If you are planning to apply a garage floor coating to your concrete floor there is one step that you must absolutely follow. If you read reviews of floor epoxy coating products you will find that the number one complaint is that the coating lifts up from the floor. The only reason this can happen is if the surface was not properly prepared before the coating was applied. Spending time on the prep work will pay off later with years of longevity from your floor coating.
In prepping the floor, you have to first sweep and wash the floor area using a solution of soap and water. Then, you get a good degreaser to remove the oil spots that your floor may have. The major complaint of people who used garage floor treatments is that they do not bond if petroleum is present on the floor. To know if petroleum is present, you do a water bead test. Spray some water on the floor and wait to see how the water is going to react. If beads show up, you have to degrease that area again because it is still contaminated. If the whole floor area has water beads, it means a clear coat was initially applied and this is what you’re going to remove in the next step. After the floor passes the water test, proceed with the next step which is etching.
Etching is the step where you have to create a weak solution of muriatic acid and water which is spread out on the surface and then you let it sit for some minutes. The solution is actually for the removal of the clear coat and it builds small voids in the floor’s surface which prepares the floor to bond well with the new coating. This mixture should not splashed in your eyes so wear goggles. Also, you should make sure that you flush it off with a lot of water and the runoff should be kept away from your plants.
After you are done preparing the floor, let it dry for the rest of the night with the help of a heater to eliminate as much moisture as possible. The following day, all you have to do is roll out the garage floor coating by following the instructions that comes with the kit. For best results only mix enough solution to cover about a 6 foot square area at a time. This will give you ample time to apply the coating before it starts to set up. If you have done the preparation job properly, your floor should have a great coating. For more information on epoxy flooring please visit Policrete.
