Over Thinking Garage Epoxy Flooring

[Stone17]

After prepping the floor for epoxy coating. I acid washed the floor twice and degrease.

Should I use a Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer 1-part Gray Flat Concrete and Garage Floor Paint to prime the floor? Link to Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer

What's the better epoxy paint to use? Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield or Rust-Oleum RockSolid



Before:


After: Still need to clean behind the fridge.

 

[sparkness]

I had cleaned and etched my floor, then epoxied a few days later. It bubbled up , out gassing! I found out later , recommendations were to use water based epoxy sealer and then full solids,I did not use the primer and caused the bubbles in the surface. Floor coating should be applied early in the day as to prevent bubbles due to heat from the day. I wound up renting a floor sander and re coating to fix my mistake. Use good quality epoxy such as Rock solid or commercial stuff, you will need more than the can recommends!

 

[Stone17]

Do you think I need to use the Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer 1-part?

 

[Shea]

After prepping the floor for epoxy coating. I acid washed the floor twice and degrease.

Should I use a Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer 1-part Gray Flat Concrete and Garage Floor Paint to prime the floor? Link to Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer

What's the better epoxy paint to use? Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield or Rust-Oleum RockSolid



Before:


After: Still need to clean behind the fridge.

Do not use the Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer. It is intended to be applied to bare concrete that has previously been sealed or for application over an older coating that is adhered well. It is NOT intended for bare unsealed concrete, particularly concrete that has been prepped via etching. We have an article here that discusses it.

RockSolid is a better coating than EpoxyShield. It's much glossier, more resistant to hot tire pickup, and will wear longer. Like EpoxyShield, however, it's a thin coating. In addition, it penetrates concrete much better. Due to the more aggressive etch of the surface, it may require two full coats to get the minimum mil thickness, color uniformity, and gloss. I suggest reading our article below that discusses the facts about RockSolid. There are actually much better coatings you can apply for almost the same amount you would be required to spend on RockSolid. Sinlge-part polyurea is a great example. I posted that below as well.

RockSolid Garage Floor Coating Reviews and Important Facts | All Garage Floors

Learn why RockSolid polycuramine is different from epoxy. We review application, durability, and expose important facts regarding complaints and coverage.

allgaragefloors.com

Why the Best Garage Floor Coating Kits are Single-Part Polyurea | All Garage Floors

Discover the secret of polyurea garage floor coating kits. See why they are easiest to apply, have the best protection and last 4x as long as standard epoxy.

allgaragefloors.com

 

[Stone17]

Shea
Thanks for the information.

My garage is about 360 sq ft.
Will order two kits of the RockSolid 2.5 garage flooring. Going to coat the garage floor twice.

This weekend look like rain so many need to hold off.

 

[dcg9381]

"RockSolid Polycuramine™ is the best of Polyurea, Urethane, and Epoxy chemistries. It combines these three chemistries and their key attributes into ONE indestructible, self-leveling, flexible, fast curing, high gloss coating system."

I don't know this product, but I have used the single stage "Rustolum" garage coatings years ago.
Never, never again.

All I do is polyurea (Legacy Industrial) now. I've done 3 floors, including 1500 of finished residential floor with it. Cost per sqft compared to industrial epoxy is much better. For color, I just stain the floor, but you can get it in non-transparent.

2 coat minimum of polyurea. Love it.

Easier to install.

 

[Stone17]

"All I do is polyurea (Legacy Industrial) now. I've done 3 floors, including 1500 of finished residential floor with it. Cost per sqft compared to industrial epoxy is much better. For color, I just stain the floor, but you can get it in non-transparent.

2 coat minimum of polyurea. Love it.

Easier to install.

Can you post a link to the kit?

Look like they sell 4 types of kits.

 

[dcg9381]

Can you post a link to the kit?

Look like they sell 4 types of kits.

I'd say call Legacy.
This is what I've bought from them over and over: https://www.legacyindustrial.co/products/nohr-s-polyurea-coating/

 

[Shea]

Can you post a link to the kit?

Look like they sell 4 types of kits.

We have links to single-part polyurea kits in the article I posted for all three vendors who participate in this forum.

 

[benwah]

Guys, again, you do not need to acid etch after grinding. Grinding is a superior method of surface prep compared to acid etching. All you’re doing is introducing water and hydrostatic pressure to your slab as a failure point.

 

[Stone17]

Guys, again, you do not need to acid etch after grinding. Grinding is a superior method of surface prep compared to acid etching. All you’re doing is introducing water and hydrostatic pressure to your slab as a failure point.

I wish I would of grinded the floor down. This Acid etch is alot of work.

It look like some of the garage floor is not taking the acid etching. Feel like 220 grit sand paper but other area feel like 80 grit.

 

[FJ4FUN]

I wish I would of grinded the floor down. This Acid etch is alot of work.

It look like some of the garage floor is not taking the acid etching. Feel like 220 grit sand paper but other area feel like 80 grit.

Inconsistent/insufficient surface profile is one of the main detractors to acid/chemical etch as a surface prep. Especially when using thin polyurea coatings. It may take multiple etching attempts or, bite the bullet and grind...

 

[Stone17]

Inconsistent/insufficient surface profile is one of the main detractors to acid/chemical etch as a surface prep. Especially when using thin polyurea coatings. It may take multiple etching attempts or, bite the bullet and grind...

Im going to Muriatic Acid the floor again. It been working good but maybe need to seat alittle longer.

