Epoxy Paint As Your Garage Floor Covering

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One good addition to your house is to apply Epoxy paint as your garage floor covering. An Epoxy paint covering is comparable with other concrete paint applications as well as garage floor tiles and garage floor mats. There are many other items for a garage floor such as gym flooring and other rubber mats. A garage upgrade could also include garage storage cabinets and garage shelving. There are garage organization systems available, which provide numerous ideas with plans and part selections. Garage organizers are most helpful with most any garage upgrading project. The primary upgrade considered here will be the Epoxy paint application to the garage floor.

Before beginning the Epoxy floor covering, it is necessary to remove everything from the garage floor for the recovering process. This would includes everything that would be moved from it's current location for convenience of use or when moving from the house. Items like freezers, tool cases, table saws etc. For Epoxy this would most generally mean everything not bolted to the floor.

For many property owners and professionals, a 2 part Epoxy coating ranks very high if desiring the best garage floor covering. For different Epoxy coatings there are those that dry slowly while others dry relatively faster. Those brands sold as fast drying suggest that the drying does cross linking for the Epoxy polymer. As an addition to the Epoxy coating, there are chips available to add to the mix which makes the presentation or the view of the floor is quite different. Adding the chips is a part of the application process. The addition of the chips is not a required part of the Epoxy floor covering. The plain colors available work well used alone.

 It is most important to completely dry the cement floor before applying the coating. Without doing so the coating may not stick in various places. This will cause the finish to peal and flake off the floor in various places requiring 'patch work' in recovering those places in order to refinish the look of the floor. With the application process, etching the concrete with various acids (HCI for example) will provide undesired results. It is most important to take time to read the instructions provided before beginning the project.

In beginning the process the floor must be very clean. Some very strong chemical cleaners may be necessary to do the cleaning if there are any of those very strong stain spots (like oil or paint). Such cleaners as heavy duty detergents and or lye (like Drano) can be most helpful if not necessary while cleaning. When the stains are removed, rinse the floor completely several times. So that there is no detergent residue remaining, it is important to have all the cleaning products removed.

When the rinsing is complete the cement needs to be etched. A kit containing concrete etch material can be helpful in this step if purchased. For the etching, make sure you are using a mild acid such as sulfuric or phosphoric acid. Some acid products that are available for etching like HCI, will cause cement crumbling. As recorded above, avoid specific acids listed in the directions provided. 

When completed with the etching, it is advisable to do a heavy grit paper sanding of the floor to remove any 'loose' material and then vacuum the floor completely picking up any particles left. When complete, do another very through rinsing and then make sure the cement is completely dry before proceeding to the next step. Moisture remaining in the cement will cause the Epoxy to bubble a bit as it is applied. This problem will continue even after the Epoxy has dried completely. Rinsing with alcohol when the floor is completely clean will help get the cement completely dry. After the alcohol, rinse with a product that is compatible with Epoxy. Water is totally incompatible. Be aware that the chemicals being used with Epoxy are flammable. When the etching and cleaning processes are finished, make sure the concrete floor and tools and clothing are totally dry.

Now applying the Epoxy begins. Read the instructions again. Mix the material very well as instructed. With this step remember that Epoxy will harden fairly quickly so it must be applied knowing that. Around the edges of the floor a brush should be used to keep close to the wall. For the rest of the floor use a roller. It may take 2 application kits to complete the project. It is been done when a very thin coat is applied and then allowed to dry to the point that you cannot make an imprint on the Epoxy. Then make a second application. When the Epoxy has dried (the second application if you made a second application) the garage should be unused for at least 48 hours.

Brushes, rollers and other tools purchased for the Epoxy application will be thrown away when this project is complete. It is not necessary to spend high prices for these tools. After the project is complete or possibly before beginning, you should take some time to calculate the janitor services or commercial cleaning that may be necessary for maintenance when the project(s) is/are completed.Source