Closing on a new construction house on 3/1. House has a 23' x 24' detached garage that I'm looking into having sealed/epoxied before I move in. I'm not sure if this is a DIY or have a pro do it kind of job. I'd appreciate any feedback and experience the SF hive mind may have.

New construction, as long as it has enough time for the concrete to fully cure then it is the best time.
All is in the prep and being new makes it easier.
Not hard.
If you have or want pristine professional looking floors then have some one do it.
They can grind and even out floors if needed.
Good luck, show us some pics when done.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
New construction, as long as it has enough time for the concrete to fully cure then it is the best time.
All is in the prep and being new makes it easier.
Not hard.
If you have or want pristine professional looking floors then have some one do it.
They can grind and even out floors if needed.
Good luck, show us some pics when done.

Thank you for your response. I just received a quote and it's looking like its gonna be around $2K to have it done by a pro. Any experience with DIY on this?

Two of my friends have had this done to their garage floors, and the floors are dangerously slippery, especially when wet.

You might address this issue with your epoxy contractor.

Tim

I've done 3 garages by myself with the kit you can buy at Home Depot and Lowes.
Just clean and etch the concrete really good before hand and allow the floor to fully dry. The rest is as easy as rolling paint. They make paint flakes you can sprinkle in for looks and a sandy grit if you need to make the surface rough for traction.
Save about $1750.00 and do it yourself.

quote:

Originally posted by BlackAgnes:
Two of my friends have had this done to their garage floors, and the floors are dangerously slippery, especially when wet.

You might address this issue with your epoxy contractor.

Tim

Really? Is it the type with the color flakes to provide traction? I have it in my garage and never noticed a problem with water or snow.

I used this stuff on my shop floor (5000 sq/ft.) over a decade ago.

http://onyxcomposites.com/cate...l-tile-ii-epoxy.html

The slab was about a year old and had no real use or contamination with oil when I painted it. I cleaned it with a pressure washer and 409 type cleaner first. I let it thoroughly dry for about two weeks and the outside temperature was 70-80 during the day. I didn't do much on it for about a week after to let it cure properly.

Do not try this type of product until the outside temperature is in this range and the slab has time to warm up within the recommended range. I have seen others try and it stayed like tacky paint for weeks.

There have been no problems except where the underlying concrete had some small defects. The epoxy itself has worn well, now about 12 years old.
This is the second shop where I did this, the other one was about 11 years before I moved elsewhere.

The Rustoleum line looks like it's worth checking out. Even if I get extra which may be required depending on concrete porosity I can do it myself for around $300.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
I used this stuff on my shop floor (5000 sq/ft.) over a decade ago.

http://onyxcomposites.com/cate...l-tile-ii-epoxy.html

The slab was about a year old and had no real use or contamination with oil when I painted it. I cleaned it with a pressure washer and 409 type cleaner first. I let it thoroughly dry for about two weeks and the outside temperature was 70-80 during the day. I didn't do much on it for about a week after to let it cure properly.

Do not try this type of product until the outside temperature is in this range. I have seen others try and it stayed like tacky paint for weeks.

There have been no problems except where the underlying concrete had some small defects. The epoxy itself has worn well, now about 12 years old.
This is the second shop where I did this, the other one was about 11 years before I moved elsewhere.

That's a good point, March in MN may be too cold. I might have to wait until spring.

If the prep is good, letting the weather warm up should not be a problem. I have mostly used Devoe Bar-Rust epoxy, which is a commercial product that anyone can purchase. Devoe is super tough, it is a standard paint used in ship building.

Very easy to apply, just roll it on. When mixing the two part product, the paint needs 40 minutes of induction time. You need to wear a respirator while applying any epoxy.

I do this commercially for a living. It is easy enough to apply. The prep work is the most important part.
Make sure the floor is either acid etched or shot blasted and then cleaned and dry. Epoxy and water do not play nice.
As far as application, squeegee on, backroll. We use size 0 sand to make an aggregate profile as epoxy is quite slippery when wet. Then roll over the sand.
Any questions my email is in my profile

quote:

Originally posted by ffemt44:
I do this commercially for a living. It is easy enough to apply. The prep work is the most important part.
Make sure the floor is either acid etched or shot blasted and then cleaned and dry. Epoxy and water do not play nice.
As far as application, squeegee on, backroll. We use size 0 sand to make an aggregate profile as epoxy is quite slippery when wet. Then roll over the sand.
Any questions my email is in my profile

ffemt44,

Are you applying one coat, then sprinkling size 0 sand. Then waiting overnight and applying a second coat on top of the first?

