Has anyone used RockSolid Floors?

[BL50]

This is from the current issue (September 2010) of The Family Handyman magazine:

Garage floor envy. This coating is not only drool-worthy, but also a reasonably priced and durable, DIY-friendly product that dries in a day. RockSolid Floors' polyurea multilayer garage floor coating system is similar to epoxy floor paint, but the company claims it's four times tougher. Polyurea has been used in commercial coating applications for 25 years. The kits include a polyurea primer coat, polyurea, decorative chips and a clear topcoat. Each kit covers 250 sq. ft. The partial chip version costs $299, and a full-chip ad-on kit costs an additional $249. It's available in six colors at selected Lowe's stores, lowes.com and rocksolidfloors.com

I've searched RockSolid on this forum but have come up mostly with warnings against using polyurea. I can't imagine the manufacturer would market a kit to the DIY market that is difficult or dangerous to work with ... that's why I would like to hear from someone who has actually used the product. I'd also like to know what "four times tougher" than epoxy means.

Thanks for any info you may be able to provide ... I'm still trying to decide on a product for my year-old garage floor.

 

[TheBanker]

" I can't imagine the manufacturer would market a kit to the DIY market that is difficult or dangerous to work with ... "

Are you sure about that? I think I would stick with the proven epoxy products myself. Have you watched their video?

 

[stevegupnorth]

I've coated 3 garages (2 of mine and one with a friend) with Rock Solid and love it! It is an easy straightforward application process.
When we ordered kits for the most recent garage, we found that the kit had changed...for the better! The coating materials (A side and B side) now come in cool packaging they call a "burst pak". The individual chemicals are already pre-measured into each side of a soft package...with a seam in the middle separating them. all you have to do is roll up the package (like a toothpaste tube) and the center seam opens up allowing the 2 sides to mix. shake it for 2 minutes and pour it out. No cans, no measuring, no mess.
The clear topcoat over the chips mixes the same easy way.
I think Rock Solid is much better than the epoxy coatings I've used in the past. It stays glossy and easy to clean, and the product goes on thicker. I've seen no hint of tire peel or stains.
They also sell an add-on kit of extra chip and topcoat which I would like to try when I find another floor I want to tackle. Then the entire floor will be completely chipped- just like the floors the floor coatings contractors sell for lots of $$$.

 

[BL50]

" I can't imagine the manufacturer would market a kit to the DIY market that is difficult or dangerous to work with ... "

Are you sure about that? I think I would stick with the proven epoxy products myself. Have you watched their video?

I've watched all their videos. Just looking for feedback from someone who's used their product so I can weigh options ... thanks.

 

[Strouty]

I've coated 3 garages (2 of mine and one with a friend) with Rock Solid and love it! It is an easy straightforward application process.
When we ordered kits for the most recent garage, we found that the kit had changed...for the better! The coating materials (A side and B side) now come in cool packaging they call a "burst pak". The individual chemicals are already pre-measured into each side of a soft package...with a seam in the middle separating them. all you have to do is roll up the package (like a toothpaste tube) and the center seam opens up allowing the 2 sides to mix. shake it for 2 minutes and pour it out. No cans, no measuring, no mess.
The clear topcoat over the chips mixes the same easy way.
I think Rock Solid is much better than the epoxy coatings I've used in the past. It stays glossy and easy to clean, and the product goes on thicker. I've seen no hint of tire peel or stains.
They also sell an add-on kit of extra chip and topcoat which I would like to try when I find another floor I want to tackle. Then the entire floor will be completely chipped- just like the floors the floor coatings contractors sell for lots of $$$.

How long have you worked for them?

 

[JD in DFW]

You will need to have all your ducks in a row and then some.... Polyurea's are very and I mean very fast pot life's to them. If the temp is up and theirs even a hint of humidity in the air you have 15-20 min to get the stuff spread out, rolled out and then getting your chips broadcast into the coating. I would never ever recommend a Polyuera to a DIY as a coating for him to put down and work with. if you don't have a process and know what you are doing you can easily go through and ruin a few hundred dollars worth of product real quick.

I wounder if Rocksolid is selling a dumbed down version to the DIY and calling it a Polyurea...have seen it done before by so called coating manufactures...one used to troll these boards quite a bit.

 

[carolyny476]

You will need to have all your ducks in a row and then some.... Polyurea's are very and I mean very fast pot life's to them. If the temp is up and theirs even a hint of humidity in the air you have 15-20 min to get the stuff spread out, rolled out and then getting your chips broadcast into the coating. I would never ever recommend a Polyuera to a DIY as a coating for him to put down and work with. if you don't have a process and know what you are doing you can easily go through and ruin a few hundred dollars worth of product real quick.

I wounder if Rocksolid is selling a dumbed down version to the DIY and calling it a Polyurea...have seen it done before by so called coating manufactures...one used to troll these boards quite a bit.

Thanks you for the reply.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I like Strouty's reply.

