Am I asking for trouble?

[Bojans]

I am close, oh so very close, to finishing my new house. All that is really left is to add color to the walls and get storage built. Promised my wife we would be in prior to Halloween so that is a do or die date. My dilemma involves the garage floor. When it was first poured the concrete guys put down a sealer before it was even dry, looks good but I want a more durable finish. I had planned on doing a Wolverine coating but right now do not have the time to grind and apply 3 coats. I am considering getting the Epoxy Guard (price is right and should be able to install in 2 days) and simply installing per mfg's directions, no grinding just acid etching. My thought here is this will last a few years and then when I grind it really won't be any worse than if I was simply grinding the bare floor.

I would be tempted to wait and do the floor in the spring but I know once I get the garage filled it will be a bigger project and with starting to get my MBA on the weekends in January time is going to be very limited.

While I know there is no substitute for proper prep and using the best product you can, I just don't have the time. Am I correct that I will not create that much more work for myself if the Epoxy coat does start to flake or lift?

 

[sufferrar]

Best to leave the floor as it is , move in and when your ready grind and epoxy.
If you epoxy now the epoxy may not hold because of the sealer and it will lift. You will just be wasting time and money without the porper prep. If you really need to move in and don't have the time to do proper prep then leave it as it is and move in. When the appropriate time comes, you gring and apply the epoxy. Doing quick work without the proper prep work will create more work and more cost in the end- trust me i know from experience.

 

[homediyer]

Best to leave the floor as it is , move in and when your ready grind and epoxy.
If you epoxy now the epoxy may not hold because of the sealer and it will lift. You will just be wasting time and money without the porper prep. If you really need to move in and don't have the time to do proper prep then leave it as it is and move in. When the appropriate time comes, you gring and apply the epoxy. Doing quick work without the proper prep work will create more work and more cost in the end- trust me i know from experience.

Do you need any kind of sealer for the Epoxy Guard product? According to the manufacturer, no sealer is necessary. I called them and asked tech support what kind of sealer would be recommended, and they said not to use any at all.

 

[tatra]

i agree with sufferrar ............sounds like you have to make a stress related decision and haven't done enough research to feel comfortable............move in , move stuff around and do the floor next year after arming yourself with knowledge and quotes..................keep in mind you could do the floor 1/2 at a time as others on here have.................or rent a can for the week to store stuff while you do the floor...............by what i've gathered from this board,farm out the grinding to the pros..............goodluck and keep us posted on what happens, good or bad , so we all can learn.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Do you know what type of sealer is on the floor? We have products that are able to strip a lot of them without any problems.

If you can make the time, I'd coat now before you move in. But only if you can do it right the first time.