Chicagodiy
Member
This is going to be a long story but in short I went from a 50yr old terrible floor to a great epoxy floor (50+Mil) for under $2/sqft and a lot of work. 410 sq ft, tight 2 car garage.
Quest for product
I have always liked the epoxy floors and then went on a quest to find the best value for a DIY install. Started out reading amazon reviews, big box store reviews, YouTube videos, and then ended up here. At first, I had always heard that it’s 100% solids or a waste of your time. So then naturally, I scout the internet for the cheapest 100% solids epoxy which seemed to be coloredepoxies and their Norklad products, about $60/gal of 100%. Then after coming to the realization that I am a team of one and will not be able to do edgework and lay it all out in the 20-30 pot life. This then led to me looking at solvent based epoxies, devoe coatings. It seemed like a good value and I like the idea of solvent based. 70% solids, good adhesion, and a long pot life which is great for a solo install. It was maybe $50/gal of 70%.
Then I started looking at all of their repair products since it’s best to stick with one manufacturer. Epoxies are all weird chemical products with different kinds of surface tensions and properties that aren’t designed to mix and match. I read those horror stories too. Looking at the costs of repair products led me Rustoleum patch and repair. $24 at HD, $22 at Menards and $20 at Ace (I didn’t see it at ace until after but that’s a great way to use their random coupons). It has 24oz of repair material that is strong, easy to work with, readily available, and able to purchase in the just the needed quantities. Then I looked on Menards website and saw the Rustoleum professional EpoxyShield was only $89 for 2 gal of 70% and the clear was on sale for $79, .7gal of 100% clear. A high quality clear will be around $1/oz so don’t expect epoxy rates for a top coat.
At this point, I decided to buy 2 kits of the epoxy ($89), 2 kits of clear ($79) and 6 ($22) boxes of the patch and repair. I have now committed to Rustoleum solvent based. For chips I went with a brown blend of vinyl chips from globmarble.com. 25lbs delivered for about $90. Original color chips costs a little more but you can make your own blends (sports teams etc). My wife wanted a normal blend.
Cleaning and patching
As expected, this was the most grueling part. Emptying the garage and finding places for everything is a chore. Then I degreased and power washed. Power washing helped find some parts of weakened concrete. Then I used a hammer and wire brush to get out anything loose and brush the cracks clean. I did not grind the cracks and then fill, just wire brush and hammering out loose bits. The patch and repair seems very strong and my garage will be for parking cars and playing poker. There won’t be jacks or big tool work so I just did some manual cleaning.
When I was working on the patching the temperature was between 50-70 leaning towards 50 which gave a good amount of working time. I patched all the cracks, divots, major pits and spalls. Since the temps were cool, I got over 30 min working time with each kit. I went through about 4 kits maybe 5 on all the major areas.
Tips
Double layer disposable gloves
Have multiple putty knife sizes
Have solvent for cleaning putty knives
Use disposable Tupperware to transport your tools around
Put dollops in deep spots in a few different areas and leave them for 1-2 minutes. The product will self level and settle a bit. Then come with your putty and level it off. You get way closer to flush, grind less and be able to cover more ground.
Anything more than .25” or .5” will require multiple coats.
Grinding and touch ups
So once I had finished all the major areas it was time to grind. I was set to get the 10” EDCO from HD but it was rented when I got there. The guy talked me down to the floor maintainer with diamabrush head. It was about $100 for 4hrs and $120 for the day. Don’t be scared of the grinder. Once I read the operating instructions it was super easy. At first I just started it and spun around like a cartoon and zipped the thing across the floor. It takes no muscle to operate safely. The trick is that lifting the handle up goes right and down goes left. By default, gravity pulls it down (left) so when you start it be lifting up. It’s much easier to lower the bar a bit if it jumps right. Also don’t grind wet if you used the rustoleum patch, it just makes it really slippery. Wear a respirator and grind dry. I used the grinder for about 3 hrs and made it back just in the for the 4hr price.
Overall the grinding did the most noticeable amount of floor preparation. I probably could have benefitted from more grinding time but I’m still happy with it. Time will tell.
