Legacy Industrial Hellfire Concrete Coating install/observations

[Leevon]

Hello, I wanted to share my experience with Legacy Industrial's Hellfire Concrete Coating. I was not asked to share this nor did I receive anything for it. I have just been browsing the flooring forum long enough to know that information in every thread and post is helpful when you're looking for the big picture so this is my payback.

I chose Hellfire over other floor options for two main reasons: durability and ease of installation. My garage is mainly for parking daily drivers and classics but will also serve some repair and restoration duties and has a wash bay. So the floor will see snow and salt, fluids from the classics, and occasional abuse from tools. I did not want to do any mechanical prep and wanted to be able to apply in one day once prep was done.

My prep included one day of washing and removing drywall mud, paint and concrete slag and another day of acid washing, scrubbing and drying. I made a list of all the tools and supplies I thought would be necessary. I also bought the tool kit from Legacy which was a good decision. The three 18" rollers, three 18" heavy plastic trays and mixing wand were the highlights for me. I used the small brushes for tool cleanup only and used my own 3" brushes for cut in. I did not use the small rollers. The 18" roller frame was a necessity but was somewhat clumsy and came apart a few times (it's adjustable) but I was glad to have it, no complaints with the tool kit. It was very well packaged and thought out. I would consider shoe cover booties to be essential, they allow you to make less impact on the floor's tacky areas when applying your second and third coats. Also have plenty of towels or rags on hand. Get some butcher paper for a staging area, and use Xylene or Acetone for cleanup (I chose Acetone).

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[Leevon]

I had my finishers avoid "burning in" the floor. They left more texture (trowel marks) than I would have preferred but it made for a surface with good bite. I really just etched it for insurance and Hellfire probably would have applied fine without as water quickly absorbed into the surface.

My first impressions of the product were that it reminded me exactly of the testor's model paint and thinner we used when we were kids. If you ever built models you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's pretty noxious and I would not used this in an enclosed space without a plan. It's very thin, but it lays out nicely into cracks and rough surfaces. It was very easy to cut-in the edges and control joints. Wear gloves! Keep acetone close by!

I estimated 10 gallons of product for my 1150 sf garage, based on coverage rates assuming I'd have a buffer of about 1.5 gallons. Legacy did the calcs and came up with the same number. I ended up using only about 6.5 gallons. I'm not disappointed that I over-bought at all, it just confirms to me that Hellfire is actually more affordable than advertised..

The first coat, even though my floor was porous and rougher than usual ran at least 400sf coverage. The first coat is UGLY! Don't be alarmed. The second coat is half ugly. And the third coat is what you were expecting. I bought the "citadel" coloring but in the end decided not to use it. I was just not confident enough to mix several gallons together and apply them before pot life expired. I also didn't want to try and color the cut-ins and then match or mix again three coats later, too much risk.

Hellfire wound up having a longer pot life than I expected (no issues in an hour) but with wait time between coats I didn't save any product that was already poured. Product left in the pan was workable over two hours later but that would be dependent on humidity, temp etc. I have heard of folks having much shorter pot life, which I was prepared for. I also used ultra fine non skid in the final coat, there was nothing notable about that except I winged the quantity and only mixed in the last two gallons.

It rolls out easy, just make sure to back roll the final coat. I had zero issues during the rolling except the roller cage, and a little learning curve and roller loading. It's nothing like latex paint but it's easy to get the hang of.

Second coat:

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Third (final) coat:

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[Leevon]

I'm pleased with Hellfire. For anyone wanting a low to mid-range budget floor coating that will take all the abuse you can give it, this seems to fit the bill. I will report back after some use!

 

[Racy2]

Very nice detailed report! Looks really nice too!

 

[casmurbax]

Very nice detailed report! Looks really nice too!

x2

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Excellent and thanks for using our product!

 

[Shea]

Fantastic install!

 

[Leevon]

Thanks all! Three days later and it's a working floor again with no worries. Parked a filthy zero turn on it, construction traffic, etc.

 

[DSM_PWR]

I had my finishers avoid "burning in" the floor. They left more texture (trowel marks) than I would have preferred but it made for a surface with good bite. I really just etched it for insurance and Hellfire probably would have applied fine without as water quickly absorbed into the surface.

My first impressions of the product were that it reminded me exactly of the testor's model paint and thinner we used when we were kids. If you ever built models you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's pretty noxious and I would not used this in an enclosed space without a plan. It's very thin, but it lays out nicely into cracks and rough surfaces. It was very easy to cut-in the edges and control joints. Wear gloves! Keep acetone close by!

I estimated 10 gallons of product for my 1150 sf garage, based on coverage rates assuming I'd have a buffer of about 1.5 gallons. Legacy did the calcs and came up with the same number. I ended up using only about 6.5 gallons. I'm not disappointed that I over-bought at all, it just confirms to me that Hellfire is actually more affordable than advertised..

The first coat, even though my floor was porous and rougher than usual ran at least 400sf coverage. The first coat is UGLY! Don't be alarmed. The second coat is half ugly. And the third coat is what you were expecting. I bought the "citadel" coloring but in the end decided not to use it. I was just not confident enough to mix several gallons together and apply them before pot life expired. I also didn't want to try and color the cut-ins and then match or mix again three coats later, too much risk.

Hellfire wound up having a longer pot life than I expected (no issues in an hour) but with wait time between coats I didn't save any product that was already poured. Product left in the pan was workable over two hours later but that would be dependent on humidity, temp etc. I have heard of folks having much shorter pot life, which I was prepared for. I also used ultra fine non skid in the final coat, there was nothing notable about that except I winged the quantity and only mixed in the last two gallons.

It rolls out easy, just make sure to back roll the final coat. I had zero issues during the rolling except the roller cage, and a little learning curve and roller loading. It's nothing like latex paint but it's easy to get the hang of.

Second coat:

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Third (final) coat:

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It has a bright sheen. Is the floor still wet by chance? I am looking for more of a matte finish and some other pictures I’ve seen with Hellfire coating have less reflection. Any ideas?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

It has a bright sheen. Is the floor still wet by chance? I am looking for more of a matte finish and some other pictures I’ve seen with Hellfire coating have less reflection. Any ideas?

Generally very satin.
Add our HDGRIP Soft-Skid, ultra-fine.
It has matting effect.


Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[TomcoPDR]

Beauty

 

[unknownroad]

But does it play a badass heavy metal riff every time you step on it?

I mean, it seems like that would get old after a while, but I'd honestly be kinda disappointed if I paid money for a floor coating called "Hellfire" and it didn't?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

But does it play a badass heavy metal riff every time you step on it?

I mean, it seems like that would get old after a while, but I'd honestly be kinda disappointed if I paid money for a floor coating called "Hellfire" and it didn't?

LOL! No Riff, but if you call the office, Scotty will play you Hotel California on his acoustic!!

 

[Leevon]

Here's what the floor looks like after a couple of weeks of use. It's not shiny like the final coat photos, but silver like chrome spray paint. There is some splotchiness in a few spots which doesn't bother me. The ultra-fine soft skid definitely darkened? or at least flattened the final coat so in those areas and edges where we only cut-in the first coat there is some difference. Again, for me its a working floor that looks just fine, not winning any beauty contests. But I'm happy!

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[justnutsandbolts]

Do you have updated pictures? Just started mine. Is your final coat clear?

 

[RangerSVT]

Also curious to see follow up on how this is holding up after a few months of abuse.

 

[Mthomas1686]

Looks great. And its now protected from staining!

 

[Motocrossx23]

Any updates on this?

 

[endofwed]

would also like an update if your still around!