Removing epoxy from floor ??

streetstar · Feb 22, 2008

I have a 30' x 30' garage -- i applied epoxy coating with a quikrete kit from Lowes (2 part) --- problem came because i etched 1/3 of the floor with a different etching compound than was in the quikrete kit ---- now i have a 10' x 30' section of the floor that is peeling and flaking all over the place. The rest of the floor is alright and the sections are divided by expansion cuts.

Some of the floor is flaking, but some is still stuck tight --- is there an easy way to remove this mess. or am i stuck with a long weekend and a belt sander ?

I would like to re-do the affected section with the quikrete kit that seemed to work alright

Thx in advance :beer:

Doug

Jabberwalk · Feb 22, 2008

you can try renting a buffer and some sandpaper. It might save your knees oryou can also try a long handled 4" razor scraper.

OldCarGuy · Feb 23, 2008

Sherwin Williams application bulletin for their Armorseal 1000HS and other high VOC solvent epoxy (not water based) recommends either shot blasting or acid etching. And goes into detail with both methods. However their Industrial Marine Representative highly recommended using shot blast for best results. I have acid etched in the past, and after mt present experience I feel that shot blasting is a better route to follow.

This is the organization that I rented the equipment and purchased the supplies from.
http://www.jordanpower.com/ourManufactures/spe_surface_prep.htm

mhoffm911 · Feb 23, 2008

I think you are in for a long weekend - and don't think a belt sander is going to do the job properly. You are probably going to need a grinder or shot blaster to get the job done properly. I would acid etch after doing the grinding or blasting. Succesful epoxy applications are done only with proper preparation.

OldCarGuy · Feb 23, 2008

mhoffm911 said:
I think you are in for a long weekend - and don't think a belt sander is going to do the job properly. You are probably going to need a grinder or shot blaster to get the job done properly. I would acid etch after doing the grinding or blasting. Succesful epoxy applications are done only with proper preparation.

Mhoffmis absolutely right. The choices I recommended are only good on freshly poured concrete. Acid etching will not remove any epoxy coatings. And a belt sander will just load up too quickly. So your choices are either shot blasting or grinding.

sixty4 · Feb 23, 2008

One more thing to try? Get some Rock Miracle, lay a small portion down and cover with plastic. Do a test area and see what happens? I had to remove a layered up concrete stain that I tried this on. Still you may need to grind or sand but may take some of the pain out of the long day ahead of you. Oh the longer the Rock miracle sits under plastic the better.

JD in DFW · Feb 26, 2008

Dimond grind. Or if you have a good 7" angle grinder you can do it that way. A 7" dimond grinding wheel will run you $80-$110 and will save you a ton of work....you will also need a decent dry/wet vac with a drywall/cement dust filter bag on it.

Grinding it away will be your best bet. Good luck.
JD

Hammerdown · Mar 4, 2008

IMHO-
If possible, rent an EDCO floor grinder. They are usually available at larger tool cribs and well stocked Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, etc. This machine has carbide tipped (or optional diamond tipped) blades that should remove the coating well. Google it to get the info on the machine. They can take a little finess to work it, but the results are worth it.

ragincajun · Mar 4, 2008

If the material is already flaking off, it shouldn't take much more than an 8 inch flat razor blade fitted to a pole to get the flaking epoxy off. Well, plus some elbow grease. If that proves to be too difficult, you'll need to grind it off or beadblast the concrete. You can get a beadblaster at home depot or at any other comparable store. Since the section of the floor that is flaking is only 1/3 of 900 square feet, you'll probably not want to spend alot of money on renting this type of equipment. If you get a 7 inch grinder with a diamond pad, it might just spin in the epoxy and not want to remove it easily. Beadblasting should go easier, however, if you are not careful while beadblasting you can etch the concrete deeper in rows creating a "corn row" effect that is still visible after epoxy application.

My main concern is that you etched the concrete with a different compound and it caused this reaction with the epoxy the first time. I hope that even after you remove the flaking epoxy... that it won't reoccur with your new coat the second time. If this happens, it might mean that whatever was used to etch the concrete has either left a residual on the concrete or has seeped into the pores of the concrete, and, is wanting to come up through the top (and pop off your epoxy floor in the process). This happens sometimes when epoxy is rolled over, say, a heavy oil spill. Over time the oil comes up through the surface of the concrete and de-laminates your epoxy floor.