The one major thing to pay attention to if you do it yourself. Thicker is not always better. It will peel if it's too thick. You just want 2 thin coats (or whatever the epoxy you're using calls for). If you are using non skid glass beads, you want to sprinkle them on in the first coat, then none in the 2nd coat to lock them in.


I used a special clear sealer on 2 different properties. I did a main walkway of an apartment building I own that was virgin concrete and old concrete. Did the sealer, and then Color Krete epoxy paint about 6 years ago. It has been flawless and shows no wear.


There was some crappy paint on my garage at the 1966 house I bought in the 2 car garage. I pressure cleaned it as best I could in 2013, then put the clear sealer, then the color krete, it has held up well everywhere except where the 4 tires sit and has peeled a little in those spots. I didn't use sand and it is slippery when wet, but only gets wet if I drive a wet car in there (raining outside).

Oh, this is a total DIY project!!!

Total cost, about $250-300.

Lowes, Home Depot, get the kit.
If you can rent a pressure washer, or if you have one it makes things easier. It's all in the prep & clean up. Clean the floor with a good de-greaser, use a push broom to scrub the floor. Rinse it really well. Rinse the broom too. Use the broom to scrub in the acid to etch the concrete. Rinse the floor. Rinse it again! Make sure any residue is off the floor. Let it dry completely. Then apply the epoxy. It's just like painting. They have those decorative flakes that you can toss on after the epoxy is on the floor.


Get a cheap brush for the corners & the seams of the concrete. Roller and the screw in handle to make things easier.

Hint/Pro-tip:
Those kits usually come with 1 bag of the silica sand for a gritty texture/ no-skid surface. In the winter, that epoxy gets like an ice rink!!!
Toss in at least 2 extra bags in the mix. It's going to be a pain to stir, but well worth it in the colder, snowy months! You can find the bags of the silica sand at Home Depot too.

^^^^^^Yup...Just like he said^^^^^^^^

Thanks guys! I’m going DIY route this spring with the sand for traction. After all the suggestions this puts my mind at ease and should be something I can easily tackle.

I’ve done two garages with the DIY kits (Rustoleum) and both turned out great. As others have said, preparation is the key. You can’t spend too much time on your prep. I spent the first day scrubbing with a cleaner (no pressure washer used), then rinsing the heck out of it. Then etched with muriatic acid, and rinsed the heck of it. Next day let dry, and another day if needed. Must be totally dry! Then apply epoxy only when temps and humidity are well within directions on the epoxy. I did not apply a clear coat afterwards but wish I had now. It has lasted over six years so far with only a little wear where the car tires sit. I covered the concrete “lip” outside the garage with epoxy, not knowing at the time that epoxy doesn’t do well outside. It’s held up well but has faded to a dull color.
I have seen the results of epoxy applied with a poor prep. A friend of mine (who is a contractor and should know better) didn’t have the patience to spend much time on prep. His floor looked good, but within a couple of months the epoxy had flaked up to the point you could just sweep up most of the area with a broom, leaving bare concrete.
Good luck!

So the floor's been poured already and cured?

quote:

Originally posted by isthatasiginyourpocket:
The Rustoleum line looks like it's worth checking out. Even if I get extra which may be required depending on concrete porosity I can do it myself for around $300.

I've used Rustoleum for my garage floor for years. It doesn't last forever, I get around 3-4 years with each application. They came out with a new product called Rock Solid IIRC and it's even better than the original product. Obviously the hardest part is the prep but the whole job was really easy. Actually the prep is not the hardest part now that I think about it. Removing all my stuff from the garage was the hardest part. The whole job only took a couple of hours.

I have a garage floor that I need to redo. It was epoxied about 16 years ago and needs to be redone. Has anyone had experience doing this? Do I need to completely remove the old expoy?