Filling Expansion and Contraction Joints before Epoxy Coat

[TheGarageMonkey]

Long time lurker / first time poster. Firstly - thank you all (well most of you) for the helpful information on this site.

We are preparing our garage floor for epoxy coating (planning to use Rust-oleum Epoxy Shield Professional - dark gray) and my dad and I have already cleaned, degreased, pressure washed 4x, acid etched 2x with muriatic acid and plan to fill in the cracks/joints in a few days with Rust-oleum path & repair kit.

Two questions:

1. Regarding the expansion joints with filler board (as seen in the pictures) is it OK to just epoxy over this or should we remove and use crack filler? The other alternative is to epoxy right up to the filler board and leave?

- Also as you can see, some of the filler board is messy with some concrete partially covering it

2. The contraction joints in the middle of the floor run pretty deep - should I put some other filler in the cracks or just load up the RO patch and repair?

Thank you!

https://i.imgur.com/q9gSeT8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/IonpLGD.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wZNSdVb.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/iwe8GHM.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/RhPxKoC.jpg

 

[Toomanytools?]

I see no pictures, fill large gaps with foam backer you could pump a lot of caulk in there

 

[garage guy1of38]

I see no pictures, fill large gaps with foam backer you could pump a lot of caulk in there

heeheeeheee.

 

[TheGarageMonkey]

Is it OK to also use play sand in the deep joints in lieu of silica sand?

Also - concerned about the fiber board...please let me know what you have done?

Thanks

 

[Antoddio]

Just epoxy right up to the board.

If you are acid etching and using rustoleum you will be re doing the floor in a year or two anyway so don’t put in a whole lot of effort. I have yet to see one of these floors not have issues while I’ve seen dozens if not hundreds fail.


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[TheGarageMonkey]

Just epoxy right up to the board.

If you are acid etching and using rustoleum you will be re doing the floor in a year or two anyway so don’t put in a whole lot of effort. I have yet to see one of these floors not have issues while I’ve seen dozens if not hundreds fail.


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Why do you say that? The Professional series (not the water based at HD/Lowes) gets good reviews online if done correctly.

Please advise.

 

[lakeroadster]

To do it "correctly" prior to epoxy........
Epoxy Flooring: Proper Treatment of Construction & Control Joints

 

[Shea]

Do not fill the contraction joints with the Rust-Oleum patch repair material. It has a very low elongation rate and will not flex at all if there is movement within the joint. This will cause the cracks that are down within the joint to telegraph right through the material and the coating. The following article will explain what type of products to use for the different joints and why. Also, you need to plan on grinding the joints flush once they are filled or it will look like a poor patch job once the epoxy is applied. Even then, with only one coat of a thin build epoxy some of it will still show through.

http://allgaragefloors.com/can-i-fill-my-contraction-joints/

 

[Armorpoxy]

Shea is 100% correct, we never recommend if possible to fill joints and then coat over them as if/when the slabs move, the epoxy will crack along with it. Best to coat the floor, and then fill with a color-coordinated filler.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

We fill EVERYTHING in FLA!
Here is the product we recommend if you go for it:

http://www.legacyindustrial.net/pro...atings/xtreme-set-100-crack-joint-filler.html

 

[Antoddio]

Why do you say that? The Professional series (not the water based at HD/Lowes) gets good reviews online if done correctly.

Please advise.

Just trying it help. It may last for 6 months but it's going to start peeling somewhere and after a year or two it will bother you so much you'll be looking at re-doing. I see this all the time, over and over and over. No one that is a professional would ever use rustoleum professional series. Even if the epoxy is decent, I doubt it, it won't hold up over a etched surface. Take the time to grind the surface and you will be much happier.

 

[Krauts]

Why do you say that? The Professional series (not the water based at HD/Lowes) gets good reviews online if done correctly.

Please advise.

I went the rust oleum professional route 6 years ago and my floor is holding up fine. I just acid washed first, powered washed a few times, then went ahead to coat. I also used their clear coat sealer which probably helped too. We live in WI so it's harder on the floors as well. The type, material, cost of garage floor coatings will be a debate that never ends. In the end, floor prep is the key.