If you want to protect your garage floor from damage, applying an epoxy coating to the floor is a great way to do so. If you want to change the way that your garage looks, applying an epoxy coating is an easy way to transform the appearance of your garage floor. Before you slap down the epoxy on your garage floor, you need to do a little prep work.
Tip #1: Make Sure Your Floor Will Accept Epoxy
First, you need to make sure your floor will accept the epoxy. Epoxy only works on certain types of flooring. If the concrete in your garage is already sealed or painted, the epoxy will not stick to your concrete floor.
If you are not sure if your concrete floor includes any sealant, it is really easy to figure it out. Just take a little water and pour it on the concrete. If the water starts to soak in, and the concrete turns dark where you poured the water, the concrete is not protected and is ready for an epoxy coating. If the water balls up in little beads, that means your concrete is protected with a sealant.
If the water beads up, you will need to remove the sealant. You can remove the sealant by using a grinder to break-up the surface layer of the concrete.
Tip #2: Clean the Garage Floor
You need a clean surface for your epoxy. If your garage floor is brand-new, all you are probably going to need to do is sweep the garage to clean it.
However, if you have been using your garage for some period of time, and there is grease and/or oil stains on the concrete, you are going to need to address these stains. Oil and grease stains will prevent the epoxy from adhering to the concrete where the stains are present.
If the stains are new, you may be able to remove them with some clothing detergent and a little scrubbing. If the stains are deeply set in place, you will need to use a degreaser, which will break down the stain and draw the oil out of the concrete.
Tip #3: Prepare the Surface
After you clean the garage floor, you need to prepare the floor. To prepare the floor, you are going to need to profile the garage floor. Profiling is the process of making sure the pores in the concrete are exposed so that the epoxy will flow into the pores and bond with your concrete.
The two common ways of profiling a garage floor is to either grind the surface of the floor or to use acid etching. Both methods work equally well.
Now that you have figured out if your garage floor will accept epoxy, and you have cleaned and prepared your garage floor, it is time to apply the epoxy. You can apply the epoxy yourself or hire a professional team to apply the garage floor coating for you.
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