KevinD.....How's the garage flooring holding up
 

Any pros and cons of the epoxy flooring you used? Anything you would do different? How's it holding up?

i was thinking of using that stuff in my garage even though its an apartment..its a few bucks and makes the floor grippy..lemme know how much it set u back to do that

review of the garage floor coating:

1)pretty easy to apply.
2)not expensive at all
3)somewhat thin coating though if you do only one coat. i have a couple spots already that have worn through because i think it wasn't applied thick enough (but when you apply it you have no idea how thick your applying it).

4)it is tough. i have dragged trannys, motors, and anything heavy you can think of across it and it still holding good good with the exception of the two thin spots.

5)if you spill coolant on it, it is like working on ice. it is beyond dangerously slippery. make sure your shoes have good tread and it makes it less of a problem (i had skate shoes and that was a terrible idea. i now have dickies with antislip soles which work great).

6)its a myth that you can mop up oil and coolant spots off this floor. all that happens is it smears it all across the floor making it 10x worse. you'll need to use the oil dry stuff for anything bigger then what you can pick up with a paper towel.

7)it is smoother on your back then bare concrete if you don't use a creeper.

8)it looks much nicer once you do clean up the oil/coolant spots.

i think that about covers it. overall i would say it was definately worth the 100 dollars or whatever it was.

Thanks for the info Kevin, we just moved into a house (which is why I haven't been on Evom for a while....Honey-do-list has tripled since the move in) and I was researching flooring for the garage.

I wonder if a paint depth gauge would work on the epoxy coating. That would be able to tell you how thick it is, thats if it worked on the epoxy.

Anyways, what concrete cleaning products did you use to prepare the surface. I think you mentioned mineral spirits and a degreaser, any others?

the kit came with a citric acid to etch the concrete... but i used the mineral spirites to clean it before that.mineral spirits kicks butt! if you need a more throrough cleaning, you can get muriatic acid from home depot. be careful though cause it is like 25% hydrocloric acid (i.e. super strong melt your skin acid) (but not lab grade 100% HCl). plus the fumes can be toxic (clorine gas). so get a mask, a big fan, and go at it if you decide to go with the muriatic acid :) i recommend doing a small section at a time with that stuff. and use water to dilute it and stop it from burning the concrete when you think it is clean.

Gracias, master Kevin! Thanks for the tips.

Kevin did you use the clear that came in the kit? One of our customers does floors like that for a living. He said the epoxy is great but there is a better clear out there to use than whats in the kit. Our shop floors are done and it has held up to everything and cleaning up is easy. We just use simple green,water and mop it right up. One good thing to remember for any one looking to do this. Never pull a car in that has hot tires. It will discolor the clear and paint over time from the heat. I know a guy that found out.:lol:

Josh,

Is this clear you talk about available at home depot? Or is it a special order item from some other manufacturer?

i didn't get any clear coat with my kit. nor did i get anything seperate. the surface is is sealed though, so nothing stains the surface, and it always puddles up. the paint flakes on the other hand, they all look black now :(

I'm thinking about doing this at my new house as well..

The clear I am talking about is called REXTHANE its sold at Sherein Williams. If you decided to use this. A few thing to remember. It is very strong in oder so get a mask. Second roll it one with a small roller like 3 to 4 inches. Last. it is a one time deal. When you open the car it has to be put on. You cant roll some them close it back up. The clear will harden. So plan a hole day to do it.

im a witness and have a had an experience to the slickness of the oil/coolant mixture on the floor :p