My Floor Plan for The Weekend

[brow318]

I am planning to apply my 1 and half kit of Epoxy Coat to my 550 sq ft. garage this weekend. The process starts tomorrow. Here is my general plan and thanks for any input that you might have.

Thanks...Kevin

Questions
==========================================
E-C recommended that I not install a primer prior to epoxy. Others have stated primer coat helps to smooth things out and reduces potential for bubbles.

I am not using the flakes in the kit but plan to use the anti-skid. Should I add additional anti-skid? Should I substitute in an aluminum oxide anti-skid from local retailer and not mix two products in? Addition of flakes makes it hard for me to see small items dropped on the floor. I have no depth perception on flat surfaces.

Any recommendations on measuring instead of measuring sticks supplied in kit?

Should I mix all of part A together in another container, and mix all of part B into another container? I thought I would do this to get consistent mix of the two parts prior to mixing in the smaller batches when covering floor.


Installation Steps
==========================================
Clear remaining contents from garage
Sweep garage floor
Blow out garage floor with gas leaf blower
Scrub entire floor with degreaser solution and wire brush
Rise floor three times to remove residue from degreaser
Let floor dry for at least six hours
Use Edco Dual Disc grinder with Dymaserts to scuff floor
Rinse entire floor after grinding three times
Let floor dry for 24 hours
Check for residue on floor rinse and dry again as necessary
Validate temp is below 90 and that humidity is five digits below current temp
Start process of applying first coat of epoxy in the evening and work till entire floor is covered
Work in batches allowing me to cover an area within 15ish minutes
Let floor dry for 18 hours prior to foot traffic
Let floor dry for 24-48 hours before heavy items
No vehicles on floor for three days at least

I am planning to paint rough edging below drywall and above floor with standard cement paint (possibly same color as wall later).

 

[Familyof8kids]

With all the data supplied and shared on the site I am understanding WATER is our worst nightmare in concrete when Epoxy is being applied.
Everyone except E-C is saying to apply a primer no exception. With the labels and warranty disclamers that E-C says on almost every item they sale you we should apply a primer because it says clearly in B&W that they are not responsible for bubbles, outgas, etc. Those things can be greatly reduced with a primer coat before Epoxy is applied. If you are going to introduce that much water on the slab during your cleaning cycle I suggest to wait wait wait then use the poor man method to check for moisture in the slab. Tape a sheet of plastic 12x12 minimum on the slab in 4 different areas. Make sure all edges are taped down. Check it after 12-24 hours. If there is any moisture visible under the plastic I would not apply primer or epoxy. You can rent a dehumidifier and run it for 24 hours the day before you apply the primer. After the primer has cured completely you can do the poor man check again. If you can run the dehumidifier during the entire process of primer and epoxy.

That is all I can suggest due to multiple PM's I have received from vendors and other previous installers of E-C and other MFG's of Epoxy. I myself wanted to install the E-C floor on my 2.5 garage but with the tropical storm coming toward TN and our high humidity I will wait till next week so I have a less chance of bubbles.

 

[jordan369]

Good luck. Lots of work ahead.

Mike

 

[brow318]

I'll do what I can to use as little water as possible. Any thoughts on water vs latex primer?

 

[brow318]

Gotta like the fact I got a PM from rugarlady in case I need support on a holiday weekend. That's awesome.

 

[brow318]

First day went well in my plan. I got everything accomplished that I wanted to today. My goal today was to get the garage cleared out, and the floor swept and vac'd really well. Tomorrow I will degrease and clean before I start diamond grinding. Seems a little silly to clean before but The less I have to clean the better I suppose.

I made a stop by local hardware store to pickup the rest of the supplies/tools I needed. One tip I leaned today was to keep a thin bladed wide putty knife in your back pocket while you sweep and vac. It's a great way to look for debris on the floor and scrape it up as you are sweeping.

The entire garage is about 550 square feet. Temps in Dallas are hot enough that I will be pouring epoxy in the late evening. It took be a solid hour to sweep and get the floor through the first pass of cleaning.

Here are some pics from today.

Later...Kevin

 

[miken123]

How'd it turn out..?

 

[brow318]

I'll post some pics later but all looks good 12 plus hours into drying.

 

[brow318]

 

[brow318]

Well I finished the floor last night at about 11:00 PM. It took about about two hours with three of working the project at the same time. One would mix, the other would squeegee, and the other would roll. Two would cut in when pouring mixture to the floor near edges.

The floor was already really dry by about 11:00 this morning. But I waiting until after 6:00 to actually walk on it. I got a little too much antiskid in the middle of the two car garage but it works out okay. That is where daily driver will be getting in and out of the car for my wife.

Some lessons learned:

The Husqvarna PG280 is an awesome machine for grinding. It's an 11 inch grinder with six small bits that insert into the rotating head. It took about three hours to four hours to grind a three car garage. Some of that was just inexperience but I don't see it going much faster. You need a vac to **** up the dust. I used a 5 gallon wet vac but I had to stop and empty several times. With a larger commercial vac it may cut down on time. But it will cost more to rent. My rental was about $225 for the entire weekend. It takes two people to load/unload from a truck. The machine weights about 175 pounds. Also, its electric. You will need at least a 16 gauge extension cord. No less if you are using longer than 25feet of extension cord.

