Epoxy-Coat Project

[voiddweller]

Hi,

I am new to the forum and would like to express my thanks for the wealth of knowledge that was found in searching through some excellent posts.

My interest in the forum came when I decided to clean and reorganize my garage. I plan on doing this project in three phases:

1. Clean and seal garage floor
2. Install shelving, cabinets and workbench

and figure out how to:

3. Add a door to the lattice work or seal it and add A/C

Phase 1

Epoxy-Coat Floor Coating

I spent four hours last night with Zep concrete cleaner, a scrub brush and case of beer (happy St. Patrick's Day! )

I sincerely appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have.

Thank you.

Here is an outside pic:

The results are below:

Yes, this was AFTER using Zep concrete cleaner, a brush, and water hose.

Entrance that I was thinking of coating.

Can someone tell me WTF this is and how to seal it?

 

[bmwpower]

Good start, but I think you're going to want to grind/shot blast that floor before coating. It looks like it still has a lot of contaminants on the floor which may keep the epoxy from sticking.

Those 4 squares look like cinder block to me. Is it hard like concrete, but porous?

 

[REFLEXX]

Perhaps some self leveling epoxy for the buried concrete blocks and I would second the shot blast or at least one of those square floor sanders.

 

[voiddweller]

Thank you for the suggestions.

The Epoxy-Coat kit includes muratic acid as a prep-solution, so do you think this will be enough or should I still grind it down?

The concrete is not very porous (ie. it fails the Epoxy-Coat drop of water test.)

As far as the blocks, I'm thinking about going right over it to see what happens since it is self leveling epoxy, but I have a feeling the ony way this might look good is by using quickset first.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks!

 

[voiddweller]

I tried the prep solution (in the recommended 1 to 4 mix) and it removed some additional surface contaminants, but the concrete will need a lot more work to be properly etched.

Looks like I'll need to pull out the big guns and grind or shot blast.

I'll be heading over to Home Depot in the morning to see what they have available.

 

[REFLEXX]

Void,

I'm about to do the epoxy-coat my self. Can't wait to see what yours turns out like. What color and are you going to flake it?

The guys at epoxy-coat told me to get a 18" wide roller and tray (at Lowes) to make application easier.

 

[voiddweller]

Reflexx,

I had a friend of mine that just did his new 2 car garage with the kit and it came out great. I decided to do the whole garage and entrance with gray.

The flake and anti-skid material will be added to the garage floor. I'm trying to figure out the best way to add the flake so it comes out evenly. According to the directions, you are supposed to throw it 5 ft. in the air (or higher) and let it land naturally. My friend did not have the best results with this method.

Thanks for the tip on the 18" roller and tray. Makes me wonder why they didn't just include the 18" roller in the kit...

I was not able to rent a floor sander or concrete grinder today, so I'll post some additional pics when I complete the job later this week or on the weekend.

 

[REFLEXX]

Void,

as for the flake, I was going to lay out some blue tarps on my driveway and practice tossing the flakes like I would spread lawn fertilizer or feeding pidgeons. This way I could get a technique down before the real deal and just collect it back up for use.

 

[voiddweller]

Reflexx,

The tarp is an excellent idea. I think I'll lay one down in the garage and give it a try before I grind the floor..

Thanks!

 

[voiddweller]

Looks like that grinder is going to throw out a lot of concrete dust into the air. Any way to minimize it?

 

[bmwpower]

You might be able to get away with wetting down the floor slightly. I just dealt with the dust (and wore a mask).

 

[voiddweller]

Thank you for the suggestion.

I just returned from home depot with a diamond cut blade and grinder. This particular hand held grinder has an attachment with a vacuum, so the dust should be minimized.

The project will be starting around 9am and should last for several hours. I will be using knee pads, a respirator, and safety glasses.

If it's not too dusty, I'll post some pics during the process, but I have a feeling this is going to ****...

 

[voiddweller]

The floor surface is fully ground down and most contaminates have been removed. I found some nails embedded in the flooring and they appear to be a real pain to remove. I'll post some action pics, later.

Home Depot and Lowes are out of quickset. I'm not sure that I care to go through the mess of mixing a bag of thinset, but it may not matter.

