Hello....and what a great site! Like many I've been lurking here for a while trying to gather as much information as I can. I'm just about ready to start my project but have a few questions for some of the people who have done this before.
I have not yet decided on which product I want to use. There are many good ones that have been discussed on here. About the only thing that has been decided is that is is going to be coated in something. My wife & I both like the looks of the etching stain offered by Quikcrete. I think it will hide some of the many imperfections & blemishes in the floor. I am unsure about the toughness of their clear epoxy as an overcoat though.
This is the first of 3 areas I'm getting ready to finish. It's a 650 sqft area of the basement that is basically used to store lawn & garden equipment. It originally had some type of paint/epoxy that was 14 years old & looked like it. I've already done the diamond grinding as well as hand grinding around the edges. There are many areas that were pitted (hard to grind) so I used a chemical stripper then power washed those. It's been washed with TSP & rinsed.
One of my questions is what to do regarding the joint between the foundation & slab. Do I coat up to it or go ahead & cover the joint with the stain/epoxy? I don't know what the white in the floor is........looks like Durhams water putty. Hard to tell but the area is recessed & it's difficult to get a grinder on it. It's pretty stout stuff whatever it is & I don't think it will interfere with any of the finishes.
Couple more pics......first is some hard to see pitting. Will the epoxy fill those in so that the floor has a smooth finish?
Some more imperfections.....
Any opinions on a stain vs a solid colored epoxy? Which do you think will do the best job of hiding the blemishes?
Thanks in advance for any input! Scott
I have not yet decided on which product I want to use. There are many good ones that have been discussed on here. About the only thing that has been decided is that is is going to be coated in something. My wife & I both like the looks of the etching stain offered by Quikcrete. I think it will hide some of the many imperfections & blemishes in the floor. I am unsure about the toughness of their clear epoxy as an overcoat though.
This is the first of 3 areas I'm getting ready to finish. It's a 650 sqft area of the basement that is basically used to store lawn & garden equipment. It originally had some type of paint/epoxy that was 14 years old & looked like it. I've already done the diamond grinding as well as hand grinding around the edges. There are many areas that were pitted (hard to grind) so I used a chemical stripper then power washed those. It's been washed with TSP & rinsed.
One of my questions is what to do regarding the joint between the foundation & slab. Do I coat up to it or go ahead & cover the joint with the stain/epoxy? I don't know what the white in the floor is........looks like Durhams water putty. Hard to tell but the area is recessed & it's difficult to get a grinder on it. It's pretty stout stuff whatever it is & I don't think it will interfere with any of the finishes.
Couple more pics......first is some hard to see pitting. Will the epoxy fill those in so that the floor has a smooth finish?
Some more imperfections.....
Any opinions on a stain vs a solid colored epoxy? Which do you think will do the best job of hiding the blemishes?
Thanks in advance for any input! Scott
