want to epoxy floor

[comedyman809]

i searched and have not found a thread dedicated to what im looking, or im just sick of searching.

any help will be appreciated,

i am in the process of buying a newly built house, in smithtown, ny

here is the situation:

the house is brand new, the garage has the basic concrete gray paint installed on garage and basement floor.

i want to make my garage, and possibly basement a nice shiny epoxy tan color.

i looked at the rustoleum floor kit they make, and i like the dunes tan color.

is this kit a good kit, and will it help me do the job properly??

if not, what is a good kit/combination to get, and what are some tips i can use to do the job right the first time???

money is tight, so i cant spend 1000's to do this.

i have never epoxied a floor, and have no clue what to do.

i need to know what treatment to do to the floor before/after i do any laying of epoxy

i need to know everything!!

here is a link to what i have been looking at doing...

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1TBG3?Pid=search

i have not been in the house in a few weeks, and am not sure about the square footage, but it is a 2 door garage, and is very roomy. im guessing 700 square feet, not sure though. i probably am wrong but it is a good sized 2 door garage.

i need advice on doing this job from start to finish, and i will buy anyone who helps a beer

thanks!!!

 

[TheBanker]

There are many threads in regards to doing an epoxy coating on the garage floor. There are a few of us who are presently or have just finished these projects. If you look around a bit I think you will find discussions on Rustoleum, Quikcrete, Epoxy-Coat, Wolveriene, and other epoxy products.

 

[comedyman809]

alright i found a thread that seems helpful.....

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5361&highlight=rustoleum+floor+epoxy


but i currently have the gray concrete paint laid down, i need to know how to do an epoxy floor with that already in place.

 

[comedyman809]

and what if the floor fails the water test with the plasitc sheet?

 

[PassnThru]

If your floor already has grey paint on it then that is the first problem you will have to deal with. I haven't done epoxy but I would imagine that you would have to get rid of the paint first. If you fail the water test then you fail the water test - I don't know what you can do about it. The concrete may still be too wet.

 

[AlphaGarage]

You will want to remove the existing gray paint if you want the full benefits of a quality epoxy system.

Have you done the plastic sheet water test? If so, how much moisture developed, just a darkening of the concrete, or actual drops of water? There are methods to deal with hydrostatic pressure - even large amounts of it.

 

[comedyman809]

thanks guys!!!

next time i can get inside my house i will try for a water test, we have not closed yet, waiting on town to give final inspection, then will be our walkthrough with inspector.

 

[TheBanker]

There's your guy, Fred with AlphaGarage. He can answer just about any question you have.

Just to help you out a bit comedyman. I shopped and read until I was crossed eyed just like a lot of other guys on here. When I added up the cost of Rustoleum and Quikcrete they would have been just a little bit cheaper than much better products. You may want to start investigating the better products before settling on one of those two. Decide if you want like just a glossy paint or do you want a nice thick epoxy layer that will hold up to all sorts of abuse.

 

[CreteCoater]

Your going to have to either diamond grind or shot blast the existing paint off. Forget about acid washing just grind or shotblast. Stay away from anything from Lowes or Home Depot. If your going to DIY I would probably go with the Wolverine, if your going to have it professionally done I would look into a Polyaspartic system.

The plastic sheet method is ok as a basic idea but it doesn't guarantee you wont have a failure due to hydrostatic pressure. Calcium chloride testing is a more accurate way to go. It all depends on how serious you are with your floor.

 

[TheBanker]

If he had a problem with moisture wouldn't the previous paint have had a problem?? Just thinking out loud.

 

[CreteCoater]

Possibly, he never did say what condition the paint was in. It all depends on how sealed off the floor is too, things tend to change when you have 1/16" - 1/8" of epoxy on the floor. For all intents and purposes the plastic test is probably fine for most DIYers, I was just trying to make people aware of a better method.

 

[comedyman809]

ok, the last time i was in the house i remember a gray floor, and seeing a 5 gallon paint bucket in the basement, for some reason, im now unsure if he painted the floor in the garage...im hoping he didnt.

it has been a little bit of time since i saw the floor, good god, i wish this whole process of waiting on builder(wich took the most time to finish) and now the town which i should be in there by the end of the month...hopefully. since it is new, and before i start moving stuff in, i want the floor done.

then im sure i will be a paranoid jerk when i move the furniture in....ugh, what a pain thats going to be, haha

any better ideas??? maybe move big stuff into house first, then do floor?

maybe move in, and do one half at a time??

i think ill just do floor first, then lay something over it while i move. id like the floor to be done before we move in.

 

[TheBanker]

I would do it before you move in if at all possible. The builder may let you in to do the moisture test and see if its painted. If not ask to see the house again and go looking around. If its not painted all you need to do is clean, etch and coat. 2 days. You can probably walk on it the 3rd day. Depending on which product you use.

 

[CreteCoater]

If it were me I would still try to rent a diamond floor grinder and grind the floor even if its not painted. Only if there was no possible way to have the floor ground would I piss around with "etching".

 

[TheBanker]

He's the pro, not me.....I haven't even done mine yet.

 

[CreteCoater]

Just trying to make a few suggestions to help. I grind several DIY floors off a year and hate to see people spend money twice or be dissapointed with the outcome!

 

[rugerlady]

I would recommend diamond grinding. If you have not used a shotblaster before, its easy to tear up the floor too much.

 

[rwhite692]

LOL, it sounds like you are very excited about your new home purchase, best of luck to you.....Check back in when you actually know whether or not the garage floor is painted already or not...

 

[comedyman809]

thanks!! cant wait to walk thought again, i could schedule again to get a look, but here is the skinny, the builder changes the codes to the door every time an agen walked me though or he let me walk through alone.

and when i call my agent who happens to be family, calls the builder to get the code to get in...is a pain, he doesnt answer the phone so it turns into a wekklong project to get him on the phone and then to actually get the code is like winning the powerball.

 

[TheBanker]

keep us up to date on things.