Garage Project - UCoatIt

[Johnny-J5]

Hello fellow garage enthusiats:

I just moved into this new place and naturally i wanted to upgrade the garage . First thing on the agenda: coat the floor

So here are the results from my recent garage project. I decided to go with the UCoatIt epoxy floor coating.

Light grey base and color coat with the granite flecks. Top coat with UGloss clear coat.

I really like how it came out, i just hope it will hold up to the new england elements.

Base Coat:

Finish Coat:

Close up:

And the car that will reside there:

Next up is to paint the walls. Im thinking white egg shell walls with blue chest stripe. I may do a tri-color with two shades of blue...

 

[Red Car Garage]

Wow looks good, I would have painted the walls first

 

[TrixR4Kids]

Looks like a top notch job. Congrats on the new place.

 

[froggert]

nice bugeye!

 

[GunMoto]

Looks great Johnny...more pics of the ride!

 

[edo]

Nice job. I just completed my floor coating with UCaotIt. I was really happy with the product and its performance.

I did finish taping and painting my walls first but then spent a ton of time getting every last drop of drywall compound and paint off the floor. I think the UCoatIt will be easy to clean then bare concrete.

Erik

 

[bmwpower]

I'm beginning to like those speckled floors more and more. Will probably go with that style for my attached garage.

 

[Johnny-J5]

wow thanks for all the compliments guys! Im glad i shared my project so now others on the board may see the results of DIY flooring.

I will update this thread if i run into any qualms or problems.

If anyone wants any feedback on my procedure or my project im all ears.

 

[Hammerdown]

That floor looks great! You did a good job getting an even distribution of flakes, looks like you had practice. Is this your first floor?
I have used this product previously and have had good success with it, although on my first project I had some clumping of the flakes, making heavy spots.
Nice job.

 

[larry4406]

How do the epoxy floors hold up to sparks from welding, grinding, plasma cutting?

 

[Johnny-J5]

That floor looks great! You did a good job getting an even distribution of flakes, looks like you had practice. Is this your first floor?
I have used this product previously and have had good success with it, although on my first project I had some clumping of the flakes, making heavy spots.
Nice job.

This was the first floor ive done. I did a lot of research of methods and procedures before i even bought the product.

As far as spreading the flecks, first i removed them from teh container and into a bucket. In the bucket, the flecks can be broke up to the appropriate size, then spread. The method that really worked best for spreading was to take small handfulls and throw them at the ceiling as hard as i could (well not really). As they hit the ceiling they would distribute in a even fashion. I found that this method works best with small handfulls. Larger handfulls didnt spread as evenly.

 

[Johnny-J5]

How do the epoxy floors hold up to sparks from welding, grinding, plasma cutting?

Sorry i dont own any of those tools. Maybe someone else can chime in.

 

[Hammerdown]

IMHO epoxy does fairly well with welding spatter if it it done at about waist level. If it is done next to the floor, the splatter will burn and marr the finish. Plasma cutting is a different story, because that IS HOT! I found that it will burn through the coatings even at bench height. I throw down a welding blanket if I am cutting under the car or near the floor where sparks will not have time to sufficiently cool down. Remember to clean up your slag and debris as soon as possible, because it is very aggressive and will scratch the coating and dull it out if walked upon.

 

[Hammerdown]

This was the first floor ive done. I did a lot of research of methods and procedures before i even bought the product.

The results look great, especially for your first time.

 

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

So, if you are going to do some welding would it make sense to just paint your floor with black epoxy ?? They do all your plasma cutting outside??

Just a thought.

 

[Hammerdown]

I wouldn't use black on any floor except a show floor that had hardly any use. Like a black car, a black floor will show dirt more than any other color. If you really like mopping, then use a black floor. If not, I would use gray with the flakes. The flakes help hide dirt and any incidental damage that may occur until you can repair it. Dirt, dust and most debris is more gray than black. If you cut and weld in the same spot, you can help control any damage, and use the welding blanket or someting similar to reduce damage.

