New Poll: Applying Rustoleum Professional Epoxy

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For my application of 400Sq Ft and without the expectation that the floor will be immaculate, showroom quality...I purchased the Rustoleum Professional Series 2-Part Epoxy. One color kit covers 300-400Sq ft. I purchased 2 color kits and a single clear coat kit (500 Sq Ft).

I may have bought more than I needed, but it was on sale and today was the last day, so I jumped on it. I can return later...

The Poll:
1. Use both color coat kits and clear coat(w/anti slip)
2. Use both color coat kits and no clear coat (anti slip in 2nd color coat)
3. Use a single color kit and clear coat(w/anti slip)
4. Use a single color kit and no clear coat(anti slip in single color coat)

If you post a response to the poll, please provide a general response explaining why you chose the way you did. This will help me understand the thought process and make sure there isn't a deal-breaker hidden for me in here.

 

[porphyre]

Don't let the haters get you down. Your floor will look great. I used the Professional and (aside from a couple prep mistakes) it's been worth every penny. I love it. My wife loves it. It's nice to not worry about tracking dirt/dust from the garage into the house. Cleans up with a hose and a squeegee.

1) Clean and etch the floor.
2) Get some of Rustoleum's epoxy crack filler (a little pricey, but worth it) and fill every single little crack you have. Unless you're a professional drywaller or concrete guy, you'll probably have to use an angle grinder to smooth the patched areas flat. Any spalling or roughness will telegraph through the epoxy.
3) Apply the stuff.

400sqft is the sweet spot for their kits. I applied a bit under 600 sqft. 1 kit of color was too thin, two kits was too thick. And the Clear Coat kit was also too thin for 580-ish sq ft. I should have used 1.5 kits per coat (3 gallons of paint per coat) and bought 2 kits of clearcoat and wasted half of one (1.5 gallons).

So, 400sqft is perfect. Do a coat with the first kit (I'm telling you ahead of time, it will look like ****, DON'T WORRY - the 1st coat absorbs into the concrete), wait 24 hrs, do a 2nd coat with the 2nd kit (this coat will look just fine, but will be semi-gloss), apply flakes, wait 24 hrs, then do the clearcoat - that will be your showroom shine.

I recommend using 100% of each kit due to my coverage problems at 580-ish sqft.

Get a new 18" roller cover for each coat. Get spiked shoes.

The color coats were a little smelly but not too bad. In hindsight, I wish I had used a respirator for the clear coat application. That stuff was NASTY.

At 400sqft, I think you will be VERY happy with the results.

 

[A_Pmech]

I used two coats on my floor, the first was more of a seal coat and soaked in quite a bit. The second coat provided some build. I did not use clear or flakes, but I did not want a shiny floor, just a light-colored and easy to clean floor which is what I got.

The floor has been down about 6 years now and I've found it holds up well for my application. This machine weighs 3 tons and has been rolled into position with steel wheeled machinery skates:

 

[Edger]

I used two coats on my floor, the first was more of a seal coat and soaked in quite a bit. The second coat provided some build. I did not use clear or flakes, but I did not want a shiny floor, just a light-colored and easy to clean floor which is what I got.

The floor has been down about 6 years now and I've found it holds up well for my application. This machine weighs 3 tons and has been rolled into position with steel wheeled machinery skates:

Be careful with those skates because if the concrete underneath is not very hard the rollers will crush the sands in the concrete under the coating. You cannot see anything for a while and later a bubble will appear which looks like the coating has not adhered, but really the concrete has crushed to powder underneath the coating. Yours might be fine, but my advice is not to overdo the rolling. Remember that with a steel roller all the weight is applied to a thin area along the roller, that is a lot of point loading.

 

[porphyre]

Pssst, Edger....

Take a look at this:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106289

 

[Candoo]

Just did mine. Two color. Two clear c/w chips and anti slip.......awesome !
As stated before repair all marks with rustoleum crack filler as per directions.

 

[musgofasta]

Not even close - I used a single coat and then clear coated over. Color isn't perfectly consistent throughout the garage. Real close, but not perfect depending on the light.

Next time will definitely be two coats of color and then clear.

 

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So I found out the Rustoleum clear does not have a UV protectant in it. My garage faces West and we often keep the door open during long periods of the daytime. How bad and quickly do you think it will yellow? I'm thinking now that despite the poll results, I may need to skip the clear...

Are there clear coats that are relatively inexpensive (under $80 to cover 400 Sq ft) that are better to guard against UV discoloration?

 

[Edger]

Pssst, Edger....

Take a look at this:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=106289

Great shop, lots of heavy equip., no epoxy bubbles, lots of moving, I'd say you know a thing or two about what you do.

 

[blownhemi]

Question: do the chips make it hard to see nuts or bolts dropped under cars? I want to do my floor but I'm unsure on weather to go with the colour chips or not.

 

[porphyre]

So I found out the Rustoleum clear does not have a UV protectant in it. My garage faces West and we often keep the door open during long periods of the daytime. How bad and quickly do you think it will yellow? I'm thinking now that despite the poll results, I may need to skip the clear...

Are there clear coats that are relatively inexpensive (under $80 to cover 400 Sq ft) that are better to guard against UV discoloration?

My west facing doors are closed 99% of the time and I have no yellowing after almost 2 years. But....

I'd put on the clear as the color doesn't have UV inhibitors either. It will yellow also. Maybe check with Wolverine, Epoxy Coat, or Industrial (forgot the rest of their name) for a UV protectant clear. Be prepared for the clear to cost as much (or more) than the color.

Great shop, lots of heavy equip., no epoxy bubbles, lots of moving, I'd say you know a thing or two about what you do.

That's actually APMech's shop. He posted the picture of the machine on the rollers. That man has TONs of hardware.

Question: do the chips make it hard to see nuts or bolts dropped under cars? I want to do my floor but I'm unsure on weather to go with the colour chips or not.

To a degree, yes. Chips and chip density are an aesthetic decision. Choose colors and choose density. This page does a good job of showing density:
http://www.epoxy-coat.com/flake_colors.php
Honestly, unless you do a "heavy" or "flake to rejection" broadcast, the major determinant in finding dropped stuff is lighting. My floor is somewhere between "light" and "medium" according to that webpage. That being said, the bolts I dropped on the uncoated floor were about the same color as the concrete, coupled with the fact I had poor lighting... it's easier to find stuff on my floor after coating (and lighting) than before.