Epoxy Floor Questions

[TurboEuro88]

Bought my first house earlier this year and have been engrossed with all that comes with getting everything sorted out and moved in. Finally things have settled enough that I can start to focus on my garage after way too long, but have concerns about the garage floor and whether it's too late in the year to get this done. As far the garage itself goes, its pretty basic, just a 480sqft 2-car garage with decent concrete. Not at all new... probably has 10-15 years on it at least, but no separation, heaving, or major blemishes. You can see the current condition of the floor HERE, HERE, and HERE. (In case those links don't work, here's a link to the album on Imgur)

Been eyeing the ArmorPoxy "Job on a Pallet" based on a previous post and recommendation here, and that it's an all-in-one, everything I need to get the job done kit (save for grinding the floor, obviously). I'm not dead set on it, but it has been the offering that's caught my eye most to this point without breaking the bank

With all that being said, I have 2 main questions/concerns I am hoping GJ could help me address:

• Will the garage floor be OK with just a grind and application of the epoxy given the condition of the floor shown above? By no means am I looking for or expecting a "smooth as glass" result, but would like it to be smooth enough to not have issues rolling around floor jacks, creepers, etc and, if possible, washing my car in the garage during the winter. I am also not looking to do flake - just a simple light gray epoxy.
• Is it too late in the year to realistically lay down the epoxy given that I am in Northern Ohio? I have read it can be done provided the slab is warm enough, the only consideration being that curing times will be extended due to the cooler temps. That said, my concern is that at this point I'll have to wait until spring/early summer when the slab will be warm enough again to get this done.

Appreciate any and all feedback here. Thanks!

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

You might look at Polyurea. Our own kits offer a Cold Weather Primer this time of year allowing a 40 deg install if required.

If epoxy, may want to wait.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi
Our Job in Pallet kits are generally for large commercial spaces. The www.armorcladepoxy.com kits are sized for garages. You would need a Master Kit size.

As for temps you need to keep the space north of 50 continuously so in OH you may be out of that range. You could though use our SPGX one part Polyurea kits which cure to into the 40’s.

For addl advice kindly contact us directly at below for fast support. Thanks!


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[TurboEuro88]

Thanks for the replies. I don't really know much about the polyurea option, other than it significantly cuts down on the cure time of the coating, but is generally more expensive than epoxy. Is there any significant benefit or drawback to polyurea over epoxy? I admit this is a bit of a "budget, DIY" job, so costs are very much in mind. That said, I will spend money where it is best spent, and the coating is very much something worth spending on where necessary. Seems as though if I go Polyurea I could still get this done now, vs having to wait until its warm again in the spring if I go with a standard epoxy? Am I understanding that correctly?

Any idea on whether I would really need to do any surface prep beyond the grind to get the result smooth enough? I know the epoxy/coating itself will tend to level out some of the imperfections, but don't know whether the pitting in my concrete as shown in my original post are really going to level out that well after coating. Any input here would be appreciated.

ArmorPoxy, I'll message you directly to clarify some questions I had regarding your products as I wasn't aware of the Master Kit for garages offering.

 

[CJseven]

I just used 2 master kits, on my shop floor, I did buy the primer and better top coat. I did 1200 sqft by myself so I bought 18” roller covers and a 11 dollar 24” squeegee. The kit comes with 9” rollers and squeegee. I also bought a 5 gallon bucket to mix all 4 gallons of epoxy color base together to ensure a even color, a couple of 2 qt plastic disposable measuring containers and a2 gallon plastic bucket with disposable liners to mix in. As of right now it looks to good to use but that’s what I was looking for.

As for the pitting , that appears to need a grind and then spot patches. The prep and surface condition are as important as the epoxy itself.

 

[TurboEuro88]

How hard is it to level the concrete? Would I do that before grinding the slab, or would I need to grind before and after leveling?

 

[Kaizen]

That is some serious pitting. Maybe the pro’s can advise on repairing it. I know grinding it will make a big bowl there. Maybe self leveling concrete after you acid etch that mess. Either way wait till late spring. Not worth rushing it with this kind of money. That looks like salt eroded that and we are about to see it again. That will be several days and multi step process before you can do epoxy.


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[TurboEuro88]

I don't plan on parking cars that will be driven in the winter in the garage until the epoxy is down. Maybe the rare occasion if we're going to get slammed with snow, but likely will keep my daily driver outside.

At this point I think a concrete leveling is going to be in my best interests. I just wasn't sure how much the grind would take off and whether it'd be enough to make the pitting/spalling less of a noticeable issue. Would it be best to resurface the entire slab instead of just the affected areas? The slab itself doesn't have any control joints I could spread to, but I was planning to do a diamond brush/grind prior to starting the epoxy job.

 

[James-W]

In order to grind the floor down to where it is level and smooth would take a very long time to do and in any case I doubt you would get it level. I am not even sure it would be practical to do it. If you really want epoxy, I think you would be better off patching the floor first and then grinding iti. The pros would be the people to talk to about getting a patch material that would stick to the concrete.

Under the circumstances you may be better off going with ceramic tile. I have no idea what the prep would be for ceramic tile on a floor like you have, but I doubt it would be as labor intensive as it would be for epoxy. But again, the pros would be the people to talk to about it.

 

[Kaizen]

If it were me AND stuck on it I’d take a concrete hammer to it and keep chipping it till it won’t chip any more. Then etch it and let it dry. Then put surfacer down. The peaks and valleys will make a good bond. However it’s stupid expensive.
That concrete is so damaged it might be beyond repair. Sorry but you really want to slow down and make sure what you do will not be a waste of money and time


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[TurboEuro88]

Beyond repair? Based on some examples of concrete worth resurfacing, this looks pretty much the norm. My understanding is that I could lay down a resurfacer, then diamond brush the whole thing, and lay down the epoxy and not have too much issue, but I am by no means an expert here. Just speaking from what I've read both here and elsewhere.

