Laying Epoxy resin flooring is not easy, however with some care and the advice we give on this page you should be able to lay a good quality epoxy floor in you garage. Done well an epoxy floor will transform a garage into a w whole new room in your house.
Preparation and Cleaning
Good preparation is key to a good epoxy finish. Over half our time on Commercial jobs is spent preparing and cleaning the floor.
Preparation is best done with a a high pressure washer, or a concrete grinder. Both are available for hire from Coates or your local higher place. For around $100 you will only need it half a day.
Grind over the floor with the grinder, until the top layer of the cement is removed. Depending on the age and hardness of your concrete this may take a fair bit of grinding. Try and get as close to the edge as possible. Once finished sweep up all the dust. The give the whole thing a really good washout with a hose or high pressure washer. With some strong detergent Be sure to wash all of it off though, do not leave residue.
If you are preparing using the high pressure washer method, you will need some Hydrochloric acid. Wet the floor down with a hose, mix up the hydrochloric acid with some water. Wet down you drive way thoroughly, if you don’t want it etched also. Now spray or broom acid all over the floor, leave it sit for at least 10 minutes. Get you high pressure washer started wash the acid off and then go over the whole floor slowly blasting every part at fairly close range, to ensure that any dirt or loose concrete comes off.
Final Preparation
Give the floor a good blow out or a really good sweep out, you should be able to see dust when you sweep. The floor must be very, very clean or the epoxy won’t stick well. Tape a line of masking tape at the start of your driveway, where you garage stops, so you get a nice clean edge.
Mixing
It is vitally important to the part a resin to the part b (hardener) in the correct ratio. Normally 3 -1 but there are different ratio.
Only mix up at most 4 litres at a time or it will go off before you have used it. Mix using a power drill with a pint mixer attachment for at least 3 minutes. To the primer you will also need to add a thinner to allow the primer to soak into the concrete.
Primer Coat
Don’t stuff around once mixed, quickly get you brush and in with a paint brush along the walls, of were you want to start. Cut in about going out in both direction from the back corner.
Roll out a thin coat of over the entire floor, make sure that you don’t leave any gaps. You will need to push it out pretty well, it is only a primer the idea being that it soaks into the concrete, don’t try to put it on to thick.
Filling the Cracks
The next day once the primer is dry, must be the next day as there is a window in which time runs out if you leave it too long to put the final coat on. You should now scrape the floor, and remove any dags, insects or other things that have stuck to the primer. A trowel scrapper is good for this. Mix up the bog, on the board provided. It is about 3 to 1, keep putting more in until it is a pale pink colour. Now move quickly push the filler into any cracks you have in the floor. Scrap any dags off the top of the floor as you go.
Blow out Out
Blow out or sweep extremely well with a fine broom. Removing all dust, dags anything on the floor. It can never be to clean, so do it twice and make a good job of it. Place a line of masking tape on you r driveway where you want the floor to stop, so you have a nice neat line up to it.
Final Coat
Mix up the final coat in the same way you mixed up the primer, except this time you will need to add the tint and will not nee to add any solvent.
Again cut in quickly an area so you can start rolling. This coat should go on a lot thicker than the last, keep the roller fairly well loaded, you should keep the roller full as you go. Epoxy is self levelling but you will get a better finish if you roll over the floor twice as you go to help it level. Also roll over the edges of where you have cut in. Avoid allowing puddles to form, and roll out thoroughly any that do appear. Make sure you roll every where twice, missed bits and puddles will not look good on the floor.
Curing
Your Floor will be right to walk on the next day, but you should avoid driving you cars on it for a few days, until the epoxy has cured more.
Thats all there is to it. If you have done everything right you epoxy floor should continue to look great in you garage for years to come.
Scott is an Epoxy Resin Flooring contractor with 20 years experience in flooring. He is happy to courier materials to Australian’s who want to do their garages. Order at Epoxy Resin Flooring