Newbie - Metallic Floor Coating Questions

[FlyingScot]

All, thank you in advance. Poor form to join and jump into questions but I've been "lurking" for some time. Now I have a question and will likely need to to speak to some of the board sponsors...

I have a 600 sqft garage with 5 year-old concrete. I just finished Diamabrush over the entire garage and was planning on going applying the RockSolid Copper Pot metallic. However, I can still return the product to Home Depot and I'm having second thoughts about even doing this myself after reading everything on here and the interwebs. Seems I may have a 50/50 shot of getting this right. My slab is dry and was never sealed, some standard / simple cracking that I've not yet mucked about with.

I know Metallic is apparently more difficult to get "right", polycuramine seems to bring its own special challenges, and being in South Florida (Boca Raton/Ft. Lauderdale) brings its own challenges with heat and humidity.

So with that said two questions:

• What metallic floor system is preferred
• Does anyone have any South Florida installers they'd recommend?

In supplies alone I'm probably $1500 into this already - but unopened and can be returned to the Depot. At that price + some more getting someone to do this right is beginning to look fairly attractive.

Garage Shape

Before Diamabrush

After Diamabrush

 

[Garage Flooring]

All, thank you in advance. Poor form to join and jump into questions but I've been "lurking" for some time. Now I have a question and will likely need to to speak to some of the board sponsors...

I have a 600 sqft garage with 5 year-old concrete. I just finished Diamabrush over the entire garage and was planning on going applying the RockSolid Copper Pot metallic. However, I can still return the product to Home Depot and I'm having second thoughts about even doing this myself after reading everything on here and the interwebs. Seems I may have a 50/50 shot of getting this right. My slab is dry and was never sealed, some standard / simple cracking that I've not yet mucked about with.

I know Metallic is apparently more difficult to get "right", polycuramine seems to bring its own special challenges, and being in South Florida (Boca Raton/Ft. Lauderdale) brings its own challenges with heat and humidity.

So with that said two questions:

• What metallic floor system is preferred
• Does anyone have any South Florida installers they'd recommend?

In supplies alone I'm probably $1500 into this already - but unopened and can be returned to the Depot. At that price + some more getting someone to do this right is beginning to look fairly attractive.

Legacy is in Florida

Make sure you use a primer and top coat

Buy more than what they suggest. Multiple customers have run short

 

[Manganos]

I agree with Justin. Legacy is local and does installs too. Hopefully Legacy will direct someone to Garage Flooring LLC if they are looking for the same info in CO.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Agree, Legacy should be able to assist in FL.

 

[FlyingScot]

Thanks all. Spoke with Scotty and have their Metallic Epoxy kit on the way with an HD356 topcoat planned. Coral and Maui (Orange and Blue - FL Gator) pigments.

Assuming it gets here by Friday will be doing this Saturday and Sunday:

• Wed/Thurs - Crack repair and Clean
• Friday - Clean surface (dry) broom, vacuum and blow out.
• Saturday morning - put down primer
• Saturday evening - put down metallic epoxy (1 hint from scotty - Mix pigments Friday night in part A and let sit - much better effect)
• Sunday morning - put down topcoat...if material left over put down final topcoat Sunday evening

System seems to put much less at "chance" than the Rocksolid so fingers crossed.

 

[FlyingScot]

Ok, floor done. May scuff and put urethane down later, let's see how the epoxy wears. Orange and blue, yeah gator colors but like how it came out. Had a problem with mixing one 1.5 gallon in first application and had to redo. All I'll say is that if you get family to help mix, double check the work . In the end got what I wanted, Legacy was good help.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Wow!

 

[Shea]

Look good!

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Glad it worked out and looks great!!
PM me last name for a Yeti!

 

[DCarr2]

Holy ****!


That looks bad ***!

Wanna do mine next?

 

[onsail]

That looks fantastic!

 

[MNMike]

Look great.

How about some details on how hard/easy it went down ???

 

[Manganos]

That floor looks awesome!!!!! Great job on and nice garage

 

[bigjon]

I love that look! My next floor coating will be that.

Do concrete floor imperfections stick out? That's the only reason I like flakes/chips.

You mentioned urethane later, was the top coat a clear epoxy?

 

[FlyingScot]

A few lessons learned.

• From the start, I'd pay someone to prep the floor. The Home Depot diamabrush does an ok job, but A professional is just quick and does a good job.
• Do crack repair before grinding. Rustoleum crack repair works great, no need for strong tie, at least in my case - expensive, too thin. I got on hands and knees with hand grinder to level out
• Remove tape immediately when done, or cut it off - or cover with baseboards as I planned to do.
• Imperfections - I have a few grinding marks, but overall the floor leveled and hid beautifully.
• Black epoxy primer works wonders
• Mix the color pigments 24 hours before. Then again. Then again. Worry more about getting pigment mixed well than air
• Delint the roller with tape. Then do it again.
• Use two pigments - love the combo
• Putting down epoxy is not bad with a helper, but for a mid size garage time is not your friend. I had 3 3 gallon buckets to mix, 1 with blue and two with coral. They have to go down, be spread and bankrolled within 30 minutes roughly. This means mixing at same time.
• Don't overroll, it will level
• Even with spikes, it is slippery. Don't slip
• As everyone has said it is in the prep, putting on is fast if done right.
• I have 2 gallons of Legacy's urethane but have not put down - want to see how epoxy wears. Yes it does scratch a bit but not noticeable. If I get more wear, will scuff and put down topcoat at a future point - but it is a garage and epoxy seems plenty tough.
• Metallic epoxy is a clear epoxy with pigment, very forgiving of scratches though the gloss will show.
• Get a little bit more than you need - I put down a 900 sqft kit on 600 sqft. Then let it sit - we went out of town for 4 days.

In my case I did my floor twice . My wife was my second mixer and forgot to put in hardener in 1 bucket. When I asked if she had, she said yes. My floor had a third of the epoxy that would never cure. We hired someone to scrape and grind the floor then did it with hardener this time. I spent 16 hours grinding and probably 5 hand grinding. His machine did it in 4.

Yes still married