 

[nixapatfan]

My brother used it in his garage a couple of months ago. It looks and feels solid as far as I can tell, it's a nice thick coating. He did mention it started to harden up fast only had about 30 minutes to spread it out, but he did do it when it was very hot and humid out.

 

[swimmr]

Well shoot. I realize these are old threads, but here's a DIY guy with a touch of common sense that just wants to talk to other DIYers that have already done their garage floor surfaces, epoxy/polyurea or otherwise. And instead, I find that I can't trust a thing because it's full of people accusing each other of being in the industry and promoting their product and slandering the other product or person (occasionally with bad language). After hours and days of reading I have gotten nowhere. It's a shame for 'The Garage Journal'.

You are going to kill this otherwise wonderful site and us consumers will go elsewhere and leave you to bicker alone. You ruined a good thing. Have fun and sleep well.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Single Poster, bad language is not allowed here.
Everyone has an equal share and voice including you.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Well shoot. I realize these are old threads, but here's a DIY guy with a touch of common sense that just wants to talk to other DIYers that have already done their garage floor surfaces, epoxy/polyurea or otherwise. And instead, I find that I can't trust a thing because it's full of people accusing each other of being in the industry and promoting their product and slandering the other product or person (occasionally with bad language). After hours and days of reading I have gotten nowhere. It's a shame for 'The Garage Journal'.

You are going to kill this otherwise wonderful site and us consumers will go elsewhere and leave you to bicker alone. You ruined a good thing. Have fun and sleep well.

In order for any forum to be effective, it has to have the right mix of customers and industry people. Those of us in the industry have an obligation to be truthful and to post advice for the benefit of the consumer. Are there some people on any forum who claim to be customers and they are really working for someone --sure! BUT you're going to find that anywhere. Most of us have our signatures in our posts so people know exactly who we are. Some of us will disagree sometimes and most of us have been guilty at one point or another of saying something we should not. That said, I have seen this forum over several years now give consistently good advice. Keep an open mind and look at the forum as a whole. I am sure you will be impressed.

 

[1967marti]

I'm going to go with the rocksolid floor or maybe legacy for my new floor (had epoxy but it failed on me ) I don't think legacy has a colored poly product so thats why im leaning towards rocksolid. I have heard you have to be quick with the product (faster than epoy anyway) but if you do your prep-work ahead of time you should be fine... I think its a positive point towards poly that it cures so fast as you can be back in your garage with your toys faster (I don't feel like leaving all my tools and toys outside the garage for a week before I can roll them back in). Maybe the fast cure time doesn't allow it to leach into the concrete? i can't find any real negatives to rocksolid's product.

 

[Cruzin90]

If RockSolid's product is 100% solids, then the pot life should be about 20 minutes or so. They may have added some solvent (90% solids, 10% solvent) to their product which will give you a longer working time.

 

[thegarageguy]

I doubt it's 90%...probably more like 40 to 60 % solids......unfortunately my google searches only bring up msds, no product data sheets to help confirm anything.

 

[thegarageguy]

My bad, just found it...says 90%

 

[Garage Flooring]

According to the website you have about 20 minutes to work with the product and it is 90% solids. They do have a few different types of product so have a closer look at the website.

Tried to upload the install instructions, even after reducing the size it was too big for the forum. I found those here https://www.rocksolidfloors.com/product-instructions/blog.html

*** I do not sell and I am not affiliated with RockSolid Floors ***

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Our PolyAspartic is available in many colors.
It comes in steel cans too.

Link: http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/legacy-xtreme-aspartic-coating-p-107.html

 

[Cruzin90]

My bad, just found it...says 90%

I think the max solvent for polyaspartics is going to be 15% which is unlike epoxies.

 

[1967marti]

I remember reading on a review or forum that more than a few people were told by rocksolid to add 10% acetone to both the clear and color coats to add application time. Someone said it left their clearcoat sticky (but it could have been a bad batch too?)

I never noticed that legacy had the colored poly coatings... I'm trying to do my floor for under 300$ with a single color coat (400sq feet) so I don't think i'll be able to go for the legacy poly coating :-(

Speeking of poly-coatings can you just poar it out on the floor and roller it around till everything is coated to allow it to "fill" some of the slighty low spots or would it be a multi-application job to build up a thick coat?

 

[Cruzin90]

No, you should not add acetone. Xylene (Xylol) is the most common solvent for a polyaspartic.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Our PolyAspartic is available in many colors.
It comes in steel cans too.

Link: http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/legacy-xtreme-aspartic-coating-p-107.html

We'll if I was a DIY customer I would certainly want to purchase from someone who actively supports not only their product but everyone elses general epoxy questions.

 

[Todd.Brock]

Agreed. I appreciate Legacy and others involvement on the board. I saw Legacy aspartic product in 1.5 gallons and 3. The 1.5 is based on so many mils at 150 sq ft. And half the mils for300 sq ft. In regards to pot life, should I get two smaller kits to do a 400 sq ft garage?

