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I was not expecting flashbacks to the summer I spent running a grinder in commercial moisture mitigation. Some tips: 1) Rent the stand up grinder. Running a hand grinder on your knees will humble you real quick, and hitting those edges is going to suck. 2) The vacuum is only gonna get like 80% of the concrete dust. Make sure you have the correct respirator and ppe. Once that silica is in your lungs it don't come out. Throw plastic sheets over anything left in the garage. 3) We had much longer mixers (3-4ftft), which are much easier on your back when mixing 4) Get a roll of heavy construction paper and tape it down either outside the garage or in the hallway as a safe area to mix, change shoes, etc 5) We used large, cheap paint rollers for our epoxy - toss the rollers as soon as you're done and pop another one on if you needed it
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Apologies if that sounded critical. Your video was great, I actually learned a lot myself - just sharing some knowledge for the guys who are about to take the plunge (who aren't as young as they once were)
I used the rustoleum epoxy kit from home depot (clearance for $26). I didn't use the acid. I used a 7 inch hand grinder attached to the shop vac with a dust deputy cyclone. Had no dust residue in the house and never had to clean the shop vac filter after grinding 800 sqft, I filled four 5 gallon buckets of concrete dust. A year later the epoxy is doing great, metal working, sliding heavy equipment across it, prying against it with a crowbar to position a lathe and mill. No chips or flaking, only a few scuffs.
Having used an epoxy coating in two different garages I can't emphasize how important it is to properly prep your floor. The degreasing/acid wash method is not adequate. Grinding down the concrete is an absolute must. Failure to do so will ensure poor adhesion of any product. Scott does a wonderful job of explaining the process. Don't shortcut any steps. Good materials cannot overcome poor prep.
@@Heath-k4h I did use a topcoat. I bought my kits from a company called UCoat It and the topcoats were provided as part of the kits I purchased. Just recently I had my garage done professionally and could not be happier. Should have hired the professionals the first time around.
That floor looks amazing and you clearly put a ton of work into getting it like that. I used the DIY kit from the box stores back in 2017 in my last house and it failed within a year. It started peeling up under where the cars parked at first (I noticed it was where the water would drip off of the cars and sit on the ground) but then continued to spread. By the 3 year mark before I moved, the floor looked absolutely horrible. It was always peeling and chipping and those peices of the coating would always be all over the garage floor and would always find their way into the house. I tried many times to peel it all up, but with just a scraper it would never come up and would just chip away in random places over time. If anyone read this far, avoid the DIY kit at all costs unless it's going to be used on a low foot traffic area that will have no sitting water on it.
used epoxyshield kit when i moved into my house, did not grind the floor but made sure i degreased and scrubbed the floor 2x waiting 2 days in between each time, then made sure to get a couple gallons of muriatic acid. do not use the stuff they give you in the kit it sucks. used 1 gallon mixed with water and etched the floor spreading it out and let it sit for 30 min then scrubbed it into the concrete. did this 2x. with a few hours in between letting the floor dry up a little to check condition. after the floor was fully etched i waited literally 1 full week for the concrete to fully dry out. (prob a little overkill) but wanted to make sure. did my floor coating using 2x 2.5 kits mixing them together going med thickness on my 2 car garage. let it cure for recommended time then applied the clear coat with anti skid. so far its been 7 years and non of it has peeled at all so i really cant complain about that. its held up very well considering it gets used for automotive work prob every other weekend. my only complaint is overtime from when the garage door is left open when the sun is out there is a small section that has started to yellow a little bit which is common but i knew about this before doing the project. if it ever came time to redo it. i would have it professionally done
Another thing is you can use the angle grinder and grind the side concretewalls right below the drywall, and then use a paint roller and put on more epoxy + flakes, gives you a really nice clean look on the edges too! Plus its more waterproof kinda like caulking your corners in the shower!
Very good info. I will do my father in law's garage this year. It's 3.5m by 15m. It's rough concrete but I will buy a hand grinder and connect it to my big Makita construction vaccuum cleaner. A decent polyasp kit here in Europe indeed is around 1500€. Thanks again for the usefull tips. Greetings from Belgium. 👍
my Rustoleum lasted 10yrs, ended up thinning out, hot tires damaged it too diamond grinding off the old coating, and layering on the new epoxy+clear 5+ yrs ago; bombproof - and like others have commented; it the prep / grinding. also note; there's 2 different Rustoleum products being sold Rock Solid is the better option.
Few things…you need to scrape the flake after it dries to get all the rough edges knocked down and smooth and then vacuum all the loose flake before putting the top coat on. Clean your rollers with tape prior to use. Just get masking tape and put it on the rollers and get all the loose lint off the roller prior to rolling any epoxy. Last open the garage like a few inches and mask it off from the outside. That was you prevent anything from blowing in from opening and closing and also allows you to get the epoxy all the way over the concrete and doesn’t leave a line of un-finished/epoxied concrete.
I wish I watched this a little bit earlier, I just purchased commercial grade epoxy kit for $1800 from friend's recommendation, and it seems yours are much better
If the concrete is poured and left with a slightly rough finish. would the floor still need to be ground? I will be putting the coating on a new slab after it is fully set
If it is a new slab I would be comfortable applying the Epoxy without grinding but you could also call Jason at the company linked in the description and he is very helpful as he has done about 1,000 more floor than me 🙂.
I’m about to grind my old concrete floor and am going to acid stain instead of using epoxy. I think my problem with epoxy is that I’d constantly be subconsciously worried about it - even if I did the perfect prep job and used superior products. I’d constantly be waiting for that morning that I walk out into the garage to find paint coming up somewhere. With acid stain, it actually soaks into the surface, reacts with the minerals, and becomes part of the concrete. Couple that with a nice clear coat and you’ve got a maintenance free, durable floor.
