Decided to epoxy floor myself. Any tip?

[wolfy0434]

So we just moved into a new construction home. Planned on getting the floors done got two quotes. One for 5200 and one for 6500. 800 square foot garage. Not my debris on it since it is new.

I decided me with the help of my buddies are gonna do it ourselves. From my research prep is the key. So pressure wash, use a degreaser, vacuum. Heard mixed things on sanding. Do I need to sand the floor before apply the epoxy? Looking for any suggestions on brand of epoxies you guys have used and any other tips as well .

Thanks in advance!

 

[P0234]

Hopefully it was just the rush to get started but man, you totally don't have the prep down... you at bare minimum need to acid etch the floor. Grinding is the way to go though, just rent the machine and do it right. Its less work than the other prep you need to do and its way better. IMO, you have a lot of reading to do.

 

[Dig Doug]

I’m not an epoxy guy, but when I did the epoxy for a few biotech company’s we shot pinged the floor hired a company that had all that equipment, they would be in /out in less than a 1 day.

their minimum was like $1200

 

[Shea]

I suggest doing some research to educate yourself on the process and products. Epoxy and other coatings require more than just cleaning the concrete. You need to etch the surface at a minimum to create the proper surface profile. Grinding is the preferred method for many commercial-quality coatings, but it's not a requirement.

Stay away from the DIY epoxy kits available from home improvement centers and hardware stores. These are thin mil, single-coat residential quality kits that don't last long. Rust-Oleum products such as EpoxyShield are an example. I would start by reading the article below and follow the red links to learn more. The more you learn, the better your success and expected performance outcome will be. Good luck!

The Benefits of Epoxy Garage Floor Coatings | All Garage Floors

Learn what garage floor epoxy is and why it's better than paint. Plus, other coating options, how much epoxy costs, how it's installed, and potential drawbacks.

allgaragefloors.com

 

[MileHighRover]

I've done one 2-car garage years ago. I shot blasted the concrete with a shot blaster and vacuum rented from Home Depot. It doesn't get right to the edge so I used a diamond disc on an angle grinder for around the edges.

The end product looked good. Make sure you get 100% epoxy solids. That's one thing that sticks in my head from the project almost 20 years ago.

 

[benwah]

From my research prep is the key. So pressure wash, use a degreaser, vacuum. Heard mixed things on sanding. Do I need to sand the floor before apply the epoxy?

Nope, nope, nope. You need to mechanically abrade the floor using a floor grinder and diamond embedded steel bits. Hand grind the perimeter with a 4.5” grinder and a diamond cup wheel. Your vacuum needs to be on point for this. At least 200 CFM, probably just rent it with your grinder. The point here is to remove the cream cap layer and expose aggregate. Shot-blasting also works as well as grinding, although it will give you a much rougher finish than a grind. Full Flake broadcast recommended if shot-blasting.

The alternative to this is a muriatic acid etch. I don’t recommend this method, but there is plenty info online on how to do it properly. They key is neutralizing the acid before coating.

Do not not pressure wash it, moisture is your enemy. If you do pressure wash for some reason, let the floor dry completely for a few days.

Prime > Body Coat > Top Coat

If that sounds like too much work, then you might consider hiring a company or looking at a different flooring solution.

 

[theoldwizard1]

After wash and dry, you need to etch.

 

[dcg9381]

Nope, nope, nope. You need to mechanically abrade the floor using a floor grinder and diamond embedded steel bits.

If that sounds like too much work, then you might consider hiring a company or looking at a different flooring solution.

Even with "new concrete"? I didn't think this was the case

Polyurea hands down. I'm never touching epoxy again. We've got vendors for this stuff (and epoxy). Check out some photos before you decide, but I'm doing another shop floor for a buddy this weekend in polyurea over stain. It'll be my 4th floor done this way.

 

[nadogail]

The Rust-Oleum DIY Epoxy floor covering kit is the only Rust-Oleum product I have been disappointed with in the last 65 years, all the others I have used have met or exceeded my expectations.

 

[P0234]

Even with "new concrete"? I didn't think this was the case

Polyurea hands down. I'm never touching epoxy again. We've got vendors for this stuff (and epoxy). Check out some photos before you decide, but I'm doing another shop floor for a buddy this weekend in polyurea over stain. It'll be my 4th floor done this way.

You can acid etch. I did and got 10 years out of my floor before I moved (you can search for my review on here). After having done acid etching on 2 garages, the only thing you are saving is probably a little money at the expense of time and a better bond. Or you can just slop whatever you want on your floor and then in about 3 months write a hateful review of the product because you didn't prep. When I was selling my house I got asked questions about what I did to make it look so great for so long... um good prep?

