Recoating Shop Floor - Stick With Rustoleum or?

[bravenrace]

I coated my new (at the time) shop floor with Rustoleum Professional Epoxy
a couple years ago. I'm finally getting the rest of the shop done and have found that the addition of lighting, a ceiling and walls have effectively changed the color of the floor to a color I don't care for. So I'm considering re-coating it, but I'm not sure if I should put another coat of Epoxy-Shield on it or go with something else. I also don't know how well anything will adhere to the existing paint, although rustolem told me that all I need to do is clean it thoroughly and scuff it up a bit before painting.
I've been generally happy with the Epoxyshield except for fluid and rust stains. I also don't know if I'm going to like the one other option I have for color. I've read quite a few threads on here about different coatings, but haven't been able to find anything that compares other brands or types to the Rustomelum product. Any suggestions?

 

[bravenrace]

Nobody has an opinion on this? I really could use some feedback on this.
Thanks,
Jim

 

[boiler7904]

If you go with anything but Rust Oleum Pro, you'll have to remove all of the old coating. Without that step, no one else will warranty the product for adhesion.

If you didn't use their clear coat, that may explain some of the staining. Since I have the clear, I have no problem wiping up fluid drips. No rust problems either. I accidently got a lot of black paint overspray on the floor a couple of weeks after it went down. It all came up with a little elbow grease and acetone.

What color do you have and what color do you want to go to?

I put the Tile Red color in my garage a year ago labor day and wish that I had gone with one of the two gray colors - probably the darker one.

 

[bravenrace]

I didn't know there was a clear coat. Does it increase the shine or make it more slippery?
I have the lighter of the two grays and want to change to the darker gray.
The adhesion of the paint has been perfect, so I have no problem with using it again. So it sounds like I should follow their instructions to re-coat it, and then add clear on top? All l need to know now it if I can safely change the color.
Thanks,
Jim

 

[KnightFire]

Yes, you can change the color, in my old garage in MD (I used Rustoleum too) I put down dark gray, then added a beige square a couple of years later (there are pics in my sig link), I didn't have any problems with it, I just rolled on the new coat over the old coat after cleaning the old coat.

Good Luck.

 

[boiler7904]

You shouldn't have a problem going from light gray to dark gray if you follow Rust Oleum's instructions for recoating.

The clear does add gloss to the surface. As far as slickness goes, I don't have anything to compare my floor to. I used the anti-slip material from the clear coat in my top color coat. It can get pretty slick in the winter - almost makes me wish I had mixed the anti-slip in with the clear so it would have a little more tooth to it.

A couple of things to keep in mind about the clear if you decide to use it:

1. It is very easy to miss spots since it is clear. You won't notice it until the next day when everything dries and you see the two different gloss levels.
2. The pot life of the clear is very short. I had about 45 minutes to do my 2 car garage at about 430 sf. It's definitely a two person job to do this coat. One with a brush cutting in and the other with an 18" roller.
3. Don't know what your experience is with scratching your current floor but I have a lot of hairline scratches and a few deeper ones. When the clear scratches, the scratch is a white color - doesn't look so good on a dark floor.