When it comes to prepping an already painted epoxy floor for another coat, the process can be very different than first applying epoxy to your floors. There are many things to consider before you decide to go through with it. If your existing epoxy coating is showing signs of wear and damage, you don’t want to use epoxy over it. In that case, it would be better to remove the old coating by grinding the floor. If your epoxy floors show signs of delamination, this is the best choice to make. But if it’s still in decent shape, we recommend using a new coat of epoxy on an already painted epoxy flooring space.

The most important factor for the new coat is creating a rough surface for the new epoxy to properly adhere to it. This can be achieved by using an orbital sander, you want to rough up the surface, not damage or remove it. You could also use a floor buffer, which is more suitable for covering a lot of space. These two options will get the job done. Once you’re done with that, you can sweep up the thick stuff and vacuum the floor, then use a denatured alcohol on a towel and wipe down the surface area. It is essential to have these tools and resources to effectively prep your already painted epoxy flooring.

The most important step is making sure you wipe down the floor with a high quality denatured alcohol. This will remove all dust particles and dirt, which will ensure the surface is clean and ready for the epoxy coating. This process takes fewer steps than an original epoxy coating. Most of the tough work for that isn’t necessary for re-coating an already painted epoxy flooring space.

Just like every other epoxy task, prepping the floor is extremely important. If it isn’t done correctly, the epoxy won’t adhere to maximize it’s potential. It will look and perform better under the right circumstances. We want to make sure we give you the tips, tools, and resources needed to perform this task effectively.

It’s important to have the most durable material for your Garage flooring.  Epoxy-Coat will do that for you, our solutions come with a lifetime warranty and are much stronger than any of the competitors.  Your garage floors need to be able to take a beating and still look smooth.  After all, your cars will constantly be on them, as well as many other potentially damaging items.  We give you everything you need to have the best performing floors for your garage.

Not only can you get the best performing garage, but you can also get the best-looking surface with our options.  We give you tons of choices so you can design the garage of your dreams and pick out the colors and coat that works perfectly.  Our Garage flooring choices are also easy to install and require almost no maintenance over time.  With some other surfaces, you could be more worried about how they look.  With garage surfaces, you want to always get the strongest, most durable solutions.  That’s what we have to offer, with affordable price as well.  You can get the best, without paying top dollar, what’s better than that?

You can design your floors in your own manner with our various choices of colors.  If you’re passionate about DIY projects, this could also be one you could have fun with. Whether you feel like tackling this project on your own or having one of our experts do it, you will be satisfied.  Garage flooring is extremely important; we will make sure you love how yours looks and performs.

Here at Epoxy-Coat, we specialize in creating the best garage floors and surfaces that perform well under any circumstances. Our materials are the strongest, and most durable, nobody even comes close. You can experience the transformation of your garage with our products and solutions. Together, we will help you get the garage you’ve always wanted!

EPOXY BASEMENT FLOOR COATINGS

Whether you need to cover a small or large space in your house, our epoxy basement floor coating will get the job done. Our products are extremely durable and made of the highest quality materials. After your floors are done, you won’t be regretting your decision to buy from us. All of our choices are USDA approved and are antimicrobial. We can build out your dream basement with all of the choices we have to offer.

We offer four standard basecoat color options. They include beige with the beige blend, taupe with the beige blend, gray with the blue blend, and gray with gray blend. They all look spectacular, but depending on the space you already have, one will definitely suit it better than others. We will help you discover which choice will make your space stand out the best. Our epoxy basement floor coating options are all easy to apply, and you can do everything on your own. You can tell all your friends and family that you built the basement you’ve always wanted with your hands. We give you every tool and resource you need to successfully do it yourself. You will never have to replace your floors ever again when you use our products. The final product will definitely blow you away; you won’t regret your purchase.

Our products work for any floor surfaces, whether that be your garage or basement. The process is all the same for these floors, and it is easy to apply. It works incredibly well for any surface; it doesn’t matter if you need it for your garage or basement. It will give you the results and finish you’re looking for. We have the most reliable choices and DIY kits on the market. You can depend on us.

Our Epoxy Basement Floor Coating kits and related products are simply the very best. We can easily help you build the basement you’ve always wanted and help maximize the potential of your house. When you combine our quality with the unbelievable value to go along with it, you won’t be able to turn us down.

HOW TO GET THE BEST CONCRETE COATING FOR YOUR GARAGE OR BASEMENT FLOORS

Applying a beautiful finish to your garage or basement can improve the value of your home and give you years of enjoyment.

The concrete in your floors may have many unique conditions that need to be addressed to get the best results.

We have developed the following steps to help you in the all-important preparation process. While it may seem complicated, if you take your time and follow each step, you will avoid problems and end up with a great job!

