I think that you should recoat it with something from Walmart....
JUST KIDDING... lol...
Hmmmm... now... let me think...
1. Grind (you could remove with stripper but then you'd still have to prep so you may as well bite the bullet and rent a grinder)
2. Buy some stuff that is a 'good value' instead of something that is cheap!
When it comes to cost it is easy to get focused in on the cost per gallon. However, that's not what matters when the paint dries (pun intended). When considering the value (cost) you should consider the $ per square foot per mil of dry coating.
I can't remember the solids of the Quickcrete but I'm thinking that the high solids is 40-50% and the low solids is 20%. I tried to find it, but... well.. I guess they're not excited about telling anyone that 50-60% of the can is water and solvent that will dissipate into thin air. A 40-50% solids waterborne product (the cheap stuff at the big box store) is $69.97 (
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=224198-4-224198&lpage=none). At 250 ft2 per gallon you would have a maximum of 6.4 mils of wet paint on the floor. Since 50-60% is going to evaporate that means that you will have between 2.56-3.2 mils of dry paint. So, here is the cost:
@ 2.56mils (40% solids at $69.97 no tax) the cost is about $0.11 per mil per square foot. (69.97/250=0.27988... .27988/2.56=$.109328)
@ 3.2 mils (50% solids at $69.97 no tax) the cost is about $0.09 per mil per square foot. (69.97/250=0.27988... .27988/3.2=$.08746)
* These numbers are assuming the 2 component epoxy... If you were figuring the 1 component epoxy (which is really an acrylic with a few percent of epoxy in it to increase strength and adhesion) then the number are far worse!
Now, if you did the same area with 100% solids material at $75/gallon this is what would change. First, nothing would evaporate so you would end up with 6.4 mils when dry.
So:
@ 6.4 mils (100% solids at $75 no tax) the cost is about $0.0468 per mil per square foot. ($75/250=0.3 ... 0.3/6.4=0.046875.
Now, this would all be fine and dandy if it ended there. But, with 100% solids you would also have a less porous floor that would last longer. So, while 100% solids materials are not the cheapest route, they will by far offer the most value for the money.
Last, it is a waste of time to install less that 12 mils of any coating on a garage floor. Second, it's a waste of time to spend your energy prepping a floor that you don't prime!
So... back to recommendations:
1. Grind
2. Buy good stuff
3. Prime!
4. Install at least 12 mils of 100% solids... more is better.