Terrific points. I'd be interested in some responses from others on this. I'm the same way, I always want an area to work that I don't care about the way it looks. For example, where do you clean paint brushes? Your kitchen sink? A brand new beautiful laundry tub??? I'll take an old ugly one any day.
Yes. I watched a few videos from another channel. It was a professional doing the garage floor treatment. He said grinding is the only way to have a good long lasting epoxy coating. Your floor coating looks really good.
Nice video. I did this when we bought our home seven years ago with a 3-car garage during a week when it poured rain the whole time in Seattle. The Oneida Dust Deputy was a good addition for the shop vac to help with concrete dust (yes, there's lots of it). Used a different product with only a single step epoxy but quite similar otherwise. It's held up great except for cracking using a floor jack to lift cars (added a plastic sheet to distribute weight under jack which solved that problem). I was surprised at how far what seemed like a small amount of epoxy spread on the floor. I do it myself again.
Thanks for the feedback. It is a nice project where if you follow the steps and take your time the results are awesome. Also, not bad saving $2,000 - $3,000 as compared to getting it hired out.
Yeah buddy I have done it myself with a kit & that is ridiculous from the sound of it. I have a 2 car garage, I used a 2.5 car garage kit, cheaper kits though & as he stated at the beginning, which I think most people that purchase these kits do, i did not do an extended prep & follow all the steps to the T as far as prior to application but I did take my time & take it very seriously but after you do it once, you will have it down. My application lasted about two years before having it spot/crack/etc. here & there but it still looks much pretty good & honestly I have really given given it a pretty good beating with things (heat/walking+trailer wear, dragging, etc. I think if you truly do your prep well, you can make any decent kit last a long while but again as far as paying 4k, lol. I would never recommend hiring anyone to do this job, unless you just really don’t want anything to do with this or truly don’t mind paying the significant extra finance that it will take, in order to be it done properly hopefully be done right 100% with great quality products/crew. I spent around $350 give or take for a decent/nice looking garage, I loved my transformation but I am thinking about re-coating/re-doing this entire process but if I know I am going to be at that home for 5 plus years, I would recommended researching & buying the products (mixtures speaking + make sure you know what color you are getting & what it should look like before purchasing!) from a company. The tools/equipment - I would just get here & there (good/proper quality) from Lowe’s/Home-Depot/Online/what have you. Side note : Flakes - if you decide to add these, I would recommend tossing these up little bits at a time in palm & tossing straight up but not directing it into a certain area necessarily & working your way outer driver way (from road to house). Follow directions on this, as instructed on included booklet (instructions) with any kit you buy but always do little, rather than too much because you can go back over & add more. Lastly, add on a clear gloss - protective coating to add a layer to your application to better protect it & make it pop ! This is for anyone thinking of or researching about doing this application to their home themselves or otherwise.
The acid etching works as well, if not better than grinding when done correctly. The acid eats away at the surface of the concrete leaving a surface that is similar to sandpaper. If you are not getting those kind of results from the acid then it has either not been done properly or the acid is too weak. Grinding leaves a rough uneven surface that has to be hidden after with those color flakes. The acid etch leaves a flatter surface that looks better with less or no flakes at all. In your case, you had to grind off the old coating, making that your only option. There is a better grinding option though. You can rent a floor machine with a diamond sanding pad. They are larger diameter and less aggressive with the concrete, giving you a flatter surface while still cutting through your coating. Both would be wet operations requiring you to dry the concrete for a few days before coating but giving better results in the end.
@@harveymanfrantinsingin7373 I don't recall the acid my kit came with. But it came with crystals that you mixed with water. It sucked, took forever to dissolve in water and was not very strong. After i used up that, i bought muriatic acid from a home store. It worked much better! It starts fizzing and bubbling right away. After the reaction the surface should be really rough like coarse sandpaper. You will have to make sure you get all the concrete dust off before you coat it. In my opinion a chemical etch is better than the mechanical etch from a grinder.
@@mattlarson9897 OK, cool. Thanks for the reply… I’m still debating on whether or not to hire it out, use perforated floor tiles or do it myself. The floor tiles kind of sound enticing as I do a good amount of woodworking, and the sawdust would settle down inside until I vacuum and also allow me to not slip and break my face open!
@@harveymanfrantinsingin7373 Floor tiles look great and are good for walking on. The negative for me is they trap liquids under and it would be a pain to try to clean up a spill. I primarily work on cars, so spilt coolant and oil is a regular occurrence for me. If you would only be doing wood working on them tiles are a great option. With my epoxy floor i did not add flake or grit. I wanted mine smooth for easy clean up. I also didn't want the flake because it makes it harder to find dropped nuts, bolts, and washers. It looks great for a show garage but a nightmare for working imo.
On their website, the experts on Concrete Floor Solutions recommend against using acid. Just a little FYI for anybody who's planning on following the guidance and instructions of CFS, the company that sells the products used by the OP.
I have a 30x40 ft detached garage. The concrete installers cut "Control" joints (not expansion joints) in the concrete. They are about 1/8" wide and about 3/4" deep. The concrete is 4" thick. As you probably already know, the main purpose of creating Control joints is to "control" (prevent) RANDOM cracks. And mine did just that. Every one of my control joints cracked...beyond the original 3/4" depth. SO....my question is - should I fill them with the 2-part epoxy you used? On the heels of that question, should I fill JUST the crack, or should I fill the crack AND the original 3/4" deep joint? Great video BTW!
Always easy to rent a floor buffer at home Depot and get the sanding discs and the tool rental apartment 36 crisp round disc you just put the buffer on top of it and go for it if you want to take it down to a totally new surface you can use a 20 grit but hang on because when that thing bites it will take it out of your hand
I don't think that would do the job in this case. If you had a new floor and just wanted to scratch the surface the floor buffer with the sanding or scarifying disc might work.
