Completed first section. Murphy, is that you?

[Ruddy]

Put the self leveling goop down in the expansion joints about noon today. 5pm UPS arrives with my Epoxy-Coat kits, watch dvd, re-read some notes on this forum and jump in.
First problem, my electric drill is elsewhere, use battery drill instead. Mix the colored epoxy for about 4 minutes, looks good. Become brave for some reason and mix a "full" 240sq ft batch, instead of the 120ft. Pour as per supplied measuring stick an mix for about 5 minutes. Pour it out against the wall, brush the corners, then start to pull it with the supplied squeegee. Notice black smears when i do this. Hmm, did I not mix the "A" part enough or is this squeegee giving off rubber, or am I pulling it too thin? While thinking about that, I see weird drops in my paint, look back and see same drops on the raw concrete. It is coming from my extending handle, that I usually use for window washing. Hopefully this is just water and won't be an issue, but clean drops with MEK just in case. Switch to roller and wooden stick, going good until roller keeps coming off frame. Epoxy getting more and more stickier and roller comes off easier. Something feels weird, oh great, handle cracked where it screws on pole, try to finish with limping roller, wait, what did directions say about 10 minutes and backrolling??? Try to roll everything one last time going the other way, especially trying to cover up smears.
Get out flakes, bounce off ceiling, going pretty good, trying to concentrate on smear cover up. Sikaflex starting to bubble. Now 7:30pm, make run to HD to buy a cheap electric drill, good roller handle, rollers and squeegee. Come back, decide to quit for the night. Product very forgiving, looks much better than when I left it.
Some photos:
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/

 

[Ruddy]

update:
24 hours now. I can still make dents with my finger nails, but not a print with my thumb.
I put in 3 cheap electric heaters from Walmart and after moving them around on different breakers, have got the face level room temp to 70, but floor level is about 65. Have no way to measure concrete temp. Plumber coming tomorrow to install water PH conditioner, so I think floor will be hard enough by then. Still want to apply clear, but that will be after install, so scuffing will be required. Not sure what flakes will look like after sanding. I'm also slowly varnishing a bar top and always sand between coats and that always look shiny, so have faith in floor!

 

[Ruddy]

36 hours after application and the last 12 with the off floor temp at 60 degrees. Epoxy is very hard. Cannot dent with fingernail hard taps. Can walk on it, with no permanent residue. One spot where a moth gave up his life when it was still tacky.
My real issue though is a crack where the concrete had a hairline crack. Before application, it had been 24 hours since I last rinsed the garage, but I'm guessing this crack still held water. Maybe I should have ran a hair blow dryer out there?
Photo:
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4430.jpg

Going forward, I'm going to have to scuff that whole section for the eventual clear. After that when I'm putting the epoxy down in the next section, I plan to walk over to the crack (and bug) and re-coat with the roller and flake it. Does anybody see a problem with doing that?

 

[Kevin54]

Looks good from what I can see. But man you have cahonies!!! I won't attempt to mix paint with a battery operated drill let alone something that you had better be sure is mixed thoroughly Hopefully now that you have all of your proper equipment, things will go better.

 

[Frogday]

For that small crack, I'd either ignore it, or just use a small brush and small amount of epoxy from your next batch and paint it in. I think it will be harder to blend in a second coat than it would to just touch-up the crack.

I used a battery drill to mix all of mine and just made sure I had a spare battery ready and available. I had a spare drill available and ready along with the extra batteries and didn't need either with the small mixing time that was necessary.

 

[Ruddy]

Plumber did not show up today, now Monday at 10am, so I'm back to another 48 hour window. I don't think I can get a good dry out of the basecoat and clear in that time frame, so I'm just going to scuff the original section, blow and mop it and the etched half, then apply fresh basecoat in the 2nd 1/4th (1/8th at a time) and as suggested use a small brush to fill in the crack and the moth landing.
Hoping I'm not sounding too negative, in the big picture, I like the way it looks and am happy I chose the dark gray which just looks like a medium gray to me. I like my standard blue blend flakes and am impressed how they seam to bond with the epoxy.
Father in law coming by tomorrow, so that will be fun to show it off!

 

[TheBanker]

Good job. Ok what I have learned from Ruddy. Try and keep bugs out, have a good roller that won't break, use electric drill for mixing, make sure extenstion poles don't have water in them, and my cracks may show through. Oh and don't forget backroll.

Question: Which roller frame did you buy that DOES work?

And wouldn't you want to finish the base coat on the whole floor before doing the clear then clear the whole thing at once. I think the clear goes on much easier.

 

[Ruddy]

Yep, this is my contribution to this site. While other talented folks educate you on the correct method and tools, I'm here to demonstrate what not to do! ;-)
Did I mention the Sikaflex bubbled?
On the roller replacement, I just bought the best of the 9" roller that HD had. It has some clip system on the end to hold the roller on. I looked at the "both side of the roller connected" kind of frames, but when I didn't see that they had a middle part that goes all the way through the roller, just end clips. Guess that worried me after what happened and how sticky the product is, but of course you see a lot of guys here who used them successfully.
Clear. I will clear that whole half of the garage at one time in 2 batches. The other half of the garage is packed with stuff that came from the first half! I'll just leave an edge of basecoat only, so I can blend in the 2nd half when that time comes. See how the drying goes after this morning's application of basecoat. Have heaters now, so maybe it could actually take the clear in 18-24 hours and slip under the plumber showing up Monday.

