doctorsouse
Member
So a few months back I was strolling through the forum regarding flooring options. At this particular time I was debating the classic question of epoxy vs tile. At the time I was leaning towards tile, as I just didn’t want to spend the time cleaning the floors, acid etching, etc. I done a decent amount of research on the tile, but at the same time was still looking at epoxy due to cost.
I came across an offer for a thread advertising a ‘mystery epoxy’ from Garageflooringllc.com. They were looking for some reviewers of a new potential product. I contacted them and had a few questions. I first wanted to make sure it was a two part epoxy product and it was. I asked about acid etching and was told they were specifically looking for a concrete floor that didn’t need it. I explained the current garage floor condition and age (dirty but no oil stains and about 10 years old). We went back and forth for a few emails, but I eventually bought the product. I figured worst case scenario I would just purchase the tile and put it on top.
I waited almost 2 months for the product to arrive. That was unfortunate but from what I understood out of there control as they were waiting on the new product. That being said once the product did arrive, I did have to wait for about a month to lay down the product. I started off with power washing the floor with this. It did a great job at getting the dirt and grime off of the floors. I then simply scrubbed the concrete down with a stiff brush and some cleaning solution. Per the previous discussion I did not etch the concrete.
I did have some fairly small cracks along with a large chunk missing along the footing that needed to be filled. In order to do so, I purchased a crack chaser, grinding cup wheel, and the large concrete patch kit. The kit was epoxy based and fairly easy to use. The only thing I will say I was disappointed with was the lack on instructions on the website. I found some from a competitor that helped explain the process, which I’m glad I did. I ended up just doing an ounce of each part at a time and mixing in the aggregate. This allowed me to fill a decent amount at a time, without anything setting before it was in place.
On a side note for anyone who needs to use a grinding cup wheel, either purchase a vacuum attachment for your grinder or be prepared for a lot of dust. I just duct tapped the shop vac hose the grinder and while it helped, I did have dust everywhere when I was done.
At this point I was finally ready to put down the mystery epoxy. I did not receive a data sheet so was not sure of the cure time on the product. I got the first gallon down and it covered about a garage and a half. I was pleasantly surprised that the product although thoroughly mixed together, and mixed again throughout the process ended up lasting over an hour with setting in the bucket. I decided to wait a day for it to dry before doing the 2nd gallon. Life got in the way and I was not able to get the 2nd gallon down for about 4 days. That being said I did notice the 1st coat was extremely slippery. I contacted Justin at garagefloorllc and he told me to get the sharkgrip additive for the 2nd coat. I got the 2nd gallon down which covered 2 coats everywhere (about 480sqft). We waited about a week before we parked our cars in the garage.
It’s now been over 6 weeks since we’ve had the epoxy down and so far so good. The finish came out great for just being a simplistic grey. The additive made a world of difference and even when it’s wet it still has a decent amount of traction. Overall I will say I’ve been very happy with the product. I think I was more impressed with the end result of the large concrete patch kit, as the holes it filled in barely look like they ever existed. I will update as the New England winter arrives alongside the road salt.
At the start
Crack chasing
After filling the cracks/holes
End result
I came across an offer for a thread advertising a ‘mystery epoxy’ from Garageflooringllc.com. They were looking for some reviewers of a new potential product. I contacted them and had a few questions. I first wanted to make sure it was a two part epoxy product and it was. I asked about acid etching and was told they were specifically looking for a concrete floor that didn’t need it. I explained the current garage floor condition and age (dirty but no oil stains and about 10 years old). We went back and forth for a few emails, but I eventually bought the product. I figured worst case scenario I would just purchase the tile and put it on top.
I waited almost 2 months for the product to arrive. That was unfortunate but from what I understood out of there control as they were waiting on the new product. That being said once the product did arrive, I did have to wait for about a month to lay down the product. I started off with power washing the floor with this. It did a great job at getting the dirt and grime off of the floors. I then simply scrubbed the concrete down with a stiff brush and some cleaning solution. Per the previous discussion I did not etch the concrete.
I did have some fairly small cracks along with a large chunk missing along the footing that needed to be filled. In order to do so, I purchased a crack chaser, grinding cup wheel, and the large concrete patch kit. The kit was epoxy based and fairly easy to use. The only thing I will say I was disappointed with was the lack on instructions on the website. I found some from a competitor that helped explain the process, which I’m glad I did. I ended up just doing an ounce of each part at a time and mixing in the aggregate. This allowed me to fill a decent amount at a time, without anything setting before it was in place.
On a side note for anyone who needs to use a grinding cup wheel, either purchase a vacuum attachment for your grinder or be prepared for a lot of dust. I just duct tapped the shop vac hose the grinder and while it helped, I did have dust everywhere when I was done.
At this point I was finally ready to put down the mystery epoxy. I did not receive a data sheet so was not sure of the cure time on the product. I got the first gallon down and it covered about a garage and a half. I was pleasantly surprised that the product although thoroughly mixed together, and mixed again throughout the process ended up lasting over an hour with setting in the bucket. I decided to wait a day for it to dry before doing the 2nd gallon. Life got in the way and I was not able to get the 2nd gallon down for about 4 days. That being said I did notice the 1st coat was extremely slippery. I contacted Justin at garagefloorllc and he told me to get the sharkgrip additive for the 2nd coat. I got the 2nd gallon down which covered 2 coats everywhere (about 480sqft). We waited about a week before we parked our cars in the garage.
It’s now been over 6 weeks since we’ve had the epoxy down and so far so good. The finish came out great for just being a simplistic grey. The additive made a world of difference and even when it’s wet it still has a decent amount of traction. Overall I will say I’ve been very happy with the product. I think I was more impressed with the end result of the large concrete patch kit, as the holes it filled in barely look like they ever existed. I will update as the New England winter arrives alongside the road salt.
At the start
Crack chasing
After filling the cracks/holes
End result