 

[67 455 Bird ragtop]

I wouldn't use black on any floor except a show floor that had hardly any use. Like a black car, a black floor will show dirt more than any other color. If you really like mopping, then use a black floor. If not, I would use gray with the flakes. The flakes help hide dirt and any incidental damage that may occur until you can repair it. Dirt, dust and most debris is more gray than black. If you cut and weld in the same spot, you can help control any damage, and use the welding blanket or someting similar to reduce damage.

Good point. But, maybe I can get my wife to mop for me ...... Ouch .. Did I really say that ?????

 

[froggert]

Good point. But, maybe I can get my wife to mop for me ...... Ouch .. Did I really say that ?????

already tried it, didn't work. she already mops/swiffers the rest of the house..

 

[Hammerdown]

If the wife won't do it, (I know I have a hard time cleaning up after myself) I would hire a cleaning service just for the garage floor...seriously! I have seen some great looking black epoxy floors over the years, and when properly maintained, the are some of the best and coolest looking floors ever. When they are not cleaned often they will show every piece of dust, dirt and debris that is on them. I do not really like solid black, but I have seen the UCoat It black with the flakes and the high gloss top coat, and that kicks @55! IMHO.

 

[phy6]

Johnny, are you on NASIOC? Nice bug eye! And nice floor!

 

[awakeinAZ]

I'm beginning to like those speckled floors more and more. Will probably go with that style for my attached garage.

The speckles actually are functional. They provide slip resistance on epoxy when it's wet! For more slip resistance you can move up to aggregate.

 

[Yotaforce]

I wouldn't use black on any floor except a show floor that had hardly any use. Like a black car, a black floor will show dirt more than any other color. If you really like mopping, then use a black floor. If not, I would use gray with the flakes. The flakes help hide dirt and any incidental damage that may occur until you can repair it. Dirt, dust and most debris is more gray than black. If you cut and weld in the same spot, you can help control any damage, and use the welding blanket or someting similar to reduce damage.

I don't know. Has anyone noticed the floor on "Unique Whips"? All black, sort of a satin finish, very classy (especially with Lambos and Ferraris on it) but pretty sure it would look just as good with my beat up 68 C-10 on it!

 

[WolverineCoatings]

Black Floors show EVERYTHING... every little imperfection... We recently had a customer do a black floor where we integrated holographic flake and mirror flake (actual tiny little flakes of mirror)... Anyway... you really need to have something in a black floor to draw your eye to instead of your eye being drawn to every little imperfection in your floor.

 

[save41]

Hey Wolverine Coatings, what is your personal opinion of the U-Coat-It Product from a "long-term quality" perspective??

 

[ceo012384]

Johnny, looks great!

I am trying to decide between ucoatit and the epoxy-coat, since some people seem to say the ucoatit doesn't last as well as advertised.

I have freshley laid concrete... about a month old. However one portion of it is quite rough, and the other, much larger, looks like it was smoothed and then possibly has a sealer put on it. I hope I don't have to grind it down...

 

[WolverineCoatings]

Hey Wolverine Coatings, what is your personal opinion of the U-Coat-It Product from a "long-term quality" perspective??

I think that U-Coat-It has EXCELLENT marketing. Our company has been working to enter the DIY market and I hope that our DIY website and marketing turn out as good! *dodges question... lol...

Now, I'd like to talk about general product quality as it relates to chemistry. When you are searching for a product for your garage floor you should always avoid products that contain water or solvents or any other material that must evaporate. First, when you apply 10 mils of product on your floor, about 1/2 of that will evaporate into thin air. It makes it very difficult to get a good thick protective coating. In addition, if you have divots in your concrete you must choose whether you will simply 'paint' the divots or whether you will alow the product to fill them in and in doing so trap solvent or water in the coating. Almost all waterborne epoxies have problems with yellowing when they are applied too thick and water is trapped in the film. Another reason to avoid these types of coatings on a garage floor is the porous nature of the film due to 'trails' being left during evaporation and curing of the water or solvent. The best way to explain that is that solvent and water evaporate by working thier way to the surface of the coating. The paths they forge through the coating become pours. So, why do you care about that? Let me answer that by giving an example of something I think we can all picture. Imagine that you have to build a deck with 1x12s. What would be stronger... A deck with solid 1x12s or a deck with 1x12s that had 1000 1/8" holes drilled all the way through them? Each pour in your floor is an oportunity to chip away the surface; and opportunity for dirt, oil, and bacteria to eat the floor away, and a path for chemicals (like brake fluid) to travel through the coating and make the interface of the coating at the concrete weak or even eat it away (peeling).

