Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: roo_ster on June 15, 2010, 03:47:51 PM
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Howdy:
I might get the opportunity to clean & paint my garage floor this summer.
I was wondering if any of y'all have ever done so and if you have any tips to impart: Process, materials, tools, etc.
("Green side up," while helpful in some situations, might not be helpful this time 'round.)
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I epoxied mine a few years ago...used it as a shop floor so no cars on it, but it held up quite well and hid most of the dirt.
I will say this...like anything, it's all in the prep.
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Wash first with Spic-n-Span. Then wash with a mild muriatic acid solution to etch the concrete (sold at home centers as drain cleaner and as masonry cleaner). Flush well with clear water, and then allow to dry thoroughly.
Paint.
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Wash first with Spic-n-Span. Then wash with a mild muriatic acid solution to etch the concrete (sold at home centers as drain cleaner and as masonry cleaner). Flush well with clear water, and then allow to dry thoroughly.
Good advice. If you don't get that concrete clean your paint will peel and chip in a very short span of time.
Also paint on concrete can be slicker than snail snot when its wet, I see a lot of guys sprinkle a little sand on the paint before it dries for traction. They also sell little plastic dots you can sprinkle(much like sand 'cept it gives you a polka dot effect).
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power washer is helpful on initial scrub and second rinse after acid no power washer around for rinsing acid solution, did i mention parks cars and bikes away from acid? :angel:
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Don't try to stretch out the coverage of the paint. If you use sprinkles, paint a small area, then sprinkle. If you try to do too big an area, the paint will be drier than it should be and the sparkles will not adhere well.
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You've already had a lot of good advice.
But just in case nobody said it. CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN
jim
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Just remember nothing cleans concrete like detcord, well maybe napalm.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsolbriteresources.com%2Fsolbrite%2Fwp-content%2Fgallery%2Fpackaged-explosives%2Fdetonating-cord.jpg&hash=fd039fc1e3c1cadb1c33ea6984cbdb442937ef16)
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Recently talked to a guy who did it. His neighbor had done it, too. Neighbor did a bad job, and he learned from his mistakes.
Clean the hell out of the floor. You should be able to eat off it.
Stay off the paint for the recomended time frame and maybe an extra day or two.
Just remember nothing cleans concrete like detcord, well maybe napalm.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsolbriteresources.com%2Fsolbrite%2Fwp-content%2Fgallery%2Fpackaged-explosives%2Fdetonating-cord.jpg&hash=fd039fc1e3c1cadb1c33ea6984cbdb442937ef16)
Yeah, but dedcord doesn't stick to kids.
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Just remember nothing cleans concrete like detcord, well maybe napalm.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsolbriteresources.com%2Fsolbrite%2Fwp-content%2Fgallery%2Fpackaged-explosives%2Fdetonating-cord.jpg&hash=fd039fc1e3c1cadb1c33ea6984cbdb442937ef16)
Nuke it from orbit....it's the only way to be sure it's clean.... :cool:
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Buy the two-part epoxy paint kit. They sell a one-part paint they say is "epoxy" but it isn't. It's epoxy fortified concrete latex etc. And it'll peel up within a year or less.
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Not sure how helpful this will be, because a lot of other folks have touched on it. Clean to a level an OCD would think excessive, and go expensive on your epoxy paint.
At work, we roll a lot of aircraft around on our painted concrete. Stuff holds up to an impressive degree. I could inquire to the brand we used if you're interested?
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don't forget the sand,(or other grip enhancer) the stuff is slick as... well it's slick without it. [tinfoil]
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don't forget the sand,(or other grip enhancer) the stuff is slick as... well it's slick without it. [tinfoil]
best when wet with just a lil oil in the mix like ice that doesn't melt
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Forget the sand, forget the paint.
Clean well and cover the entire floor in skateboard tape. =D
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I painted a new garage floor last month. I used a 2-part epoxy concrete floor paint kit which included cleaner and some decorative traction stuff, but I used sand instead. It was $80 per kit, which has 1 gallon of paint and is supposed to cover 250 sq ft. I had 380 sq ft, plus 3-8 inches of concrete block wall, which being rough and porous was thirsty. I used 2 kits and ended up with about a quart left over.
I chose a color and the paint store added pigment at no cost. I thought about white to give it that aircraft hangar look, but ended up going with light gray.
As stated by others, prep is 90%. Clean, clean, clean. You'll need a deck brush or stiff push broom for scrubbing, and a 3' squeegee to remove the rinse water after cleaning. My garage floor has a steep slope (6" in 18') which helped a lot in removing water.
You can mix the sand into the paint or sprinkle it on after. I tried both techniques, both worked. If you mix it in, stir thoroughly and often or it'll settle quickly. If you sprinkle, practice first so you can lay it down uniformly. It doesn't take much.
The floor has to be above 50F for proper epoxy cure. Needless to say the epoxy has a pot life after mixing which depends on ambient temperature, the kit gives the specs on this.
