I've been reading on this forum for the past month and started on my garage about 3 weeks ago. The slab itself was in good shape, but had at least 2 coats of either a cheap epoxy or a very durable paint that I was determined to remove. Without going in to all the back breaking details this involved Handi-Stripper, a 4" long handled scraper, pressure washing, Simple Green, Muriatic Acid, Etch & Prep (a couple different kinds), a 4.5" Diamabrush for the edges and ~40 hours of labor. My biggest regret was not simply renting the big Diamabrush from Home Depot, which was my initial plan. I foolishly listened to a Lowes employee and started off on the stripper route, which cost significantly more ($$, time and a frustrated wife). I have no doubt that my floor was ready for an epoxy at this point.
I applied the standard full kit of gray Epoxy-Coat on my 430sf garage yesterday evening. Application took just over 2 hours and I was able to do it alone. I was admittedly concerned when I began to cut in the first batch, that it was going to harden before I could spread it and/or that it wasn't enough to cover the 1st section. I used an 18" squeegee and had to work quickly, but was much more relaxed on the second half. I hadn't planned on doing a clear coat, thinking it was overkill for light residential use. However, I just recently decided that I liked the look of a medium-full coverage with the paint chips better than light coverage. It looks great, but now I really wish I had the clear coat to protect the chips that are embedded in the top of the epoxy. Given the quick drying nature of the 100% solids, I now have a very limited window to purchase and apply a clear coat. I finished application around 8:45pm and the weather is ~60-65 with very low humidity.
I would love to get my hands on some Polyurea 5073 (or similar), but it is Sunday and it doesn't sound like any of the big box stores sell the good stuff. If I wait until tomorrow, my base coat will have cured and I'd have to sand it down to get a profile suitable for applying another coat of anything. I'm considering buying some Valspar water-based epoxy clear coat from Lowes, but hate to go with a cheap top coat over the great base. Would this be a suitable solution given my situation?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated at this point. Thanks!
I applied the standard full kit of gray Epoxy-Coat on my 430sf garage yesterday evening. Application took just over 2 hours and I was able to do it alone. I was admittedly concerned when I began to cut in the first batch, that it was going to harden before I could spread it and/or that it wasn't enough to cover the 1st section. I used an 18" squeegee and had to work quickly, but was much more relaxed on the second half. I hadn't planned on doing a clear coat, thinking it was overkill for light residential use. However, I just recently decided that I liked the look of a medium-full coverage with the paint chips better than light coverage. It looks great, but now I really wish I had the clear coat to protect the chips that are embedded in the top of the epoxy. Given the quick drying nature of the 100% solids, I now have a very limited window to purchase and apply a clear coat. I finished application around 8:45pm and the weather is ~60-65 with very low humidity.
I would love to get my hands on some Polyurea 5073 (or similar), but it is Sunday and it doesn't sound like any of the big box stores sell the good stuff. If I wait until tomorrow, my base coat will have cured and I'd have to sand it down to get a profile suitable for applying another coat of anything. I'm considering buying some Valspar water-based epoxy clear coat from Lowes, but hate to go with a cheap top coat over the great base. Would this be a suitable solution given my situation?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated at this point. Thanks!