Temperatures have dropped below 70°F, so I may postpone the epoxy application until next weekend...

 

[GearHead_1]

Void,

as for the flake, I was going to lay out some blue tarps on my driveway and practice tossing the flakes like I would spread lawn fertilizer or feeding pidgeons. This way I could get a technique down before the real deal and just collect it back up for use.

Having been through this a couple of times I have found that the easiest way to do this is not to throw the flakes on the floor but throw the flakes into the air. If your ceiling is low enough and you can hit it all the better. Hitting the ceiling will bust up the clumps that sometimes stick together.

 

[69lkmno]

If your ceiling is low enough and you can hit it all the better. Hitting the ceiling will bust up the clumps that sometimes stick together.

That's what I did with mine and came out pretty good. I love this floor coating and I got a lot of compliments from my neighbors and friends. It gets scratches when I'm working but once I mop the floor you won't see the scratches anymore. And yes, I mop the garage floor.

 

[voiddweller]

Having been through this a couple of times I have found that the easiest way to do this is not to throw the flakes on the floor but throw the flakes into the air. If your ceiling is low enough and you can hit it all the better. Hitting the ceiling will bust up the clumps that sometimes stick together.

Excellent suggestion. The ceiling is only 10FT, so that should not be a problem to try.

That's what I did with mine and came out pretty good. I love this floor coating and I got a lot of compliments from my neighbors and friends. It gets scratches when I'm working but once I mop the floor you won't see the scratches anymore. And yes, I mop the garage floor.

Did either of you add anti-skid/slip to the floor?

The instructions state that it will last about 5 years in heavy traffic areas, but it can cause some issue with clean-up when you try to use a mop.

I'll be doing a motor swap and fluids will be all over the place, so I want to have a happy medium between easy cleanup and falling on my ****.

Thanks.

 

[69lkmno]

I did not use the anti slip due to feebbacks of harder to clean. As far as any dirt or oil stain, it just comes right off. I just spray it with diluted Simple Green and wipe it with dry rag.

 

[GearHead_1]

I too opted to not use the aluminum oxide. I haven't found it to be a problem even when wet with one excetpion. I mop my floor using car wash soap. It's pretty slick then.

 

[69lkmno]

OK, not to hi-jack this thread but I've tried several cleaning solution including,
Simple Green, Kirkland cleaner/degreaser, and Wal-Marts Fabuloso and all of them are leaving a dull film finish on the floor once it dries after mopping.
I recently tried the Orange Floor Cleaner from Walmart and it works great. No film residue except for a nice clean floor.

 

[voiddweller]

I appreciate the experiences with cleaning the surface.

Here are the pics as promised. I purchased some Quickcrete today to fill the cracks and to go over those terrible looking blocks.

The patching should be done this week and application of the Epoxy-Coat will happen next weekend.

PICS

Post Acid Wash

Big Guns courtesy of Home Depot

Ready for Some Fun

Initial Results

Looking A Little Better

 

[voiddweller]

Part 2

Almost Done

End Result

 

[REFLEXX]

NICE!!!

That looks like a chit-load of work. Let's see some epoxy now.

 

[dboat]

NICE!!!

That looks like a chit-load of work.

That was EXACTLY what I was thinking.. whew!!

Dana

 

[bmwpower]

That's what it's supposed to look like. Good job! That little ****** looks like it works pretty good. Too bad it wasn't a 12" wheel...

 

[voiddweller]

Thank you for the words of encouragement.

It took a long time, but the resut speaks volumes.

After talking with a coworker, it was suggested that I break up the concrete pavers next to the window instead of going over them with Quickcrete. We were thinking that smoothing over the textured surface would not have the best result.

Since I would like to have this done before Sunday, let me know if any other options might work before I take out the sledge hammer.

 

[69lkmno]

I see that you are using the same kit I did. You will be happy with the end result. Don't forget to get a nice big mixer. Just browse at the links below to get some more tips on the application. Good luck!

 

[ureside]

Almost Done



End Result

WHOA! That made me tired, just looking at it!

