Questions about prep for epoxy

[Cult Hero]

Now I have read pretty much every thread on here about epoxy floors and am pretty close to pulling the trigger on my floor. My garage just got stuccoed so now is the time.

My question is about the acid etch. I have pavered driveway with colored stones and have heard that if the stones aren't sealed the acid can draw the color out and ruin them. I don't plan on etching the driveway, but runoff is inevitable.

My slab is less than a year old at this point and really has very little staining if any, I presume dust is my biggest enemy at this point?

I know the more prep the better, but I don't want to damage any surrounding plants or my driveway and was hoping the a good pressure wash of the floor would provide me with a clean enough surface.

Anyone else had any adverse effects using muriatic acid?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Randall Edge]

I'm in a similar boat. I'll be painting mine soon and I wonder how best to etch the garage without harming the driveway.

 

[bmwpower]

(A) Make sure the driveway is really wet before etching the garage. It's only going to affect the driveway if (1) you don't dilute the acid before it gets to the driveway or (2) you let the acid spill onto a dry driveway. (3) Divert the flow is another idea.

(B) Don't etch. Get the surface ready via another means, like shotblasting.

 

[tommya]

Culthero I have the same concerns but on a new blacktop driveway. I'm going to tee the hose connection and put a sprinkler in the driveway to keep a constant rain of water on the driveway during etching....no matter how silly it looks to the neighbors to water the driveway!

 

[boiler7904]

I went through the same thing about 4 months ago. Before acid etching my floor, I scrubber the entire thing with a 1 to 1 mix of water and Simple Green to take care of dust and dirt. My garage floor was about 3 or 4 months old at that point and hadn't had anything parked in it, so no grease spots. If you have grease spots to remove, use the product recommended by the epoxy company.

I had the same concerns as tommya when I did my garage (next to asphalt driveway). The key is to keep everything wet including grass along the edges of the driveway. During the acid etching process, you're using a diluted solution of water and muriatic acid (start at 1:10 and go stronger if it doesn't work) that gets diluted more during the rinsing process. It shouldn't harm asphalt, concrete, or concrete pavers like the OP has. A call to the manufacturer of the pavers should answer the question.

The more water you can put on the floor during rinsing, the better. You basically want to flood the floor and squeegee it a few times. I used my shop vac and a floor nozzle on the final rinse to get as much water as possible and help the drying process.

Let the floor dry for at least a few days - preferrably a week or more if you can. After the floor dries, use duct tape to tape a piece of plastic to the slab and leave it there for 24 hours. If the plastic is wet or the concrete is darker in that area when the plastic is removed, you still have moisture in the slab and it needs to dry out some more.

Like BMWpower said, you can shot blast the floor to prep instead of etching. Machines are usually available at rental yards or some Home Depot / Lowes stores.

One of the epoxy companies also makes a citrus based etching product. Don't know how it works but it isn't supposed to have the harmful side effects of muriatic acid

 

[steve392]

Why not neutralize the acid where it sits? I did this when I etched my floor. In fact, it was even in called out in the directions with my Epoxy-Coat. Use baking soda, (get LOTS of it, it's cheap), and once the acid stops working and you are ready to rinse, sprinkle the baking soda on the floor. It will react with the remaining acid and neutralize it. I even used the scrub brush and worked the baking soda around a little before rinsing off.
From what I've read elsewhere, the acid is pretty much spent in reacting with the concrete anyway, and adding the baking soda is cheap insurance.

I've also heard that you can use regular garden limestone, but I used the soda.

Hope this helps,

Steve

 

[Cult Hero]

Why not neutralize the acid where it sits? I did this when I etched my floor. In fact, it was even in called out in the directions with my Epoxy-Coat. Use baking soda, (get LOTS of it, it's cheap), and once the acid stops working and you are ready to rinse, sprinkle the baking soda on the floor. It will react with the remaining acid and neutralize it. I even used the scrub brush and worked the baking soda around a little before rinsing off.
From what I've read elsewhere, the acid is pretty much spent in reacting with the concrete anyway, and adding the baking soda is cheap insurance.

I've also heard that you can use regular garden limestone, but I used the soda.

Hope this helps,

Steve

so if I am understanding you correctly, you soaked the slab and then scrubbed in the acid, let it sit a while, stop bubbling and then threw baking soda all over it? That sounds like an easier way to go!

 

[snorvet]

so if I am understanding you correctly, you soaked the slab and then scrubbed in the acid, let it sit a while, stop bubbling and then threw baking soda all over it? That sounds like an easier way to go!

Thats what i did. I kept the acid in the garage, scrubbed the floor, added water and baking soda, scrubbed again, and then flushed with more water before sweeping it out the door

 

[Randall Edge]

(A) Make sure the driveway is really wet before etching the garage. It's only going to affect the driveway if (1) you don't dilute the acid before it gets to the driveway or (2) you let the acid spill onto a dry driveway. (3) Divert the flow is another idea.

I talked to the guys acid etching the floors inside my house today. They do epoxy floors in garages too. The say to keep the driveway really wet. Put a sprinkler on it or maybe just a helper with a hose.

 

[68droptop]

I take it that you guys do not have drains in your garage? Can it be rinsed down the drains, or is that a no no?

 

[bmwpower]

I take it that you guys do not have drains in your garage? Can it be rinsed down the drains, or is that a no no?

As long as it's neutralized it should be ok. You don't want to dump gallons of acidic liquid down your drain.

 

[red98gt]

The Rustoleum I used came with Citric Acid, very mild. Just kept everything wet.