I have spent a good deal of time looking at the various garage floor coating options. I keep going back to Rustoleum (not the water based). It has about 75% solids and will dry film at 3.5 to 5.0 mils according the specs that I read. I figure at the low end of 3.5 and two coats I am at a minimum of 7 mils. I plan on putting on a top coat so that will bring me up to 10 mils. My question for those who have used this product is this: I have about 550 sf, will 3 packages do this. They claim 400-500 sf per package but I have a combination of new virgin concrete and about 250 sf that I just had diamond ground. I figure about 1.5 kits to "seal" and the same to finish off. What do you think?
Rustoleum Professional
- Thread starter jtl46
- Start date
benwah
Well-known member
I think ditch the Rustoleum and go with a reputable brand.
Lay a medium solids (~50% +/- 5-10%) epoxy primer.
A 100% solids epoxy intermediate around 8-12 mils DFT
Then finish it off with a clear or pigmented aliphatic polyurethane around 2.5 mils DFT.
The nice thing about having only 550 sq. ft. to cover is it won't take much. It will cost a little more than the Rustoleum but will last longer and I can almost guarantee you will be happier with the end result and longevity compared to the Rustoleum.
Lay a medium solids (~50% +/- 5-10%) epoxy primer.
A 100% solids epoxy intermediate around 8-12 mils DFT
Then finish it off with a clear or pigmented aliphatic polyurethane around 2.5 mils DFT.
The nice thing about having only 550 sq. ft. to cover is it won't take much. It will cost a little more than the Rustoleum but will last longer and I can almost guarantee you will be happier with the end result and longevity compared to the Rustoleum.
Shea
Well-known member
Did you properly prep the new concrete? A common mistake made by people is assuming new concrete doesn't need to be profiled. New concrete actually needs profiling more than old concrete because the troweling closes many of the pores in the concrete and the epoxy cannot make a mechanical bond.
I agree with what Benwah said. It will cost a few dollars more, but it will last that much longer and provide better protection.
If you still want to use the Rust-Oleum (maybe budget issues), don't plan on using 3 kits for 3 coats. A 500sf coverage rate is under ideal conditions and you have 550sf. Part of the first coat will be absorbed by the profiled concrete and will not make it that far. You will need to use part of the second kit to complete the first coat.
Garage Flooring
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Your a couple days late for me to really help you out... that said... Consider going with three coats of Rust Bullet for Concrete. Use the link below my name to get a coupon for 7% off.
The first coat will seal the concrete. Second coat gives you a nice base and the third will finish it off. I would order a 5 gallon.
Alternatively, call Scotty with Legacy industrial. Go with a good primer, base coat and clear coat.
I am going with the Rustoleum, 2 coats, one to seal and one to add mils. I will finish off with a poly coat. I am preping the floor tomorrow. It will be good. Money is not the issue, I just like the product. This is not a heavy use floor and it will never be perfect.
benwah
Well-known member
Rolling this product on @ 6.0 wet mills you need 2.94 gallons to cover 550 sq. ft. It would be acceptable to thin your first coat 5-10% or 13-24 oz. to help with better penetration. Apply your second unthinned. Looks like their polyurethane cover almost 500 sq. ft/gallon at its thinnest recommended thickness. You can buy 2 gallons and stretch it, start from opposite ends each time, or buy 3 and be safe. 2 thin coats are better than 1 thick one with the polyurethane.
Edit: Thin with Xylene or xylol.
Edit: Thin with Xylene or xylol.
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Shelby_sho
Member
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2012
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- 14
I think your plan of 1.5 kits each coat will work. I did something similar with a little more square footage.
benwah
Well-known member
So I was on mobile last night when I looked up their data sheets. Apparently their clear is an epoxy also, doesn't look like they provide a clear polyurethane for flooring that I can see...
http://www.rustoleum.com/product-ca...concrete-floor-coatings/premium-clear-coating
http://www.rustoleum.com/product-ca...concrete-floor-coatings/premium-clear-coating
benwah
Well-known member
You'll have to be more specific... Are you talking about Norclad HPU 747 or something else?
http://www.originalcolorchips.com/pdfdatasheets/HPU_747_Clear_Urethane_PDS.pdf
http://www.originalcolorchips.com/pdfdatasheets/HPU_747_Clear_Urethane_PDS.pdf
benwah
Well-known member
Okay, that's the same product I listed above.
At 4.0 wet mils you'll see about 212 sq. ft/.75 gallon kit. @ 3.0 wet mils you'll see about 283 sq. ft/kit. You should be able to get by with 2 kits if you spread it thin. If you want to play it safe, get 3.