 

[Shea]

Even with "new concrete"? I didn't think this was the case

Polyurea hands down. I'm never touching epoxy again. We've got vendors for this stuff (and epoxy). Check out some photos before you decide, but I'm doing another shop floor for a buddy this weekend in polyurea over stain. It'll be my 4th floor done this way.

This may help.

Why you Need to Etch New Concrete Before an Epoxy Coating

Learn why it is important to clean and etch a concrete garage floor before applying an epoxy coating. Plus, learn about coatings that do no not require etching.

allgaragefloors.com

 

[FJ4FUN]

Diamond grinding is the gold standard for high-build commercial epoxy systems such as ours. I really discourage shot blasting unless you really need it AND know what you're doing. Etching is doable, especially given a new slab, as Benwah noted, just make sure it is properly neutralized to a pH 7.0-9.0 prior to coating. Get a couple of your buddies together and I'll guide you through the process start to finish. Just be forewarned, you'll be helping them do theirs next....

also... before you do anything, do a simple plastic sheet tape-down test to see if additional Moisture Vapor Transmission testing is needed.

 

[benwah]

Even with "new concrete"? I didn't think this was the case

Polyurea hands down. I'm never touching epoxy again. We've got vendors for this stuff (and epoxy). Check out some photos before you decide, but I'm doing another shop floor for a buddy this weekend in polyurea over stain. It'll be my 4th floor done this way.

Yessir! *Especially* on new concrete. Cleanliness is not the issue. Concrete Surface Profile is the issue! A smooth, power-troweled (or even bull troweled) slab will not accept high viscosity coatings, like one that has been opened up to, say, a CSP 2-3.

Removing that tightly trowled cream layer allows the concrete to open-up its pores and accept coatings for a good mechanical (and chemical) bond! Aggregate-exposed concrete is very thirsty and will absorb liquids rapidly.

Thinning your product or using a low solids coating from the manufacturer is a great way to prime, allowing the coating to seep as deep as possible into the slab. This effectively closes up any of the open pores in the concrete and allows your next coat to build mil thickness and insures proper bond.

To add to your point, a lot of concrete "stains" are acid based and etch the concrete, therefore giving you a surface profile of about a CSP 1. This gives your polyurea something to adhere to. Also, some stains don't etch, and some polyurea's adhere better than others.

 

[thammel]

I did my 28x32 using the 3 coat Armorpoxy system. It took me 3 half days in a row to get it done. One coat per day. I did not grind but used the armorpoxy acid etch about a week or two before I started the epoxy. It's been over 5 years now and the floor looks fantastic!!

 

[FJ4FUN]

Wolverine Coatings' BondTite 1101 primer is one of the keys to their success in the industrial coatings industry. Even though it is 100% solids it has very low viscosity and surface tension which promotes deep absorption without thinning. The best way to describe it is slippery. Thinning your 100% solids primer (or body coat for that matter) compromises the benefits of a 100% solids formulation. As the solvents used to thin the primer evaporate and exit the coating film they can leave microscopic tubes/holes in the cured coating layer compromising it's integrity.

Granted, I'm really picking the fly **** outta the pepper, and for a majority of users here this may not be an issue but, it highlights the importance of incorporating a primer and the need to properly prep for a successful coatings application. Primers provide a number of benefits, two of the more important ones are, promoting a strong bondline, and encapsulation. As Benwah mentioned, removing the cream coat via grinding or etching opens up the pore structure and promotes deep saturation resulting in better formation of the bondline. Due to the inherent "slippery" nature of BondTite 1101 there is no need to thin with solvents to achieve deep absorption, if the concrete pore structure has been opened up via elimination of the cream coat, BondTite will readily absorb all on it's own. By eliminating the need for solvents (and, by the way, VOCs) you eliminate the potential for the microscopic holes/voids and will achieve true coating encapsulation along with a superior bondline formation.

Bottom line for the most durable coating results, open up the pores and apply 100% solids products...

 

[P0234]

By now, OP is probably at Home Depot getting a nice kit off the shelf that says no prep needed.

 

[FJ4FUN]

By now, OP is probably at Home Depot getting a nice kit off the shelf that says no prep needed.

L O L !
Hope not...

 

[Armorpoxy]

At the minimum etch the floor, we include etch in all of our kits.

 

[frank001]

This is what I did as a DIY. See looks good after 7 years:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284998&highlight=frank001