I did a fair amount of research. I ended up using polyaspartic. More expensive. I felt more confident as a DIY person with it. My guidance to someone doing their garage would be to use lots of flake. Dont cheap out! And prep properly.
How does the total cost of this project with pro-grade materials compare to the cost to hire the whole project out to the pros? I saw a video recently of a project hired out to pros in Alabama for a 3-car garage, polyaspartic, full flake, clear coat, that only cost $3600. I was shocked how low the price was!
Thank you for the video. My garage floor has been done twice now over 17 years, with two times it was professionally installed and they grinded cement. The killer of this stuff is new tires and water, so new tires and pulling in after raining. In the morning, you will pull out, and the section of epoxy will suction cup to the tire. Leaving a bare cement spot. The spot will look ugly, it sticks out. You can try patch painting it, but it will never match exactly until you redo the entire floor. It's been eight years now since the last painting, and I'm considering doing it again, but I am optimistic this time about full flake. The last two times was regular partial flake. I'm thinking that more texture will prevent the suction cup effect. Also, another problem with epoxy floor is winter time, it can be really slippery. My garage is heating, so after driving in snow, park all night in morning there's usually a pool of water held back by the door. I open the door and have to squeegee it out to the driveway. That area, about two feet back from door rest area, cam get super slippery like a skating rink. It's worse when unexpected, obviously . It's usually unexpected when it's just a slight amount of water. I'm also hoping full flake will prevent that situation of unexpected slipperiness as well. Tip, you want to read this: get a plastic sheet and tape it to seal the door entry to your house. The first painting I had done I didnt do that and the smell through out the home was unbearable, couldn't sleep there for two nights. The second time i sealed the door and no issue at all. I hope my experience helps someone. Take care
Does the epoxy clear coat change with the sun beaming on it? Mine has and it has changed to a yellow tint even though my installer said it wouldn’t and everything would be fine.
Good video! Definitely be prepared to throw away your rollers/brushes after getting epoxy and polyaspartic on them When I did mine, I had to scrape/vacuum up excess flake and sweep my surface before I could apply my top coat. Did you not do this on yours?
I *always* knew there were superior, industrial grade epoxy floor products available out there because I've seen really durable epoxy floors in commercial buildings that are definitely more durable and resilient than the Rustoleum product. If I ever do my basement I will be sure to use this far superior product. Here's a question: Are the flakes just for aesthetics, or do they actually add structure to the epoxy coating?
I have question. I have a brand new house and garage floor that is never been used nor a car ever parked on it. Is "grinding" the concrete still necessary before the epoxy treatment?
Yeah. Just like with painting wood, you need to give the paint something to adhere to. When you grind the surface of the concrete, you're making a spot for the epoxy to adhere to.
Great Video mate. I have watched both the DIY version and this one, and just want to make sure - you mention not to wet the floor for the professional product. Is grinding the floor enough to get rid off the oil drip spot on the floor?
If you have oil I would get the specific primer they make for the oil problem spots to give you the best shot of it lasting. concretefloorsolutions.com/store/epoxy/cfs-oil-stop-primer/ and don't forget the promo code "ehr10" at checkout for a 10% discount 👍
Love the video tutorial. I have one question, with new construction garage floor, they have 2 control joints running vertical and horizontal running across the center of the floor, should those be filled before apply any of the epoxy items ?
You can confirm with Jason from Concrete Floor Solutions (he is a wealth of knowledge) but from my understanding they usually cut the joints again to open up new concrete and then fill with a fast set epoxy.
Scott, if I need to go budget friendly, can I still use the RockSolid Kit but more flakes with the top coat? I also watched your DIY video. I wish to make it good quality but also realize that at somepoint I will move. Wonder If this could last for 5 years?
the reason rustoleum epoxy doesnt work for people , is a couple reasons , 1) the surface isnt clean or dry enough , its gotta be bone dry zero moisture let that garage dry out for three days after your acid wash . 2) the kits dont have enought epoxy primer or compound to lay thick enough before it cures . buy 2 for one . and mix both parts from each kit ie primers and compounds together separately so you dont run into color differences when it dries . 3) order extra flake and sealer . work fast but take your time and it holds up
Did a friend’s garage with the Rust-Oleum epoxy and their clear coat over a year ago. The space is being used as a shop with lots of wear and tear. Despite having some deep patches, the floor has performed beautifully. The only caveat is the minor inconsistency in the epoxy coat due to absorption, which could have been remedied with a concrete primer. Granted it was done dry, without acid etching, instead using a cup grinder. So, I can’t report that it has been problem free for twenty years, but it has all of the indications of good adhesion with a solid product. All that said, if you clear coat, don’t forget the grit unless you want to know what your favorite looney tunes felt like.
If you are doing a "Full Flake" there is often a scrape and collection of extra flakes. In my case I did a heavy flake and didn't do any collection of extra flakes and everything turned out great. You want to avoid clumps of flakes that would not be covered by the clear coat as that will change the final sheen and look of the surface.
Best vid I've watched so far on this subject. Thanks. So, can I just order an epoxy vapor barrier primer, then throw flakes onto that. Let that dry overnight, then one top coat of Polyaspartic with the anti-skid powder thrown onto the ground first. And thats it? Will that be strong enough to allow my two cars to pull in/out evry day.
I think that's the new way of doing it. The 1-day outfits use that method. Still full grind first of course. Saves a step! Curious what @EverydayHomeRepairs thinks about it.
I just had a professional company do it. They had a grinding machine, and small hand held grinders for all the small places the big machine couldn’t reach. Then one layer and full flake. Came back about 3 hrs later for the Polyaspartic coat. Came out awesome. It’s a ridiculously hard surface now. Way harder than I thought it would be.
Did you look into any other companies for supplying the product? Curious if there was a specific reason you used concrete floor solutuons over someone else.