We have broken the steps into two phases to avoid overloading you with technical detail.

PHASE I

• Testing for water and sealers
• Profiling and preparation
• Chemical profiling

PHASE II

• Patching holes and joints
• Application steps

We know from talking to hundreds of customers for our performance Epoxy-Coat garage Floor Coating Kits what kind of concerns they have in preparing the concrete surfaces.

IS YOUR GARAGE OR BASEMENT SUITABLE FOR EPOXY COATING?

Water Test: tape down a 16” BY 16” sheet of plastic and allow standing for 24 hours. If water collects between it and the floor there has moisture problem and any floor paint will probably fail.

Water Test: Pour water on the cement. It should soak into the cement in a reasonable time. If it beads up or just sits there for a long time, the concrete has been sealed or is contaminated with grease or oil. If so, it must be removed before continuing.

WHAT IS PROFILING AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

The single most important aspect to creating a long lasting beautiful epoxy floor is to have a suitable surface for coating adhesion. To have a successful coating you must first profile or roughen the concrete so the epoxy has a sound base to adhere to. This can be done mechanically or chemically, depending on the condition of the concrete. The reason for profiling the concrete is to ensure that the concrete will accept the coating, and the coating will have something to “bite” onto. The most important aspect of floor coatings’ permanent adhesion is a proper cleaning and profiling of the surface.

Surface preparation is a significant portion of any epoxy coating project. Each surface and environment is different and unique. It is important to note that certain chemicals and materials added to the concrete before, during or after it is poured can cause a coating job to fail no matter what level of surface preparation is used. Suspects include special concrete curing compounds, chemical hardeners, bond/form release agents (bond breakers), and admixtures used to reduce/improve air entrainment, cement workability, gas forming, accelerated curing, etc. It is nearly impossible to know ahead of time how much preparation is necessary. A minimalist will simply brush or sweep the surface (perhaps degrease a spot or two), apply the coating and hope for the best. Often this is all a homeowner can do. Fortunately, they often get away with this alone.

SEALER TEST

Prior to profiling your concrete you should perform a sealer test. The sealer test is simple, and all it takes is some water. You will apply the water onto the garage floor and if the water beads in any areas, that is a sign that there is a sealer currently on the floor, or other contaminants preventing the water from penetrating the concrete.

Grease and oils can create serious adhesion problems for coatings. Degreasing and washing may appear to remove the grease or oil, but in badly saturated situations residual oils/greases seem to remain and may cause a coating failure in the future. While not definitive test, pouring a glass of water on the concrete and watching what happens can provide a valuable clue to coating adhesion. If the water quickly and evenly soaks into the concrete the surface preparation may be adequate at that point. Moisture either in the concrete, and/or migrating through the concrete can cause coating failure as well. Some epoxies will handle a wet or damp surface better than others. Note that crystals forming on the surface due to water migrating through the mineral rich cement can create forces of up to 1,500 pounds of pressure as they grow in size. Few coatings can withstand such “anti-bond” forces.

SEALER REMOVAL BY DIAMOND GRINDING

Sealers cannot be removed chemically, and will need to be removed mechanically. To remove the sealer mechanically, you will want to diamond grind the floor. Most local hardware stores rent out diamond grinders. Diamond grinding will not only remove the sealer, but will grind your concrete, creating a rough profile.

CHEMICAL PROFILING WITH ACID ETCHING SOLUTIONS

If the sealer test is performed, and the water penetrates into the concrete immediately, you can chemically prepare your concrete.

To chemically prepare your concrete you will want to use an acid etching solution. The most common acids used in the acid etching solutions are muriatic acid or phosphoric acid. Prior to acid etching, the user will want to use a mild degreaser diluted with hot water to remove any contaminants that may be on the concrete. Once the floor is degreased and contaminate free, the acid etching can begin.

Each acid etching solution may have different instructions, and it is important that in the instructions are read and fully understood before using the etching solution. Using a stiff bristled broom, scrub the premixed acid etching solution into the concrete, scrubbing in both directions.

Once the etching is finished, the premix must be rinsed from the concrete. Once the concrete has fully dried, check for any glossy or oily areas with water. If the water does not penetrate quickly, additional etching treatments will be necessary. The user will also want to check for any white film when wiping the dried concrete with fingers. If your fingers do not have a white film, your concrete floor is ready for coating.

NEXT STEPS

In Phase II of our blog, we detail the steps for final profiling, patching holes and cracks and final epoxy application.

PHASE II FOR EPOXY FLOOR COATING PREPARATION AND APPLICATION

FINAL ACID ETCHING, PATCHING HOLES AND EPOXY APPLICATION

The hard part is now completed. You have tested the concrete, cleaned and degreased it, and profiled it with a chemical / acid etch or by diamond grinding.