 

[bandacoot]

This may be a dumb question, but is there anything bigger than that hand held sander to use? I dont think i'd want to do that on my three car garage... yikes!

 

[69lkmno]

You can rent a floor buffer and tell them you want the sand paper attachment.

 

[Elky]

wow that was a lot of grinding!
came out nice.

that would not be fun for my 1000sq ft of floor!

 

[dboat]

wow that was a lot of grinding!
came out nice.

that would not be fun for my 1000sq ft of floor!

+1

 

[maa139]

How long did it take to grind the whole floor?

 

[voiddweller]

How long did it take to grind the whole floor?

That's a good question. I had the grinder and vacuum on a 20amp breaker due to the old aluminum wiring.

Not including the breaker blowing every 10 minutes and the frequent breaks to stretch or get something to drink, 4 hours.

Off the top of my head, the garage is 23ft deep. I can't remember the width, but I think it's 8 or 9ft from the side wall to the lattice work.

 

[voiddweller]

What a weekend...

I swept out the garage 2 or 3 times, mopped it, and swept it out again after it dried in about 6 hours.

I did the, 'drop of water,' test by placing a drop of water on the dry surface to be sure it soaked in. Once it did, I wiped my finger over another part of the dry surface and there was no residue.

At this point, I was so hyped-up and ready to apply the epoxy, I forgot to mix the color before adding activator; not one of my better days...

Yes, it's translucent and completely dry. Good times! =0)

BTW - it was a light Gray when it was wet.

Trying to look at the positive side, I figured it was only the first coat.

Unfortunately, I couldn't help thinking that I just tossed my investment down the toilet, so I called Epoxy-Coat before applying the second coat.

The sales representative put me on hold to speak with a technician. When she returned, I was told not to worry.

All that I needed to do was mix-up the epoxy before combining it with the activator, like I should have done in the first place...

So, I started mixing enough for the first section. Six cups epoxy and three cups activator in a five gallon bucket.

Here is the result with only six more sections to go:

I had just enough epoxy to finish the second application. Here are some pics while it was still wet.

It's 99% done:

Another Angle completely finished:

I'm not sure how visible they are, but I added the colored flakes by using the suggestion of tossing them into the ceiling. It worked great!

More pics to follow...

 

[homedepot_gurl]

What a weekend...

I was so hyped-up, I forgot to mix the color before adding activator; not one of my better days...

Yes, it's translucent and completely dry. Good times! =0)

BTW - it was a light Gray when it was wet.

Trying to look at the positive side, I figured it was only the first coat.

Unfortunately, I couldn't help thinking that I just tossed my investment down the toilet, so I called Epoxy-Coat before applying the second coat.

The sales representative put me on hold to speak with a technician. When she returned, I was told not to worry.

All that I needed to do was mix-up the epoxy before combining it with the activator, like I should have done in the first place...

So, I started mixing enough for the first section. Six cups epoxy and three cups activator in a five gallon bucket.

Here is the result with only six more sections to go:

I had just enough epoxy to finish the second application. Here are some pics while it was still wet.

It's 99% done:

Another Angle completely finished:

I'm not sure how visible they are, but I added the colored flakes by using the suggestion of tossing them into the ceiling. It worked great!

More pics to follow...

Awesome job! Can't wait to do mine.

 

[REFLEXX]

ditto.

The clear looked pretty cool too!

 

[cdrewferd]

Huh, the pics aren't showing up for me.

 

[D-Cal]

That looks friggen awesome. Can't wait to get mine done now!!!!

 

[voiddweller]

Thanks for the comments. My knees and back thank you, too

Huh, the pics aren't showing up for me.

The image hosting service had to update the site from Garage-Junkies to GarageJournal. All of the pics should be visible.

Some of my neighbors were amazed when they walked by and looked at the final result. The shine is amazing, almost wet, and it feels very durable.

As far as the durability, we'll see how it holds up when I start working on my Nissans. I have to replace the intake and exhaust on my 200SX SE-R and then swap an engine into my 240SX.

My only worry is seeing 2700 lbs on the jack-stands...

 

[REFLEXX]

Void,

Slap some truck mudflaps under your jackstands.