Epoxy durability

[Jagman]

I am shortly going to construct a new garage -23 x 32- with radiant floor heating. I will be installing a 4 post Bendpak lift that I want to be able to move about with the roller option. I will also be using a floor jack and jack stands occasionally. I am certain that there will be some spills of oil and brake fluid. I may also use a mig welder in a restoration project. What effect will will all this activity have on an epoxy coated floor?

I encourage all those who have epoxy coated floors with some experience to chime in.

John D.

 

[Flooring For Garage]

Wow John... That is a tough question. I have never applied epoxy over a radiant heat garage floor before.

I really don't know for sure how to handle this one and am very curious if anyone does know the answer to this...

I would imagine you would have to refer to the manufacturer's specs on the particular epoxy you are going to use - I would follow up with a call to them as well.

Anyone know? I've not had this come up in 10 years...

 

[mato]

I would be more concerned about the jack stands, floor jack, and rolling lift scratching the **** out of your floor

Look into a metallic-aggregate dry shake floor

Why are you considering an epoxy floor?

 

[Jagman]

I want to put some type of finish to minimize/eliminate oil, etc. stains. Epoxy seems the best given that VCT, ceramic tiles,etc. probably won't hold up to jack stands and rolling a 4 post lift around the floor.

 

[rugerlady]

No problem with installing our epoxy on a floor with radiant in floor heat. It sounds like you will be doing a lot heavy stuff on the floor. I would recommend a clear over the base coat for your floor.

 

[alexb2000]

I love epoxy floors and I've put down a lot of it. No problems in my experience with Radiant. Oil, grease, rolling lifts, are NO problem. Welding however... I would lay down some protective sheet metal over the epoxy in the welding area. Most of the problems I see are cheap materials and poor prep. For a residential garage I like to degrease twice, wash twice, rinse twice, grind with a cup wheel and/or floor grinder bead blaster, rinse and let dry, acid wash, rinse twice. Next day apply epoxy, I use Sherwin Williams Armorseal 1000 (get ready for sticker shock!) with Shark Grip additive.

 

[Jagman]

Christine, You recommend adding a clear coat. In the larger sense, I would not question doing this. However, I am building a new 23 x 32 garage + tools chest + Bendpak lift+ new driveway, etc. In the context of trying to keep costs in line, what is the real value added benefit of clear given the standard 'full' kit is $285 vs $506 with clear? Alternatively, what will I suffer by not adding the clear? This garage will be used for light auto repair, car restoration work including jack stands, engine stands and rolling floor jacks.

Thanks

 

[Cal Concrete Restoration]

Christine, You recommend adding a clear coat. In the larger sense, I would not question doing this. However, I am building a new 23 x 32 garage + tools chest + Bendpak lift+ new driveway, etc. In the context of trying to keep costs in line, what is the real value added benefit of clear given the standard 'full' kit is $285 vs $506 with clear? Alternatively, what will I suffer by not adding the clear? This garage will be used for light auto repair, car restoration work including jack stands, engine stands and rolling floor jacks.

Thanks

You REALLY need a tough, UV-resistant sealer with all the abrasion from the jacks and engine stands and potential spills from oil, battery acid and other automotive fluids. This will protect the epoxy from damage.

We are professional epoxy floor installers and use Versatile Building Products' 5073 Polyurea clear sealer. See www.garagecoatings.com and www.versatilebuildingproducts.com. The stuff is tough as nails, practically impossible to scratch and sloughs off virtually all oils and chemicals. About the only thing that will hurt it is methylene chloride . . . something you are not likely to have around. To give you an idea of how tough it is, it is used in airplane hangers and FedEx warehouses.

As with any coating processes, one of the key things to do is proper surface preparation prior to applying the coating. Any coating will fail sooner or later if the surface it is applied to is not clean and porous. See our free report on surface preparation for an epoxy floor at www.squidoo.com/epoxyfloorprep.

Best of luck with your project.

Patrick

 

[Edger]

You definitely need to harden the floor before coating to resist the chips and crushing of sands under the epoxy - use a lithium based hardener/densifier. I did lots of tests on 100% epoxy coats, self level epoxy, and some others. I laid them down allowed to cure and smashed them with a heavy hammer. The thin coats damaged immediately but the self levels looked OK.. until I cut through the impact areas with a diamond blade and chipped away to see what it was like underneath. The concrete under the epoxy was smashed to powder so later when the bubble breaks it looks like the epoxy has bubbled, but really the concrete had crushed to powder.

You must harden first to resist this and then do a great job of preparation, preferably diamond grind and wash or vacuum (or both) after. Your floor will then resist all sorts of abuse from welding to crushing. After several years it will look badly scratched, discolored, stained and a bit worn, but the whole floor will be intact and still protecting the concrete and you will be able to clean it when you want. I would recommend two coats of 100% solids epoxy as the minimum which should be fine. Make sure you have all the instructions and above all do that preparation thoroughly.

 

[Edger]

You guys did a good job with your prep advice on squidoo. Too many people do not understand the importance of prep and any of the proper procedures. As you know and I know as an ex applicator, it is even more complex than that at times, but the water test is the very best in my opinion and costs zero, also the plastic moisture test, well done.