Well, after a couple months of reading through this journal, I felt ready to tackle an epoxy floor coating project. I narrowed down the product options to Rustoleum Professional and Epoxy-Coat. My brother went with Rustoleum, so maybe just for some good old sibling rivalry I went with Epoxy-Coat. The mild temperatures we're experiencing in MN this fall also helped with my decision since I had read that 100% epoxy products are easier to apply in lower temps.
My floor was re-poured in August and includes a channel drain. I acid-etched as you would expect. Neutralized the acid with lots of water and vinegar. Garage broom wasn't stiff enough so a stiff brush is recommended.
I filled my expansion joints with acrylic caulk. I overfilled the joints, let dry for 2-3 days, then cut off the crown with a razor-blade flush with the floor. Lesson learned: Use white caulk vs clear. White cures faster and cuts more cleanly.
While I ordered the "kit" I decided to invest in an 18" roller frame and pads, more durable vinyl gloves, and a larger squeegy. Looking back on the extra time we had to finish each section, I probably didn't need to make the investment over the cost of the kit. If I ever do this again, I'll look for an "expert" mode where I buy just the epoxy Part A and B and get the rest of the supplies at my local big box store.
I split my 500 sq ft garage into 4 sections. The first batch was stressful because we thought we had only 15 minutes working time and the squeegy wasn't covering the concrete as well as we liked. We were relieved when we grabbed the roller and easily spread the epoxy out. The weather was 55 degrees so we were fortunate to have plenty of working time.
After the second roll, I flaked the first section, then applied the second batch. This batch seemed to spread a little easier and covered more ground. Hmmm.
I had divided my flakes into 4 batches. I decided to stop spreading flakes at about a mid-to-heavy coverage vs. the rejection plan I was prepared for. I ended up using 1/2 of what I purchased.
Ok, so I got pretty busy finishing the sections and didn't get the camera out as often as I had hoped. The most stressful section was the last which came up short on material and required us to spread it thinner than I would have liked.
We opened the garage doors half-way and covered the opening with plastic to keep the leaves out. A few tennis shoes helped hold the plastic in place. By the way, I had adjusted the garage doors earlier to NOT close all the way just in case someone accidentally hit the switch.
We ended up with extra Part B. My theory is that the measuring stick in the bucket procedure wasn't accurate enough. The first batch was fine, but the next batches had left-over material in the bucket and the stick may have been riding up causing us to under-fill the Part A? Remember, it's pretty dark down in that 6 gallon mixing pail. If I ever do this again I'm going to measure Part A and Part B in separate measuring pails and then pour into the large bucket for mixing. That's what I did for the clear coat.
So while waiting for the first coat to dry, I decided to rebuild my homemade spikes since some of the screws were bent or broken.
I decided to clip the toenails - they were dragging in the epoxy
Added a few more screws for support. This time I made sure were as straight as possible so they don't bend/break under pressure.
Attached the shoes with screws right through the inside of the shoe at the heel and base of the tongue. The screws go in easy, and I drilled until the heads were buried in the foam.
Like I mentioned, for the clear coat we pre-measured the Part A and B in small measuring pails (the kind that have markings on the inside). 2:1 ratio. Putting on the clear coat was a breeze. We were able to pull it into every nook and cranny with the squeegy. Then rolled it out.
Before the project, the drain channel inserts were removed and tape placed just below the top lip. Some epoxy flowed into the drain bottom, only noticable when the covers are off.
Taped off at approximately the center of the door.
We ended up with a ton of extra flakes. In hindsight, this is good since there's a 3rd-stall garage adjacent to this garage that needs a new floor eventually. This mix is white, 2 shades of blue, charcoal, flat black, bright black.
My floor was re-poured in August and includes a channel drain. I acid-etched as you would expect. Neutralized the acid with lots of water and vinegar. Garage broom wasn't stiff enough so a stiff brush is recommended.
I filled my expansion joints with acrylic caulk. I overfilled the joints, let dry for 2-3 days, then cut off the crown with a razor-blade flush with the floor. Lesson learned: Use white caulk vs clear. White cures faster and cuts more cleanly.
While I ordered the "kit" I decided to invest in an 18" roller frame and pads, more durable vinyl gloves, and a larger squeegy. Looking back on the extra time we had to finish each section, I probably didn't need to make the investment over the cost of the kit. If I ever do this again, I'll look for an "expert" mode where I buy just the epoxy Part A and B and get the rest of the supplies at my local big box store.
I split my 500 sq ft garage into 4 sections. The first batch was stressful because we thought we had only 15 minutes working time and the squeegy wasn't covering the concrete as well as we liked. We were relieved when we grabbed the roller and easily spread the epoxy out. The weather was 55 degrees so we were fortunate to have plenty of working time.
After the second roll, I flaked the first section, then applied the second batch. This batch seemed to spread a little easier and covered more ground. Hmmm.
I had divided my flakes into 4 batches. I decided to stop spreading flakes at about a mid-to-heavy coverage vs. the rejection plan I was prepared for. I ended up using 1/2 of what I purchased.
Ok, so I got pretty busy finishing the sections and didn't get the camera out as often as I had hoped. The most stressful section was the last which came up short on material and required us to spread it thinner than I would have liked.
We opened the garage doors half-way and covered the opening with plastic to keep the leaves out. A few tennis shoes helped hold the plastic in place. By the way, I had adjusted the garage doors earlier to NOT close all the way just in case someone accidentally hit the switch.
We ended up with extra Part B. My theory is that the measuring stick in the bucket procedure wasn't accurate enough. The first batch was fine, but the next batches had left-over material in the bucket and the stick may have been riding up causing us to under-fill the Part A? Remember, it's pretty dark down in that 6 gallon mixing pail. If I ever do this again I'm going to measure Part A and Part B in separate measuring pails and then pour into the large bucket for mixing. That's what I did for the clear coat.
So while waiting for the first coat to dry, I decided to rebuild my homemade spikes since some of the screws were bent or broken.
I decided to clip the toenails - they were dragging in the epoxy
Added a few more screws for support. This time I made sure were as straight as possible so they don't bend/break under pressure.
Attached the shoes with screws right through the inside of the shoe at the heel and base of the tongue. The screws go in easy, and I drilled until the heads were buried in the foam.
Like I mentioned, for the clear coat we pre-measured the Part A and B in small measuring pails (the kind that have markings on the inside). 2:1 ratio. Putting on the clear coat was a breeze. We were able to pull it into every nook and cranny with the squeegy. Then rolled it out.
Before the project, the drain channel inserts were removed and tape placed just below the top lip. Some epoxy flowed into the drain bottom, only noticable when the covers are off.
Taped off at approximately the center of the door.
We ended up with a ton of extra flakes. In hindsight, this is good since there's a 3rd-stall garage adjacent to this garage that needs a new floor eventually. This mix is white, 2 shades of blue, charcoal, flat black, bright black.
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Great job, glad your happy with the outcome.
