epoxy questions

[MxRider2637]

I have been reading up on all of the valuable info and have decided to epoxy my 3 car garage with rustoleums industrial epoxy shield. My first question is how many coats of epoxy should i put down, they say that one kit does a 1 car garage. Should i buy three kits or 5-6? Oh yeah, i will be putting a clear coat down as well.

My second question/problem.

When my dad built this garage about 5 years ago, he very lightly spayed down a cheap sealer,(he used a spay bucket)
Would i need to grind it or not? (I'll be using a 3,000 psi hot washer for degrease, acid etch, and cleaning it during the prep work)

If i spill water or anything it seems to soak in fairly quickly.

Thanks for any answers

(I cant believe how much valuable info there is on this forum! Without it i wouldn't be redoing my garage this spring, ill post a thread when finished.)

 

[porphyre]

Dunno about your sealer question, but I'd lean towards grinding.

As to the epoxy, my experience with the Rustoleum solvent based is that the epoxy covers about 200 sqft/gallon (so 400sqft per kit) and their clearcoat covers 500sqft/gallon (1 gallon per kit). I tried coating a 600 sqft garage with 2 gallons of epoxy and got very very thin coverage. Too thin. For my 2nd coat I went overboard the other way and used 2 kits (4 gallons) and I've got thick spots. I think 3 gallons per coat would have been perfect for me.

I recommend 2 coats of epoxy with 1 coat of clear. The floor won't be glossy without the clearcoat. Without clear it just kind of looks like paint, but with clear you can tell it's something special.

 

[TheBanker]

I was looking at the Rustoleum too but then I added up the cost. Add up all the kits you will have to buy and you will find that you can get a 100% Solids epoxy for just a couple dollars more. And for that couple dollars more you usually get all the tools that you need. But the improvement in quality will be huge.

 

[porphyre]

Couple dollars? How small is your garage? I did Rustoleum for $0.70/sqft. Fred at Alpha quoted you $1.59/sqft. For for the 500 sqft Fred quoted, that's a difference of $370 or a marginal increase of 87%.

 

[TheBanker]

Here's what I calulated. One Rustoleum covers 250 sq ft and cost $69.97. I have 480 sq ft so I need 2. That would be $139.94. Because it is waterbased and I have heard you need two coats that brings it to $139.94 x 2 = $279.88. I also want chips and clear. To add clear is another $139.94 for a total of $419.82. Now these kits do not include any tools or anything. Epoxy-Coat has quoted $484.00 for base and clear for 500 sq ft, 100% solids with all the tools and free shipping. More flakes too but I am not even figuring that in. I think its more than double the thickness on the floor. I have not priced the dollar value on the tools but that price difference is worth it for me to use 100% solids verses water based.

 

[porphyre]

We're not talking about the water based epoxy.

However, the water based is even cheaper.

From Home Depot, you need 2x of the 2.5 car kits (covers 500sqft), and 1 kit of clear coat (covers 500sqft). Each kit is $99.97. There's no tax when ordered online. Shipping is free for orders over $249. So it sounds like you could do 500 sqft in Rustoleum's crappy water based product for $299.91 or approx $0.60 sq/ft.

Wolverine, $1.59 sqft = 795 ($495, 265% more than water)
Epoxy Coat, $0.968 sqft = 484 ($184, 61% more than water)
Rustoleum Solvent, $0.70 sqft = 350 ($50, 16% more than water)
Rustoleum Water ****, $0.60 sqft = 300

I agree that "you get what you pay for". But when you said "you can get a 100% Solids epoxy for just a couple dollars more." (emphasis mine) Well, that's just not true....and did you really spend $184 on tools? I spent about $50.

 

[gabeancounter]

I found a way to do 20mils of epoxy(100% solids) - base 10-clear10 with heavy flake for less than .50 a sqft. This is based on 1250 sqft of coverage. Its a one sized BULK kit so you either need to have a large area or split it with a neighbor! 50cents includes all tools etc! I will hope to have it done this weekend (if the product arrives by Fri) and post a full review next week!

 

[TheBanker]

Is the solvent based any better or even thicker than the waterbased? Just curious.

 

[FANTASY FACTORY]

fortified porch and deck enamel, DONE, see ya in 10 years

 

[porphyre]

Yes and yes.

 

[MxRider2637]

i am now realizing that 100% solids would be worth the extra money, but does anyone have an answer to my crappy sealer problem?

 

[rwhite692]

If you don't know for certain what product that sealer was, I'd be inclined to shot blast the floor.

If that sealer contained silicones, you could be in for a whole lot of adhesion problems.

 

[CreteCoater]

Comparing Rustoleum with an Industrial 100% Solids resin is like comparing a Gremlin with a Corvette. rwhite is correct on the sealer. We won't even install on some floors that have had armor all or silicon tire shine happy owners due to the fact it's nearly impossible to get out of the concrete without shotblasting, and sometimes even with!

 

[Hammerdown]

If the sealer were a water based like Thompsons Water Sealer or similar product it should be able to be removed with a muriatic acid wash. Test this in an area that you know has the sealer and you know water beads up on, like in a corner or low traffic area. Pour some of the acid on the sealed floor and see if there is a reaction (sizzling sound). If there is, the acid is removing it and reacting with the concrete. Dilute the acid to the weakest solution that will still cause the reaction and proceed to remove it by scrubbing with a stiff bristled broom and rinsing the area thoroughly. If there is not a reaction then proceed to grind it off with a floor grinder (www.edcoinc.com)

 

[TheBanker]

Whats your status MxRider?