Is diamond grinding a "need" with epoxy flooring?

[radchad3]

Hello all! I am looking for a floor solution and have been researching for a awhile now. I really love the racedeck tiles but they are just really expensive and I am just not sure if I am going to be able to swing it financially. I have also looked at the epoxy flooring and I like them alot! The price is a little more in line as well. Couple of things concern me. Is a diamond grinder a necessity with epoxy flooring? I have heard with u-coat-it that it is not needed. I would like to go with Epoxy-coat or Armor Chip by by Armorgarage with a top coat but didn't know if this was needed. The time required to rent/haul/use it may be the deal breaker.

Also, I have heard muriatic acid fumes can be really bad for metal. I have the Gladiator shelving units on my garage wall. Do I need to take those down? I really hope I don't need to!

And finally, do I need a top coat on the floor? I think it is extra at epoxy coat but I am more than willing to apply it if it makes the floor more durable and longer lasting.

Thanks again for your advice! I am looking forward to having my floor done soon!

Chad

 

[GarageEnvy]

I used Epoxy Coat and their instructions say diamond grinding is preferred and recommended for commercial applications. They also will tell you that a top coat is not required. I found they were the only vendor not recommending a top coat with flakes. I had brand new concrete with no oil stains but some drywall mud. I went ahead and did the grinder. After 30 hours (three 10 hour days) on 1800 square feet it was still far from perfect. Plenty of blotchy low spots and quite a few grinder swirls where it would cross expansion joints. It was also ridiculously loud and dusty. I did all that to avoid introducing water to the floor. In the end I had to use the acid etch and rinse. Basically 7 hours of moderate effort that was quiet and cheap. In hindsight with new concrete I would have just etched and skipped the grinder. Sounds like you have existing concrete. With stains I'd work those areas pretty hard. I'd definitely recommend the top coat. These better quality epoxies are good but far from bullet proof. They will scratch and scuff and it's just one additional layer.

 

[radchad3]

Thanks GE for the response. Yes, I do have existing floors and they do have a reasonable amount of dirt/oil on them. You said that you would "work these areas pretty hard" did you mean go over them several times with the etching solution or go ahead with the grinder? Thanks! Chad

 

[pat123]

What top coat do you recommend?

 

[radchad3]

I would also like to know. I think some companies offer a clear epoxy or polyurea top coat.

 

[Irondrive]

We use either an epoxy top coat (interior only), a urethane or a polyaspartic.
You can use either of the three, check with your basecoat manufacturer for their specifications and compatibility.
Keep in mind that polyaspartic/polyurea is not that user friendly. Very short pot life so if you're not fast, you may have $100 of material get hard in your bucket.

Good luck.

 

[GarageEnvy]

Before anyone thinks I'm the authority on epoxy floors, keep in mind I've done one floor. There are quite a few actual floor installers on here with far more knowledge and experience. However, when I said work those areas hard, I'd start with a degreaser and maybe a pressure washer and really etch that spot until it stopped foaming. When I ground my floor I first used an Edco grinder and it was a complete POS. It dropped a small spot of grease in one spot. I probably spent 30 minutes just messing with that one inch spot. I switched grinders by the way. Christine from epoxy-coat will probably chime in but they have a clear epoxy and a polyurea. I went with the polyurea because of sun exposure with my garage. I'd just stick with whatever the manufacturer recommends and not mix and match. If you do flakes, I'd recommend a top coat.

 

[jeepmattb]

I'm new here and thinking of doing my floor with epoxy. It is a simple two car garage and there a few small oil drips...no more than a half dollar size...lets say about two dollars worth total. I was planning on hitting those with my soda blaster, then simple greening the floor, and then applying the epoxy kit. Is this an economical/ viable option? The previous owner covered the whole floor with household latex paint, most of which has come up now. I don't know what he was thinking other than a cheap easy way to sell the house.

 

[rmchrgr]

The previous owner covered the whole floor with household latex paint, most of which has come up now. I don't know what he was thinking other than a cheap easy way to sell the house.

X2! I'm in the exact same situation.

 

[jeepmattb]

In the back corner I have a small 6'x6' workspace for my bikes. I will start a new thread next week when I'm done with that makeover. I am considering for that small are of using black or graphite looking pavers on the floor instead of epoxy. I'm sure welding and grinding back there won't be good for the finish.

 

[Hammerdown]

Diamond grinding is a recommended treatment for most epoxy coatings. This "scarification" of the floor will create more surface area through its rougher texture, which will enable an epoxy coating to get a good bond. Some epoxies are somewhat thick (by coating standards), and if you choose a system that is high build, typically referred to as 100% solids, a grinding or scarification of the floor would help it out in getting better adhesion than to a smooth surface.

