Do epoxy coatings mask grind marks? How uniform does the surface need to be

[craigdt]

Im prepping to grind my concrete garage to apply a primer, high solids epoxy floor coating, and medium chip coverage.

I just got a small grinder and diamond turbo cup to get a feel for things.
This one:
https://www.harborfreight.com/power...ls/4-12-in-diamond-turbo-cup-wheel-57624.html

Spent like 10 seconds in about a square foot spot, but didn't want to grind too deep right away.

Have never done this before, but it left some clear grind marks.

How uniform do I need to get the surface to prevent really obvious grind marks from showing thru the coating?
Here's my test spot after just messing with it for a few seconds:

 

[mepstein]

A heavy application of the chips will mask the marked. Straight epoxy will not.

 

[Killer95Stang]

I agree with above. I did a 19' x 19' garage floor that was from 1961 with a 7" grinder and diamond cup. For some reason, my slab varied in hardness and it seemed like some parts of the floor was like carbide and other parts were soft. I added a few gouges, but all were covered up with a medium flake. If I put my head up against the ground, looking for small parts I drop, I can see some of them, but it not really noticeable to me.

 

[craigdt]

Thank you for the feedback!

Is there something other than the turbo cup I can use that will still give acceptable profile for the coating, but give a more uniform finish?

 

[SolarColumbia]

You could rent a walk behind grinder. The problem I had was the rental place had only medium bond diamonds. I don't know what psi my concrete was but I couldn't achieve as rough a profile as I would have liked.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Im prepping to grind my concrete garage to apply a primer, high solids epoxy floor coating, and medium chip coverage.

I just got a small grinder and diamond turbo cup to get a feel for things.
This one:
https://www.harborfreight.com/power...ls/4-12-in-diamond-turbo-cup-wheel-57624.html

Spent like 10 seconds in about a square foot spot, but didn't want to grind too deep right away.

Have never done this before, but it left some clear grind marks.

How uniform do I need to get the surface to prevent really obvious grind marks from showing thru the coating?
Here's my test spot after just messing with it for a few seconds:

Not much for reference in terms of depth, etc. A lot will come down to what is defined as 'high solids'

 

[FJ4FUN]

High-build 100% solids epoxies, such as the Wolverine Coatings' products that we offer, are frequently applied at thicknesses greater than 1/4".
Edit to clarify: Wolverine Coatings are intended for and used in industrial applications where they are regularly applied at thicknesses approaching or exceeding 1/4". These are the exact same materials we offer to the DIY community.

 

[craigdt]

High-build 100% solids epoxies, such as the Wolverine Coatings' products that we offer, are frequently applied at thicknesses greater than 1/4".

So if I applied your 3 layer, partial flake 100% solids system, you'd think there'd be some hiding ability to minimize some of the grinding marks? I'm not requiring a flawless finish.

 

[mike93lx]

High-build 100% solids epoxies, such as the Wolverine Coatings' products that we offer, are frequently applied at thicknesses greater than 1/4".

Holy smokes. Thats 60 gallons for a 20x20 garage

 

[FJ4FUN]

Point being that, yes, you can "hide" (fill) scratches, dings and dents in the slab with increased material. As has already been pointed out, this is more of a concern with solid color or partial flake floors. Scratches, small dings and dents are completely masked with full broadcast flake distribution. When we get into commercial high-build applications, heavy scoring of the substrate is desirable/required, this is where shot blasting comes into play. Wolverine systems specified for residential / light commercial applications have a Dry Film Thicknesses (DFT) range from 21mils - 40mils.

 

[FJ4FUN]

So if I applied your 3 layer, partial flake 100% solids system, you'd think there'd be some hiding ability to minimize some of the grinding marks? I'm not requiring a flawless finish.

Yes, that's right.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Im prepping to grind my concrete garage to apply a primer, high solids epoxy floor coating, and medium chip coverage.

I just got a small grinder and diamond turbo cup to get a feel for things.
This one:
https://www.harborfreight.com/power...ls/4-12-in-diamond-turbo-cup-wheel-57624.html

Spent like 10 seconds in about a square foot spot, but didn't want to grind too deep right away.

Have never done this before, but it left some clear grind marks.

How uniform do I need to get the surface to prevent really obvious grind marks from showing thru the coating?
Here's my test spot after just messing with it for a few seconds:

To give you an idea as to how much an epoxy floor can hide.... BUT this was done using high solids as a primer and 100% over that

Tom's Epoxy Project: How To Repair a Heavily Damaged Garage Floor Using Epoxy

Tom's floor was cracked and dominated by spalling concrete. Tom transformed his garage with an out-of-the-box Epoxy solution.

www.garageflooringllc.com

 

[PoorUB]

Im prepping to grind my concrete garage to apply a primer, high solids epoxy floor coating, and medium chip coverage.

I just got a small grinder and diamond turbo cup to get a feel for things.
This one:
https://www.harborfreight.com/power...ls/4-12-in-diamond-turbo-cup-wheel-57624.html

Spent like 10 seconds in about a square foot spot, but didn't want to grind too deep right away.

Have never done this before, but it left some clear grind marks.

How uniform do I need to get the surface to prevent really obvious grind marks from showing thru the coating?
Here's my test spot after just messing with it for a few seconds:

IMO, you will just make a mess with a small hand held grinder. It is all but impossible to kep the grinder flat to the floor and not gouge it. I large commercial grinders are relatively large diameter. The last one I saw was probably 24" diameter

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Go FullFlake and you are good.