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New Concrete Floor

gmhill33

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Greetings,

I am going to be having a floor poured in a few weeks. What finish do I need to apply epoxy floor covering? Is the epoxy floor system and clear cot that they sell at Home Depot a good kind to use or do yo all recommend something else?


Thanks,
Gary
 
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AlphaGarage

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Greetings,

I am going to be having a floor poured in a few weeks. What finish do I need to apply epoxy floor covering? Is the epoxy floor system and clear cot that they sell at Home Depot a good kind to use or do yo all recommend something else?

For our system on new concrete we recommend asking for a "light broom finish" and no sealer.

There are better options than the big store shelf stuff.

Check out this recent thread.
 

Cruzin90

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You may also want to research polyaspartic flooring. It costs more than epoxy, but generally is a superior product. You can go to YouTube and watch vids of the process, it's very easy to apply.
 

CrashTestDummy

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You can't loose with any of the coverings, IMHO. ANYTHING is better than bare concrete. You will usually get what you pay for, however, and cheap coverings are, well, cheap. The finishes may look good at first, but the cheaper systems won't last as long.

We did the Dry Lok stuff on our old garage floor when we moved into our house 12 years ago (my how the time flies). It's looking pretty rough now, with pull-ups from tires, chipping, and general weathering. It is STILL a LONG WAY from bare concrete. Dirt still easily sweeps up, and spills are pretty easy to clean. It's even nicer to lay on while under the car.

That didn't answer your question, but just make sure you get it coated. Mention to the concrete contractor you are going to coat it, and see how he/she replies. If they seem knowledgeable, you should be okay. If not, recommend the light broom finish listed below. Our shop was done pretty smoothly, and it finished up great.

Search this list for 'epoxy floor' and you will be able to spend those next few weeks reading all the posts. ;-)

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas
 
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AlphaGarage

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You may also want to research polyaspartic flooring. It costs more than epoxy, but generally is a superior product.

Must disagree with that type of blanket statement. Some polyaspartics are great, and they have their place, but there are epoxies that beat them in most characteristics. Understand that Wolverine makes and carries polyaspartics, so this isn't driven by profit motive. Our epoxies, especially for a DIY application, are a better choice most all of the time.
 

Cruzin90

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I looked at your website but did not find any technical data. If I missed it, point me in the right direction. If it's not posted, perhaps you could pick your favorite product and post the tear strength, tensile strength, elongation, taber abrasion, etc. with the ASTM test method.

Thanks!
 

AlphaGarage

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We don't have independent 3rd party tests, the test results I have are in house and private. We do have some product data sheets and of course MSDS info.

I'd say that my "favorite" product is BondTite 1101, our main primer. The full catalog has over 1,000 various coating, most of them use BondTite as the primer. It's extremely versatile, "forgiving," and durable.

There are a couple of posts somewhere in this forum from members who accidentally let some BondTite leak onto concrete that wasn't going to be coated, so the areas weren't profiled, in fact they weren't even cleaned, and the BondTite wasn't properly back rolled. Despite that lack of prep and proper application the BondTite adhered to the concrete. So well that the only way they could remove it was to chisel it off, and even then it came up with concrete still attached.

On another project some BondTite 1101 got between the garage floor pad and the driveway slab. Because of a nasty winter and lots of frost heave the driveway concrete shifted and popped up, but at the joint where the BondTite got between the two slabs of concrete that junction held, and the driveway concrete actually stayed epoxied to the garage slab and broke off behind it.

Review the posts here from BondTite users, notice anything? No lifting or failing at the concrete line. Not from hot tires, not at all.

A contractor I spoke with uses and distributes a lot of stuff for a lot of manufacturers, like most distributors he hates stocking stuff - it sits on the shelf, you pay up front, ties up capital. But as an distributor/installer he always has at least 150 gallons of BondTite, always. He never wants to be in a position where he has a big job and for some reason doesn't have the primer he can depend on.
 
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Cruzin90

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I think it would be a big plus for test results to be public so that potential customers would have a tool to compare products. Test results are important and in some cases, required in order to comply with a spec. Actual test results also sort of justify opinions and allow you to see if you're getting what you think you're paying for.
 
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AlphaGarage

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Most of our products are formulated to solve specific needs, not test results. Only 2% or so of the WCC output is through me, the rest goes to industrial customers. Many of them run their own in-house tests. For example some WCC coatings were spec'd by name for all bids to build a major municipal water treatment facility, that was based on testing done by an independent engineering firm. Likewise our use in the new BMW factory was because their paint department tested and tried out our products first.

Test results might help my marketing, but I certainly don't want to pay for them, and Wolverine seems to be doing very well without them, so we'll soldier on based on the positive results and testimonials from our DIY and commercial users.
 

