Mike Michaels
Member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2014
- Messages
- 8
Hi guys, newbee here.
I live in Minnesota and own a 16 year old home. This year the blow-outs in the garage floor finally got to me and I decided it was time to do something before the structural integrity of the floor was endangered. I was not committed to an expensive epoxy coating when I started and I'm still not. I just want my floor to last forty years and not degrade any further.
I perform some auto maintenance and repair in my garage but I am by no means a gear head. I also have a John Deere garden tractor that resides in the garage and attachments that get installed/removed/repaired there. By trade I am a degreed engineer and effectively am a "auto mechanic for computer chips" - I figure out what why they don't work after initial manufacture, test, or fielded use. Similar principles of troubleshooting apply everything is just on a much smaller scale... much smaller.
So weeks ago I started filling blow-outs with a non-acrylic patch compound. Then I spent a weekend with an industrial degreaser and citric cleaner. After about three weeks of the patches curing this past weekend I rented an Edco grinder and made two complete passes over the entire 750 sqft floor with 120 lbs of additional weight on the machine. It looks fantastic and all the patches held. The grinder did reveal a new blow-out that was hidden beneath the original surface. A light tap with a masons hammer and it blew apart. Overall I'm happy with the floor and it's a vast improvement over where it was.
So now the question is where do I go with this project. I have a budget of about $1000. I could spend more but I won't. We all have to draw the line somewhere and my garage is not that important to me. I've read enough to know that I don't want a big box retailer 50% solids water-based epoxy kit. But I'm confused a bit by all the information out there.
First off, let's talk primer. I gather from another thread that a primer is essential in my application and it will reduce the amount of base coat usage. Agree or disagree?
Second: If the primer coat is not disturbed (no usage of the floor), does a primary coat absolutely have to go down in the 7 to 12 hour post-primer period? Could a primary coat go down days later or is it a matter of chemically bonding of the two layers versus getting dust particles on top of the primer layer?
Third: I can be satisfied with as little as 7 mils of a primary coat. Sure, 8 or 9 would be better but for my application I'm primarily concerned with protection from salt and water in the winter time. Could multiple coats of polyurea over a primer coat provide a reasonable level of protection? Could I re-coat with polyurea every few years to maintain a reasonable level of protection?
Fourth: Slip hazards are not welcome. I spend a lot of time clearing snow in the winter with the garden tractor and vehicles bringing in lots of snow, slush, and gook. My garage is insulated and the temperature tends to remain 20F above the outside temperature. That means everything melts as long as the outside temp is above +12F or so - a likely reason why my floor was in such bad shape. I don't care about gloss. I just don't want to break my a$$. What's the maximum load of aluminum oxide or equivalent that can be put on a top coat or surface layer?
It was a mighty long cold winter up here in the Northland and doubly so for me since I moved her from Phoenix twelve years ago. I'm not going for a Garage Majal - I could be satisfied with function over aesthetics. So don't tell me to jackhammer the patches out and start over by filling them with epoxy. That isn't happening. If the floor needs a little maintenance in the future, I'm ok with that.
I appreciate your assistance.
I live in Minnesota and own a 16 year old home. This year the blow-outs in the garage floor finally got to me and I decided it was time to do something before the structural integrity of the floor was endangered. I was not committed to an expensive epoxy coating when I started and I'm still not. I just want my floor to last forty years and not degrade any further.
I perform some auto maintenance and repair in my garage but I am by no means a gear head. I also have a John Deere garden tractor that resides in the garage and attachments that get installed/removed/repaired there. By trade I am a degreed engineer and effectively am a "auto mechanic for computer chips" - I figure out what why they don't work after initial manufacture, test, or fielded use. Similar principles of troubleshooting apply everything is just on a much smaller scale... much smaller.
So weeks ago I started filling blow-outs with a non-acrylic patch compound. Then I spent a weekend with an industrial degreaser and citric cleaner. After about three weeks of the patches curing this past weekend I rented an Edco grinder and made two complete passes over the entire 750 sqft floor with 120 lbs of additional weight on the machine. It looks fantastic and all the patches held. The grinder did reveal a new blow-out that was hidden beneath the original surface. A light tap with a masons hammer and it blew apart. Overall I'm happy with the floor and it's a vast improvement over where it was.
So now the question is where do I go with this project. I have a budget of about $1000. I could spend more but I won't. We all have to draw the line somewhere and my garage is not that important to me. I've read enough to know that I don't want a big box retailer 50% solids water-based epoxy kit. But I'm confused a bit by all the information out there.
First off, let's talk primer. I gather from another thread that a primer is essential in my application and it will reduce the amount of base coat usage. Agree or disagree?
Second: If the primer coat is not disturbed (no usage of the floor), does a primary coat absolutely have to go down in the 7 to 12 hour post-primer period? Could a primary coat go down days later or is it a matter of chemically bonding of the two layers versus getting dust particles on top of the primer layer?
Third: I can be satisfied with as little as 7 mils of a primary coat. Sure, 8 or 9 would be better but for my application I'm primarily concerned with protection from salt and water in the winter time. Could multiple coats of polyurea over a primer coat provide a reasonable level of protection? Could I re-coat with polyurea every few years to maintain a reasonable level of protection?
Fourth: Slip hazards are not welcome. I spend a lot of time clearing snow in the winter with the garden tractor and vehicles bringing in lots of snow, slush, and gook. My garage is insulated and the temperature tends to remain 20F above the outside temperature. That means everything melts as long as the outside temp is above +12F or so - a likely reason why my floor was in such bad shape. I don't care about gloss. I just don't want to break my a$$. What's the maximum load of aluminum oxide or equivalent that can be put on a top coat or surface layer?
It was a mighty long cold winter up here in the Northland and doubly so for me since I moved her from Phoenix twelve years ago. I'm not going for a Garage Majal - I could be satisfied with function over aesthetics. So don't tell me to jackhammer the patches out and start over by filling them with epoxy. That isn't happening. If the floor needs a little maintenance in the future, I'm ok with that.
I appreciate your assistance.
