An epoxy floor will turn your garage from drab to fab. It helps protect the floors, prevents deterioration, and prevents stains. It will give your garage the finished showroom look. Here\u2019s how to paint a garage floor with epoxy.<\/p>\n
Garage floors tend to be abused and nasty concrete, often stained with the marks of oil changes past. An epoxy coating will protect it and give it a nice finish.<\/p>\n
Check your concrete slab for moisture issues. If it was originally poured with no vapor barrier or the water table is high, it\u2019s possible the water will lift the epoxy from the concrete. Tape a 2 inch x 2 inch piece of clear plastic down to the floor and leave it for 24 hours. If there is a water issue, the concrete will show moisture, darkness or droplets. Then it\u2019s a good idea to consult a professional.<\/p>\n
To complete the project, your slab needs to be at a minimum of 50 degrees. It\u2019s safe to start if the air temperature is at or above 60 degrees. Winter weather causes the epoxy reaction to slow, and even stop causing failure.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll need to get a 2-part epoxy kit that includes concrete etch and surface flakes. It should also contain a degreaser, floor patch, scraper, squeegee, spackle knife, painter\u2019s tape, roller, bucket, litter and a carbon-filter mask.<\/p>\n
The first step to a good outcome is a good cleaning. Sweep up all dust and debris from the floor, less it will be part of your epoxy permanently. Be sure to get against the walls, in corners and along door tracks.<\/p>\n
Scrape up any hardened piles of garage stuff. Use degreaser to remove stains from the floor. For really stuck on stains, alternate between full-strength degreaser and clay cat litter to pull up the oil.<\/p>\n
Now that the really troublesome stains are removed, the entirety of the floor should be washed with a diluted degreaser. Don\u2019t overwet the floor. Use a squeegee to remove the standing water and give the floor a chance to dry.<\/p>\n
Use warm water to mix the citric acid according to your manufacturer\u2019s included instructions. Put it down on the floor, scrub and squeegee again. This opens the concrete pores for good adhesion.<\/p>\n
Use fans, open doors and windows to allow the floor to completely dry. Overnight drying is bets. If the temperature is cooler, give longer.<\/p>\n
Was your floor sealed? Drip water on the slab. If it beads, there is a sealer on the concrete that could impede your adhesion. Repeat the etching process and test again. Do this until the water no longer beads.<\/p>\n
Look at your floor for cracks. These will need to be repaired as they will show through the epoxy finish you put down. Mix your patch according to the instructions on the package. Fill the cracks, divots and issues in the floor with the spackle knife. Give the compound eight hours to dry, then feather the edges with a coarse sanding block.<\/p>\n
The floor will need one last cleaning before you can put epoxy on it. Sweep dust and messes up so they won\u2019t end up part of your coating.<\/p>\n
To make your cutting in easier during painting, apply painter\u2019s tap along wall plates and frames you want to avoid getting epoxy on.<\/p>\n
Mix your part A and B together. Pour the smaller can into the larger and stir. Mix the liquids together until it is one liquid.<\/p>\n
Depending on the ambient temperature, allow the epoxy time to react according to the container. It\u2019s important to follow this step precisely, or you could end up with a big sticky mess.<\/p>\n
Put the epoxy mixture in a roller tray and use a cheap brush to cut in along the edges of the room. Don\u2019t get too far ahead of rolling because the epoxy must be wet until the flakes are applied.<\/p>\n
Roll the epoxy in 4 x 4 foot sections. Keep the edge wet. Lightly shake flakes onto the wet epoxy. Plan an exit strategy so you don\u2019t paint yourself into a corner, literally.<\/p>\n
Put the epoxy on the floor in a thicker layer than you find necessary. Epoxy adheres by absorbing into pores in the concrete. Some of the layer will be absorbed into the floor itself. If it\u2019s not put on in a heavy enough layer, it will lose its luster.<\/p>\n
Sprinkle on the flakes from a high vantage and in a thin pattern of randomness. They will make the floor more attractive, and add a slip resistant traction to the final product.<\/p>\n
Your floor is done. Wait at least one day, and up to three before it\u2019s used for light foot traffic. Follow manufacturer\u2019s directions for vehicle traffic.<\/p>\n
You could do all of the above, or you can just call the experts. CertaPro Painters\u00ae of Niagara-Brant-Flamborough offers epoxy painting. Contact us today for more information on this service and receive a free in-home estimate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An epoxy floor will turn your garage from drab to fab. It helps protect the floors, prevents deterioration, and prevents stains. It will give your garage the finished showroom look. Here\u2019s how to paint a garage floor with epoxy. Garage floors tend to be abused and nasty concrete, often stained with the marks of oilRead the full article <\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","categories":[50],"tags":[195,196,168],"class_list":["post-9417","community","type-community","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-residential-painting","tag-epoxy","tag-garage","tag-residential-painting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/niagara-brant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community\/9417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/niagara-brant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/niagara-brant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/community"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/niagara-brant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/niagara-brant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/niagara-brant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/community\/9417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/niagara-brant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/niagara-brant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/certapro.com\/niagara-brant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}