Jordan Normark wrote:
Made some progress on the outside over the last few weeks. Thanks to some research and Rob L's recommendation, I purchased my floor epoxy. I am waiting for the outside concrete to cure a little longer before beginning the process of applying it since I have to acid etch the floor and I don't want to rinse the acid solution onto the uncured concrete driveway.
The epoxy kit is a 100% solids kit, so not as easy or forgiving as the box store epoxy paints, but it will be more durable. I have been reading the instructions over and over, so hopefully when the time comes, I can hustle through the job and end up with a good looking, uniform speckled floor.
Edit: I don't know why 2 of the pictures are incorrectly oriented. They were correctly oriented when I uploaded them from my phone after using the "desqueeze" app to re-size them. Is there an easy fix?
Jordan, As Rob said, I put down EpoxyCoat right after I finished my garage, probably 7 years ago now... No complaints and I'd do it again.. As I'm sure you've read, surface prep is key, and I was anal about it, but I have had ZERO lifting problems. I have some imperfections:
- heavy weld splatter caused very small burn marks in a couple spots
- an old leaky brake system on a junk car somehow caused a stain, though I have had zero effect from any other car fluid, including other brake and hydraulic fluids that wipe right up after extended periods on the floor.
- chipped / heavily scratched areas where concrete itself couldn't/didn't survive unscathed.
Mine's also been neglected and in a working garage, so no longer a pristine example, but when I feel the need, it's easy to clean up. A friend did his at the same time I did mine, and his garage is somewhat less abused than mine and floor looks better, but then again, I haven't really cleaned mine for a couple years
.
Couple tips:
- Applying when cool is better than when warm (obviously witin the limits of the epoxy). the Curing is VERY exothermic (the application bucket will get warm) so let ambient work in your favor. You want the process to be slower not faster
- Plan your sections so you can keep a wet edge. This is key to not seeing the transitions from section to section, and is aided if you can do it when cooler
- caulk all cracks, no matter how small. This stuff isn't water, but it's amazing how much will seem to get lost in a little crack.
- Find/Use a good quality roller. I had a couple different ones ready to go, and found one was not sturdy enough, causing the fibers to let loose.
- When applying texture and flakes, follow directions and throw those suckers UP in the air and distribute as much as possible.
- Make sure to have shoe spikes. You are going to need to cross over some of your already-done work to roll that area you just can't get to otherwise, etc....
- Use Lots! I think I put mine on at 140-150% of the the typical "standard" thickness, and my friend did something like 200%. The heavier application did cause more heat buildup, making the transitions slightly more tricky
- A clear-coat topper would probably make it last a good bit longer (I did not do it, but _might_ at last consider if I were to do again).. though definitely use the traction stuff as this will reduce the texture from flakes.
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I am looking at epoxies that have a high solids content, then considering a urethane sacrificial coating on top, although that is probably overkill. It looks like a challenging, and involved process where timing and temp are critical. Have any of you guys tackled this before? Any recommendations for systems?
