Matte epoxy for cracked concrete floor ?

[gjbuilder]

I have a new-ish concrete slab in my barn that was poured about 22 months ago.

Our sections were too big (12x12) and the contractor neither used curing compound nor did he water the slab as it cured - he told me to just spray it down twice daily for the first week and everything would be fine.

As I have learned, this was a recipe for shrink cracks and we have a lot of them. I am very annoyed by them.

My research leads me to believe that an epoxy finish would be a good solution - it would create a new, uniform and crackless surface over the concrete.

HOWEVER, this is not a fancy garage or a nice interior space ... we actually want it to look like concrete.

So my question is, are there epoxy finishes that are matte and end up looking like, essentially, really smooth concrete ?

Thanks.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Matte is weak. Apply a normal system and apply matte wax.

Or go full-flake(better option)


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[gjbuilder]

Matte is weak. Apply a normal system and apply matte wax.

Weak as in, structurally weak ?

Or "weak" as in, you dislike it ?

What we really want is just plain old, unfinished concrete. The problem is, our concrete was dried badly. So I am trying to get something that looks as close to normal concrete as possible ...

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Matte coatings are weaker than gloss. It’s a fact.

Seriously look at full flake. Hides a million sins and looks great!


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[bigjon]

Seriously look at full flake. Hides a million sins and looks great!

I can vouch for that!

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi,
A full broadcast would in fact hide a lot of the sins. Our Designer Gray color for www.armorcladepoxy.com uses 'concrete color' flecks which look great when down.

Another solution is to skim coat over the cracks, and then just seal it with a sealer or Ghostshield, both of which we carry. That would give it the most natural look, and would be easiest to install.

 

[gjbuilder]

I am reviving this old thread because I am on a trip to Europe right now and I saw exactly what I was looking for.

In an older industrial building that had been repurposed as a "maker space" there was a very large concrete floor whose sections were way too big to have never cracked and if you looked closely, you could see that there was a surface applied to it - almost brushed on like thick shellac or something...

But it *looked like concrete*. Not shiny, not a color and had no plasticy or tacky feel to the touch ... it was a finish that actually made it look like a plain old, unfinished concrete floor.

No idea what it was, but it's out there...

 

[Garage Flooring]

I have a new-ish concrete slab in my barn that was poured about 22 months ago.

Our sections were too big (12x12) and the contractor neither used curing compound nor did he water the slab as it cured - he told me to just spray it down twice daily for the first week and everything would be fine.

As I have learned, this was a recipe for shrink cracks and we have a lot of them. I am very annoyed by them.

My research leads me to believe that an epoxy finish would be a good solution - it would create a new, uniform and crackless surface over the concrete.

HOWEVER, this is not a fancy garage or a nice interior space ... we actually want it to look like concrete.

So my question is, are there epoxy finishes that are matte and end up looking like, essentially, really smooth concrete ?

Thanks.

I have a very nice basic epoxy coming out that was tested by forum members the end of last year. We have a micro glass bead additive available that makes it stronger, gives it some texture and makes it a Matte Finish.

With the bead it will cover 250 Sq. Ft. / Gallon / coat with two coats suggested. No clear.

The first coat can be thinned and spread over 400 Sq. Ft. / gallon as a primer


What does the GJ stand for?

 

[gjbuilder]

What does the GJ stand for?

Garage Journal.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I am reviving this old thread because I am on a trip to Europe right now and I saw exactly what I was looking for.

In an older industrial building that had been repurposed as a "maker space" there was a very large concrete floor whose sections were way too big to have never cracked and if you looked closely, you could see that there was a surface applied to it - almost brushed on like thick shellac or something...

But it *looked like concrete*. Not shiny, not a color and had no plasticy or tacky feel to the touch ... it was a finish that actually made it look like a plain old, unfinished concrete floor.

No idea what it was, but it's out there...

Could be a micro-topping. A very thin, troweled resurfacer.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi,
If you want to go with a full broadcast which hides issues well, we offer a very matte topcoat made be Sika for which we are a distributor. Please contact us directly for info. Thanks.