Re-do Epoxy Floor after 15 yr

[TxPres]

When I built my house I coated my garage with Pittsburg Aquapon 2 part Epoxy. As I remember, I waited a while, then I etched the new concrete and put on 3 coats of the epoxy. At that time, no car had been parked in the garage so I did not have any old oil stains to worry about.
It has held up very well. I do have some scrapes where I have dragged something sharp and metal. It has also gotten a little dirty where my cars are parked.
I am thinking about doing a top coat using a 2 part Epoxy, but have a couple of questions.
1. How do I go about cleaning the current epoxy. Acid? Degreaser?
2. Not sure Pittsburg still makes the Aquapon, so what would be a good Epoxy to use?

 

[Hal_396]

I just did my floor with armorclad. It was new concrete so I didn't have to do any degreasing. I remeber reading the instructions and they mentioned you will need to degrease the floor then acid etch it then sand it if it has been epoxy coated before.

 

[TxPres]

Not sure what acid to use to etch the current epoxy coating since the Acuapon is supposed to be acid resistant. I have spilled battery acid on it and it did not have any effect.
Degreasing for sure and then sanding might work. It is a very large 3+car garage. Maybe I will try degreasing and then see how it looks and see what condition the current epoxy is in.

 

[Edger]

Acid will have no effect, you need to sand it if you can, very thoroughly clean it with strong alkaline detergent to remove all dirt traces and apply the new epoxy, then wait and pray. I could never find an epoxy company who would guarantee their product over the top of old epoxy.

 

[roger55]

Epoxy adhesion to a cured epoxy surface is fine as long as it is degreased and scuffed thoroughly. I would sand it with 80 or 120 grit.

 

[tncatadjuster]

They still make it, should work again if clean.

 

[Cruzin90]

1. Clean with soap and water, rinse.
2. Wipe down with acetone, methanol, xylene, or MEK. WARNING: Use gloves, have plenty of air circulation, wear an organic vapor respiration...you know the drill!
3. Go rent a floor sander and use 80 grit sandpaper. (Do not acid etch, it won't work.)
4. Remove debris from sanding. Clean it very well!
5. Optional: It's not a bad idea to wipe it down again with the stuff in number 2. But, it's optional.
6. Apply your new coating.

The above assumes that you have not sanded all the way through the old epoxy coating. If you sand and take off all the epoxy, then you will need a concrete grinder.

 

[TxPres]

Thanks for all the info.
The Aquapon has been great.
I think I will clean it and see what shape it is in. Maybe cleaning is all I need.
At least I don't have to make a decision until after I clean it.

 

[justsam]

I am not sure what your regular cleaning routine is but I recently found that a good old fashined mop and squeeze bucket do wonders.

Previous to that I had used broom, air hose, leaf blower etc. and it seemed to be clean.

I broke down and got a mop and bucket since in talking to the previous owner he said that is what he used. I went to a janitorial supply store and over a $100 later I had a micro fiber mop, some recommended detergent, and a nice yellow squeeze bucket.

It made a world of difference, renewed the shine in the epoxy and is now my routine every month or so.

 

[TxPres]

I generally use a leaf blower and broom to clean the floor. I have never used a mop. Just lazy I guess.
I am in the process of installing the anchors for a MaxJax lift and when that is done, I will clean the floor with degreaser and see what it looks like.

 

[porphyre]

I use a garden hose with a high pressure nozzle (not a pressure washer!), Dawn dish soap, a deck brush, and a 24" squeegee to clean my floor.

Someone mentioned they still make your product. Your best bet is to call the manufacturer and as for re-coating advise.