Epoxy Floor Coatings...

[Rreemo]

I'm sure some of you guys have used this stuff at one time or another...what brand(s) did you use, how was the application process, and most importantly how is it holding up?

I helped a couple friends with UCoat-It in the past...just the plain base coat with no clear top coat added. Pretty straight-forward going on, but I'm questioning how well it will hold up over time. One friend has had some peeling from tires, and the other is looking a bit discolored in the heavier work areas. Now that I've been doing more research they also get pretty bad reviews, mostly for being water based and not 100% epoxy, which apparently ends up with a pretty thin final coat. Their prices have shot up a lot as well.

So after about a week of reading through various posts on several other boards (mostly garage journal), I do know that I want to go with something that is 100% solid epoxy.

Here's what I've narrowed down too (in no certain order)....

- Armor Clad - Priced about the middle of the pack, and made by a company called Armorpoxy who appears to have a good name/reputation in the commercial epoxy business.

- Epoxy Guard - Some really good reviews, and the amount you can order is much more customizable to the size of my shop. With all of the others I'm going to be a little short or have a bit too much (too much is of course better, and I'll just apply thicker in that case). Another thing I like is that they are one of the few that doesn't try to push a clear top coat on you....they claim theirs simply doesn't need it. (This one is a single application as well).

- Legacy Industries - Came on a recommendation from a guy that does floors. A small family owned operation, and I've found nothing but good things about their products online. They are a bit more expensive than the others, but mostly because of the clear top coat....you can get it without, and that brings it down to where it's only ~$100 or so more than the others, but they strongly recommend against that. just not sure how I feel about an epoxy floor that needs a top clear coat.

Any others recommended?

[akfodysvn]

In for details as well. I used benjamen moore 2 part oil base epoxy. It worked fine but I would do something different next time.

I will 100% do a clearcoat next time for extra durability.

[lincolnboy]

I have look into the kelly moore epoxy floor coating. Plan on doin our front porch and sunroom next year. Also in for details.

[AdRock]

Check out www.garagejournal.com theres tons of info, pic, and reviews over there.

[01-GATOR]

I'm sure some of you guys have used this stuff at one time or another...what brand(s) did you use, how was the application process, and most importantly how is it holding up?

I helped a couple friends with UCoat-It in the past...just the plain base coat with no clear top coat added. Pretty straight-forward going on, but I'm questioning how well it will hold up over time. One friend has had some peeling from tires, and the other is looking a bit discolored in the heavier work areas. Now that I've been doing more research they also get pretty bad reviews, mostly for being water based and not 100% epoxy, which apparently ends up with a pretty thin final coat. Their prices have shot up a lot as well.

So after about a week of reading through various posts on several other boards (mostly garage journal), I do know that I want to go with something that is 100% solid epoxy.

Here's what I've narrowed down too (in no certain order)....

- Armor Clad - Priced about the middle of the pack, and made by a company called Armorpoxy who appears to have a good name/reputation in the commercial epoxy business.

- Epoxy Guard - Some really good reviews, and the amount you can order is much more customizable to the size of my shop. With all of the others I'm going to be a little short or have a bit too much (too much is of course better, and I'll just apply thicker in that case). Another thing I like is that they are one of the few that doesn't try to push a clear top coat on you....they claim theirs simply doesn't need it. (This one is a single application as well).

- Legacy Industries - Came on a recommendation from a guy that does floors. A small family owned operation, and I've found nothing but good things about their products online. They are a bit more expensive than the others, but mostly because of the clear top coat....you can get it without, and that brings it down to where it's only ~$100 or so more than the others, but they strongly recommend against that. just not sure how I feel about an epoxy floor that needs a top clear coat.

Any others recommended?

Check out www.garagejournal.com theres tons of info, pic, and reviews over there.

Did you not read that part lol

[AdRock]

Did you not read that part lol

Haha, I was half asleep when I posted. I completely missed that.

[Rreemo]

I ended up going with one that wasn't even on my original list - www.epoxyusa.com

It's a fairly small outfit, and I got the guys info from a friend of a friend that does flooring for a living...apparently this guy has a great reputation among professionals, and sells a lot of them his products. The guy has a ton of information on his blog site that I found to be pretty helpful - http://www.epoxyproducts.com/floorcoatings.html

I was sold after talking to him on the phone....the customer service alone means a lot to me, and we spent literally almost an hour talking through details over the phone. What I liked about him was that he was straight-forward when it comes to using primers, clear coats, etc. I liked that he didn't try to sell me a bunch of extra crap....he said that if I didn't want to do much prep work, then I probably should buy his primer product, but if prepped correctly it was basically a waste of my money - about $780 for the size of my floor.