I had seen their videos and reached out as I liked the idea they were professional installers actually doing floors and also offering the same products they use for purchase. I worked with them on repairing a crack last year with their rapid set epoxy with great results. That is why I was confident in selecting their Epoxy floor Kit. 👍
amazing I took a course in 2019, worked once on my kitchen 6 yeras ago, needed to refresh and I think you explained it very well will buy this Concrete floor solution products for my proyect and follow instructions. Thank You.
Thanks for taking the time to post this, it's very informative. While the product you used is far superior to the cheap kits, some of us just don't have $2k to spend on a garage floor. Do you think using the same prep method (grinding) but just using the cheap kit would at least give a decent result? Thanks!
One recommendation that I always make, and I consider cheap insurance, is to always put down an application of a moisture vapor barrier as your first coat. Water vapor is constantly trying to move through concrete slabs, and if there is enough of it, it will cause the bond of your epoxy to your concrete to fail. The other option is to do a moisture test- but this can get complicated for the average person. Also, did you scrape your flake before you put your top coat on?
HI Scott, Excellent video. How did you clean up the rollers between products? Or did you throw them away & use fresh roller for each product? Thanks again, dean
You missed one step: After doing a full broadcast after the epoxy dries it needs to be lightly sweep to get the excess chips that did not bond with the epoxy
a bug comes out from under his right knee at 10:20 then it goes the right behind the bucket at 10:54 dont worry it comes back along the rightside of the right bucket at 11:21 i hope the bug didnt mess up this innocent man's floor
Coworker just got a 600sqft 3 car garage quoted at 2850 8/2024 same day install same materials. Mine was 2350 in 2021, 410sqft. So 1800$ + 357/day grinder. It's not worth the headache in the PHX market. Hiring is the way to go here.
There's a lot of illegal immigrants working there. So it's probably a great idea to hire them while they're still around! Price is going up soon I hear...
What if you use the DYI kit, but go with the grinding method for prep… have you heard of success with that? I’m in DFW and I’m getting professional quotes for about $2k. Seeing that going DYI, the good material is almost $2k, it makes me wonder what they are using
Looks great!! That's A LOT of work for the avg DIYer. Not sure I would tackle that one. Given the cost of almost $2000 for materials, what would be and avg. cost of having a professional do it?
It ideally wouldn’t need to be said, but if you’re using a gas powered grinder, make sure you leave the garage door open and set up ventilation to blow the byproducts of combustion out. If you have living space above the garage, ventilate that too.
Professional-Grade Epoxy Kit: geni.us/eskV
10% Discount Code (Enter At checkout): ehr10
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
I was not expecting flashbacks to the summer I spent running a grinder in commercial moisture mitigation. Some tips:
1) Rent the stand up grinder. Running a hand grinder on your knees will humble you real quick, and hitting those edges is going to suck.
2) The vacuum is only gonna get like 80% of the concrete dust. Make sure you have the correct respirator and ppe. Once that silica is in your lungs it don't come out. Throw plastic sheets over anything left in the garage.
3) We had much longer mixers (3-4ftft), which are much easier on your back when mixing
4) Get a roll of heavy construction paper and tape it down either outside the garage or in the hallway as a safe area to mix, change shoes, etc
5) We used large, cheap paint rollers for our epoxy - toss the rollers as soon as you're done and pop another one on if you needed it
All great points, thanks so much for the feedback!
@@EverydayHomeRepairs Apologies if that sounded critical. Your video was great, I actually learned a lot myself - just sharing some knowledge for the guys who are about to take the plunge (who aren't as young as they once were)
I have no reason to watch this video, but yet I’m intrigued.
It is a interesting process 🙂
lol same here ! 😂
Same here
knowing home improvement ideas can come in handy
I used the rustoleum epoxy kit from home depot (clearance for $26). I didn't use the acid. I used a 7 inch hand grinder attached to the shop vac with a dust deputy cyclone. Had no dust residue in the house and never had to clean the shop vac filter after grinding 800 sqft, I filled four 5 gallon buckets of concrete dust. A year later the epoxy is doing great, metal working, sliding heavy equipment across it, prying against it with a crowbar to position a lathe and mill. No chips or flaking, only a few scuffs.
Thank you for telling your experience, I'm about do the same.
Having used an epoxy coating in two different garages I can't emphasize how important it is to properly prep your floor. The degreasing/acid wash method is not adequate. Grinding down the concrete is an absolute must. Failure to do so will ensure poor adhesion of any product. Scott does a wonderful job of explaining the process. Don't shortcut any steps. Good materials cannot overcome poor prep.
Amen, thanks for the feedback!
Did you use a top coat? The DIY version doesn't come with it you have to buy a separate
@@Heath-k4h I did use a topcoat. I bought my kits from a company called UCoat It and the topcoats were provided as part of the kits I purchased. Just recently I had my garage done professionally and could not be happier. Should have hired the professionals the first time around.
That floor looks amazing and you clearly put a ton of work into getting it like that. I used the DIY kit from the box stores back in 2017 in my last house and it failed within a year. It started peeling up under where the cars parked at first (I noticed it was where the water would drip off of the cars and sit on the ground) but then continued to spread. By the 3 year mark before I moved, the floor looked absolutely horrible. It was always peeling and chipping and those peices of the coating would always be all over the garage floor and would always find their way into the house. I tried many times to peel it all up, but with just a scraper it would never come up and would just chip away in random places over time. If anyone read this far, avoid the DIY kit at all costs unless it's going to be used on a low foot traffic area that will have no sitting water on it.