Kevin54 · Mar 5, 2008

i applied epoxy coating with a quikrete kit from Lowes (2 part)

There is your problem right there. That stuff is trash. When the weather breaks, I will be sanding mine all off also. I think mine lasted all of maybe a month before it started to peel. Next time will be good stuff!!!!

ron in sc · Mar 10, 2008

Sherwin Williams application bulletin for their Armorseal 1000HS and other high VOC solvent epoxy (not water based) recommends either shot blasting or acid etching.

Did you apply this product? If so was your opinion?

I have 2 gallons of it in clear I was given to test and see if I liked it.

connorB · Mar 15, 2008

Streetstar,

You need to sand the surface anyway to recoat so don't beat yourself up. Epoxy is very hard so sanding will create a new profile on the surface. What will come loose at this time will come loose. Than whatever brand name you like, use a 2 part system of 100% solids. You'll like the result! Whatever you do, always get a spec on the product and read! HD or Lowe's will not have ready a spec sheet. Spec Sheet tells you everything about he product to reduce problems during application. Read, Read than coat!!!!!
My 2 cents

Goood lucK, You can do it!
Glenn

streetstar · Mar 19, 2008

thanks for the input everyone --- just waiting for a long weekend where a project truck or motorcycle is not parked in the way to start in on this. I almost feel like Race-decking the section now and just calling it my "motorcycle shop"--- but i will see how it goes

Can VCT tile be glued down over this mess? or would it be too unstable for it

Jason B · Apr 2, 2008

I can't find a shot blaster ANYHERE to rent. I've called 10 places. Now what?

Also, would the stripper work???? Looking for the easiest, least expensive way.

awakeinAZ · Apr 3, 2008

Jason B said:
I can't find a shot blaster ANYHERE to rent. I've called 10 places. Now what?

Also, would the stripper work???? Looking for the easiest, least expensive way.

Dang- Makes the extra $$$ worth every penny I paid now. Sorry to hear of your troubles!

abstamaria · Aug 2, 2010

I checked the Internet and was surprised that most of the recommendations involved, not grinding, but using a paint stripper. I did not know paint stripper will work on epoxy, or is there a special stripper for epoxy?

Here is one of the articles:

How to Remove Epoxy Flooring

At some point you may want to remove epoxy flooring from your kitchen, basement or garage, to change the color or replace it due to wear. Follow the procedure outlined below to remove epoxy flooring safely and with little difficulty from a space in your home.

Tools and Materials You Will Need
■Box cutter knife
■Stiff-bristled broom and dust pan
■Vacuum cleaner, dry and shop-vac types
■Epoxy stripping solution
■String or fiber mop
■Electric fan, as needed
■Long-handled putty scraper
■Wire-bristled brush
■Pointed shovel
■Large trash bags
■Eye goggles, painter's mask
■Rubber gloves
Step 1: Determine If Your Epoxy Floor is Solvent or Water-Based
Take a small cutting of your epoxy floor to a building center to find out whether it is solvent or water-based. This will determine the type of stripping solution you should buy.

Ads by GoogleAnti Slip Products
One stop source for Anti-Slipproducts. World-wide delivery.www. noskidding. com
Flooring Software
Take-off & EstimationEasy, Powerfull, Free TrialFloorEstimator. com

Step 2: Purchase the Stripping Solution
You can use either water-based epoxy stripper on water-based epoxy, or if you are highly sensitive to volatile compounds, choose a soy-based, environmentally friendly epoxy stripper that emits low levels of fumes.

Step 3: Prepare the Floor for Stripping
Remove all furnishings, wall hangings and window coverings from the room to prevent them being splashed with stripper or absorbing chemical fumes. Sweep the floor surface thoroughly and then vacuum to remove any dust, dirt or flakes from the topcoat of the epoxy floor. Have the windows and doors into the area open to ventilate the room. Put on rubber gloves, eye goggles and a painter's mask.

Step 4: Apply the Stripper
Pour on or spray on the epoxy floor stripping solution, starting in the farthest corner from the exit doorway. Cover a measured area at a time of about 4 by 4 feet. Use a string or fiber mop, not a sponge rubber type, to spread the stripping solution over the floor. Distribute the stripping solution all over the floor evenly.

Step 5: Seal the Room to Let Stripper Soak
Close the doors and windows tightly, and seal off the room so that the stripping solution can soak into and dissolve the old epoxy for at least 24 hours, or as recommended on the container of stripping solution.