Instead he recommended that I just spend my money on the epoxy itself and take the extra time for prepping. An acid etch may or may not be sufficient in my case b/c the concrete guys spent a lot of time floating my floor....it's really smooth, which is only good if you are using water-based products, nothing on your floor or if you are just using a poly-based clear on top of the raw concrete. For solid epoxy adhesion, you have to profile the floor to roughen up the texture....most DIY'ers go the acid etching route b/c it is cheaper and less time consuming. He said that I would probably be okay going that route, but recommended that I rent a machine and profile the floor for a 100% sure prep - sure enough he was right, I called THD and they rent the machine for $40/day, and I have to buy the Diamabrush for an additional $65 - so for $104 (plus some tax I'm sure), and some time this weekend, I'll be in much better shape than trying to prime it for way more money in materials (and probably more labor too), and I won't have to play around with 5 gallons of acid either.

My stuff won't arrive until next Tues or Weds, so I'm planning to rent the machine on Saturday morning and profile the floor that day (before the Forest lane cruise in the evening). Get everything power washed on Sunday, and then let it dry out for several days while I'm waiting on the epoxy to arrive.

I'll take some pictures and update this thread as I go through the process.

[snacksnack]

Mine is legacy after garage journal. Couldn't be happier. It's 1 year old and awesome.

Before

After


As far as prep the garage was 8 years old and luckily no heavy oil stains just mainly tire marks. I spent 3 weekends of degreasing, power washing and acid etching. After I was done I kept thinking back at how many people have bad prep and adhesion so I would do it all over again.

[Rreemo]

Looks good. Is that clear epoxy over raw concrete?

[snacksnack]

Looks good. Is that clear epoxy over raw concrete?

Kind of, here is the link to what I bought. The photo in the link is from a garage journal thread.

http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/ultimate-clear-sealer-system-p-278.html

I almost regret not buying any antiskid as the wife and kid nearly bust there ass all the time during raining season.

[46Tbird]

Jason, we actually did an epoxy floor on the interior of our house. Sounds insane but it turned out really cool. We talked to several companies and ended up using this guy: https://www.facebook.com/customgarage.texas

Some notes from my conversations with these companies:

Always mechanically grind the concrete. Acid etching is not sufficient to keep epoxy in place when you are hard on the surface. Turning wheels, sliding heavy objects, etc can rip the epoxy right off the concrete.

Vinyl chips over the epoxy will give extra toughness to the surface. They also provide a texture so you're less likely to slip on it. They help to mask imperfections on the surface once you start using the floor. We used mica chips, which are basically colored flecks of quartz. Ours are gold mica, because pimp.

The clear coat will protect the floor. It keeps chemicals from staining the epoxy and it can be touched up fairly easily if needed.

I'm well aware that all these things are extra cost and it can add up fast. But since we have to look at this shit every day, we wanted it to look good and last.

[snacksnack]

That looks really good but I cant believe you did that inside your house. So how long did it take to quit finding concrete dust in there?

[Doug Hatton]

Danny, can you provide approximate cost? I need to have a 600 sq. foot garage done and maybe a 100sq ft patio.

[46Tbird]

That looks really good but I cant believe you did that inside your house. So how long did it take to quit finding concrete dust in there?

LOL. We had a few extra weeks before we moved, so we did all this before we ever moved our furniture in. Before they started, we taped off all vents and inlets, and left the HVAC system off. They had fans blowing everything out, and they spent a couple of hours with a vacuum and wet rags to wipe everything down. Concrete dust wasn't an issue.

Danny, can you provide approximate cost? I need to have a 600 sq. foot garage done and maybe a 100sq ft patio.

Incoming PM!

[Rreemo]

Jason, we actually did an epoxy floor on the interior of our house. Sounds insane but it turned out really cool. We talked to several companies and ended up using this guy: https://www.facebook.com/customgarage.texas

Some notes from my conversations with these companies:

Always mechanically grind the concrete. Acid etching is not sufficient to keep epoxy in place when you are hard on the surface. Turning wheels, sliding heavy objects, etc can rip the epoxy right off the concrete.

Vinyl chips over the epoxy will give extra toughness to the surface. They also provide a texture so you're less likely to slip on it. They help to mask imperfections on the surface once you start using the floor. We used mica chips, which are basically colored flecks of quartz. Ours are gold mica, because pimp.

The clear coat will protect the floor. It keeps chemicals from staining the epoxy and it can be touched up fairly easily if needed.

I'm well aware that all these things are extra cost and it can add up fast. But since we have to look at this shit every day, we wanted it to look good and last.

Man, that looks really good Danny! I had always thought about one of these type coatings in the house....I really wish I had done something like that back when I built mine, but I don't think this sort of stuff had taken off as much yet. You just can't beat the longevity how well this stuff holds up....and especially inside the house where you are just walking on it....well worth the investment.

I had initially thought about hiring someone to do the shop, but man I'm just blowing the SHIT out of the budget. I was telling Christian just last night, I'm already about $15K over what I initially planned, and I'm not done yet.

I'm curious what you had to pay for something that nice (PM?)....most of the quotes I got were in the $3-$5 sqft range, and one "buddy deal" at $2.50, which doesn't seem bad at all. Looks like I'll save about ~$1500 overall doing it myself....and I've got some free help with my Dad and a couple buddies.