Best garage floor epoxy application explanation so far.
used epoxyshield kit when i moved into my house, did not grind the floor but made sure i degreased and scrubbed the floor 2x waiting 2 days in between each time, then made sure to get a couple gallons of muriatic acid. do not use the stuff they give you in the kit it sucks. used 1 gallon mixed with water and etched the floor spreading it out and let it sit for 30 min then scrubbed it into the concrete. did this 2x. with a few hours in between letting the floor dry up a little to check condition. after the floor was fully etched i waited literally 1 full week for the concrete to fully dry out. (prob a little overkill) but wanted to make sure. did my floor coating using 2x 2.5 kits mixing them together going med thickness on my 2 car garage. let it cure for recommended time then applied the clear coat with anti skid. so far its been 7 years and non of it has peeled at all so i really cant complain about that. its held up very well considering it gets used for automotive work prob every other weekend. my only complaint is overtime from when the garage door is left open when the sun is out there is a small section that has started to yellow a little bit which is common but i knew about this before doing the project. if it ever came time to redo it. i would have it professionally done
Thanks for the great feedback. You thorough prep is a big part of the 7 years without an issue.
I'm loving the beetle or whatever it is, it's been with us through the whole process so far :)
😂, just hanging out the whole time
Another thing is you can use the angle grinder and grind the side concretewalls right below the drywall, and then use a paint roller and put on more epoxy + flakes, gives you a really nice clean look on the edges too! Plus its more waterproof kinda like caulking your corners in the shower!
I agree and would have done that exact thing if I didn't have the expansion joint all the way around.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs oh wow that was a joint? Just looked like the edge my bad! Interesting spot they put it!
Very good info. I will do my father in law's garage this year. It's 3.5m by 15m. It's rough concrete but I will buy a hand grinder and connect it to my big Makita construction vaccuum cleaner. A decent polyasp kit here in Europe indeed is around 1500€. Thanks again for the usefull tips. Greetings from Belgium. 👍
A very professional advising. Thank you.
Great video Scott. After watching your video I'm going to hire it done. I'm old and not up for that much of a DIY challenge. Thanks for sharing.
You bet, at least now you have an idea of the different steps even if you get it hired out. Knowledge is power 👍
my Rustoleum lasted 10yrs, ended up thinning out, hot tires damaged it too diamond grinding off the old coating, and layering on the new epoxy+clear 5+ yrs ago; bombproof - and like others have commented; it the prep / grinding. also note; there's 2 different Rustoleum products being sold Rock Solid is the better option.
Few things…you need to scrape the flake after it dries to get all the rough edges knocked down and smooth and then vacuum all the loose flake before putting the top coat on.
Clean your rollers with tape prior to use. Just get masking tape and put it on the rollers and get all the loose lint off the roller prior to rolling any epoxy.
Last open the garage like a few inches and mask it off from the outside. That was you prevent anything from blowing in from opening and closing and also allows you to get the epoxy all the way over the concrete and doesn’t leave a line of un-finished/epoxied concrete.
I wish I watched this a little bit earlier, I just purchased commercial grade epoxy kit for $1800 from friend's recommendation, and it seems yours are much better
If the concrete is poured and left with a slightly rough finish. would the floor still need to be ground? I will be putting the coating on a new slab after it is fully set
If it is a new slab I would be comfortable applying the Epoxy without grinding but you could also call Jason at the company linked in the description and he is very helpful as he has done about 1,000 more floor than me 🙂.
I’m about to grind my old concrete floor and am going to acid stain instead of using epoxy. I think my problem with epoxy is that I’d constantly be subconsciously worried about it - even if I did the perfect prep job and used superior products. I’d constantly be waiting for that morning that I walk out into the garage to find paint coming up somewhere. With acid stain, it actually soaks into the surface, reacts with the minerals, and becomes part of the concrete. Couple that with a nice clear coat and you’ve got a maintenance free, durable floor.
Terrific points. I'd be interested in some responses from others on this. I'm the same way, I always want an area to work that I don't care about the way it looks. For example, where do you clean paint brushes? Your kitchen sink? A brand new beautiful laundry tub??? I'll take an old ugly one any day.
Yes. I watched a few videos from another channel. It was a professional doing the garage floor treatment. He said grinding is the only way to have a good long lasting epoxy coating. Your floor coating looks really good.
💯
Nice video. I did this when we bought our home seven years ago with a 3-car garage during a week when it poured rain the whole time in Seattle. The Oneida Dust Deputy was a good addition for the shop vac to help with concrete dust (yes, there's lots of it). Used a different product with only a single step epoxy but quite similar otherwise. It's held up great except for cracking using a floor jack to lift cars (added a plastic sheet to distribute weight under jack which solved that problem). I was surprised at how far what seemed like a small amount of epoxy spread on the floor. I do it myself again.
Thanks for the feedback. It is a nice project where if you follow the steps and take your time the results are awesome. Also, not bad saving $2,000 - $3,000 as compared to getting it hired out.
My question does pill off when tires are hot ,does pill off after how many years
The Dusty Deputy caught the concrete dust? I would think that dust would be too light to settle at the bottom of the pail. Thanks for the tip.
Just had a quote for this job from a professional company. $4200. This is well worth the effort for the savings and results! Well done!
Was the $4,200 for a 1 day project? There are some new-ish companies and processes that get in and out in 1 day.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs yes. 1 day and done. That was their deal.
Yeah buddy I have done it myself with a kit & that is ridiculous from the sound of it. I have a 2 car garage, I used a 2.5 car garage kit, cheaper kits though & as he stated at the beginning, which I think most people that purchase these kits do, i did not do an extended prep & follow all the steps to the T as far as prior to application but I did take my time & take it very seriously but after you do it once, you will have it down. My application lasted about two years before having it spot/crack/etc. here & there but it still looks much pretty good & honestly I have really given given it a pretty good beating with things (heat/walking+trailer wear, dragging, etc.
I think if you truly do your prep well, you can make any decent kit last a long while but again as far as paying 4k, lol.
I would never recommend hiring anyone to do this job, unless you just really don’t want anything to do with this or truly don’t mind paying the significant extra finance that it will take, in order to be it done properly hopefully be done right 100% with great quality products/crew.