After grinding, I noticed more pits because the pits were dark and the surface was now a lot lighter. I used the last box of patch to get all the rest of the major areas. By this time I’ve gotten really good with the material and know how to make it real flush. I used a hand grinder with $12 yellow turbo cup off Amazon for corners and small spots. Wow, this thing ate through the concrete fast! I was able to remove a layer where needed and usually a little more. This resulted in some definite kiss marks (don’t worry, they’re not visible anymore).
The dust
This is the worst part (for real). I have a really powerful gas blower and shop vac. It doesn’t get all the dust. I cleaned over and over but the dust was relentless. Trying to get it so a hand wipe doesn’t pick dust is terrible. I called rustoleum and asked them what to do. He said to wipe down the floor with acetone. This was awful but I did it. At this point you have put in new cartridges into your mask. I got on my hands and knees and cleaned the floor with acetone and rags. Even with the mask I had to go outside and catch some fresh air. It took almost a gallon to wipe down the whole floor and it stinks. Then I followed up with dry swiffers. I went through about 20 swiffers until one swiffers could make it for half the garage.
Epoxy time! Day 1
Finally, I get to lay down epoxy. The cans of this stuff seem to be dented in every review I’ve read. This one is no different but there were no leaks. I open up one kit and it starts out very separated it each can. It’s so thick that the paint stick pretty much breaks right away. Work at it and get everything out of part B into disposable Menards bucket. It’s kind of a pain then get all of A into the bucket. This is a pain too. Then mix with power mixer and let it sit for the needed time based on temperature. I had to cover 410 sq ft and the kit said 300-400. Rustoleum told me I could stretch it and they were right. I had just enough to do all 400 with a thin coat. He told me not to be nervous when it looked bad at this point. It did look pretty bad. Pockmarks, pits, kiss marks, every swipe of the patch, not much of the cracks but all imperfections highly visible. Applied with Wooster 1/4 epoxy glide roller and it was great.
Day 2
I gave the spike shoes to my wife and pre portioned out all the chips. 2 quarts of metallic from the rustoleum kits and about 8 gallons worth from globmarble. 29lbs total for 410 sq ft. For this coat I wasn’t focused on stretching it but instead focused on filling in every little pit and mark that was missed. My wife walked around being the sprinkle fairy. At first she said I was nuts for buying so many and by the end was nervous we didn’t have enough. She was able to complete a full broadcast. Every imperfection is completely gone and the floor looks awesome.
Day 3
I blow off the flakes and have 3 quarts leftover. There’s also a few handful of bare spots where she put chips that didn’t epoxy. Some were big. So as I applied the clear I put a bunch of flakes and rolled them in. The kit said 200-500sq ft. I had enough for about 425sq ft on this coat. The stuff is invisible and I had no clue if I was really applying it or missing spots. The burst pouch is super fun and this material just seems really high quality. I cut the corner and just stood the bag up in the box. I could pour the material into the tray as needed.
Day 4
I sweep/blow off loose flakes and only have a couple tiny bare spots left. I use the same technique as before but now I’m out of the epoxyglide rollers and use a purdy 3/8 and it worked fine. This coat I probably could cover 460sq ft. I did an excessive amount of overlap and still had some leftover to harden in a bucket. I have a total of 2 quarts of flakes left.
Day 5
No flakes to remove. Everything is solid and looks great. Time to let it cure and start enjoying my new floor!
Total build ~55.4Mil
1 gal of repair 100% 3.9 Mil
4 gal of 70% 10.9 Mil
9 gal of flakes 35.1 Mil
1.4 gal of 100% clear 5.5 Mil
I think it’s important to look at the flakes by volume and not weight. Metallic flakes are heavier than the vinyl ones. The vinyl ones are soft and seem to provide a nice protective layer to distribute weight and absorb impact. Since they are so thick, I opted not to use any of the anti skid material. It seems like I should be fine.
Seems like I should have a strong sustainable floor for many years. When it starts to wear too much, I’ll sand it down a bit and toss down another clear clear.