Step 6: Peel off the Old Epoxy Layer
Open up the doorways and windows again, and put an electric fan in the room pointed toward a window to vent off the fumes. Put on your protective eye and hand coverings and a fresh painter's mask. Using the long-handled metal scraper, push off the layer of epoxy flooring starting at one edge of the room and moving toward the door. Clear off a row at a time, twice the width of the scraper blade. Using the shovel, scoop the waste epoxy into trash bags and discard it safely.

Step 7: Re-soak Stubborn Epoxy
If sections of epoxy will not come off the floor, soak these parts again overnight with stripping solution, and scrub them the next morning with a brush with stiff wire bristles.

Step 8: Rinse and Vacuum the Floor
When all the epoxy has been removed rinse the floor with cool water and vacuum it up with a shop-vac. Then allow the floor surface to dry completely.

Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-remove-epoxy-flooring#ixzz0vQlJCJXe

Cruzin90 · Aug 3, 2010

Or, rent an Edco with Dyma-Serts and a vacuum. Strip 600 square feet in an hour or two and be done with it.

haugy · Aug 3, 2010

Cruzin90 said:
Or, rent an Edco with Dyma-Serts and a vacuum. Strip 600 square feet in an hour or two and be done with it.

Do this. Quick, easy, and cheap. It also truly gets it cleaned off.
Try your local Sunbelt rentals if you've got one.

abstamaria · Aug 12, 2010

Cruzin90 said:
Or, rent an Edco with Dyma-Serts and a vacuum. Strip 600 square feet in an hour or two and be done with it.

Thank you, Haugy, Cruizin90, that seems the way to go. Since your posts, I have been looking for a rental company or contractor with an Edco or similar grinder; so far zero results. I live in Manila, Philippines.

The floor contractor will start remedial work tomorrow, pouring a new epoxy coat over the work gone wrong (they used a roller to spread the epoxy which led to predictable major orange-peel). If that fails, we will have to strip the epoxy by some means if I can't find an Edco or similar.

There are some advantages to living in Manila (househelp, for one), but also disadvantages.

Thanks again.

Andres

Cruzin90 · Aug 12, 2010

If you do end up having to strip it off and you find a machine, call the machine's manufacturer and ask what would be the best grinding product. Many manufacturers offer multiple grinding products for their machines.

Good Luck!

abstamaria · Aug 21, 2010

As I posted today in the Gallery forum, the contractor's final remedy - the top coat recommended by the paint manufacturer - seems to have worked. The tackinees is gone, and the finish is shiny, if a bit wavy in places. I moved in the tool cabinets today, with no apparent problems with streaking or marking on the floor. I will make do with this finish and hope it holds. Many thanks again for the advice.

Andres

evil_twin · Aug 21, 2010

Beautiful. Can I come over and play?

abstamaria · Aug 22, 2010

Anytime, Evil Twin, but I'm a long way away.

abstamaria · Sep 13, 2010

Floor is all right, so far.

The topcoat that the paint manufacturer recommended seems to have been a good solution. We installed an aluminum/polycarbonate divider between the tiled area and the epoxy floor; the aluminum track hides the boundary and provides a neat transition from tile to epoxy.

aqr81 · Sep 13, 2010

Each time I see one of your postings and pics I continue to be amazed with the appearance of your shop. Beautiful.

abstamaria · Sep 15, 2010

The place looks better in pictures, I think, AGR81, but thank you. I appreciate that.

st_sdoyle · Sep 19, 2010

abstamaria said:
I checked the Internet and was surprised that most of the recommendations involved, not grinding, but using a paint stripper. I did not know paint stripper will work on epoxy, or is there a special stripper for epoxy?

Here is one of the articles:

How to Remove Epoxy Flooring

At some point you may want to remove epoxy flooring from your kitchen, basement or garage, to change the color or replace it due to wear. Follow the procedure outlined below to remove epoxy flooring safely and with little difficulty from a space in your home.

Tools and Materials You Will Need
■Box cutter knife
■Stiff-bristled broom and dust pan
■Vacuum cleaner, dry and shop-vac types
■Epoxy stripping solution
■String or fiber mop
■Electric fan, as needed
■Long-handled putty scraper
■Wire-bristled brush
■Pointed shovel
■Large trash bags
■Eye goggles, painter's mask
■Rubber gloves
Step 1: Determine If Your Epoxy Floor is Solvent or Water-Based
Take a small cutting of your epoxy floor to a building center to find out whether it is solvent or water-based. This will determine the type of stripping solution you should buy.