I spent around $350 give or take for a decent/nice looking garage, I loved my transformation but I am thinking about re-coating/re-doing this entire process but if I know I am going to be at that home for 5 plus years, I would recommended researching & buying the products (mixtures speaking + make sure you know what color you are getting & what it should look like before purchasing!) from a company. The tools/equipment - I would just get here & there (good/proper quality) from Lowe’s/Home-Depot/Online/what have you.
Side note : Flakes - if you decide to add these, I would recommend tossing these up little bits at a time in palm & tossing straight up but not directing it into a certain area necessarily & working your way outer driver way (from road to house). Follow directions on this, as instructed on included booklet (instructions) with any kit you buy but always do little, rather than too much because you can go back over & add more. Lastly, add on a clear gloss - protective coating to add a layer to your application to better protect it & make it pop !
This is for anyone thinking of or researching about doing this application to their home themselves or otherwise.
I just coated my basement apartment floor and it is maintenance free except a wipe. I am some glad that I did that worth every penny.
How big is your garage?
The acid etching works as well, if not better than grinding when done correctly. The acid eats away at the surface of the concrete leaving a surface that is similar to sandpaper. If you are not getting those kind of results from the acid then it has either not been done properly or the acid is too weak. Grinding leaves a rough uneven surface that has to be hidden after with those color flakes. The acid etch leaves a flatter surface that looks better with less or no flakes at all. In your case, you had to grind off the old coating, making that your only option. There is a better grinding option though. You can rent a floor machine with a diamond sanding pad. They are larger diameter and less aggressive with the concrete, giving you a flatter surface while still cutting through your coating. Both would be wet operations requiring you to dry the concrete for a few days before coating but giving better results in the end.
What type of acid would be sufficient?
@@harveymanfrantinsingin7373 I don't recall the acid my kit came with. But it came with crystals that you mixed with water. It sucked, took forever to dissolve in water and was not very strong. After i used up that, i bought muriatic acid from a home store. It worked much better! It starts fizzing and bubbling right away. After the reaction the surface should be really rough like coarse sandpaper. You will have to make sure you get all the concrete dust off before you coat it. In my opinion a chemical etch is better than the mechanical etch from a grinder.
@@mattlarson9897 OK, cool. Thanks for the reply… I’m still debating on whether or not to hire it out, use perforated floor tiles or do it myself. The floor tiles kind of sound enticing as I do a good amount of woodworking, and the sawdust would settle down inside until I vacuum and also allow me to not slip and break my face open!
@@harveymanfrantinsingin7373 Floor tiles look great and are good for walking on. The negative for me is they trap liquids under and it would be a pain to try to clean up a spill. I primarily work on cars, so spilt coolant and oil is a regular occurrence for me. If you would only be doing wood working on them tiles are a great option. With my epoxy floor i did not add flake or grit. I wanted mine smooth for easy clean up. I also didn't want the flake because it makes it harder to find dropped nuts, bolts, and washers. It looks great for a show garage but a nightmare for working imo.
On their website, the experts on Concrete Floor Solutions recommend against using acid. Just a little FYI for anybody who's planning on following the guidance and instructions of CFS, the company that sells the products used by the OP.
I saw a full grind with the do it yourself kit it came out fine.
I have a 30x40 ft detached garage. The concrete installers cut "Control" joints (not expansion joints) in the concrete. They are about 1/8" wide and about 3/4" deep. The concrete is 4" thick. As you probably already know, the main purpose of creating Control joints is to "control" (prevent) RANDOM cracks. And mine did just that. Every one of my control joints cracked...beyond the original 3/4" depth. SO....my question is - should I fill them with the 2-part epoxy you used? On the heels of that question, should I fill JUST the crack, or should I fill the crack AND the original 3/4" deep joint? Great video BTW!
Always easy to rent a floor buffer at home Depot and get the sanding discs and the tool rental apartment 36 crisp round disc you just put the buffer on top of it and go for it if you want to take it down to a totally new surface you can use a 20 grit but hang on because when that thing bites it will take it out of your hand
I don't think that would do the job in this case. If you had a new floor and just wanted to scratch the surface the floor buffer with the sanding or scarifying disc might work.
I think this is amazing. I had the DIY coating on a concrete floor and it did fail at the 6 month mark chipping etc.
Thanks for the feedback!
Is this the same procedure for an outdoors flooring or is there something different?
I did a fair amount of research. I ended up using polyaspartic. More expensive. I felt more confident as a DIY person with it. My guidance to someone doing their garage would be to use lots of flake. Dont cheap out! And prep properly.
Amen! Thanks for the feedback 👍
Can you put the epoxy on a self leveling concrete?
How does it hold up in cold weather?
I was wondering if i could use on new shower concrete floor
Wow. It is definitely shows the best out of the three. You get what you pay for. Well done.
What about a brand new concrete slab , still need to grind?
I do a lot of oil changes in my garage, after i do this floor job will the oil affect the floor and products?
I used the Rustoleum kit 20 years ago. It has held up fine. I had some pros seal my warehouse for $12 per square foot. I'll stick with Rustoleum.
Thanks for the feedback!
How does the total cost of this project with pro-grade materials compare to the cost to hire the whole project out to the pros? I saw a video recently of a project hired out to pros in Alabama for a 3-car garage, polyaspartic, full flake, clear coat, that only cost $3600. I was shocked how low the price was!
Thank you for the video.
My garage floor has been done twice now over 17 years, with two times it was professionally installed and they grinded cement. The killer of this stuff is new tires and water, so new tires and pulling in after raining. In the morning, you will pull out, and the section of epoxy will suction cup to the tire. Leaving a bare cement spot. The spot will look ugly, it sticks out. You can try patch painting it, but it will never match exactly until you redo the entire floor. It's been eight years now since the last painting, and I'm considering doing it again, but I am optimistic this time about full flake. The last two times was regular partial flake. I'm thinking that more texture will prevent the suction cup effect.
