Epoxy on broom finish

[sandwich]

First post here...

I've been reading a lot about epoxy flooring. My garage currently has a broom finish, does this need to be ground smooth before applying an epoxy?

Also looking at RaceDeck, anyone else in Canada using RaceDeck or some variant?

 

[dlc]

I was wondering the same thing. Anyone?

 

[Cabby89]

It is best to grind it smooth or you could overlay the floor to a smooth finish.

 

[TheShrine]

Everyone wants to grind the floor before epoxy...why,....to ensure a surface that the end product will adhere to.

I'm thinking a broomed surface would more than ensure adherence. Depending on the "broomed-ness" I'd think it would work fine. Of course excessively deep broom groves might prove a challenge to wipe up some spills.

My $0.02 worth.

 

[Motofixxer]

You would likely have a coverage issue too. The squeegee would run over the high ridges and leave the epoxy in the lower valleys giving your floor a funny looking finish I think. The high ridges would be concrete while the rest would be smooth and glossy. Unless you used a lot of epoxy and laid a thick layer. I would vote for grinding it down.

 

[ssathre]

I was told by christine @ epoxy-coat that a light broom finish is what I should tell my concrete guy. this way the epoxy has something to bond to.

 

[rugerlady]

Depending on how rough the broom finish is, it may take alot of epoxy to fill the voids or ridges if it is not diamond ground.

 

[mato]

A light broom finish is the ideal surface profile

 

[sandwich]

Depending on how rough the broom finish is, it may take alot of epoxy to fill the voids or ridges if it is not diamond ground.

Can I assume it will take a long time to dry as well?

 

[Motofixxer]

Curing time depends on temps, thickness, how well you followed and mixed the 2 parts for proper proportions. Generally it's walkable the next day, and ready for vehicle traffic in 2 days. Although that is general, I would wait a few days for anything other than stocking foot traffic. I have followed a lot of directions that weren't exactly accurate.

 

[rugerlady]

Can I assume it will take a long time to dry as well?

Our epoxy will take no longer to dry if applied thicker.