 

[dcg9381]

I wish I would of grinded the floor down. This Acid etch is alot of work.

Eh? Acid etch to me is spray with acid, wash out, neutralize, wash out again.
Having run both wet and dry concrete grinders and spent 2-3 days recovering from running those grinders, acid etch all day long!

 

[Stone17]

Eh? Acid etch to me is spray with acid, wash out, neutralize, wash out again.
Having run both wet and dry concrete grinders and spent 2-3 days recovering from running those grinders, acid etch all day long!

I looked into renting grinder but the price is from $200 to $600. Plus I would need to rental a trailer to get it home.

The acid etch is the easier way for me.

 

[FJ4FUN]

Im going to Muriatic Acid the floor again. It been working good but maybe need to seat alittle longer.

Also consider adjusting Acid to water ratio a bit.

 

[Stone17]

Also consider adjusting Acid to water ratio a bit.

I'm using 90:1 Acid to water.

 

[Stone17]

2 more gallon of Muriatic Acid.
This time I forced on the smooth area. Now it ready for the epoxy paint this weekend.
Look like rain Saturday.

 

[Shea]

Are you neutralizing the acid before rinsing the concrete with clean water?

 

[Stone17]

Are you neutralizing the acid before rinsing the concrete with clean water?

No, I just rinse 3 times with water.

 

[Shea]

Yikes... As a note for others, many acid etches without neutralizing can create long-term problems. Rinsing with water does not neutralize it. It just washes the acid off the immediate surface. The acid solution that was able to penetrate stays active, even if it is partly diluted with multiple rinses. The active solution can slowly deteriorate the concrete as well as cause corrosion issues with the rebar.

 

[FJ4FUN]

Yikes... As a note for others, many acid etches without neutralizing can create long-term problems. Rinsing with water does not neutralize it. It just washes the acid off the immediate surface. The acid solution that was able to penetrate stays active, even if it is partly diluted with multiple rinses. The active solution can slowly deteriorate the concrete as well as cause corrosion issues with the rebar.

...It can also attack the coating to concrete bondline increasing the potential for future delamination. We've seen situations where a floor is coated during the dry summer months and all looks good but then the coating pops in the winter due to rising moisture levels driving insufficiently neutralized acid up towards the surface.

A couple of additional tips: *Do NOT use high pressure water when neutralizing/rinsing. Instead flood the floor and squeegee out or vacuum up the rinse water. High pressure water can drive the active acid deep into the concrete pore structure. *Verify that the acid/etch has been sufficiently neutralized by testing the rinsed concrete with pH test strips available at any pool supply store. The correct pH should be between 6.0-9.0 with 7.0 being ideal. If the pH is below 6.0, neutralize again.

 

[Jsf721]

I have had zero luck with epoxy. If you can return it get a tile either racedeck or ceramic or better Porcelain

 

[Stone17]

Here some before and after pictures. Took 3 bag of Rust-Oleum RockSolid for 360 sq ft garage.

Will recoat this Friday and add paint flacks.

 

[Stone17]

...It can also attack the coating to concrete bondline increasing the potential for future delamination. We've seen situations where a floor is coated during the dry summer months and all looks good but then the coating pops in the winter due to rising moisture levels driving insufficiently neutralized acid up towards the surface.

A couple of additional tips: *Do NOT use high pressure water when neutralizing/rinsing. Instead flood the floor and squeegee out or vacuum up the rinse water. High pressure water can drive the active acid deep into the concrete pore structure. *Verify that the acid/etch has been sufficiently neutralized by testing the rinsed concrete with pH test strips available at any pool supply store. The correct pH should be between 6.0-9.0 with 7.0 being ideal. If the pH is below 6.0, neutralize again.

Just seeing this post now.

I did power wash the acid out of the garage but did it 3x time. Used a squeegee to move the water out too.

I hope I done have any problem.

 

[benwah]

It seems to me like you are rushing it and not installing this properly. The acid must be neutralized before you coat it. You are probably going to have delamination issues in the future. I'm curious to why you did not neutralize the acid. Pressure washing only drives it further into the slab.

Since you coated this on Sat or Sun, and aren't going to do the 2nd coat until next weekend, you're going to have to sand the entire floor because your re-coat window is gone. Typically you want to re-coat within 12-18 hours to stay within the re-coat window and avoid sanding.

 

[Stone17]

Since you coated this on Sat or Sun, and aren't going to do the 2nd coat until next weekend, you're going to have to sand the entire floor because your re-coat window is gone. Typically you want to re-coat within 12-18 hours to stay within the re-coat window and avoid sanding.

Rust-Oleum said you can recoat with in 7 day.

 

[benwah]

Rust-Oleum said you can recoat with in 7 day.

OK, good luck

 

[FJ4FUN]

Hopefully it will be fine

 

[Stone17]

Laydown the 2nd coat Friday (1/27).

Used 2 package of the epoxy and 8 bags of flakes.
The color across the floor look the same now. I did buy the clear coat but we have rain the in forecast for the next 4 days.

 

[Stone17]

Its been over 36 hours now.

I walked the garage floor. Seen some mosquito hawks stuck to the floor and two small bubbles (Out gassing).

The parts next to the garage opening is wet on top of the epoxy floor. Not sure where its coming but the humidity is 80% today.
The A/C unit is off in the garage.

I did do the moisture test and no moisture on the plastic bag.