Anybody epoxy their garage floor?

[fornesto]

My sister did her garage, but they use it for a billiard room. Has anybody had luck with DIY epoxy floor products. Ideas? Thought?

[BrwBier]

I did my basement floor with the epoxy and then you throw the colored chips in it. I am very happy with the results (mostly). Read the instructions (I also had a hard time with that) and clean clean clean and dry dry dry. One thing they tell you is to tape a patch of plastic to the floor and ina day or so see if its moist underneath. Generally if you can stick tape to the floor it is clean and dry enough. The floor must be aged for a while, it tells in the instructions. It even made my less than perfect basement floor look much much better. Oh, the mostly part, I have a few very small spots that are pealing, I thing more stringent prep is the answer.
Brwbier

[WarPony]

I did mine about 10-12 years ago. I used a 2-part epoxy system from Builders Square. I don't know if the company is around anymore........ it shut down here in Topeka about 10-12 years ago.

Anyway, my garage floor was very old and had alot of oil and grease stains on it so I bought some Red Devil TSP 90 degreaser and cleaned the piss out of the floor and washed it off with water. After it dried off, I used muriatic acid and a small mop to "etch" the floor surface. WARNING: USE MURIATIC ACID WITH ALOT OF VENTILATION AND SAFTEY EQUIPMENT OUT THE WAZOO!!!!!! It hisses and foams because it's eating the gunk out of the concrete and gives off a horrible gas that's toxic.

After the acid dried, the floor was left looking white and chalky looking. One more water-washing and a dry time and it was ready for the epoxy. The thing I did wrong was trying to rush the drying time of the last step by using a propane flame thrower to help dry the concrete out. I think it lifted some embedded oil/grease out of the concrete because I got some "fish eyes" in the epoxy.

But anyway, I used sheep wool applicators on a broom handle to apply the epoxy. They look like floor brooms but have sheeps wool on them. I mixed both gallon cans of the epoxy mixture together and then dumped the whole 2 gallons around onto the floor and started mopping it around to cover the area.

I'll tell you this, wear shorts and some socks that you don't like. You'll be walking around in this stuff and the socks will give you some sort of traction. After the socks are gone, figure on about 2-4 weeks before the paint that doesn't wash off to WEAR off.

Oh, figure out the square footage of the area you plan to cover and double the dosage!! It'll look really good and shiny.

NO PROBLEM, HUH?

Jeff

[Geron]

I have heard (been told) but I don't know. Moisture is the culprit to epoxy based floor sealers. ANY moisture underneath will cause peeling/cracking/bubbling. When this starts there's really nothing that can be done. I opted out.

Like I said, I been told but I don't know. Maybe some "chemical/paint/contracting expert" will chime in here.

g

[Sierrajack]

Test your floor to see if moisture leaching up is a problem: Duct tape an 18" square piece of clear plastic on the floor. Wait 24 hours, if the underside has moisture on it, don't epoxy the floor. If the floor has been previously sealed, you will have to remove the sealer. Quikrete has an awesome system that's fairly easy to apply, harder than concrete by 2 times, most inexpensive system and looks great. Heed what Warpony sez about the acid. The Quikrete system has instructions on a CD and you must follow them to the letter which ain't so bad. I just did my garage floor and it looks waaaay too good to park my truck on.
GOOD LUCK but then again, my truck looks good....

[WarPony]

New concrete is a different story......... I had a guy tell me to figure on 1 month per inch of concrete to dry out.

Jeff

[Juneaudave]

You can't tell from my messy garage, but I've been using a Thompson garage paint on the floor of my garage. It's inexpensive, and only lasts about two or three years under heavy wear before the car tracking wears it off in spots, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal. It is pretty severe weather here.

One thing about the cheaper stuff even if it doesn't last long....I can go in, empty the garage, wash it off and get rid of the sawdust, repaint...and it looks pretty good. In my mind...a garage is a man's castle and place of meditation!!!! Finished walls, painted floors, a refrig full of snacks, NAPA calandar, and a 42 inch plama HDTV are the way to go!!!!!

[emiller]

We have are hangar floors done professionally at my work. After a few years ( 2-3 years) we have bubbling and chipping. Of corse airplanes leak skydrol (hydrualic fluid) and jet or avgas on the floors. And a lot of weight either a tug or aircraft. But overall they hold up pretty good. You need to clean the concrete very good and let dry throughly. Concrete is pouress so moisture is always coming up through the concrete.

[asianflava]

Of corse airplanes leak skydrol (hydrualic fluid) and jet or avgas on the floors. And a lot of weight either a tug or aircraft.

heh heh make shure you wash your hands before going to the bathroom!

What is really hard on the floors is when you park your car on the paint. A combination of the weight on the tire and the heat can really mess up a paint job.

[doug hodder]

I'm epoxying mine little by little...blobs here and there from run offs on my projects, along with urethane overspray...looking pretty good right now, not one color however, and lumpy....but I think it will all lay down really nice over time...a great vintage patina Doug

[LSmith]

look at ucoatit.com. i did my shop in it and have had acids and all sorts of stuff on it and use floor jacks, jackstands and it still looks new after 2 years. my wife and i did the 30'x30' in 2 days

[pauld3]

I'm epoxying mine little by little...blobs here and there from run offs on my projects, along with urethane overspray...looking pretty good right now, not one color however, and lumpy....but I think it will all lay down really nice over time...a great vintage patina Doug

That's the technique we are using too.. Real shiney in some spots, not so much in others!
Lynn