Help with removing garage floor paint

[bwilder10h]

I purchased my home last summer and am now ready to do something with the garage. It's a standard 3-car but the idiot that owned the home before me painted the garage with a gray (I believe it paint and not epoxy) paint.

I've tried several different kinds of stripper that take some of it off but not all. Muratic Acid didn't touch it and I'm at a loss on how to get this surface ready for epoxy.

Please help. All the local tool rental place suggested is a 8" wide belt sander.

 

[sjsfire]

I've never used nor seen this kind of tool used but I've read other posts about a "bead blaster" that will remove coatings on your floor prior to repainting. Like I said thats all I know. You might try and search this on something like Google???

 

[wienerwater]

It could be an acrylic, like the Behr garbage. If thats the case, and it isn't lifting at all, stuck good, I would think a simple etching with muriatic acid would be fine, since most enamels/epoxy should stick to it well. If it's not acrylic, etching and epoxy should still work.
A simple test, if you can get a big enough sample off the floor, would be to light it on fire(try to). If it burns good, and smokes black it would probably be oil/epoxy.
You could also see about a primer for the application you want to put down as well.

 

[bwilder10h]

The thing about the stuff is it will not chip off!!! The removers I've tried, the surface layer will bubble in certain areas and you have to work to scrape it off. I'm wondering if I could just go over top of it with a primer and then epoxy.

I'll try to get some photos and post them later...

 

[bmwpower]

If you can't find a bead blaster, go to Home Depot and rent a floor buffer and a bunch of abrasive pads (thick black type...the most abrasive they have). This worked wonders for me. I had overspray around the perimeter of my floor from spraying the walls. I could not get the stuff off. A couple of minutes with the buffer and the stuff was gone! Throw down some water during the process, as it helps keep the pad from disintegrating on bare concrete.

 

[zen garage]

A floor sander with very heavy grit paper should work to remove most of it.