Epoxy Floor for a beginner

[TaraLynn]

I am new to GJ and have already found you all to be helpful! Here is my question:

My Husband and I are going to be closing on a brand new house at the end of the month and we really like the look of the epoxy floor in the garage. We plan to begin this process the day of closing so it can be completed prior to moving everything in.

I love doing household DIY stuff like this and have watched several videos on how to do so. My only concern is prep.... but I know that prep is everything on this project! Knowing that the home is brand new, and that the garage floor will be power-washed, is it still necessary to do the detergent/acid steps to clean the floor? I wasn't quite sure if these steps were for garages that had been used and may have grease/oil on the floors. I also know that although it will be power-washed, the floor will likely still have some forms of dust particles on it due to traffic afterwards.

Also, I've read mostly great reviews on the epoxy flooring but I keep hearing the same brands... Rustoleum, Behr Premium, and Epoxy-Coat... Any suggestion on which would be best?

And should I paint walls first then do flooring or garage floor first and then paint walls?

All help is greatly appreciated!

 

[hotdrum2112]

Welcome TaraLynn, I'm new here as well. I always have everything painted after the floor is done. Any good painter will cover the floor with heavy plastic or craft paper and canvas. I install almost 100 Epoxy and/or hybrid Polyurea floors per year here in Texas. I remove the box store brands quite frequently primarily because of poor prep. Most DIY folks don't grind the floor. Prep is the key, I always diamond grind the floor paying particular attention to the edges and tire curbs. After I do the edges, then I hit the center with the grinder and scuff it really well. The products especially Polyurea penetrates into the pores of the floor giving a good firm hold. These are on DIY kits but they can be bought online. Grinders and vacuums can be rented for less than 100.00 per day then do some research on the best place to get your coatings.

 

[Td_20]

Welcome,

I cannot say who has the best floor coating, but there some good companies on here that will answer your all your questions. That being said I like to thank Scotty from Legacy Industaries for all his help answering my questions!
I think the company reps help make this a great place to learn about how to do you floor right. Thanks to all!

Here is a great web site for some videos on how to prep & apply epoxy.
http://www.originalcolorchips.com/Videos/video-tutorial-step-1-performing-sealer-test.html

 

[slghmmr88]

I won't throw rocks at your choices since the only products you mentioned that I have worked with is rustoleum and I see it almost every day, professionally installed diamond grind with clear coat, I had it done a few years ago in a church kitchen I was remodeling. Not pleased, but don't let my opinion sway since it was only one job and I patched the peals for awhile. But one product I would recommend is Legacy. My customer loves it and parks on it everyday when he gets home. Not even one mark from some mighty hot tires here in OK. Scotty is the best to deal with and very helpful.
As said before prep is the key, but I'm a believer that prep and planning is always the key, don't skimp on the prep, it's really not that hard.

 

[Falcon67]

Welcome. Can't help you pick a product - I would get as close to 100% solids real epoxy as I could afford though.

Do the floor before you do any other painting or finish work. A new house with a new slab has the best chance for the coating product to get a good clean grip on the floor.

 

[Garage Flooring]

You will find a lot of great suppliers in this forum, many of which have already been mentioned. The biggest thing I would suggest is not matter what brand you go with, take your time a properly prepare your garage floor! This means grinding, moisture test, patch, fill expansion joints with proper material (if desired).

If you prepare your floor properly you are going to be well ahead of the game. Also, if you are going to use an epoxy, I would agree you should go 100% solids. Keep in mind there are other garage floor coatings on the market as well such as Polyurea, Polyaspartic and others.