I thought my floor came out great, but maybe this was just a pigment of my imagination ...
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Not sure how helpful this will be, because a lot of other folks have touched on it. Clean to a level an OCD would think excessive, and go expensive on your epoxy paint.
At work, we roll a lot of aircraft around on our painted concrete. Stuff holds up to an impressive degree. I could inquire to the brand we used if you're interested?
Please, do ask, for I am interested.
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oh, and epoxy paint out gases some nasty stuff while its curing. (http://www.howtostainconcretefloors.com/safeguards-for-applying-epoxy-floor-paint/)
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Astroturf.
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A pressure washer is a good first step (use a surface cleaner) but you'll probably want to go over it with a good detergent as well - it's amazing how stubborn tire marks and oil stains can be. And of course, muriatic acid with a THOROUGH rinse afterwards is the final step in surface prep. (I've seen some recommendatioins of a baking soda rinse after the acid.) And let the floor dry thoroughly as well before applying the epoxy.
A friend of mine used one of those two-part epoxy mixes from Home Depot or Lowe's - the kind that has a packet of colored plastic flecs included. He's happy with the way the floor turned out . . . but the long cure time resulted in damage to his car. (He couldn't garage it while the floor was curing, so it was parked outside on his driveway when it got hit by a hailstorm . . . his Lexus acquired a "golf ball" texture. =( )
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I chose a color and the paint store added pigment at no cost. I thought about white to give it that aircraft hangar look, but ended up going with light gray.
Oh, forgot that part. For the love of the Gods, do not paint it white if you want to stay sane.
I can take a photo of a neighboring hangar, with very impressive white epoxy. It looks absolutely beautiful with jets and whatnot parked. But gods is it maintenance intensive if you want to keep it looking impressive. They have a guy that more or less cleans it every single day with a mini Zamboni looking thing. If you don't, it doesn't look very impressive in short order.
Light grey and safety yellow is what we use, and it's a lot less work to keep it looking pretty.
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I was thinking maybe Texas A&M maroon, in honor of my wife's alma mater.
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I was thinking maybe Texas A&M maroon, in honor of my wife's alma mater.
An Aggie Maroon floor could go a long way toward hiding blood stains.
Whether this is an upside or a downside is up to you. ;)
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An Aggie Maroon floor could go a long way toward hiding blood stains.
Whether this is an upside or a downside is up to you. ;)
How do you think the floor got into disrepair? Even such thick-skinned guy as myself can only handle so many Aztec altar jokes made in reference to my garage floor.
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How do you think the floor got into disrepair? Even such thick-skinned guy as myself can only handle so many Aztec altar jokes made in reference to my garage floor.
Ah. Yea, that happens.
Got the info. Our vendors use a variety or make their own epoxy primer/base (15 mils). Topped with 15 mils of urethane for chemical resistance. Specifically, DuPont Imron (http://pc.dupont.com/dpc/en/US/html/visitor/b/imr/home.html) 2-part urethane, more typically used on aircraft and high end boats. Makes an absolutely beautiful and extremely durable finish that can stand up to heavy use, chemicals, etc. Goes for roughly $100-150 per gallon, so it's moderately priced. Relatively speaking...
Uh. You kinda want to be a bit careful with the Imron. Apparently if improperly ventilated and whatnot, explosion is possible. It's not likely, but possible.
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Recently talked to a guy who did it. His neighbor had done it, too. Neighbor did a bad job, and he learned from his mistakes.
Clean the hell out of the floor. You should be able to eat off it.
Stay off the paint for the recomended time frame and maybe an extra day or two.
Just remember nothing cleans concrete like detcord, well maybe napalm.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsolbriteresources.com%2Fsolbrite%2Fwp-content%2Fgallery%2Fpackaged-explosives%2Fdetonating-cord.jpg&hash=fd039fc1e3c1cadb1c33ea6984cbdb442937ef16)
Yeah, but dedcord doesn't stick to kids.
It does if you wrap them in it.........
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Ah. Yea, that happens.
Got the info. Our vendors use a variety or make their own epoxy primer/base (15 mils). Topped with 15 mils of urethane for chemical resistance. Specifically, DuPont Imron (http://pc.dupont.com/dpc/en/US/html/visitor/b/imr/home.html) 2-part urethane, more typically used on aircraft and high end boats. Makes an absolutely beautiful and extremely durable finish that can stand up to heavy use, chemicals, etc. Goes for roughly $100-150 per gallon, so it's moderately priced. Relatively speaking...
Uh. You kinda want to be a bit careful with the Imron. Apparently if improperly ventilated and whatnot, explosion is possible. It's not likely, but possible.
Dupont now makes a primer especially for the Imron, that includes concrete as a recommended . It is now a soup-to-nuts product. Schweet. :cool:
http://pc.dupont.com/dpc/en/US/html/visitor/b/dic/s/communication/imron_IS_vis.html
This is in line with my general philosophy, "If you over-engineer the heck out of it, it just might last as long as you expect."
