Prep for epoxy question - is my garage sealed?

[hobiecatter]

Moving to a new house that is 6 years old and I'm trying to decide if I can get away with just acid etching. I am not going with 100% epoxies due to budget restraints, and I will not be there for more than 5 or so years anyway. But I am aware of the importance of doing a good prep.

I am trying to figure out if I can get away with an acid etch, or if I need to diamond grind. It does not have paint on it, but the it appears to be a little darker with the edges appearing to have been brushed on. Or is this just my imagination (see pic) or is it really a darker concrete with the wall paint overlapping?

I guess I'm not really sure what a sealed concrete looks like. Is mine sealed?

any help appreciated.

I priced the diamond grinder and it would only be around $90/day, but the mess sounds like it might not be worth the hassle. Also, which is quicker and less laborous? acid etching or diamond grinding? It's 103 degrees here and I don't have a lot of time.

 

[Cryptic1911]

pour some water on it.. does it bead up? or does it just soak in? if it beads, then its sealed

 

[munkey]

Hard to tell from here, but it looks like it might have some semi-smooth areas that could benefit from being profiled properly. The grinding is more laborious but also more methodical and straightforward and you'll know immediately if you're getting the job done. Using acid is more of an art: it's much less "precise", it's more messy, the runoff has to be deal with, and the residue has to be BLASTED out of the pores with a proper pressure washer to leave your concrete ready for coating. The advantage is, cheaper equipment and less elbow grease are required for acid etching. The disadvantage is, it is unpredictable whether its going to work in your particular situation.

Grinding is always the answer if you're having too many doubts about whether acid is a good choice for you. Grinding will always work.