 

[Jonnie]

test

 

[Jonnie]

I just finished with a 1500 sq ft installation of the RockSolid base coat and top coat. A week and a half of prep work... mechanical grind, 12 gallons of muriatic acid, the six quarts of safe etch that comes in the kits and a belt sander used on all edges to insure adhesion. I washed, rinsed and squeegeed four times and the set the dehumidifier up for 5 days until it pulled almost no moisture. I swept and vacuumed before the application. I rolled the base coat and my wife tossed chips. It all looked pretty good at this point. 7 hours later I started to apply the top coat. I noticed some ares of high gloss and some areas that looked dull but didn't think much of it at this point. It sat uninterupted for three days. I came home today to see the floor and noticed the same sheen issue, areas of tiny air bubbles almost like goose bumps, two raised areas the size of a quarter and were soft and one lifted edge about 2". I called RockSolid and asked for help. They did seem concerned. They asked for scanned copy of reciepts, UPC codes from top coat boxes and pictures. I was told a tech would review and call me tomorrow with a solution. My opinion is that there was a chemical reaction when the top coat was applied because the floor was very satisfactory before the top coat. Just hope I don't get the blame game saying that the prep work was inferior because I spent a lot of time doing it right. Will post results of tomorrows discussion.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Jonnie:
Please post some pics, there are some really good guys on the forum that will give an unbiased opinion/comment but it's difficult to diagnose without the pics.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Agreed. I appreciate Legacy and others involvement on the board. I saw Legacy aspartic product in 1.5 gallons and 3. The 1.5 is based on so many mils at 150 sq ft. And half the mils for300 sq ft. In regards to pot life, should I get two smaller kits to do a 400 sq ft garage?

Todd:

You can purchase the larger volume and split the kit to save some money. Keep in mind that PolyAspartic can be rolled out thin or thick that is why it's hard to give a tight range of coverage for this product.

I would apply the first coat tight, thin and the second should go down thicker. 300 sq ft. per gal for the first coat and 150 sq ft per gal for the topcoat should be your goal. You can stretch your budget by using our Standard epoxy sealer as a primer, 300 sq ft. per gal coverage and topcoat with the poly at the 150 sq ft. per gal.

Hope this helps.

 

[Fullback66]

Does anyone have pictures?

 

[dlc]

Does anyone have pictures?

Yes I do:

 

[JamesG4381]

Well shoot. I realize these are old threads, but here's a DIY guy with a touch of common sense that just wants to talk to other DIYers that have already done their garage floor surfaces, epoxy/polyurea or otherwise. And instead, I find that I can't trust a thing because it's full of people accusing each other of being in the industry and promoting their product and slandering the other product or person (occasionally with bad language). After hours and days of reading I have gotten nowhere. It's a shame for 'The Garage Journal'.

You are going to kill this otherwise wonderful site and us consumers will go elsewhere and leave you to bicker alone. You ruined a good thing. Have fun and sleep well.

Dito

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

In order for any forum to be effective, it has to have the right mix of customers and industry people. Those of us in the industry have an obligation to be truthful and to post advice for the benefit of the consumer. Are there some people on any forum who claim to be customers and they are really working for someone --sure! BUT you're going to find that anywhere. Most of us have our signatures in our posts so people know exactly who we are. Some of us will disagree sometimes and most of us have been guilty at one point or another of saying something we should not. That said, I have seen this forum over several years now give consistently good advice. Keep an open mind and look at the forum as a whole. I am sure you will be impressed.

This response has been copied from an earlier post made by Justin Krauss of garage flooring LLC.

 

[Fullback66]

Does anyone put the coating on the inside garage foundation?

 

[dcs Inc]

Does anyone put the coating on the inside garage foundation?

It's done all the time. A little trickier to do but really sets off an floor finish. The quick and easy is to just get out a good brush and a 6" donut roller and apply very thin. If base coating with a pigmented epoxy and the flakes, I would do the block foundation first with protection on the floor. Once done do the floor. Cove base is another application but way too hard to explain and do. gene

 

[Fullback66]

I see Menards sells this product.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Flat masonry paint tinted the same color as your base coat. Inexpensive and looks great.

 

[dcs Inc]

Flat masonry paint tinted the same color as your base coat. Inexpensive and looks great.

I guess they could "paint" little spots in it to mimic the flakes too. Do you offer the masonry paint in a gloss?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Gene:

Most of the stem walls here in the East are either porous block or poured foundation wall. Either way they are not smooth or particularly handsome. This lends itself to a flat material, not highlighting the imperfections.

My guys will pickup a few gallons of masonry paint from the local home store, have it tinted and away we go.

If the customer is looking to wash vehicles in his garage or is after the gloss look we will go ahead and add (2) coats of waterborne thin mil on the block in lieu of the paint.

The pic below shows a floor we recently completed, the customer picked a darker color for the block.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Tomorrow, when it's dry.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Close-Up

 

[-JP]

I have and I would not recommend anyone use their product.
Check out my post on the application of their product... http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88946