At 4.0 wet mils you'll see about 212 sq. ft/.75 gallon kit. @ 3.0 wet mils you'll see about 283 sq. ft/kit. You should be able to get by with 2 kits if you spread it thin. If you want to play it safe, get 3.
benwah
Well-known member
Figure ~100 sq. ft/POUND of flake for a random broadcast. Practice tossing the flake on a clean floor first to get your technique down, then gently sweep up flake afterwards.
I have no idea how many LBS of flake they give you with each kit..
I have no idea how many LBS of flake they give you with each kit..
I just bought some of the rustoleum professional product to coat my floor. I bought one of the 2.5 kits and a single kit to cover my 625 sq ft. I also purchased 12 lbs of custom flake from originalcolorchips.com. Plan to get started on the floor next week.
Shea
Well-known member
They don't, but you can purchased additional color flake from them. You may want to check with the rep from Epoxy-Coat here. I believe she put out a post offering color flakes at a big discount due to overstock issues.
The polyurethane you are looking at is a proven product also.
I have been reading about this for 3 days but that doesn't mean I know anything. Are you sure you have enough product? I am figuring 3 kits for about 560 sf and am going to have a 4th one on hand. I definitely want 2 good coats since this not 100% solids and I don't want streaks. Best price I found was Zoro.com at $90+ and Home Depot online may match that price which would be good if you need to return an unused kit. I thought the kits were 2 gal. I need more chips but not 12 lbs.
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Thanks. Since I am doing two coats with 3 kits I will have some extra but maybe still not enough. Wish I knew how many lbs were in a kit.
I'm planning on doing one coat of epoxy and then I'm going to add a clear coat on top. The 2.5 kit says it can cover up to 500 sq ft and the 1 car can do 200. I figure I'll be ok. But maybe another 1 car kit would be good just to be on the safe side. Running out of product would ****...
benwah
Well-known member
It takes 3 gallons of this product to cover 550 sq. ft. at the suggested thickness. You will be very upset with just 2.5 gallons for 600+ sq. ft... Especially with only 1 coat. You floor will look splotchy and the concrete will absorb more than you think. I highly suggest 2 full coats with this, you will regret doing only 1.
I have been filling holes and doing some touch up grinding after having the old half of my garage floor diamond ground (I extended the garage so I have some new concrete and some is 60 years old). I have expansion joints that are abut 1/4" and I think I should fill them but not level with the floor because they will crack again over time. If I don't I think am going to lose a lot of material in the joints. I also have several hairline cracks (so much for the quality of today's concrete) in the new but none in the old section. What would be the best product to fill the hairline cracks and the expansion joints.
benwah
Well-known member
100% solids epoxy filler/surfacer.
benwah, I have been using the Rustoleum two part product to fill holes and it may be ok for the hairline cracks but it is not going to lay nice in the expansion joints. I need something in a tube. As long as I am not trying to make the joint even with the floor why can't I use a flexible joint filler and leave a little indentation?
benwah
Well-known member
No, it will not adhere to the epoxy. I was going to mention in my previous post, stay away from any type of caulking of joint fillers. A 100% solids epoxy surfacer will be much thicker than what you're using now, not quite putty like, but pretty thick.
If you can find fumed silica, you can mix that in at a ratio of 0.75:1 by volume, but I've only used it with a 100% solids epoxy surfacer.
If you can find fumed silica, you can mix that in at a ratio of 0.75:1 by volume, but I've only used it with a 100% solids epoxy surfacer.
I don't get where the 2.5 gallons comes from. The kit as I understand it is 2 gallons mixed and he will have another 1 gallon (1/2 kit). No matter, 3 gallons of product will not be sufficient for that square footage and have it look nice. I figure two coats of Rustoleum for about 7+ mils dry and another 2+ mils of poly.
benwah
Well-known member
I was assuming it was a 2.5 gallon kit. Re-reading it, I have no idea what he's talking about now with the kit sizes.
It comes down to, if he wants to properly apply this, (2 coats), he needs 6.7 gallons, so 8 gallons since it comes in 2 gallon kits to apply at 6.0 mils wet per coat.
^
Yup. The reason I went with the 70+ solids vs the 100% is two fold. The pot time is much more forgiving and I figured the first coat is pretty much a "primer". With two coats I may not get as good of a mil as the 100% but it will be close enough for my purposes and a little cheaper. A little poly on top and I am good to go. It is only a garage, but I do like to keep things neat and clean.
Joints: Not those type. The stuff I am using to fill the holes and grinding down after is plenty thick. I don't want anything worse. There must be a product that will fill and still take epoxy yet be fluid enough to squeeze into the expansion joints. Like I said, I am not going to attempt to make the joints level with the garage floor. Obtw, lived in Cave Creek/Carefree for over 3 years and worked in Old Town, Scottsdale. Been in SW Florida for 16 years, like them both.
