Part 2: Installing Your Epoxy Flooring

jconrad — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 06:37:09 +0000

Once the garage floor is clean and ready to rock, choose a day to work when the concrete won’t be damp and the temperature is moderate. If the conditions aren’t close to ideal, the epoxy might have the tendency to bubble and peel. Once you mix the epoxy paint and hardener, you have about two hours to work with before the substance dries. Because of the short window, it is essential that you plan out in advance how to paint yourself out of the garage. Always start in a corner and above all, avoid painting yourself into a corner, forcing you to walk over the application and thus ruining it. Once you’ve painted the entire surface, make sure not to park in the garage for at least 72 hours.

When preparing, here are some more tips to remember to ensure a clean finish. Hose off the entire surface, washing as much dirt and debris off as possible. Next, take a bristle broom and cleaning solution to the floor to get the surface spotless before application. If you choose to distribute color flakes, this is the time to distribute them evenly across the floor, making sure that it is to your liking before applying the clear garage floor epoxy. Finally, apply the clear coat and wait, wait, wait. It takes about 12 to 24 hours to fully dry, and experts advise not to park inside the garage for at least 48 hours after the application to ensure the application is perfect.

Epoxy garage floors can give an otherwise boring and dirty garage floor a showroom feel every time. In wet and icy climates, the antiskid additive that can be applied along with the epoxy can create better traction when needed for added safety. Cleaning the garage will no longer be a hassle, as water and stains will simply bead up and can be easily removed by the wipe of a rag. For those serious about maximizing the appearance of their garage, epoxy garage floors can do wonders.

Part 1: Epoxy Garage Floors For Your Home

jconrad — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:52:10 +0000

The prefect final touch to any garage, epoxy garage floors make the old slab of concrete a much more attractive surface and give your floor that professional finish. With the right treatment and application, epoxy garage floors can be a stunning addition to your garage and create a more attractive and easier to clean surface. Epoxy not only shines up the dingy concrete of a garage floor but makes it resistant to stains, beads water, and wipes clean like a kitchen counter. Custom colors can hide imperfections in the concrete and other options such as antiskid additives can give you the extra traction you need on a snowy day. What may have taken days to clean is able to be done in minutes with the right treatment.

Epoxy garage floors are easy to install and only take about a weekend of total work. Applying the substance is as easy as painting, but takes careful preparation to execute properly. Once you gauge colors and clean the surface thoroughly, the application process is easy. Make sure the surface is even and clean, which means patching any holes and cracks and allowing them to heal fully. The concrete on your garage floor must be at least 60 days old and not already sealed with epoxy in order for maximum results. An easy way to tell if your garage floor has been previously sealed is checking to see if water beads on it. If it has been previously sealed, hope is not lost; simply remove the sealer with a chemical stripper or special stripping machine.

Kits for epoxy usually come with easy to follow instructions and anything you would need to get the job done. Choosing the right color and design for your epoxy garage floor coating comes down to personal preference. Many manufacturers suggest two coats of epoxy paint and top coat, but most standard kits only supply enough material for one coat. Many individuals decide to spice up the appearance of the floor and hide imperfections within the concrete with color chips. Before you begin distribution of the chips, make sure you have enough to evenly distribute them across the surface for the best possible look. Lastly, before you start mixing anything, decide if you want to include an antiskid additive which will make the finished product resemble sandpaper.