Garage Floor Coating - Do It Yourself Installing Procedure
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This guide will help you step by step to install a garage floor coating, and this is appropriate if you are absolutely certain that you want to do it yourself. The most common type of floor coating is epoxy. That’s what this guide will explain exactly how to do.
Before you start applying the coating, you need to check a few things first. Make sure you do these things right, because they will affect the coating’s resistance and durability. First of all, check if the concrete is sealed. To do that splash some water on random spots and if the water beads that means the concrete is sealed. Then, if your concrete was painted before, make sure it has dried correctly. If not, use a scraper and remove it. Any bad paint remains could mess up the coating.
You must be very careful when you remove the paint. It releases very dangerous toxins that can lead, in the worst case, to brain damage. Use a protective mask while you remove it. If the paint is in perfect condition then you should clean it and make sure that it can perfectly bond with the coating. Another problem with the concrete you might have is moisture. The easiest way to find out if your concrete has moisture is to tape a sheet of plastic to the concrete. Then wait for about a day. If the concrete has a darker color or you see water drops it means that you shouldn’t install the coating. The last thing to take care of is to check the concrete for cracks, uneven spots and remove all dirt and dust. If you had to fix any cracks then you should wait a couple of days until the concrete has completely dried off.
After you did all the repairs you are now ready to prepare the concrete. Make sure again that there is no dirt or dust on the floor. Mix all concrete etch with about 6 liters of water and apply it to the floor after it has dissolved completely. This can help you remove all imperfect spots that might have remained on the concrete. When you are done with this procedure you should use a hose to clean any etch remained on the concrete. After the concrete has dried completely you are now ready to proceed to the next step.
Now you can prepare your epoxy coating. You should know that it isn’t recommended that you add color flakes to the decorative paint. The floor might be slippery after applying the coating so you might want to use aggregates that can prevent that and make the floor completely safe. Now you can apply the coating. Be sure to check the temperature. The coating is applied in different ways, depending on what temperature the concrete has. That means you should finish the work in about 2 hours, because the temperature might change. Ask a friend to help you if you think you can’t finish the work in 2 hours.
After you’re done you must wait at least 2 days before going into the garage. The coating must fully dry, or it could get damaged. If you have a vehicle you should park it outside for about 4 days to be sure it won’t damage the concrete. After 4 days you can be sure it has dried completely. The tools you used for the coating should be cleaned right after usage or you will have a hard time to clean them later. All that is left to do now is to enjoy your garage and be satisfied that you chose to use a coating on your garage floor.
