. Power washed it again, let it dry over night.
4th day: Used muriatic acid on the garage floor to etch the floor. Power washed it again, let it dry.
5th day: Noticed there was some powdering on the floor, I figured it was left over from the muriatic acid, so I power washed it again.

 

[benwah]

Did you neutralize the floor, after acid etching?

Good practice is to rinse with a baking soda or amonia and water solution. Usually baking soda/water if the Hydrochloric acid is wet, and ammonia/water of the solution has dried.

 

[Dcollins85]

Wasn't aware I should. I can do that today. Baking powder mix with water?

 

[benwah]

Baking soda! Not powder (Sodium bicarbonate)

To test, mix 3 TBSP of baking soda to 8oz (~230ml) of water and pour it on your floor. If it fizzes, the HCl is still active. Then you'll need to mix a larger batch and neutralize your floor completely. Try first where you suspect HCl is active.

If anyone has other advice for this, please chime in!

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Baking soda! Not powder (Sodium bicarbonate)

To test, mix 3 TBSP of baking soda to 8oz (~230ml) of water and pour it on your floor. If it fizzes, the HCl is still active. Then you'll need to mix a larger batch and neutralize your floor completely. Try first where you suspect HCl is active.

If anyone has other advice for this, please chime in!

(1) cup per gallon of water is what we use.
Swish it around the floor a bit and then rinse liberally.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Baking soda! Not powder (Sodium bicarbonate)

To test, mix 3 TBSP of baking soda to 8oz (~230ml) of water and pour it on your floor. If it fizzes, the HCl is still active. Then you'll need to mix a larger batch and neutralize your floor completely. Try first where you suspect HCl is active.

If anyone has other advice for this, please chime in!

(1) cup per gallon of water is what we recommend.
Swish it around the floor a bit and then rinse liberally.

 

[Dcollins85]

I've filled in all the cracks and what not, sanded them down so they're not bumpy and even with the garage floor. Also sanding them down made the crack filler rough so the paint will adhere to it easier.

I have a very fine dust now that's left on the garage floor. No matter how many times I sweep or power wash the garage floor it's there. Any way to get rid of this?