new guy here with a few questions

[DoubleAA]

Hey guys,, great site! lots of good stuff here.
I am in the process of putting down epoxy paint on my garage floor. The rust-olem brand 2 part.

so this is what i did for prep. i used zep citrus degrease and a stiff bristled broom. rinsed off and felt like it was not clean enough. so i rented a floor buffer with a scrub pad ( scotch brite pad) and went to town on that with TSP. wow did that ever do the trick. I still have a few dark spots where oil was..

question 1:
should i do more prep.. i have the bond lok product from lowes

question 2: i want to paint the clear over the base color.. how much clear do I need. the same amount as the base color or less?

thanks guys

 

[Edger]

For the oil stains you only need to remove it from the top surface, or just a tiny bit deeper, this is all the detergent will penetrate and it is all the epoxy will penetrate. I used to do very big industrial floors specializing in greasy engineering works and I never had my epoxy lift.

You may not need this explanation after looking at your floor and then again you might. Your degreaser should be used neat on the oil spots and allowed to soak for 10 mins with agitation every so often to get any oil in contact to emulsify - strong alkaline based is best. Vacuum it up and rinse/vacuum twice or thoroughly wash/rinse away.

If the oil spot was wet before you started and has been wet for a long while you will have to be careful to coat it soon after it dries. I used to coat within an hour or two because we had to get a lot done in a day, but up to a couple of days will probably be OK if it is not hot weather. Your stain should have almost disappeared after cleaning and what you do not want to happen is for the oil in the concrete to begin to rise again and soak into the top layer that you cleaned. You will notice this happening if you leave it long enough because the stain will start to darken again.

Oil will easily soak right through the slab if left long enough which is not necessary to remove. All you have to do is a good job of removing it from the top surface and you will have no problems with the epoxy adhering and sealing off the stain.

I did tests on concrete with epoxy and diamond cut through after they cured to see how much they soak into the surface - most did not really soak in past the top profile which is why you need to have a porous surface for the epoxy to key into. The test is whether you can see any shine after using the etch product or if water beads anywhere. If either of these is present you need to do it again or use a stronger product.

 

[LS1NOVA]

Im not a pro flooring guy as Ive never done epoxy but Im pretty sure you need at least an acid etch.

 

[Neuswede]

Have only used the Griot's product, which required concrete cleaner and an acid etch. What does Rustoleum recommend for the preparation? Do they want an acid etch?

 

[DoubleAA]

OKAY, this is what I have done so far.
zep citrus degreaser and a broom
TSP with a floor buffer and a scrub pad
bond lok and a broom
the etching stuff that came with the rustoleum epoxy. with a broom

lots of water and a squeegee

I think I am ready to lay some epoxy. My only worries are 2 darker spot in the concrete where oil used to be. i scrubbed the hell out of those spots!!!!

i'll post some pictures tonight

 

[DoubleAA]

water does not bead up anywhere... when the concrete is wet it turns almost a uniform dark color.

 

[Edger]

water does not bead up anywhere... when the concrete is wet it turns almost a uniform dark color.

Should be ready to coat, just watch out that those oils stains do not get substantially darker before you coat or you may have to spot them again.