Also, another problem with epoxy floor is winter time, it can be really slippery. My garage is heating, so after driving in snow, park all night in morning there's usually a pool of water held back by the door. I open the door and have to squeegee it out to the driveway. That area, about two feet back from door rest area, cam get super slippery like a skating rink. It's worse when unexpected, obviously . It's usually unexpected when it's just a slight amount of water. I'm also hoping full flake will prevent that situation of unexpected slipperiness as well.
Tip, you want to read this: get a plastic sheet and tape it to seal the door entry to your house. The first painting I had done I didnt do that and the smell through out the home was unbearable, couldn't sleep there for two nights. The second time i sealed the door and no issue at all.
I hope my experience helps someone. Take care
I wonder if application of weld-crete would be better than grinding , acid treatment and vacuuming.
Does the epoxy clear coat change with the sun beaming on it? Mine has and it has changed to a yellow tint even though my installer said it wouldn’t and everything would be fine.
What would your opinion be of a more budget friendly rock solid kit, with the proper prep work of a grinder?
Good video!
Definitely be prepared to throw away your rollers/brushes after getting epoxy and polyaspartic on them
When I did mine, I had to scrape/vacuum up excess flake and sweep my surface before I could apply my top coat.
Did you not do this on yours?
I did not but the heavier you flake the more this step would be needed. When I was clear coating I was getting some flakes sticking to the roller.
How did you keep the garage door from sticking to the epoxy while it’s drying?
Nice work. It looks like those spiked shoes really make it a lot easier not to mess up the sequence and flow of things.
Absolutely and those are a must have for this type of installation
I *always* knew there were superior, industrial grade epoxy floor products available out there because I've seen really durable epoxy floors in commercial buildings that are definitely more durable and resilient than the Rustoleum product. If I ever do my basement I will be sure to use this far superior product. Here's a question: Are the flakes just for aesthetics, or do they actually add structure to the epoxy coating?
I had my floor professionally done and the installer wouldn't do it without flakes because it makes it so much more resilient.
You don’t need to knock down the “ extra “ flakes off the flake job, before you add the clear coat?
I have question. I have a brand new house and garage floor that is never been used nor a car ever parked on it. Is "grinding" the concrete still necessary before the epoxy treatment?
Yeah. Just like with painting wood, you need to give the paint something to adhere to. When you grind the surface of the concrete, you're making a spot for the epoxy to adhere to.
I love what Walmart's been doing to their concrete floors. They are just buffing it
how long did you let the primer, epoxy coating, and anti-skidding sit before applying the next?
if the concrete is brand new, new build, do I still need to prep the floor with either an acid wash or grinding?
Thank you. This convinced me to not use the Rustoleum product.
please do a video on metalic epoxy floor
Hello great video. How long did this take you i. Toltal. Also how long inbetween coats?
Great Video mate. I have watched both the DIY version and this one, and just want to make sure - you mention not to wet the floor for the professional product. Is grinding the floor enough to get rid off the oil drip spot on the floor?
If you have oil I would get the specific primer they make for the oil problem spots to give you the best shot of it lasting. concretefloorsolutions.com/store/epoxy/cfs-oil-stop-primer/ and don't forget the promo code "ehr10" at checkout for a 10% discount 👍
Love the video tutorial. I have one question, with new construction garage floor, they have 2 control joints running vertical and horizontal running across the center of the floor, should those be filled before apply any of the epoxy items ?
You can confirm with Jason from Concrete Floor Solutions (he is a wealth of knowledge) but from my understanding they usually cut the joints again to open up new concrete and then fill with a fast set epoxy.
Scott, if I need to go budget friendly, can I still use the RockSolid Kit but more flakes with the top coat? I also watched your DIY video. I wish to make it good quality but also realize that at somepoint I will move. Wonder If this could last for 5 years?
Looks amazing. Great video. I think its worth the extra money.
Agreed and thanks for the feedback!
how long was the curing time between the primer and intermediate coat?
I waited about 7-8 hours. Between 8-24 hours is ideal assuming temps around 80F
Any thoughts on cutting additional expansion joints before applying the product?
🤔
@everydayhomerepairs ...wondering how adding the traction material affects how hard it is to sweep?
What about doing a full grind then using the Rust-Oleum rock solid epoxy?
I think that would work and be a much better starting point than degreasing and etching.
Is a one coat epoxy application done by a local company? Or should 2 coats and then a primer be definitely done??
Thanks Scott, another perfect video as usual!
Thanks so much for the feedback and support 👍
Do you need to grind a fresh concrete surface from a new build?
the reason rustoleum epoxy doesnt work for people , is a couple reasons , 1) the surface isnt clean or dry enough , its gotta be bone dry zero moisture let that garage dry out for three days after your acid wash . 2) the kits dont have enought epoxy primer or compound to lay thick enough before it cures . buy 2 for one . and mix both parts from each kit ie primers and compounds together separately so you dont run into color differences when it dries . 3) order extra flake and sealer . work fast but take your time and it holds up
Did a friend’s garage with the Rust-Oleum epoxy and their clear coat over a year ago. The space is being used as a shop with lots of wear and tear. Despite having some deep patches, the floor has performed beautifully. The only caveat is the minor inconsistency in the epoxy coat due to absorption, which could have been remedied with a concrete primer. Granted it was done dry, without acid etching, instead using a cup grinder.
So, I can’t report that it has been problem free for twenty years, but it has all of the indications of good adhesion with a solid product.
All that said, if you clear coat, don’t forget the grit unless you want to know what your favorite looney tunes felt like.
Was there a sweep/vacuum after the flakes cured in? Wouldn't there be some amount of excess to remove before clear coating over it?
If you are doing a "Full Flake" there is often a scrape and collection of extra flakes. In my case I did a heavy flake and didn't do any collection of extra flakes and everything turned out great. You want to avoid clumps of flakes that would not be covered by the clear coat as that will change the final sheen and look of the surface.