Ads by GoogleAnti Slip Products
One stop source for Anti-Slipproducts. World-wide delivery.www. noskidding. com
Flooring Software
Take-off & EstimationEasy, Powerfull, Free TrialFloorEstimator. com

Step 2: Purchase the Stripping Solution
You can use either water-based epoxy stripper on water-based epoxy, or if you are highly sensitive to volatile compounds, choose a soy-based, environmentally friendly epoxy stripper that emits low levels of fumes.

Step 3: Prepare the Floor for Stripping
Remove all furnishings, wall hangings and window coverings from the room to prevent them being splashed with stripper or absorbing chemical fumes. Sweep the floor surface thoroughly and then vacuum to remove any dust, dirt or flakes from the topcoat of the epoxy floor. Have the windows and doors into the area open to ventilate the room. Put on rubber gloves, eye goggles and a painter's mask.

Step 4: Apply the Stripper
Pour on or spray on the epoxy floor stripping solution, starting in the farthest corner from the exit doorway. Cover a measured area at a time of about 4 by 4 feet. Use a string or fiber mop, not a sponge rubber type, to spread the stripping solution over the floor. Distribute the stripping solution all over the floor evenly.

Step 5: Seal the Room to Let Stripper Soak
Close the doors and windows tightly, and seal off the room so that the stripping solution can soak into and dissolve the old epoxy for at least 24 hours, or as recommended on the container of stripping solution.

Step 6: Peel off the Old Epoxy Layer
Open up the doorways and windows again, and put an electric fan in the room pointed toward a window to vent off the fumes. Put on your protective eye and hand coverings and a fresh painter's mask. Using the long-handled metal scraper, push off the layer of epoxy flooring starting at one edge of the room and moving toward the door. Clear off a row at a time, twice the width of the scraper blade. Using the shovel, scoop the waste epoxy into trash bags and discard it safely.

Step 7: Re-soak Stubborn Epoxy
If sections of epoxy will not come off the floor, soak these parts again overnight with stripping solution, and scrub them the next morning with a brush with stiff wire bristles.

Step 8: Rinse and Vacuum the Floor
When all the epoxy has been removed rinse the floor with cool water and vacuum it up with a shop-vac. Then allow the floor surface to dry completely.

Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-remove-epoxy-flooring#ixzz0vQlJCJXe

I used BEHR CONCRETE & MASONRY PAINT STRIPPER from Home Depot. It strips epoxy, sealer, and a list of other things. I poured it on my floor in 2x10 sections, sread it out evenly with a paint brush, waited about 30-1hr, and then pressure washed it off. Wait until the next section is dry to the touch and repeat. 3000psi washer worked great. I then etched my floor with the Bondlok that came withe the Quikrete Epoxy kit. It worked great for me. My floors still look good.

68rustang · Mar 1, 2012

I recently moved into a used house. PO painted the garage floor with what I assume is Rustoleum Epoxy Coat or similar and it is flaking off everywhere. It appears they didn't prep the concrete at all before painting it. I am most likely going to rent an EDCO grinder and grind the finish off. After grinding do I need to prep the concrete in anyway before applying epoxy or is the freshly ground surface good to go?

Cruzin90 · Mar 1, 2012

68rustang said:
I recently moved into a used house. PO painted the garage floor with what I assume is Rustoleum Epoxy Coat or similar and it is flaking off everywhere. It appears they didn't prep the concrete at all before painting it. I am most likely going to rent an EDCO grinder and grind the finish off. After grinding do I need to prep the concrete in anyway before applying epoxy or is the freshly ground surface good to go?

Freshly ground surface is good enough. BUT, after you grind, you need to test to make sure there is no remaining sealer (if there was any). So, drop some water on the floor and see if the water beads up or soaks in. If it soaks in, you passed the test. Second thing to do is to test for hydrostatic pressure. Duct tape 2' x 2' plastic on the floor in various places and wait about 48 hours. After 48 hours, look for condensation under the plastic. If you see none, you passed test #2. Note: Void the test if the duct tape comes off the floor prematurely.

1stChoiceGarage · Mar 3, 2012

Not sure what you have a in your area, but We use a blastrack grinder with a 10" aggressive diamond disc, and it comes off pretty simply. Ohh also see if they have a vacuum that can be attached to a grinder similar to this. the dust will be unbearable otherwise.

Removing epoxy from floor ??

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