The acid fumes can be strong and overpowering if you use the acid straight to the concrete. Most times you would dilute the acid with water to be able to spread it out better and not "burn" or over-etch a particular area, which could cause the concrete to become powdery or brittle. I don't think you'd have anything to worry about with the gladiator system, although wiping them down with an oily rag before and after would help ensure this.

I would recommend using a top coat of the floor you choose, especially if you are using a decorative flakes system. The top coat will seal them in so the flakes don't sit on the surface collecting dirt or being worn off.

Ucoatit, Armorchip & Epoxycoat all recommend a top coat for the flake systems. It adds to the thickness and overall durability of the coating system, so I'd say if you're going to go that far, go all the way!

I assume you researched each companies website to see what you needed, so maybe a call to each will help you answer any other questions or concerns you have.
Happy hunting and good luck!

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

These fellas all have it right.

Choose your poison, etch or grind. Don't do anything and the word "peely" will have new meaning for you.

Wrap your shelves in a good plastic sheeting (visqueen) to protect from the acid.

There is plenty of advice on this site if you search the threads.

Good luck.

 

[Cruzin90]

Keep in mind that polyaspartic/polyurea is not that user friendly. Very short pot life so if you're not fast, you may have $100 of material get hard in your bucket.

Good luck.

If the polyaspartic is solvent free, you can usually add xylol (xylene) up to about 15% to increase working time.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Also, there are other chemicals that can profile the floor beside muriatic acid. Along with being non-corrosive to your metal cabinets, they have far less fumes and are less toxic, in fact they are non HazMat.

We stock 2 types, a low viscosity formula (like muriatic acid requires neutralizing) and a gel form (can be neutralized with just water), with both a high pressure rinse is recommended to remove all traces of dust and laitance.

 

[EOppegaard]

What about a floor that has been previously painted? We bought the house, and it appears the contractor painted all floors with concrete paint. It actually has held up pretty well, no bubbling, however I would like the better look, and durability of an epoxy coated floor.

Can I simply etch and have that remove the paint?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

What about a floor that has been previously painted? We bought the house, and it appears the contractor painted all floors with concrete paint. It actually has held up pretty well, no bubbling, however I would like the better look, and durability of an epoxy coated floor.

Can I simply etch and have that remove the paint?

NO. The "etch" reacts with the lime in your concrete. It will have no effect on paint. Take a short cut here and you will pay more in the long run and be very unhappy.

If you like your painted floor, re-coat over it with another floor paint and call it a day.

 

[rugerlady]

When you have a painted floor, we recommend removing via grinding. If it is a substantial epoxy that you want to refresh or change the color of, you can do that, you will need to rough up the surface first with sandpaper (this is providing that the current coating has good adhesion).
We give you the acid in the kit, but also state that diamond grinding is the preferred method.
We have 2 different types of clear, what type you need depends on the amount of sunlight your space gets.
Just keep in mind that prep is the most important part of the process.

 

[dcs Inc]

One should always profile the concrete, removing everything down to bare concrete with a roughened surface. Many installers will shot blast a floor, many will swirl grind the surface.

Never power wash a slab that you expect to apply epoxy on. You are driving moisture deep into the surface that will cause problems down the road. It could take months and months for that water to finally dissipate out of the concrete.

Acid etching is an option but if the slab has been power troweled really hard (glazed), it may take a full strength application to cut the surface. If anyone has ever stuck their nose over a bottle of muriatic acid full well knows it isn't very friendly to your health. You really need to rinse several times and allow several days for the slab to dry.

The high build 100% solids epoxy has been used for years with opaque coloring, chips and quartz. The newest application is mica flakes. The mica flakes offer a pearl essence finish with a multitude of colors. Another application that is very popular is a metallic shimmering micro powder mixed into the epoxy. This offers a full pallet of artistic expression.

The budget minded customer have been leaning toward a water based vapor barrier epoxy primer coat with a high wear urethane top coat infused with aluminum oxide. This top coat is very scratch and slip resistant. It leaves and eggshell semi-gloss finish and is very hard to scratch. Very chemical resistant too. Material costs for this application can be as low as .65 a square foot. Coloring, additives, will bring the sq. ft. material costs well under a buck a foot. (Less for just a pigmented color tint). Of course prep is everything.

I've been careful not to mention any product names as that's not my intension to hard sell anybody. With our world wide distributorship, we only sell to installers that have attended an application seminar. (Which, for the low cost of the training, it's silly not to learn the proper procedures). gene

 

[425hp]

Spend a little extra time on the prep, it will pay off. I used UCoat It on mine and it turned out great. It didn't have a sealant on top of it, just finished concrete, we used a muriatic acid to etch it, make sure your space is well ventilated, there were a couple of oil spots that simple green and a stiff brush took care of. I also used their top coat which really gives it a nice shine.