Flickr albumhttps://www.flickr.com/gp/148378088@N05/006725
Quest for product
I have always liked the epoxy floors and then went on a quest to find the best value for a DIY install. Started out reading amazon reviews, big box store reviews, YouTube videos, and then ended up here. At first, I had always heard that it’s 100% solids or a waste of your time. So then naturally, I scout the internet for the cheapest 100% solids epoxy which seemed to be coloredepoxies and their Norklad products, about $60/gal of 100%. Then after coming to the realization that I am a team of one and will not be able to do edgework and lay it all out in the 20-30 pot life. This then led to me looking at solvent based epoxies, devoe coatings. It seemed like a good value and I like the idea of solvent based. 70% solids, good adhesion, and a long pot life which is great for a solo install. It was maybe $50/gal of 70%.
Then I started looking at all of their repair products since it’s best to stick with one manufacturer. Epoxies are all weird chemical products with different kinds of surface tensions and properties that aren’t designed to mix and match. I read those horror stories too. Looking at the costs of repair products led me Rustoleum patch and repair. $24 at HD, $22 at Menards and $20 at Ace (I didn’t see it at ace until after but that’s a great way to use their random coupons). It has 24oz of repair material that is strong, easy to work with, readily available, and able to purchase in the just the needed quantities. Then I looked on Menards website and saw the Rustoleum professional EpoxyShield was only $89 for 2 gal of 70% and the clear was on sale for $79, .7gal of 100% clear. A high quality clear will be around $1/oz so don’t expect epoxy rates for a top coat.
At this point, I decided to buy 2 kits of the epoxy ($89), 2 kits of clear ($79) and 6 ($22) boxes of the patch and repair. I have now committed to Rustoleum solvent based. For chips I went with a brown blend of vinyl chips from globmarble.com. 25lbs delivered for about $90. Original color chips costs a little more but you can make your own blends (sports teams etc). My wife wanted a normal blend.
Cleaning and patching
As expected, this was the most grueling part. Emptying the garage and finding places for everything is a chore. Then I degreased and power washed. Power washing helped find some parts of weakened concrete. Then I used a hammer and wire brush to get out anything loose and brush the cracks clean. I did not grind the cracks and then fill, just wire brush and hammering out loose bits. The patch and repair seems very strong and my garage will be for parking cars and playing poker. There won’t be jacks or big tool work so I just did some manual cleaning.
When I was working on the patching the temperature was between 50-70 leaning towards 50 which gave a good amount of working time. I patched all the cracks, divots, major pits and spalls. Since the temps were cool, I got over 30 min working time with each kit. I went through about 4 kits maybe 5 on all the major areas.
Tips
Double layer disposable gloves
Have multiple putty knife sizes
Have solvent for cleaning putty knives
Use disposable Tupperware to transport your tools around
Put dollops in deep spots in a few different areas and leave them for 1-2 minutes. The product will self level and settle a bit. Then come with your putty and level it off. You get way closer to flush, grind less and be able to cover more ground.
Anything more than .25” or .5” will require multiple coats.
Grinding and touch ups
So once I had finished all the major areas it was time to grind. I was set to get the 10” EDCO from HD but it was rented when I got there. The guy talked me down to the floor maintainer with diamabrush head. It was about $100 for 4hrs and $120 for the day. Don’t be scared of the grinder. Once I read the operating instructions it was super easy. At first I just started it and spun around like a cartoon and zipped the thing across the floor. It takes no muscle to operate safely. The trick is that lifting the handle up goes right and down goes left. By default, gravity pulls it down (left) so when you start it be lifting up. It’s much easier to lower the bar a bit if it jumps right. Also don’t grind wet if you used the rustoleum patch, it just makes it really slippery. Wear a respirator and grind dry. I used the grinder for about 3 hrs and made it back just in the for the 4hr price.
Overall the grinding did the most noticeable amount of floor preparation. I probably could have benefitted from more grinding time but I’m still happy with it. Time will tell.