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Uh. You kinda want to be a bit careful with the Imron. Apparently if improperly ventilated and whatnot, explosion is possible. It's not likely, but possible.
]
And if you're RevDisk, that's a *selling point*.... :P
Seriously, who doesn't want to paint their garage floor a lovely shade of KABOOM?
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If you decide to use Imron (or any urethane-based coating) be sure to wear a respirator when working. Not just a dust mask or filter, a full-fledged respirator, or a mask with filters specifically for urethane coatings. The effects on the human nervous system are not amusing.
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If you decide to use Imron (or any urethane-based coating) be sure to wear a respirator when working. Not just a dust mask or filter, a full-fledged respirator, or a mask with filters specifically for urethane coatings. The effects on the human nervous system are not amusing.
I am Joe Paranoid when it comes to solvents. I will heed your advice.
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What size garage are you doing? 1 car 2 car etc? Or if you know the square footage how much are you looking at.
Do you own or rent?
Reason I'm asking?
You could forgo all the headaches and hassles of cleaning and possible repair to the concrete and just go with a tile system.
Something like Racedeck (http://www.racedeck.com/residential.html) or Swisstrax (http://www.swisstrax.com/) or similar (http://www.americangaragefloor.com/)
They may be more expensive, but you can take them with you, you don't have to clean the floor and it can cover spawling concrete.
And they look super slick
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.swisstrax.com%2Fgallery%2Fgarage%2F31-garage.jpg&hash=346907d7e98d94d340f8c4bfa32ff6d40b29dc1b)
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.swisstrax.com%2Fgallery%2Fgarage%2F01-garage.jpg&hash=e9fb1834e086335877fa71dbb7560b200b2abc2c)
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.swisstrax.com%2Fgallery%2Fgarage%2F35-garage.jpg&hash=9e30c2401e229a67331a8006bccf31806850bc4a)
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.swisstrax.com%2Fgallery%2Fgarage%2F40-garage.jpg&hash=6513b6bd6e3867e5421fcf0f42d082b98c5e872b)
You can even do solid colors
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.americangaragefloor.com%2Fpics%2Ftuffseal%2FPrimeTealStud.jpg&hash=a09583626b9d2079d5bdf4ee014c412e133efa8f)
Once again yes this route is more expensive, keep in mind you can do it in phases too.
Oh and did I mention you don't have the mess of cleaning the concrete.
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And if you're RevDisk, that's a *selling point*.... :P
Seriously, who doesn't want to paint their garage floor a lovely shade of KABOOM?
You mean it's not with everyone? Folks need to live a bit. If there's no risk of explosion in your daily life, you are not using enough detcord.
If you decide to use Imron (or any urethane-based coating) be sure to wear a respirator when working. Not just a dust mask or filter, a full-fledged respirator, or a mask with filters specifically for urethane coatings. The effects on the human nervous system are not amusing.
Very very very good advice. With working with Imron or anything similar, you really want to read all of the safety precautions and follow them religiously. It's really not that bad, just attention to detail and not cutting corners.
You could forgo all the headaches and hassles of cleaning and possible repair to the concrete and just go with a tile system.
Something like Racedeck (http://www.racedeck.com/residential.html) or Swisstrax (http://www.swisstrax.com/) or similar (http://www.americangaragefloor.com/)
They may be more expensive, but you can take them with you, you don't have to clean the floor and it can cover spawling concrete.
And they look super slick
Once again yes this route is more expensive, keep in mind you can do it in phases too.
Oh and did I mention you don't have the mess of cleaning the concrete.
Wonder how easy they are to clean..? They look very pretty and rather nifty. I'm just trying to imagine them with motor oil, solvents, or anything else dropped on them regularly, though.
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If you decide to use Imron (or any urethane-based coating) be sure to wear a respirator when working. Not just a dust mask or filter, a full-fledged respirator, or a mask with filters specifically for urethane coatings. The effects on the human nervous system are not amusing.
I might be walking evidence if I really desired a nerve biopsy in order to confirm it. "Airman, you don't need a respirator, you're not the one painting the B-52 you're working on!"
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Wonder how easy they are to clean..? They look very pretty and rather nifty. I'm just trying to imagine them with motor oil, solvents, or anything else dropped on them regularly, though.
I believe they're actually grids with lots of openings to the concrete slab below.
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From my understanding they are quite easy to clean up.. they are designed to trap and keep fluids ontop where they can be cleaned up. As with any spill I would still use kitty litter to absorb.. sweep that up and then apply something like simple green and hose it down. Seems clean up would be about the same as paint. However the grooves in the tiles would prevent the spill from traveling too far and still provide traction.
I've never seen one of those systems that allows the liquid to drain to the concrete below.