Yup. The reason I went with the 70+ solids vs the 100% is two fold. The pot time is much more forgiving and I figured the first coat is pretty much a "primer". With two coats I may not get as good of a mil as the 100% but it will be close enough for my purposes and a little cheaper. A little poly on top and I am good to go. It is only a garage, but I do like to keep things neat and clean.
Joints: Not those type. The stuff I am using to fill the holes and grinding down after is plenty thick. I don't want anything worse. There must be a product that will fill and still take epoxy yet be fluid enough to squeeze into the expansion joints. Like I said, I am not going to attempt to make the joints level with the garage floor. Obtw, lived in Cave Creek/Carefree for over 3 years and worked in Old Town, Scottsdale. Been in SW Florida for 16 years, like them both.
benwah
Well-known member
I believe Legacy has a product that you can squirt on the top of play sand, after filling the joints to your preferred level, that will work underneath epoxy. You may want to hit him up about that.
Carefree is really nice, I would love to live there if it wasn't 50 miles away from work!
Carefree is really nice, I would love to live there if it wasn't 50 miles away from work!
I figured it out. I was just at Lowe's the water base is 2.5 gallons per kit.
I am still trying to determine what to do about the hairline cracks in the new concrete. They are numerous, but very small. I am not sure anything thick would even squeeze in the crack. I was hoping something like a caulk would work if I pushed it in with my finger and wiped the excess off the concrete surface so as not to interfere with the epoxy coating. I decided to just leave the expansion cuts and clean them up, but if I don't do something with the hairline cracks I am afraid they will be noticeable after the epoxy is put down. Thoughts?
Spent the day cleaning out the hairline cracks with an air compressor and filling them in with 2 part 100% epoxy. I already fixed the small holes and cleaned up the joints. Tomorrow I will grind down the epoxy and maybe get around to the etching. If this floor fails it will not be due to lack of prep. I probably have 8 hours into this and I paid to have finished with a diamond grinder. This is only 550 sf with about 1/2 being new concrete. My hands show the effects of not wearing gloves with an angle grinder, one cut went almost to the bone. Dumb!
Hopefully I am going to get my floor down this week-end. My plan is to put a aliphatic polyurethane on top of the epoxy. I know that the second coat of epoxy need to be put down within 24-72 hours to avoid sanding. Is this also true of the polyurethane?
benwah
Well-known member
Since this product isn't 100% solids it takes longer for the solvents to cure out. You're not really bound to the 24 hour window, BUT!, I would call them to verify. With our high solids epoxies you have 30-60 days to top coat (depending on product) with itself and 7-14 days (depending on product once again) to topcoat with polyurethane. I would think in 24-72 hours you shouldn't have any issues.
Of course they don't print this information on their data sheets, that would be too easy.
Of course they don't print this information on their data sheets, that would be too easy.
My floor is finally done. Two guys and 6 hours to grind off the multiple layers of floor paint on the "old" floor which was about 260 sf. The original layer was very hard and they spent a good deal of time getting it off even with a new grinder. They filled 3 gray totes with old paint chips. Cost $390.
Then I spent another 5 days getting the stuff out of the garage and prepping the floor in the "new" section of the garage which is about 300 sf. The concrete is only 6 months old but it suffered the wrath of construction of my new addition. Paint, sheet rock mud, thin set from the tile layers and so on. It also had several hairline cracks which I filled with 100% solids epoxy and sanded, I clean up the control cuts and acid washed the old and new a couple of times.
I put down two coats of Rustoleum solvent based epoxy (3 kits/6 gallons of product) and topped it off with one coat of aliphatic polyurethane. Cost for the epoxy and polyurethane plus some misc supplies was $437.
I figure I have somewhere north of 10 mils dry which is more than enough for my light usage.
Then I spent another 5 days getting the stuff out of the garage and prepping the floor in the "new" section of the garage which is about 300 sf. The concrete is only 6 months old but it suffered the wrath of construction of my new addition. Paint, sheet rock mud, thin set from the tile layers and so on. It also had several hairline cracks which I filled with 100% solids epoxy and sanded, I clean up the control cuts and acid washed the old and new a couple of times.
I put down two coats of Rustoleum solvent based epoxy (3 kits/6 gallons of product) and topped it off with one coat of aliphatic polyurethane. Cost for the epoxy and polyurethane plus some misc supplies was $437.
I figure I have somewhere north of 10 mils dry which is more than enough for my light usage.
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Shea
Well-known member
Great job! It looks good.
benwah
Well-known member
Awesome! Did ya have enough flake?
Thanks for the compliments and everyone's help! I had plenty of flake for my taste. I saved a few ounces of the aliphatic top coat and ended up using it today for a few missed spots.