I am not in any particular rush now that I've resolved myself to a spring 2019 application. But I do want to have some kind of a plan in place and understand what I need to do. Pouring a completely new pad is entirely out of the budget and question here.

 

[Kaizen]

I said might be. No way to tell without chipping it and seeing what you are left with. Maybe it’s just the surface. I had steps that looked like that and the damage weakened two inches not just the surface.


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[TurboEuro88]

Ohhh my apologies. I understand what you mean entirely now. I'm hoping to hear back from some local concrete pros to see about getting expert eyes on the surface and see what my options are, and hopefully others here can chime in as well. I'm not opposed to laying down a resurfacer if that's the right solution. Like I've mentioned, I am not looking at turning my garage into "GJ Garage of the Year" - just a good, durable, usable work surface.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

Maybe a scabbler first to get all the loose damaged concrete off.

 

[stm317]

To answer your question about polyurea vs epoxy, epoxy builds "thicker", so it would do a better job of filling/hiding imperfections, and it may hold up better if you're dragging things across the floor a lot. That's really the only benefit of epoxy. Polyurea is thinner, but it's more chemical resistant, more resistant to tire spots, and won't yellow when exposed to sunlight or UV like epoxy will. The polyureas that the guys here sell are single component, so they have really long pot life and you can take your time when applying them unlike a 2 part epoxy that will setup very quickly. And the polyureas can be applied in a broader range of conditions than epoxy.

Since you've decided to wait until spring to do the floor, educate yourself on the differences, ask the vendors questions based on your intended usage, and then decide which coating is right for you.

 

[dcg9381]

You might look at Polyurea. Our own kits offer a Cold Weather Primer this time of year allowing a 40 deg install if required.

If epoxy, may want to wait.

There are two vendors that sell Polyurea. I've used it and can tell you that it's very easy to install, very hard, and seems to work (for protecting the floor) much like epoxy. It costs less.

I'm always a little apprehensive about non-catalytic products, but I'm very happy with Polyurea.

 

[TurboEuro88]

I've read that laying down a resurfacer may still result in issues with chipping up off the slab down the road when the slab itself changes temp. Is there any real merit to those concerns? From what I've read it doesn't look like a particularly difficult job to do, but hoping others may have experience to draw from. My thinking being that I resurface now to at least make the slab smoother/easier to work on and decide on epoxy later. Or, if the resurfacer doesn't work all that well, plan to replace the slab a couple years down the road. Any concerns with such a plan?

 

[Kaizen]

Well it won’t hurt anything. Maybe some chipping at edges where it’s going to be thin. But not the 1-2 inch part where you have the issue. Prep is key. And temp to allow it to flow and find level


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[TurboEuro88]

Thats what I've been reading. Ambient temps are likely too cold now to confidently lay down the epoxy since ground temps are in the 40s now and the slab is going to reflect that temp. The only difference is if your slab is radiant heated and/or insulated.

 

[Armorpoxy]

You need to keep the interior of the garage at 50 or more for an epoxy system. For SPGX about 40.

 

[TurboEuro88]

You need to keep the interior of the garage at 50 or more for an epoxy system. For SPGX about 40.

I have a question about that. I've read that its the slab temp that matters most since the epoxy will almost immediately take the temp of the slab upon application. If I am able to maintain, lets say, an ambient 55-degrees in the garage, but the outside ambient and ground temp are colder, would that still be too cold?

 

[Armorpoxy]

We suggest getting an inexpensive infra red thermometer. Take the floor temp. If not above 50 heat up,the room, wait till spring, or use a polyurea.

 

[CJseven]

How many days after applying does the floor and air temp need to stay above 50 or so?

 

[Kaizen]

Normal cure times I would guess. Look at product. It will say at x temp takes x long. I’d add a few hours to that figure.
Honestly with the money being spent and the mess if it does not go well...just wait for warm temp if you can


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[CJseven]

My floor has been down a week, but they are calling for low temps to be 32 range by the end of this coming week with highs around 49. So far we have had highs that were near 70 the first two days I installed the coating then the highs started being 55 - 60 next couple days will be mid 60s ( rain showers on and off today and tomorrow ) before the end of the week.

 

[Kaizen]

My floor has been down a week, but they are calling for low temps to be 32 range by the end of this coming week with highs around 49. So far we have had highs that were near 70 the first two days I installed the coating then the highs started being 55 - 60 next couple days will be mid 60s ( rain showers on and off today and tomorrow ) before the end of the week.

It cured the first day.


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[CJseven]

Well that’s good I’ve only been trying to get the floor coated for 3 years since it’s been built so I could start installing my lift and setting up my shop again. I think I’m just over worried. [emoji16]

 

[TurboEuro88]

Did a fall cleaning of the garage to prep for starting the replacement of the electircal, insulation, and new drywall. Found a marking buried in a corner on the floor indicating the slab itself is much older than I thought, to the tune of about 20 years older. Also found that the floor slab itself looks to have been poured with the foundation. Not that I was going to, but that does complicate things should I ever want to repour the floor.

But having looked things over, I think I've resolved myself to laying a sand-concrete mix to fill in the pitting, then a topcoat of a concrete resurfacer. Both of which I'll plan to do over a weekend or so come springtime. I don't know that I'll do epoxy now given the real age of the floor and the repairs it needs... but is there any real concern with this plan that I should know of?