 

[brow318]

Also the most useful tool that I bought was the 24" heavy duty rubber squeegee from Lowes. I used it for almost every step in the process. It was great for sweeping up dust while grinding. I also used it to push water out of the garage after rinsing. The floor was able to dry in 15 minutes with squeegee being used to clear off the bulk of the water.

By using the squeegee during floor grinding it roughed up the edge enough that it made spreading the epoxy paint really easy. You get the hang of it after a few swipes.

I used one full kit and one half kit for my installation. I had enough at the end to do another 10x12 section probably. I could have spread it out a little thicker but I stuck to the mixing instructions as provided in the kit.

The small bucket for the half kit was easier to work with for mixing part A and part B of the Epoxy-Coat. Be sure you use the right mixing stick for the right size bucket and if you are using a single or double batch. Also score the mixing stick with a scribe/ or something on the two lines. After cleaning the mixing stick a couple of times the pen/pencil lines will disappear. Scoring the lines will make sure you can see the lines throughout the process.

Using the small bucket also made it easier to see the lines on the mixing stick. It would have been more difficult had I used the larger 6 gallon bucket.

 

[brow318]

Other Notes:

* Working at night will mean a higher risk of getting bugs into your work. Thank goodness it was not Junebug season.

* I used the buffered acid provided in the kit. I don't think it would have etched the concrete near as well as the grinder. To each his own but in my case the grinder created a better finish.

* Get a large salt shaker or something to help spread antiskid. The aluminum oxide in the kit is pretty coarse. If you want something thinner you can check your local retailer for an alternative. What I found locally was less coarse.

* You gotta have a long extension pole for the roller. No if ands or buts. Invest in a collapsable pole and you want be sorry. Second best tool to use next to squeegee.

* I did not use a primer based on recommendations from rugarlady. My water/vapor and pH test of the slab were well within limits so I was less concerned about potential issues with bubbling. I also waited until it was below 90 degrees and the humidity was about 25% at the time of application. Temp continued to drop another 5-7 degrees over the time of application.

Its hard work. It's like mowing your yard 5-10 times in one shot. Grinding is a beating just because of noise, dust, etc. It's worth the effort but know it's a solid day of prep work. You will be tired. I would also recommend you have some helpers. Otherwise you will be fighting the clock.

 

[brow318]

I can not stress enough that you use the right safety equipment while grinding. I had on eye protection, ear protection (full ear coverage), and gloves. It made a world of difference in comfort while grinding. The Husqvarna machine is completely adjustable to your height. Adjust it until you are comfortable. Otherwise your back will be really sore the next day.

 

[brow318]

Would I do this again?

I probably would. I save about $1K versus what I was quoted from a professional installer. That money is going toward my cabinets which I will get alot of use from. My end result is probably not as "professional". However, I had the time and I don't mind the work. I am also more inclined to do it myself just for the self satisfaction for having achieved the end result. If you don't have the time or you typically like to rush through a project, hire someone. This is not a project you can rush through and cut corners. It's for the detailed oriented person. If you don't usually read instructions when you buy something that has to be assembled, this project is not for you. Anyone can do it. It's an issue of are you going to be happy with the results. If an installer does it you got somebody to push back on if issues come up. Otherwise, it's all on you.

Last but not least, thanks to all those on GJ that have documented the efforts. It was a great help and gave me confidence to do the project. Rugarlady offered her personal cell over the weekend which was great customer support.

All in all, I am very happy.

Stay tuned for my Redline Garage Gear cabinet install as well as my Gladiator walls.

 

[brow318]

After Grinding Pic:

Here is a picture of what the floor looked like after grinding. It's still a little damp in some spots but it gives you an idea of the difference from the before pic.

 

[brow318]

Husqvarna PG 280

Here is the direct link to the grinder: Husqvarna PG 280 - http://www.husqvarna.com/us/construction/products/surface-preparation-products/pg-280/

 

[brow318]

Here is the grinder in action, click on the link below for video. Sorry the sound cut out when I converted and uploaded to Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/72124212@N04/7926479062/

 

[brow318]

Grinding inserts: On the Husqvarna you can insert up to 12 grinding inserts. I used a total of six with three on outside edge and three on inside edge. You might get a better result using 9 or six. It will cost you more to rent those inserts but it might also cut down on the time required to grind.

I used the pink ones.

Here are the diamond tools: http://www.husqvarna.com/int/construction/products/surface-preparation-products/pg-280/#diamondtools

 

[vijay131]

Grinding inserts: On the Husqvarna you can insert up to 12 grinding inserts. I used a total of six with three on outside edge and three on inside edge. You might get a better result using 9 or six. It will cost you more to rent those inserts but it might also cut down on the time required to grind.

I used the pink ones.

Here are the diamond tools: http://www.husqvarna.com/int/construction/products/surface-preparation-products/pg-280/#diamondtools

Your garage looks great!. I know its been a while, do you remember where you rented the Husqvarna PG 280 from?.

 

[brow318]

I rented it from Sunbelt Rental.

 

[vijay131]

I rented it from Sunbelt Rental.

Thanks for the quick response!

 

[kinghong1970]

very nice Brow318... and thank you for documenting your work...

i'm almost ready for my epoxy... and hopefully be able to get some work done by wednesday.

as for your garage, did you apply only one coat of epoxy?

thanks in advance,

Al