You get what you pay for, no brainer this is the better product!
This is a great video. Please let us know how it lasts. Great job in both the installation of the floor and the making of this video!
Thanks so much!
How would you manage relief cuts or expansion joints when applying a product like this?
Best vid I've watched so far on this subject. Thanks. So, can I just order an epoxy vapor barrier primer, then throw flakes onto that. Let that dry overnight, then one top coat of Polyaspartic with the anti-skid powder thrown onto the ground first. And thats it? Will that be strong enough to allow my two cars to pull in/out evry day.
I think that's the new way of doing it. The 1-day outfits use that method. Still full grind first of course. Saves a step! Curious what @EverydayHomeRepairs thinks about it.
I just had a professional company do it. They had a grinding machine, and small hand held grinders for all the small places the big machine couldn’t reach. Then one layer and full flake. Came back about 3 hrs later for the Polyaspartic coat. Came out awesome. It’s a ridiculously hard surface now. Way harder than I thought it would be.
do you have to broadcast flake? i like the grey, used to put down sikaguard 62 years ago, loved that grey look.
I'm doing my garage soon I think I'm going with the DIY
You do live trainings?
You can stop by and help out when I do the next one 🙂. Joking, no live training but that would be great.
@EverydayHomeRepairs don't play, because I will go apprentice with you! Lol
Great video and excellent results, thanks for this demo!!
You bet!
Did you look into any other companies for supplying the product? Curious if there was a specific reason you used concrete floor solutuons over someone else.
I had seen their videos and reached out as I liked the idea they were professional installers actually doing floors and also offering the same products they use for purchase. I worked with them on repairing a crack last year with their rapid set epoxy with great results. That is why I was confident in selecting their Epoxy floor Kit. 👍
Thanks for the response! And nice work!
Wouldn't it have been better to wait until the fall for temps that wouldn't risk a bad seal of the coatings?
Any reason why you did not beyonds the garage door?
amazing I took a course in 2019, worked once on my kitchen 6 yeras ago, needed to refresh and I think you explained it very well will buy this Concrete floor solution products for my proyect and follow instructions. Thank You.
Thanks for taking the time to post this, it's very informative. While the product you used is far superior to the cheap kits, some of us just don't have $2k to spend on a garage floor. Do you think using the same prep method (grinding) but just using the cheap kit would at least give a decent result? Thanks!
Yes. Rustoleum Rock Solid will work just fine so long as you prep the heck out of the floor. See a video by Maz for more details.
@@JustADude1900ish Who is Maz?
So you only left the Rust-Oleum on for 3 months?
I used Concrete Floor Solution polyaspartic product on my floor. It is awesome. Floor prep is the most important. Highly recommend this stuff!!
I detail my car in my garage. Some of which are harsh chemicals. Would this hold up?
Yes, def worth the upgrade. Great job.
One recommendation that I always make, and I consider cheap insurance, is to always put down an application of a moisture vapor barrier as your first coat.
Water vapor is constantly trying to move through concrete slabs, and if there is enough of it, it will cause the bond of your epoxy to your concrete to fail.
The other option is to do a moisture test- but this can get complicated for the average person.
Also, did you scrape your flake before you put your top coat on?
I have a single car garage. With concrete walls, should I epoxy the floor before or after putting up the framing and drywall?
Always work top to bottom
So is the epoxy inert when dry or does it continue to off-gas chemicals?
You always have to grind the floor for it to properly adhere
HI Scott, Excellent video. How did you clean up the rollers between products? Or did you throw them away & use fresh roller for each product? Thanks again, dean
Fresh roller for each of the 3 layers 👍
How did you prep the corners?
You missed one step: After doing a full broadcast after the epoxy dries it needs to be lightly sweep to get the excess chips that did not bond with the epoxy
Yeah, good add. Especially true with a heavy flake broadcast.
Used the same rollers on all finishes?
Yep 👍 same type of roller from the kit but new roller for each of the 3 coatings.
How did you breathe without a respirator? That's insane!
a bug comes out from under his right knee at 10:20
then it goes the right behind the bucket at 10:54
dont worry it comes back along the rightside of the right bucket at 11:21
i hope the bug didnt mess up this innocent man's floor
Coworker just got a 600sqft 3 car garage quoted at 2850 8/2024 same day install same materials.
Mine was 2350 in 2021, 410sqft.
So 1800$ + 357/day grinder.
It's not worth the headache in the PHX market. Hiring is the way to go here.
There's a lot of illegal immigrants working there. So it's probably a great idea to hire them while they're still around! Price is going up soon I hear...
Are the flakes purely esthetic?
What if you use the DYI kit, but go with the grinding method for prep… have you heard of success with that?
I’m in DFW and I’m getting professional quotes for about $2k. Seeing that going DYI, the good material is almost $2k, it makes me wonder what they are using
Wow that sounds really cheap. For what sf?
Looks great!! That's A LOT of work for the avg DIYer. Not sure I would tackle that one. Given the cost of almost $2000 for materials, what would be and avg. cost of having a professional do it?
$7-$10 per sq ft.
Was this the same floor you repaired that big crack in? How’d it hold up over time?
Nope, that is a different floor. This one only had one small little hairline crack.
It ideally wouldn’t need to be said, but if you’re using a gas powered grinder, make sure you leave the garage door open and set up ventilation to blow the byproducts of combustion out. If you have living space above the garage, ventilate that too.
New home with DIY kit from home depot lasted 7.5 yrs b4 I sold the home. Prep is key no grinding needed on new construction.
Do you have to grind all the time before applying the priner and epoxy? I watched a few videos on epoxy coating but i havent seen them do it
Chemical coating doesn’t last and it’s crap you always need to grind
I don't have a garage... still watched! 👍