Floor Finished with Pictures!!

[eraugrad04]

Hi Everyone! Here are some pictures from my recent Epoxy Coat project. The garage was a fresh pour and only a few months old with no stains. The builder, however, did apply a curing agent/sealer after they were done trowling the floor. The garage size is 19x19. Overall very easy project. The most time was spent in the prep work. I would say that my wife an I spent the better part of a day doing all of the prep work. Apply the Epoxy Coat took less than 2 hours from start to finish.

Thank you to everyone here on the Journal for the help and to Christine at Epoxy-Coat and Fred at Alpha Garage for his help with the Integraflex!

The Garage:

First step: Diamond grind & Acid Etch the floor:

Step Two: Pressure wash floor and let dry for 4 days

Step Three: Ingraflex goes down on the expansion joints:

Step Four: Epoxy Time!

Final Product:

Thanks everyone for looking!
Morgan

 

[Michal]

Very Nice! Was the tape easy to get up with the epoxy on it?

 

[TheBanker]

Awesome job!!!! Looks great!

 

[eraugrad04]

Very Nice! Was the tape easy to get up with the epoxy on it?

The tape came up very easy. We pulled it shortly after applying the coating. However, it did bleed through quite a bit. I will have to put a wire wheel on the drill and do some cleanup along the line.

 

[eraugrad04]

Awesome job!!!! Looks great!

Thanks!

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

Looks excellent AND like a LOT of work.

Dumb question: If you fill the expansion joints, isn't the concrete still going to crack over time and then that will show through the epoxy?

 

[AlphaGarage]

Looks excellent AND like a LOT of work.

Dumb question: If you fill the expansion joints, isn't the concrete still going to crack over time and then that will show through the epoxy?

Often the expansion joints do most of their work in the first few months after the pour, that's when the concrete does the bulk of its curing and is likely to shrink. Of course shifting, ground settling etc can occur after that, so there may be further movement along the joints.

What would be great to have is a product theat can fill the cracks, cure hard, but still maintain some flexibility, a product like IntegraFlex. After it's cured it will retain up to 50% elongation. If the two sides of the crack shift a bit, the IntegraFlex will spread that movement around over its surface, so instead of having, say, 1/8" movement along a sharp dividing line, that 1/8" is spread out across an inch or so of surface area. If there are coatings on top that also have a degree of flexibility it's less likely that a visible crack will develop.

 

[sgrammel]

off topic question...why is one wall(left) only studs?

 

[Michal]

Just a guess based on my previous house... The two sheet-rocked walls are insulated, they had to cover the insulation up. The other wall is to the outside, no insulation, no cover needed. Saves $.

 

[Ch3No2]

I am going to say it is a common wall to the liveable area and yes it is insulated and has to be drywalled and fire taped due to the fact it's a "fire wall". Here in Ca the door would have to be a fire rated door too.

 

[eraugrad04]

I am going to say it is a common wall to the liveable area and yes it is insulated and has to be drywalled and fire taped due to the fact it's a "fire wall". Here in Ca the door would have to be a fire rated door too.

Bingo. The builder wanted $2300 to insulate, drywall and tape that wall. It is on my long list of home projects!

 

[mo2872]

2300 for that one wall?? Wow....didn't pay that much to insulate/rock/tape my whole project. DIY time! Floor looks great! Just finished acid etching mine.

 

[iceman536]

I insulated and drywalled my unfinished wall. I think the insulation was under $100, as was the drywall. Throw in some tape and mud and incidentals and I would guess I did it for $300. I don't remember what the builder wanted to do it (I lived with it for the last 10 years) but I am sure it was friggin' outrageous. The last thing I am doing is the floor, I coated and flaked yesterday. I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[funk74]

Wow, Your floor looks great.

Over a year ago, we had tried to do the epoxy thing in our garage, but 1/3 of the way through it all (about 20 mins) all of the epoxy became real hard. the 1/3 that we did finish looked pretty good, but now it looks horrible in our garage since it's unfinished.

I think I'm just gonna get some racedeck put in. Don't know if i'll somehow try and take the old epoxy off first though.

But congrats on your floor. looks like a pro job.

 

[z28toz06]

Nice job. 2 questions. how much did those knee pads set you back! and did you wear more than a dust mask for the epoxy coat process.

 

[eraugrad04]

Nice job. 2 questions. how much did those knee pads set you back! and did you wear more than a dust mask for the epoxy coat process.

Those knee pads were EXPENSIVE!! Let me tell ya!

I wore just the dust mask. We got the better ones that "claim" to handle the finer dust like the stuff created by the grinder. It did ok, but if I were to do it again, I would belly up and get the respirator.

 

[rugerlady]

Floor looks great, thanks for posting the pics!

 

[Interex]

Very nice! Did you apply a clear coat or no?

 

[jayoldschool]

Why are there expansion joints in such a small pad?

 

[rikmeister]

nice job i like it

 

[jake26]

Did you have to sand because of the curing agent or because it is a requirement for EpoxyCoat? I thought only a chemical bath was necessary for the epoxy?

 

[Call me the Breeze]

Looks very nice

 

[Vortexan]

Very nice job! I like it!

 

[rugerlady]

Did you have to sand because of the curing agent or because it is a requirement for EpoxyCoat? I thought only a chemical bath was necessary for the epoxy?

In this case the floor had a sealer on it. You need to remove any sealant by diamond grinding. Since he used the diamond grinder he did not have to use the acid. Either method is acceptable. Diamond grinding is the preferred method of preparation.

 

[dodgepolara500]

looks very nice! I love the action shot of the girl throwing the flakes into the air. She did a nice job for a very even dispertion. If I was to add them, it would be light like you did.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

Nice job. Have a cold one!

 

[jake26]

In this case the floor had a sealer on it. You need to remove any sealant by diamond grinding. Since he used the diamond grinder he did not have to use the acid. Either method is acceptable. Diamond grinding is the preferred method of preparation.

Thanks! I am planning on doing my floor in the near future. It is a 10 year old floor with no sealer or finish. Could I get away with an acid wash or would I need to do a grinding?

Didn't mean to steal your thread but curious minds ya know

 

[Motown 454]

It looks great nice job.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Thanks! I am planning on doing my floor in the near future. It is a 10 year old floor with no sealer or finish. Could I get away with an acid wash or would I need to do a grinding?

Didn't mean to steal your thread but curious minds ya know

Most likely an acid etch will profile the floor adequately.

 

[reb162]

What base color and flake color did you use from Epoxy coat...it looks real good. Also, what coverage of flakes did you buy?
Thanks