prep for Epoxy-Coat

[tiggi]

Been planing to renovate my garage ever since I moved into this house 2 years ago. So this week I have finally started on it, and yes you guessed right, the floor is first on the list. Right now its 38-year-old bare concrete that has its share of paint/oil stains, cracks and dirt.
Garage is about 24'x24.5' and the floor is single slab with no expansion joints. There are 2 cracks, down the center and across the middle of the floor, dividing the concrete into quarters. I am not planing to do anything besides filling the joints and making the surface somewhat smooth and very clean. Hopefully after 38 years the slab has settled and there wont be any more movement.
I have already chiseled out the cracks and removed any loose debris. Since part of the slab is higher for about 1/8" I'll try to even it out or at least make the transition less noticeable.
Last night I mixed some of the quikrete vinyl concrete patch pretty thin and poured into the cracks. Tonight I will mix another batch little bit thicker and try to smooth out transitions and level the lower area.
I have already acid etched around the cracks just so the patch can adhere to concrete better.
Q. Do I need to scratch the concrete even more, maybe run some lines with diamond blade?

After all the filling is done I will wash the floor and rent a concrete grinder. According to HD site they have EDCO single disc 10" grinder available. I haven't checked any other local rent-a-centers.
Q. Do you think EDCO will do good enough job or is there something else you guys recommend?

Q. Also if I leave my patching little bit rough and uneven will the concrete grinder fix this?

For the covering I am planing to go with Epoxy-Coat. It's 100% solids and its available at the local store, so if I am short or have extra I can always run to the store.

But before the epoxy I will definitely do the primer, just dont know which one.
Is something like this ok? Lock-Down Epoxy Bonding Floor Primer http://www.homedepot.com/p/Seal-Krete-Lock-Down-1-gal-Epoxy-Bonding-Floor-Primer-106001/202563942

One last question:
Q. How long do I have to wait on the concrete patch to dry before I can start with primer and epoxy?
Q. Can the concrete patch be acid etched?

ok, that's two questions .

Thank you all for your help in advance.
I'll be starting my garage renovation thread here soon so more to come.

 

[shaun oriold1]

You're over thinking it. Chase the crack of loose material. Fill the crack. Grind the **** out of the floor with the edco, leveling out any crack filler, patching compound, uneven height slabs. Coat.

Dont wash the floor. Its not necessary.

 

[tiggi]

Maybe I am over thinking it but I rather do it right the first time. I think it's better to ask these stupid questions now then to be asking how to fix/remove floor I just installed down the road. Also I have been reading lots of posts here for weeks which made me doubt my every move lol. Even today I am thinking about doing Legacy instead of Epoxy-Coat. We'll see what's tomorrow.
No matter how helpful this board can be especially regarding the flooring, it can really leave you dazed and confused.

Today at lunch break I stopped by Lowes and got 2 more 40# bags of concrete patch mix and some TSP cleaner, then ran to Home Depot to check out their concrete grinder. It's $88 for 24 hour rental which is not bad considering how much I would have to spend on chemicals and labor. I did peak under to see the blade and looked bit worn to me. I'll see if they would replace it before I rent it.

 

[Morrison]

Dont wash the floor. Its not necessary.

Really??

 

[EpoxyCoat2]

When you diamond grind, you're still going to need to rinse it with water or blow it to remove the concrete dust from grinding. Even with the vacuum attachment, you will still have concrete dust from grinding left over.

 

[shaun oriold1]

Really??

Dont introduce moisture unnecessarily into the floor. You'll need to thoroughly let it dry before coating, and in that time, a lot can happen to a floor. Muddy feet, animals, spilled liquid. Which then requires more cleaning / grinding. In addition to that if you let the water /dust mixture try on the floor it will get into the capillaries of the concrete. - where you want your epoxy to go into....

After you grind, vacuum the heck out of the floor. A wand with a brush on the bottom ( or rubber to get great suction) will do a decent job. After that you can blow it out with a leaf blower to get any remaining bits out.

 

[tiggi]

Thank you guys for your input. Can someone please address the questions I had in my original post, especially when it comes to primer.
Also since my garage is being used and it's packed I'll have to split the job in half and move things around. What I was thinking is to prime little bit more then I will cover with base and top coat, also extend the base further then the top coat. That way all 3 don't end at same spot. I think that would be easier to blend in. Right?

 

[jaye944]

signature should answer all your questions

Thank you guys for your input. Can someone please address the questions I had in my original post, especially when it comes to primer.
Also since my garage is being used and it's packed I'll have to split the job in half and move things around. What I was thinking is to prime little bit more then I will cover with base and top coat, also extend the base further then the top coat. That way all 3 don't end at same spot. I think that would be easier to blend in. Right?

 

[tiggi]

signature should answer all your questions

Thanks, it did answer some of the questions, however it got me looking at the Armorcoat epoxy.

 

[jaye944]

great,

The product I used was very good, only some of my "execution" could have been better.

let me know what it didn't answer and I'll see if I can add or expand

A

Thanks, it did answer some of the questions, however it got me looking at the Armorcoat epoxy.