Easy tips for coating and applying new epoxy or a clear coat to an old garage floor covering. In addition, learn how to prepare a worn and peeled layer with a new one. Epoxy coatings usually come in kits with everything you need. Once you choose one, determine if you'll need to order additional supplies.
Manufacturers may suggest two coats of epoxy paint and a top coat, but most standard kits only supply enough for one coat. If you choose to add colored flakes, which will help hide the imperfections inherent in concrete, determine how intensively you will spread them on the floor so as not to fall short. In addition, if the foundations of your garage are raised above ground level at the bottom of the walls, you may want to consider coating the vertical surfaces a few more inches to make it easier to clean the garage. Then decide if you want to include an anti-slip additive, granules that give the finished floor a surface similar to that of sandpaper.
This can be a good option in rainy or ice-prone regions. Behr will tell you that you can apply its water-based Wet Look clear acrylic layer, but it works very poorly in a garage and their data sheets don't recommend it for use in the garage. If you're considering a particular type of garage floor covering and aren't sure what your clear paint options are, take advantage of the toll-free number provided by the manufacturer and ask for help. The moment you apply it to water-based garage floor paint, the paint can soften and sometimes even fade until it becomes transparent as you apply it.
They do a good job of transporting traditional DIY epoxy garage flooring kits, but most don't carry the manufacturer's optional transparent coating. I painted a concrete floor in a basement laundry room with two coats of Kilz All-Purpose Multi-Surface and then two more coats of Behr porch and patio floor paint (100% acrylic latex, depending on the can). I want to know what transparent layer I can use to seal a logo that I will paint on a concrete floor in a mechanical workshop. If the coating is quite worn out and looks more concrete than epoxy, then you'll want to start from scratch by shredding the floor.
Applying an epoxy coat to a concrete floor is as easy as painting walls, but as with paint, success lies in the preparatory work. I wish I had found this site sooner. I used a Behr 1-part epoxy coating on my garage floor, as it specifically says for driveways, garage floors, etc. The first mistake is to buy acrylic latex paint for concrete floors or 1-part epoxy paint for your garage floor with the intention of applying a transparent layer to it.
I just made my garage with a part of Rustoleum epoxy paint in Battleship gray and added flakes from the same brand. It's worth putting epoxy on the garage floor, since epoxy not only completes the professional look, but it also resists oil stains, water droplets and can be cleaned with a cloth like a kitchen countertop. They are also used as maintenance layers to restore shine and, at the same time, allow the epoxy coating to look new again. In addition to creating a beautiful semi-gloss to glossy finish for the color layer, the transparent layers fix and protect the color scales and act as a sacrificial layer that protects the underlying base color layer.
With a few exceptions, home improvement centers and hardware stores don't offer the right transparent layers for concrete coatings.
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