Epoxying My Garage Floor
I say workshop… honestly, it's a mess because we never got around to organizing it (even though we talk about it all the time). I was worried about having enough to cover the entire floor, but one coat is all it required. However, upon closer inspection, you could see the existing epoxy flooring was peeling and cracking rather significantly in many places. I used the same method I would as I wast painting a wall. In fact, the garage is one of the first places that visitors will see when they come to your home. If the moisture readings are high, we'll use our moisture-mitigating epoxy as the primer coat. Here is what my garage floor looks like now. Depending on the product and the manufacturers recommendations, concrete may be power washed, and acid-etched, shot-blasted or diamond-ground. Check on the technical data sheets to see how much "pot life" your epoxy has. What is epoxy floor coating? Once I dumped the components into a 5-gallon bucket I used both a Paddle Mixer and and long mixing stick to make sure all of part A was combined intimately with part B. In my previous house I did the acid etch only.
Epoxy Your Garage Floor
Step 2: Check Weather Forecast. I strapped them onto my feet and was able to walk on the fresh epoxy without leaving prints. Read the manufactures instructions for drying time between coats, be patient and don't hurry we want complete success here. Then let me take you through the process with this epoxy garage floor DIY tutorial so you can upgrade your space as well! So make sure you tag me on Instagram if this post inspires your next project. I love when bigger projects force us to handle these smaller tasks that have been on our to-do list for ages! Scotch Blue Painter's Tape, Exterior. The Clarke floor polisher was very easy to control and it was not physically demanding.
I was worried that when it got wet it would be as slippery as an ice rink. I used three kits to cover 850 square feet. Don't let a damaged garage floor ruin your day - call the experts at Houston Garage Floors today! I called him and emailed quite a bit and he was very responsive and helpful. The epoxy that was applied before we moved in was deteriorating badly in some places and completely gone in others. Has the epoxy floor chipped or flaked? Example of our floor before the DIY paint: Our floor after DIY paint with chunks of cement pulled out everywhere: why granite garage floors is different: This time around I hired Granite Garage Floors to be done the right way.
The next step is to fix any floor cracks, chips, divots, or spalling. But my husband insisted, and now I see why. Once the epoxy dries, paint on that top clear coat and you're done! As I mentioned above, we went with a commercial-grade epoxy. Using water could lead to problems with the epoxy blistering later on. Step 2 – Surface Preparation (Etching). I was able to do this large of a section because I had a large extension pole for my roller. My garage is a 820 sq. This tells you how long you can leave it in the bucket. Small Paint Brushes. It's really not to hard to do. Why Polyaspartic Floors vs. Epoxy Floors? And, unlike epoxy it: - Is environmentally friendly (unlike epoxy or most other DIY solutions). The thickness you apply the primer will vary depending on who's you're using.
Epoxy Floor In Garage
In some areas that the epoxy was essentially just floating on the concrete and I could literally pull it off with my hands. You may have to dump the epoxy on the floor in small areas and spread it out with a roller. Yes, you are seeing some new additions to it, too. Every inch of the floor should be soaked in the acid. Our house is on a block foundation and I wanted the foundation walls to match the floors so I used one kit (two gallons) to "paint" the foundation wall. Clear coat 2 and anti slip – after letting the 1st clear coat layer dry on to putting down the second coat. Most of the ones I have used, you can dip and roll onto the floor. I let her get a head start, then I started rolling the epoxy onto the floor. Step 1: install garage flooring. Epoxy is made of two components; resin, which is light, odor-free and colorless, and a hardener, which is usually dark in color and has a strong odor. From farther away, our floors could pass as simply "dirty".
Most DIY flooring kits have low solids and just don't perform very well. Some silica sand comes with the kit if you need to sprinkle some sand into the crack (for wider cracks). If you are epoxying a brand new garage floor you should wait at least 28 days after the concrete has been poured to epoxy because the water in the concrete mix is continuously reacting with the cement and evaporating over that period. We obviously added a few additional steps on our own (like the insulation and painting) but wanted to include everything in the outline below. Once the garage floor dried, I could move on to the next step which was repairing any cracks or holes. After I applied the paint chips, I let the floor dry for about 24 hours. Before Applying Epoxy. The concrete was in pretty good condition as I never had any /many oil spills or nothing else that damaged it.
Here is what I found…. TOOLS AND PRODUCTS YOU'LL NEED: I'll show you how to fix cracks in concrete floors below. In case you are planning to undertake the epoxy coating installation as a DIY project, it is recommended you learn how to prep garage floor for epoxy coating. I got the "Well if you really like them I won't stop you from putting them in" response from my wife. Granted, this is prior to us bringing everything back in. The garage is a room, isn't it? I let it sit for twenty minutes before coming back through and scrubbing with the broom again. Garage floor epoxy before and after results will look like. Step #3 Epoxy The Floors (the fun part).
Epoxy Garage Floor Before And Aftermath
I used Frog Tape to tape off the walls first and poured the mixed epoxy into a Handy Paint Tray. The citric acid will help open the top pores of the concrete so the epoxy adheres well. We battle a lot of anxiety in this house, me included…and this quote really spoke to me for how I want to set the tone for my family this year. So I borrowed these homemade cleat-like soles from my brother-in-law. He had about 75% of it complete.
You can see the best. You do not want trapped water under your epoxy coating. We aren't completly damage free though, there are two areas I need to point out. Also, be sure to plan your exit strategy as the floor will need to dry for 24 hours before light traffic.