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A rookies take on Rustoleum... Practical advice!
I just put a Rustoleum Epoxy Shield floor down. I used the water based kit. My garage is an 525 sq ft attached two car Garage. I use it to store two cars (94 modified Corvette and a BMW 540i.) I do light wrenching and no welding or cutting.
I chose the water based epoxy because a friend had used it and it was within my budget and should serve my purpose for the next 2-5 years.
Here is what I learned over the last two weeks.
1.Prep, prep, and more prep. Clean it rinse it and do this until you feel confident it is clean. I started working on grease and oil stains weeks in advance. After cleaning use a squeegie and a wet/dry vac to remove excess water to speed drying.
2. Use a cordless power drill and the stirring bit attachment you buy at Lowe's or Home Depot. Mix the epoxy well.
3. You have a little bit more time than you think after mixing so take the proper time to cut in around the edges...
4. Carefully consider the use of the Rustoleum antii-slip. If you use the anti-slip you will lose some shine on the floor. This additive kind of ruined the look of my floor. The anti-slip tended to settle into the bottom of my roller pan. If the epoxy level got low in the pan more of the anti-slip grit got picked up and putdown on the floor and it shows up in those particular areas. I have a streaked appearance in my floor when the sunlight hits it from an angle. In those areas with high concentrations of anti-slip the surface appears dull. I believe that you can get by on 1/2 to 1/4 of the recommended amount of anti-slip. You may want to stop every few minutes and stir up the epoxy in the roller pan to keep the anti-slip suspended in the mix.
5. It you want the floor to look anything close to the marketing photos you see in the Rustoleum adds count on putting down a second coat. I used almost exactly two kits on my 525 sq foot initial application. I used just a hair over a gallon on the second coat with a very liberal application. You may want to have a second kit handy but you may not need it.
6. On the second coat, plan on putting it down within 24 hours of the first. If you don't the first coat of epoxy will harden and the second coat will not bind to it. I did not have time to apply the second coat. I had to work on mine the following weekend and I had to sand it. I rented a floor sander and needed one sheet of 60 grit to sand it down. It took very little time with the right tool. The big sander will not get into the corners so rent or buy a hand sander as well.
7. My wife is has a great sense of smell. She never complained about the smell of the water based epoxy. I was very surprised. This is a big plus on a attached garage and if you are married.
I know I am a rookie at this but this is my experience and I placed at least a dozen calls to the Rustoleum support line and I used to earn college money working for a commercial painting company so I understand some of the basics.
Good luck to those starting their projects. I am going to the garage to admire my floor.
I just put a Rustoleum Epoxy Shield floor down. I used the water based kit. My garage is an 525 sq ft attached two car Garage. I use it to store two cars (94 modified Corvette and a BMW 540i.) I do light wrenching and no welding or cutting.
I chose the water based epoxy because a friend had used it and it was within my budget and should serve my purpose for the next 2-5 years.
Here is what I learned over the last two weeks.
1.Prep, prep, and more prep. Clean it rinse it and do this until you feel confident it is clean. I started working on grease and oil stains weeks in advance. After cleaning use a squeegie and a wet/dry vac to remove excess water to speed drying.
2. Use a cordless power drill and the stirring bit attachment you buy at Lowe's or Home Depot. Mix the epoxy well.
3. You have a little bit more time than you think after mixing so take the proper time to cut in around the edges...
4. Carefully consider the use of the Rustoleum antii-slip. If you use the anti-slip you will lose some shine on the floor. This additive kind of ruined the look of my floor. The anti-slip tended to settle into the bottom of my roller pan. If the epoxy level got low in the pan more of the anti-slip grit got picked up and putdown on the floor and it shows up in those particular areas. I have a streaked appearance in my floor when the sunlight hits it from an angle. In those areas with high concentrations of anti-slip the surface appears dull. I believe that you can get by on 1/2 to 1/4 of the recommended amount of anti-slip. You may want to stop every few minutes and stir up the epoxy in the roller pan to keep the anti-slip suspended in the mix.
5. It you want the floor to look anything close to the marketing photos you see in the Rustoleum adds count on putting down a second coat. I used almost exactly two kits on my 525 sq foot initial application. I used just a hair over a gallon on the second coat with a very liberal application. You may want to have a second kit handy but you may not need it.
6. On the second coat, plan on putting it down within 24 hours of the first. If you don't the first coat of epoxy will harden and the second coat will not bind to it. I did not have time to apply the second coat. I had to work on mine the following weekend and I had to sand it. I rented a floor sander and needed one sheet of 60 grit to sand it down. It took very little time with the right tool. The big sander will not get into the corners so rent or buy a hand sander as well.
7. My wife is has a great sense of smell. She never complained about the smell of the water based epoxy. I was very surprised. This is a big plus on a attached garage and if you are married.
I know I am a rookie at this but this is my experience and I placed at least a dozen calls to the Rustoleum support line and I used to earn college money working for a commercial painting company so I understand some of the basics.
Good luck to those starting their projects. I am going to the garage to admire my floor.
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