Epoxyshield pro question

[dabears]

Hello garage gods. New forum member, but not new to reading all of the awesome stuff that is on this forum. I am also the owner of my very first garage. I received my first fathers day gift early. It is 2 kits of epoxyshield pro. Complete with acid etch, rollers, sharkgrip, and additional flakes. My garage is 3 car and roughly 650 square ft. It has cure and seal on it, and from reading a lot on this site, I have decided to rent a floor maintainer and diamabrush. I am also planning to buy 2 kits of premium clear coat per advice of this forum. I also want to epoxy a 6 inch lip that runs all the way around the garage minus the doors.

I only have one question, for now, that I can't seem to find the answer to. I apologize in advance if it has been asked, but there is so much info hear.

How many coats of basecoat should I do, and do I need to buy more than the 2 kits I already have? I assume the listed 300-400 sq ft is just for one coat. I have read some say that they do a very thin first coat, then a heavy 2nd coat. Others seem to say a heavy first coat ( 2 kits), then a very thin 2nd coat (1 kit) to even out imperfections. Others say one thick coat (2 kits) should work just fine since I will also be doing 1 coat of clear. I should add that no stores stock the pro in my area, and if I order online I cannot return the kits, so my first instinct to just buy 2 additional kits and return them if I don't use them may lead to a serious waste of money.

Anyone with experience care to help me out?

 

[Shea]

The Rust-Oleum Pro epoxy is solvent based and adheres real well to concrete prepped by grinding. The issue you may contend with is that it has a dry film thickness of only 3.5 - 5 mils. This doesn't take into account how much is absorbed into the concrete.

What can happen sometimes with these types of kits are patchy areas where the the base coat takes on a matte finish and looks different from the surrounding finish. This usually occurs where the coating is thin from either stretching it out and/or the substrate absorbed more because that area was more porous.

If you don't want to order two more kits, you can always order more if you don't like the way the first coat turns out. Since you only have an 18 - 24 hour window to recoat, you will have to degloss the finish with sandpaper or a black buffer pad first in order for the epoxy to ahdere.

If it's in the budget, $220 for two extra kits that will add durability, give a consistent finish, and not have to degloss later is worth it.

 

[dabears]

Thanks for the advice. At 18 hours will I have to wear spiked shoes to walk on the floor for the 2nd coat? Does anyone have thought on what is the ideal amount of time to let the base cure before adding the clear coat?

 

[drinkmoresake]

Hi,

I used the Epoxyshield Pro on my floor about 2 years ago.

I applied 2 coats of the epoxy shield color about 24 hrs about (it was fine to walk on after about 20 hrs). Don't try to be cheap and do just 1 coat of the epoxy. You won't be happy with the results. My garage is 440 sq ft. I talked with Rustoleum and the tech said even through they kit says it will cover 500 sq ft in reality the Professional Epoxy kit covers about 350~400 sq ft. So i purchased 4 kits, total of 8 gallons of material. And I am glad I did. No way that 1 kit would have been enough for each coat. Applied the 1st coat "medium" and went very heavy on the 2nd coat. I did not follow the suggestion from Rustoleum to paint in 4x4 sections. I just painted from side to side front to back and made sure to keep a wet edge. I did a medium broadcast of the color chips on top of the 2nd coat. I made a pair of "spike" shoes using two pieces of 1"x4" board and drove drywall screws through it. Then I used duct tape to attach them to a cheap pair of shoes. Worked like a charm and allowed me to easily walk across the wet epoxy to broadcast the chips.

After 48 hrs I applied 1st coat of the Premium Clear. Stuff goes on very thin and like others have said you have to use a bright light sitting at floor level in order to be able to see where you have painted. I actually found it was best to shut the garage door and just use the floor light (be sure to wear a respirator if you don't want to die).

Applied a 2nd coat of clear after 24 hrs. For this final coat I mixed in the Shark-Grip anit-slip additive. Without it the floor would have been an ice rink! The directions on the Shark Grip say to use the entire 3 oz bottle to 1 gallon of clear but I cut this back to about 1/2 and ended up with a good compromise between floor gloss, clean ability and anti-slip. You couldn't slip on this floor if your tried.

More info on my install can be found here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204436

 

[Onewolf]

DrinkMoreSake,

Do you recall the application rate you got with the Clear Coat? I'm trying to figure out how much it's going to take for approx 1500 sq ft garage.

Thanks.

 

[benwah]

DrinkMoreSake,

Do you recall the application rate you got with the Clear Coat? I'm trying to figure out how much it's going to take for approx 1500 sq ft garage.

Thanks.

Math shows 398 sq. ft. per gallon at 3.5 mils (in between 2.0 and 5.0 mils DFT according to the data sheet http://www.rustoleum.com/~/media/Di..._VOC_Premium_Clear_Coating_EPS18_5089790.ashx) and they say 500 sq.ft/gallon, so I think it would be safe to assume 450 sq. ft. per gallon/kit. I'd imagine 3 kits would be adequate.

Section your garage out into 3 - 500 sq. ft. sections and make sure 1 kit covers each section!

 

[dabears]

Thanks for all of the information posted here whether it be replies to my inquiry or other posts. I believe all of this good information has made me came to conclusion that I will not be applying epoxy to my garage floor. I will just take a hit on the %20 restocking fee on the 2 epoxy kits my wife bought me and send it back. My garage is actually 750 sq ft and a 8" wall. so for me to add a 2nd coat I will probably need a total of 3-4 more kits to be safe. then 2 kits of clear on top of that. between all of these coats and the time/money to diamond grind, I would drop another $1000 and need to take a week off of work to complete the project. some of the results posted on this forum look fantastic, but for now my time and money would probably be better served insulating, adding lighting, and drywalling my garage. Thanks again

 

[drinkmoresake]

My garage is about 400 sq ft and if i remember correctly 1 gallon was just barely enough for 1 coat. Since the local HD stocked the Rustoleum clear I bought an extra gallon or two to have on hand just in case I needed it and then returned the unopened ones.