Cruzin90

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There might be those on the forum that did not realize that ASTM test methods are available for coatings products and to me, if your going to coat your garage (for example), you probably want to do your homework and choose the best product for your needs so that you won't have to re-coat it next year.

For example, if your concern is wear, you would want to choose a product that has a low Taber abrasion result. The test performed by a wheel that spins 1000 times and the the coating is measured to see how much of the coating was worn down. So, if coating A has a .3 mg loss and coating B has a 3.0 mg coating loss, you probably would want to choose coating A. These test methods are very important in the commercial world and you might as well take advantage of them when making your selection.
 
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Will S.

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There might be those on the forum that did not realize that ASTM test methods are available for coatings products and to me, if your going to coat your garage (for example), you probably want to do your homework and chose the best product for your needs so that you won't have to re-coat it next year.

For example, if your concern is wear, you would want to choose a product that has a low Taber abrasion result. The test performed by a wheel that spins 1000 times and the the coating is measured to see how much of the coating was worn down. So, if coating A has a .3 mg loss and coating B has a 3.0 mg coating loss, you probably would want to choose coating A. These test methods are very important in the commercial world and you might as well take advantage of them when making your selection.

So what to do, when this information is not made available? I am very interested in a floor coating which will withstand the weight and tire scrubbing, from parking a 35,000 lb vehicle on one side of my new RV garage. 1725 sf, power-trowled concrete, poured 3 weeks ago. Don't even know where to start.
 

Cruzin90

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Check the manufacturer's website. If they don't have it posted, send an email and request it. They should have the MSDS and a technical data sheet available.
 
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TRC51

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I don't mean to "beat a dead horse", but I recently found this and the second post is a good read. (Note: "PAP" means polyaspartic.):

http://www.decorativeconcreteforums.com/post.php?topic_id=10004459&view=yes



Interesting... but the same thread has this statement:

"With PAPs you got to be meticulous with surface preparation...they are not forgiving."

In which case I would run and hide from PAP. Murphy is a PITA, but he also seems to be right by my side on every project I take on.
 

Cruzin90

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Generally, in the coatings industry, surface preparation is ALWAYS important.
 

gabeancounter

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Cruzin90,
That is some really good info. Can you tell us DIYers about the top items to look for and what they mean? I have seen a few of the sheets and some of the items make sense, but the rest I am clueless.
 

Cruzin90

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cdecker

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If your pouring a new floor, have you considered just having the concrete colored? Thats what I'm going to do with mine this month when its poured. Concrete guy told me it would run $230, plus a $50 truck washout fee. Thats for approx 10 yards (24'x32' floor). Nice thing with doing it this way is that all 4" is colored solid, so if the floor is gouged or chipped, you'll never notice it. Just a thought. $280 is cheaper than most descent expoy kits...
 

Will S.

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If your pouring a new floor, have you considered just having the concrete colored? Thats what I'm going to do with mine this month when its poured. Concrete guy told me it would run $230, plus a $50 truck washout fee. Thats for approx 10 yards (24'x32' floor). Nice thing with doing it this way is that all 4" is colored solid, so if the floor is gouged or chipped, you'll never notice it. Just a thought. $280 is cheaper than most descent expoy kits...


Tinted concrete is still unsealed (porous) concrete, is it not? Still subject to the same problems of untreated concrete, such as oil stains, rust stains, black tire marks, etc.
 
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gmhill33

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You may also want to research polyaspartic flooring. It costs more than epoxy, but generally is a superior product. You can go to YouTube and watch vids of the process, it's very easy to apply.

Where do you buy this at?

Thanks,
Gary
 
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gmhill33

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Oct 5, 2009
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539
Location
Ohio
Greetings,

I am going to be having a floor poured in a few weeks. What finish do I need to apply epoxy floor covering? Is the epoxy floor system and clear cot that they sell at Home Depot a good kind to use or do yo all recommend something else?


Thanks,
Gary

Well I had my floor poured and it didn't turn out the way I wanted. I has a slick finish (which I wanted) but it is wavy in a few spots. I don't know how to fix that so I am hoping that when I do the floor it will conceal it a bit.

Open for suggestions.

Gary
 
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gmhill33

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Ever consider grind/polish and densify?
You could stain it if you desire a color.

Coatings are going the way of the dinosaurs.

What exactly is that? It sounds like a look of work. Most of the time, a lot of work equals a lot of $$$.

Gary
 

texas-saluki

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hmmm... I have been thinking about the polished concrete Does not look that hard


question is how would it hold up to stains
 
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gmhill33

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hmmm... I have been thinking about the polished concrete Does not look that hard


question is how would it hold up to stains

Very time consuming, and wonder what the cost would be when you were finished. It does look good though.
 
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