If you had to choose between a waterborne coating or a solventborne coating... in general the solventborne coatings have less pours and higher strength.

There are alot of other reasons to avoid these types of products, but... I'd aggrevate my carpal tunnel if I listed them all!

 

[Hammerdown]

Wolverine Coatings is correct on the basic chemistry of water based epoxies, and I love his diplomacy compared to a lot of people or companies on this website and others. No bashing, just the facts! NICE!!! I have used it and I know their (UCoat It) standard epoxy is a water base, but there high gloss top coat is a solvent based urethane and is a non-porous, UV stable product. Back in the day when I started offering epoxy flooring, I did a LOT of research on the different coatings available at the time. I always compare the specs from the products MSDS, noting which ones have greater adhesion and chemical resistances. I tried the different epoxies and I have personally had more success with this product than certain others, and once I find something I like it's hard for me to change. There are a boatload of new products for the DIY'er on the market now, and you should research and compare products, call the manufacturer with any questions and decide which product is the best for your situation.

 

[save41]

Thanks for the info, Wolverine Coatings... I too appreciate the way you introduced the "facts".. Hammerdown is also correct in his assessment of the U-Coat-it solvent-based UF product.. I ordered their informational package last week, and am continuing to search for any info I can find from folks that have actually used the product.. There is so much propaganda out there which serves to confuse me all the more.. Like everyone else, I just want a quality product that if installed/prepared properly, will last a long, long time..

 

[04 Navi]

Thanks for the info, Wolverine Coatings... I too appreciate the way you introduced the "facts".. Hammerdown is also correct in his assessment of the U-Coat-it solvent-based UF product.. I ordered their informational package last week, and am continuing to search for any info I can find from folks that have actually used the product.. There is so much propaganda out there which serves to confuse me all the more.. Like everyone else, I just want a quality product that if installed/prepared properly, will last a long, long time..

I will after several weeks of use, vouch (sp) for the Wolverine product. It is very durable and thick. One thing though is the tan color that I used is not UV resistant at all. Even with the fall/winter weather there was significant change in the color of the epoxy that is outside the garage door.

Personally I don't have a problem with that, but some of you might. I can't see it being a major problem with the darker colors though.

 

[Woffski]

Looks good man!!!! Nice job.....

 

[Hammerdown]

I will after several weeks of use, vouch (sp) for the Wolverine product. It is very durable and thick. One thing though is the tan color that I used is not UV resistant at all. Even with the fall/winter weather there was significant change in the color of the epoxy that is outside the garage door.

Personally I don't have a problem with that, but some of you might. I can't see it being a major problem with the darker colors though.

With the color change.... you noticed a significant color difference after just a few weeks? Did you apply a gloss coat? I know that all products will color fade in direct sunlight, even ones that are UV stable will after a while, but a few weeks seems soon to me.

 

[XR80David]

At this point in time how is the floor holding up? Does it still look like this picture?

 

[roger55]

At this point in time how is the floor holding up? Does it still look like this picture?

I would like to hear from him again as well now that he has had his floor done for over a year. It does look nice in the pictures.

I did a garage floor at my last house (about 6 years ago) with U-Coat-It and wasn't happy with how it covered or how it held up.

 

[porschedude996TT]

I like the flecks in the base coat, but I feel it would be hard to find that liitle part that drops and rolls on the floor...