FINAL ACID ETCHING

JUST TO BE SAFE, HERE ARE THE SUMMARY STEPS FOR THE ACID ETCH PROCESS:

• Properly clean concrete surface by removing all dirt, dust, grease, oils, wax, release agents, or any other contaminants that will interfere with the proper etching and preparation of the concrete surface. Some contaminants such Sealers should be removed by mechanical means (Shot blasting, sanding, grinding or sand blasting).
• Properly mix acid solutions if acid is being used
• Wet-out concrete surface with fresh/potable water (no ponding)
• Apply acid solution uniformly.
• Allow acid time to react: 2-10 minutes.
• Rinse/scrub surface.
• Check profile. Should be between 80 grit – 120 grit open coat AO sand paper.
• Check pH (ideal is 7, 6-9 is acceptable) Neutralize surface if necessary. Rinse and scrub surface.
• Dry total surface thoroughly before applying the coating system.

For the best performance from a coating system, concrete must be clean and have a uniform open/porous surface before application. The surface must be etched until this is achieved. More than one etch may be required.

The next steps include patching any holes or cracks before applying the epoxy.

PATCHING

Irregular surfaces on the floor will show through the epoxy and may be more noticeable after the epoxy is applied. Fill or patch any irregular surfaces on the floor before beginning. You can mix sand into a small amount of epoxy to form a slurry (the sand will decrease the amount of epoxy needed) to fill voids and large cracks above 3/16”. With cracks 3/16” or smaller you should use a flexible acrylic adhesive caulk which is paintable. Do not fill in or paint over expansion joins in the floor. The epoxy will crack, split and lift off when there is movement along the expansion seam.

An easy way to patch cracks of 1/8” or less is with our Epoxy-Coat Caulk, or with our Epoxy-Coat Patch Kit for larger cracks or holes.

During the coating process, if the floor is subject to heating and cooling cycles, air bubbles (that often form tiny craters in the epoxy) can sometimes be a problem. As the concrete heats up in the sunlight, the air in the void spaces of the concrete expands and forms a bubble that gets “stuck” in the thickening epoxy. If this is a potential scenario for you, apply the epoxy when the air/concrete is cooling off rather than heating up. When the temperature is falling, the air contracts and will literally pull the epoxy into the concrete void spaces. After the epoxy has cured, the heating and cooling cycles are not a problem. If bubbling does occur during coating you can blow the surface with a leaf blower to “pop” the bubbles. This should be done as necessary for up to 90 minutes after coating to reduce this problem during the curing process.

APPLICATION

You are now at the final steps, and your hard work during preparation will be rewarded.

Application steps are spelled out in a written step-by-step process as well as in our installation video.

Important points are to mix the epoxy in quarter size blocks so the mixture does not harden early. If all the mix is prepared at once, the pot life will be very short.

Careful attention must be paid to floor temperature and surface cleanliness to ensure a smooth and even coating. Colored flakes and non-skid additives are put down at this stage of the application.

When all the preparation steps and the mixing and application steps are followed, you will have a beautiful, durable and chemical resistant floor. And you will be the envy of your neighborhood!

For additional questions and concerns about installation and preparation please contact our customer support at 1(800) 841-5580.

Good luck!

Many people are always evaluating choices when it comes to deciding between applying a top coat, or to let it be. We highly recommend applying a clear top coat to your epoxy floor. When we think “why apply a top coat to epoxy floors?” There are several reasons why we should. There are several useful benefits and it is very affordable. So really the question you should be asking yourself or your contractor, is why wouldn’t we use a top coat? We will discuss the important benefits so you can expand your knowledge on epoxy floors.

Most people realize that the toughest part of using epoxy is prepping the floors for it. Once you’re past that, the rest is effortless. So why wouldn’t you be willing to do one extra task to give it stronger durability and a better-looking floor? That’s why we highly recommend applying a top coat to your floors. Simply doing that will provide more durability and wear, which will reduce hot tire lift and other impacts. The clear coat adds an extra layer of protection, which protects the original color coat you put down. It will help be more resistant to chemical and oil spills that typically happen with a car.

When you’re thinking, “why apply a top coat to epoxy” just remember that this will make it easier to clean. This will save time and money for you in the long run. It also creates a glossier finish that will create more light and really make your space stand out. The bottom line is that it provides so many benefits, just by simply adding a top coat. Whether you need it to hide scratches or damage your kids made to the garage floor, it will do it all!

Stop asking yourself why apply a top coat to epoxy, the answer is simple. You get a better-looking floor that will perform better and last longer over the years. Learn everything you need to know to perfect your epoxy floors here at Epoxy-Coat.