couple epoxy questions before I begin

[Cult Hero]

okay, can't believe this is my next project. Man it seem like this day would never come. Anyway after working on my garage for the best part of two years, I finally got finaled Friday and am ready to coat.

Expansion joints - I presume it is just asthetics that would fill them? I think they look fine as they are very symetrical in my garage (20 x 22) so I will just leave them.

Prep question. I have a relatively new floor with no real marks yet. I was going to acid etch and then powerwash. Anything wrong with that. Do I need to sand?

 

[boiler7904]

I would definitely fill the expansion joints. You wouldn't believe how much stuff collects in them. There is always sand, dirt, sawdust, leaves, etc. in the joints in my garage. I'm going to look and see if there is anything can be retrofitted to a floor once it has epoxy (Rust Oleum Pro) on it. Hopefully I can use some sort of caulk without too many adhesion problems.

My floor was new (about 3 months old) - no vehicle traffic when I did it. I scrubbed with Simple Green and rinsed followed by two acid (muriatic) etchings and a lot of rinsing. I let it dry for 5 days before filling cracks. First coat of epoxy went down on day 6.

Pressure washing will force water into the voids of the concrete which will make the floor take longer to dry out.

Forgot to ask - what are you using for epoxy?

 

[caspian65]

+1 for filling expansion joints. My garage is about the same size and the house is 10 years old, any "expansion" was already done. I actually had cracking on the bottom of all my joints. I used backer rod to put in the cracks and then used the 2-part epoxy recommended by the epoxy coating system (u-coat it).

 

[Cult Hero]

well, I have been considering the epoxy coat but the por 15 looks promising too but also no reviews?!

 

[jlf200290717]

Epoxy-coat is really nice but need to warn about application.

Make sure to mix thoroughly before applying.

I have one smaller section where the epoxy will not harden because I did not mix well enough. Rest of the garage looks awesome, very glossy and smooth.

For prep, I pressure washed then acid etched.

 

[Hammerdown]

Filling the expansion joints with backer rod is a good idea. Quickcrete makes different sizes and is usually available at Home Depot or Lowes. Caulk it into place and then I use a solids patching compund to fill the surface and make the joint smooth. Sand the patch to help it blend in. I get all the coating and patching products from UCoat It, but you could do the same procedure using another brand of similar products.