Quikrete garage floor debacle... two coats possible?

[Umgar]

Howdy all,

Does anyone have any experience in putting two coats of Quikrete epoxy sealer on a garage floor? Will the 2nd coat bond to the first or can it only bond to clean/etched masonry and not previously cured epoxy?

Here's some background on my situation. I'm converting my garage into a poker room / cigar room. I did a lot of prep work on the floor - brought a power washer into the garage to do an initial clean (this worked quite well by the way) and then etched and cleaned with the bond-lok included in the kit. I let that dry for 48 hours and then activated my two kits per the instructions.

Queue my face-palm moment as I start to paint... I don't know who designed the box and instructions for the kit, but they do a very bad job of explaining that unless you get the pre-colored (gray or tan) kit, you are getting a colorless kit that you are supposed to get tinted prior to leaving the store. The box I got showed multiple shots of a dark blue color, which is what I thought I was getting... only upon very close examination of the box/can did I notice the small print "must be tinted."

At that point though, I had already activated both cans and had already started applying it to the floor. I decided I would go ahead and get it all down and hope that it looked decent once cured. Unfortunately it looks far from decent, looks more like wet concrete with confetti on it.

...which brings me back to my original question. Is it possible to go buy two more kits and just epoxy on top of the epoxy? Some other solution maybe?

My project was going so well too...

 

[Umgar]

Some updates...

I called the Quikrete tech support line. According to them it is possible to do a "2nd coat." You skip the Bondlok step and instead clean the floor with TSP to make sure it's completely clean. Then you do a duct-tape test to make sure none of the first layer is coming up (obviously if the first layer didn't adhere well, a 2nd layer isn't going to help). I'm going to wait a couple more days for it to completely dry 100%, then I'll do a tape test. If it comes up at all I'll probably just burn the house down and rebuild from scratch... easier.

Although the support rep was very nice and seemed to be knowledgeable, I'm more than a little annoyed that she admitted "oh, this is a very common problem" and she gets the same call "at least a few times every month." If it's a very common problem, why don't they redesign the box so it's not so damn confusing? Or at least train the dealers of your products to not let customers walk out the door without checking the "requires tinting" kits. I'm also amazed that nowhere in the paper instructions or the DVD does it mention anything about color. They take time to instruct me not to drink the epoxy... but don't bother mentioning that I may want to ensure the permanent and irreversible kit has been properly tinted before activating/applying.

 

[Umgar]

In case anyone with a similar problem happens upon this thread, here are the official instructions I received from Quikrete support on applying a 2nd coating:

Re-Coating 2 Part Garage Floor Epoxy

DO NOT USE BOND LOK

Clean with T.S.P. and water
Rinse well
Allow to dry 24 hours+
Test with Duct Tape – put down pieces of duct tape, rub back of tape and pull up tape.
If Coating comes up on the tape repeat steps #1- #4
Where there is bare concrete feather sand edges
Paint those bare spots first with the Epoxy
Roll Epoxy over the areas as on the original application

Also, I suppose I should mention that Quikrete did refund me the cost of the two original kits - although I had to specifically ask for that (this was after they admitted that the color confusion is a common problem). If this happens to you be sure to ask about getting a refund or replacement kit.

Last thing - just want to reiterate that their support and customer service was top notch. I blame the marketing department that came up with the box design and instructions.

I will post some pics as I attempt the 2nd coat for anyone who is interested to see how it comes out.

 

[JBC]

Thanks for posting this information. I trying to decide if I want to exopy paint or tile. I'm trying to learn as much as possible first.

 

[nate379]

Yeah you can do many coats. I did 3 coats of color and 3 coats of clear on my floor if I remember correctly.

 

[dune]

Using the Rust-Oleum boxed product on a friends garage, they recommended lightly sanding the prior coat (once it was completely dry). We used wall sanders to rough-it-up a little and then washed it down with just water. That was two years ago and no problems thus far.

 

[tncatadjuster]

You applied a primer coat.

Now your floor will look much better, and you did a quality job, additional coats are good.

 

[gabeancounter]

You said it looks like wet concrete with confette on it???? So you used flake??

If so you need to sand the floor until it is smooth. You can use a hand orbit sander 5 or 6 inch with 60 grit paper. Don't have to put a lot of pressure. Vacuum the floor , then wipe with MEK, . Let dry for a couple hours then apply new coating.

If you use epoxy over the flake without sanding you could see the flake under it. Could further make the floor look bad. Good luck

 

[Motobob]

do you still have the number for tech support with quickcrete? Bob

 

[pima67]

If you look on Quikcrete's web site, they have an option to contact their tech support. I did and they answered via e-mail the same day. For reference here is their answer:

"Thank you for contracting Quikrete Coatings. I would recommend waiting 24-48 hours before applying the Premium Clear. If the base coat is not completely dry the clear coat may turn milky in appearance. The Garage Floor Epoxy does not need to be scuffed up before applying the clear. If you need further assistance please let me know.

Best regards,
Kelly Flagg
Technical Consultant"

 

[graffix000]

I'm surprised that they refunded your money. I picked up one of these kits as it is on sale this weekend at lowes, and felt it was pretty obvious which kits were clear and which were color (gray or tan).

the boxes showed you what the finished job would look like.

Glad to hear you got it taken care of though!