 

[TheBanker]

Ohhh I see. I didn't realize you had a bunch of stuff on the other side. So how are you liking it? Are you happy with it?

 

[Ruddy]

Finished the other 1/4th about an hour ago. Things went better this time, roller only came off 3x! Seems like my black streaks are just where I laid it down too thin. I cut in with a hot dog roller and a brush, which was good, but when the main roller touched the retaining wall sides it did pick up semi loose parts of the wall that came out later. I poured the small batch which I think went better. Last batch was a little short on A&B. it took me 30 minutes from final mix to first back roll to do a 10x12' area. Maybe I'm just slow. It was still semi-wet on the first 10x12 when I did the second backroll, so that made me feel better. Did get some little bits off the roller supplies and the roller I bought at HD.
Big picture, I like the way it looks and glad I got the dark gray.

 

[TheBanker]

Glad you like and keep talking. I'm reading every word to assist me in mine.

 

[Ruddy]

Added some more photos, including my closeout WM Heaters!
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4432.jpg
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4433.jpg
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4437.jpg

The chalkiness you see down the left right middle is where i scuffed up the dry side, for adhesion. I still have the clear to go, so that should take care of that dullness. I did go over that original crack I wrote about before, but still some is showing. I'll just clear over it now and call it an interesting feature!

 

[Ruddy]

At 20 hours with the heaters going all night, the floor is hard enough I cannot dent it with my fingernail. Big difference over the first part with no heaters. No bubbles after 3 days of the Sikaflex curing. Father-in-law really liked it. "Now you can help me with my floor"!

 

[Ruddy]

Added a couple of photos, to show how flat the Sikaflex stayed after it had a chance to cure for 3 days.
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4443.jpg
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4444.jpg

 

[Ruddy]

Plumber came today and did some soldering. One hunk was a little stuck to the floor, but it peeled right off and left no mark.
There has been some hail lately, so had to get brave and park the car in there:
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4448.jpg

 

[TX-WJ]

Looking good ; maybe I missed it, but what brand of epoxy did you go with if you don't mind me asking? I'm planning to do this on my 4 car garage before I move in to the new house , guess I'll need a week to do this .

 

[nfuriate]

And what's outside that window? Do you live on Mars? Are you the one who kicked the rover in a ditch that time?

 

[TheBanker]

Damn that looks good!!! The floor too.

 

[Ruddy]

Looking good ; maybe I missed it, but what brand of epoxy did you go with if you don't mind me asking? I'm planning to do this on my 4 car garage before I move in to the new house , guess I'll need a week to do this .

Thanks! I used Epoxy-Coat and the color is Dark gray with the standard blue blend flakes. As you will see repeated here, the prep is the important part!

 

[Ruddy]

And what's outside that window? Do you live on Mars? Are you the one who kicked the rover in a ditch that time?

Ha, yeah barren hillside with bark thrown on it after splitting logs.
It would look a little different after the Spring snow we got last night:
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4478.jpg

 

[Ruddy]

Finally getting started on the 2nd half and finished the etching today. I wanted to take out the steps to the house and tried to preserve them, but they were anchored into the concrete with a nail gun I think! It left some divots. Just waiting for those and the expansion joints to dry so I can put the Sikaflex in. I have a band of scuffed epoxy I will meet up to and over a little. Probably will be able to tell, but no biggie.

http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/?g2_page=4

 

[TheBanker]

almost done Ruddy!!

 

[Ruddy]

After waiting 3 days for the Sikaflex to completely cure, I applied the color on the 2nd half of the garage today. All went pretty well and I just did 120 sq ft sections at a time for a total of 4. The sections seem to always take me 30 minutes from pour to final flake. Have a narrow lighter line where section 3 met with section 1, but that's ok. Murphy made a short visit when the power went off for about 5 seconds, but it was daylight and I still have my battery drill, so i could have finished anyway. I finished at 4pm, so figuring to put on the clear coat tomorrow about 10am to 12 noon.
Some photos:
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/P1010460.JPG
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/P1010462.JPG
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/P1010462.JPG

 

[TheBanker]

Looks good Ruddy. Just clear over the bug, gives the floor character...lol

 

[Ruddy]

Thanks Banker! Unfortunately that bug and a close friend are in the first part in the clear! They are close to the garage door and must have went right in after I put it down and are 85% encased. Upside is that it really shows off the depth of the clear!
How are you liking your floor, now that you have had it a while?