After grinding, I noticed more pits because the pits were dark and the surface was now a lot lighter. I used the last box of patch to get all the rest of the major areas. By this time I’ve gotten really good with the material and know how to make it real flush. I used a hand grinder with $12 yellow turbo cup off Amazon for corners and small spots. Wow, this thing ate through the concrete fast! I was able to remove a layer where needed and usually a little more. This resulted in some definite kiss marks (don’t worry, they’re not visible anymore).
The dust
This is the worst part (for real). I have a really powerful gas blower and shop vac. It doesn’t get all the dust. I cleaned over and over but the dust was relentless. Trying to get it so a hand wipe doesn’t pick dust is terrible. I called rustoleum and asked them what to do. He said to wipe down the floor with acetone. This was awful but I did it. At this point you have put in new cartridges into your mask. I got on my hands and knees and cleaned the floor with acetone and rags. Even with the mask I had to go outside and catch some fresh air. It took almost a gallon to wipe down the whole floor and it stinks. Then I followed up with dry swiffers. I went through about 20 swiffers until one swiffers could make it for half the garage.
Epoxy time! Day 1
Finally, I get to lay down epoxy. The cans of this stuff seem to be dented in every review I’ve read. This one is no different but there were no leaks. I open up one kit and it starts out very separated it each can. It’s so thick that the paint stick pretty much breaks right away. Work at it and get everything out of part B into disposable Menards bucket. It’s kind of a pain then get all of A into the bucket. This is a pain too. Then mix with power mixer and let it sit for the needed time based on temperature. I had to cover 410 sq ft and the kit said 300-400. Rustoleum told me I could stretch it and they were right. I had just enough to do all 400 with a thin coat. He told me not to be nervous when it looked bad at this point. It did look pretty bad. Pockmarks, pits, kiss marks, every swipe of the patch, not much of the cracks but all imperfections highly visible. Applied with Wooster 1/4 epoxy glide roller and it was great.
Day 2
I gave the spike shoes to my wife and pre portioned out all the chips. 2 quarts of metallic from the rustoleum kits and about 8 gallons worth from globmarble. 29lbs total for 410 sq ft. For this coat I wasn’t focused on stretching it but instead focused on filling in every little pit and mark that was missed. My wife walked around being the sprinkle fairy. At first she said I was nuts for buying so many and by the end was nervous we didn’t have enough. She was able to complete a full broadcast. Every imperfection is completely gone and the floor looks awesome.
Day 3
I blow off the flakes and have 3 quarts leftover. There’s also a few handful of bare spots where she put chips that didn’t epoxy. Some were big. So as I applied the clear I put a bunch of flakes and rolled them in. The kit said 200-500sq ft. I had enough for about 425sq ft on this coat. The stuff is invisible and I had no clue if I was really applying it or missing spots. The burst pouch is super fun and this material just seems really high quality. I cut the corner and just stood the bag up in the box. I could pour the material into the tray as needed.
Day 4
I sweep/blow off loose flakes and only have a couple tiny bare spots left. I use the same technique as before but now I’m out of the epoxyglide rollers and use a purdy 3/8 and it worked fine. This coat I probably could cover 460sq ft. I did an excessive amount of overlap and still had some leftover to harden in a bucket. I have a total of 2 quarts of flakes left.
Day 5
No flakes to remove. Everything is solid and looks great. Time to let it cure and start enjoying my new floor!
Total build ~55.4Mil
1 gal of repair 100% 3.9 Mil
4 gal of 70% 10.9 Mil
9 gal of flakes 35.1 Mil
1.4 gal of 100% clear 5.5 Mil
I think it’s important to look at the flakes by volume and not weight. Metallic flakes are heavier than the vinyl ones. The vinyl ones are soft and seem to provide a nice protective layer to distribute weight and absorb impact. Since they are so thick, I opted not to use any of the anti skid material. It seems like I should be fine.
Seems like I should have a strong sustainable floor for many years. When it starts to wear too much, I’ll sand it down a bit and toss down another clear clear.
Flickr albumhttps://www.flickr.com/gp/148378088@N05/006725