Newbie DIY Epoxy Job questions

[mamasmeat]

Hi there and thanks for reading.

I'm almost at the stage of applying my epoxy to a 2-car garage.
I swept first, vacuumed, power washed, power washed with a mild soap, then power washed again.
I acid etched with citric acid, and I just filled my contraction joints with foam backer rods & Legacy Industrial's gel crack filler.
I am preparing to grind the gel filler smooth with a diamond cup wheel attachment.
Here are my questions. How long should I wait for the filler to harden/cure before grinding? Additionally, since the grinding will no doubt knock up some concrete dust as well, what should I do to clean the floor before applying the epoxy?
Also. In a corner of my garage is a platform for my hot water heater and a small metal pole to keep people from backing into it I presume. My plan WAS to just apply the epoxy up to the edges of these (pics included) and then do a simple caulk or apply the gel around the edges and then use a regular color-matched paint to blend it in.
Since I acid etched about 2 or 3 days ago, reading some of the previous posts here has me kind of paranoid about the pores sealing back up with dust and whatnot, so I was thinking maybe I should just say screw it and grind the whole thing instead and then wash it one or two last times?
Couple pictures included.

Thanks for any of your input.
-Ryan

 

[Shea]

What epoxy product are you using?

 

[mamasmeat]

What epoxy product are you using?

I'm using the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield.

 

[Shea]

I would recommend sticking to your first plan. Grind the joints after 24 hours. As long as you keep everything dry and don't introduce water you will be fine. Sweep and then vacuum well with a shop vac. The type of product you are using is a low solids water-based epoxy with a thin dry film thickness. If you grind, you may end up with a blotchy looking finish. This is due to the coating penetrating well and not being thick enough at the surface. It's a common issue when applying a thin mil coating to a grinded surface.

 

[frank001]

I'm using the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield.

This is what I did and the results:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284998&highlight=frank001

 

[mamasmeat]

I would recommend sticking to your first plan. Grind the joints after 24 hours. As long as you keep everything dry and don't introduce water you will be fine. Sweep and then vacuum well with a shop vac. The type of product you are using is a low solids water-based epoxy with a thin dry film thickness. If you grind, you may end up with a blotchy looking finish. This is due to the coating penetrating well and not being thick enough at the surface. It's a common issue when applying a thin mil coating to a grinded surface.

Thank you so much for your input. I will post back with updated pictures when I finish. Although it seems some of my filler is still a tad soft in 1 or 2 areas and it's been just over 24 hours-perhaps I got the mix ratio slightly off? Legacy's instructions said "approximate" 1:1 so that's what I would guess.. Should I still grind tomorrow and go over it with the rustO after cleanup? Or should I grind and then throw another layer of filler over the soft spots with a more precise mix ratio..? Just concerned about cracking or peeling where the soft part of the seam is. There won't be any cars parked in here, but I don't want to do anything stupid.. First try I'm at least expecting a year or two out of this sucker lol.

 

[mamasmeat]

This is what I did and the results:

Thanks! Your garages look sweet man. I hope mine comes out remotely close to that.