 

[Ruddy]

Finished up the clear coat yesterday at 3pm. Did it in 2 batches for this 430 sq ft section. Only real issue was that Part A clear was gritty on the bottom, when I poured it out to make the second batch(i didn't pre mix part A). Mixed it up anyway with B and both batches seem to be hardening at the same rate. See some of this grittiness in the floor, but I'll just consider it a very light ant-skid. Speaking of that i threw down some Aluminum Oxide along the far left wall by the house door. I thought it would embed deeper into the clear, but it sticks up and feels pretty sharp. Maybe I should have applied it with the flakes during the color phase and then cleared over it??
I can see where the new clear meets the old clear in the middle of the garage. Can you light sand and polish out Epoxy?
Some more photos starting at:
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/P1010477.JPG
Feels good to be done though! Will give it 3 days of drying before I move stuff on it and start painting "Gray Timber Wolf" about 4' up the wall.

 

[gabeancounter]

I spy something green. kdx300?

 

[Ruddy]

I spy something green. kdx300?

Close, KLX 300, year 2000. Can't believe I've had it 10 yrs now. All stock, except what they called the "breather mods" Still starts and runs like a champ.

 

[gabeancounter]

Yep. Great bike. It was a toss up between the 300 and my DRZ. The magic button did it for me in the end. When you start getting older the thought of trying to hold 300lbs on the side of a hill and kick over a large 4 banger is a nightmare. The only thing done to mine is the same breather mods and jetting and a slip on pipe(prior owner).
I love to ride trails. We have a place called Durhamtown out here 8k acres of play time! My bike is a load trying to ride single track but is a ton of fun on the more open trails.

 

[Ruddy]

DRZ good bike and E-start very nice to have! My friend (he has a highly modified KLX300) and I want to start riding again. There is a nice open area State run park called Prairie City(they have the Hangtown MX race there) that is a good place to get our skills up again. I'm lucky enough to have 10acres in forested property. I widened one small loop of a deer trail and then took the Kawi on it. Oops, handlebars need a lot more width than tires!

 

[northcoastmopar]

Informative post and nice work!

Question on the Sikaflex bubbling... did air bubbles come up through the epoxy after it was applied to Sikaflex? Did the bubbles disappear? I just put down Sikaflex tonight and was hoping to lay epoxy tomorrow. Maybe the bubbles are from the Sikaflex outgassing as it cures.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Ruddy]

Informative post and nice work!

Question on the Sikaflex bubbling... did air bubbles come up through the epoxy after it was applied to Sikaflex? Did the bubbles disappear? I just put down Sikaflex tonight and was hoping to lay epoxy tomorrow. Maybe the bubbles are from the Sikaflex outgassing as it cures.
Thanks in advance!

Thanks!
I think it was out gassing and the epoxy trapped it. It still looks like this photo:
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4427.jpg
It says you can paint over it in 3 hours, but that must not include epoxy! Ever since that first time, I have waited 3 days and the product states 3-5 days for final cure.

 

[northcoastmopar]

Thanks!
I think it was out gassing and the epoxy trapped it. It still looks like this photo:
http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/HPIM4427.jpg
It says you can paint over it in 3 hours, but that must not include epoxy! Ever since that first time, I have waited 3 days and the product states 3-5 days for final cure.

Thanks!!
I think I will cut in my "quarters" and then go back and cover the Sikaflex in a few days.

 

[Ruddy]

Just finished some wall painting. Put a waistcoat of Benjamin Moore "gray timber wolf" in pearl and a border of their "blue suede shoes" in semi gloss. I went with the blue so as not to totally plagiarize the look from a certain Accountant from the South!

Need to decide on a base board, thinking about the one from Gladiator, since I'm planning on using their cabinets down the road. Need to see it in person though.

http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/?g2_page=6

 

[TheBanker]

Looks good! I need to come up with a painting scheme and baseboards.

 

[gabeancounter]

Ruddy, I stole it from some joker up north. So everything is fair game! looks good! Not sure about the diamond plate base. I would save the difference in cost and use it for some cool signs or banners.

 

[Ruddy]

Installed some Gladiator cabinets today. Still have a geardrawer, gearwall panels and an 8' workbench coming. This is the welded line. There was a small dent on the bottom of that gearbox, but everything else was in good shape. Happy with the look and sturdiness.
Lined up the atv, Kawi and log splitter between the single and double opening. Look like I will realize my dream of actually getting 3 cars ina 3 car garage!

http://pics.ww.com/v/ruddy/MyCars/garage/?g2_page=6

 

[Earl]

I got a question and I apologize for it not actually being related to your floor. What is attached to the wall to the right of the door that had the steps? You are using it to hang hats and stuff on it. I looked through all your photos and it kind of looks like a row of gear shifters or the like.
Thanks for the info on the floor by the way. Wife and I have almost worked up the nerve to attempt it in our garage and shop.
earl

 

[TheBanker]

Looking good!!!

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I think SikaFlex is urethane based.
Urethanes should never be placed under epoxy, only on top.

Next time try an epoxy joint material, they take longer to dry but can be topcoated.

My question is, are you ready to do this for a living? haha.

It actually gets easier once the curve has been flattened.

Nice job.
-Scotty