Epoxy on your garage floor. - Printable Version

The following warnings occurred:

Warning [2] Undefined property: MyLanguage::$archive_pages - Line: 2 - File: printthread.php(287) : eval()'d code PHP 8.2.30 (Linux)

File	Line	Function
/inc/class_error.php	153	errorHandler->error
/printthread.php(287) : eval()'d code	2	errorHandler->error_callback
/printthread.php	287	eval
/printthread.php	117	printthread_multipage

Epoxy on your garage floor. - Printable Version

+- Madison Motorsports (https://forum.mmsports.org)
+-- Forum: Technical (https://forum.mmsports.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Technical Discussion (https://forum.mmsports.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=11)
+--- Thread: Epoxy on your garage floor. (/showthread.php?tid=9581)

Pages: 1 2

Epoxy on your garage floor. - CaptainHenreh - 08-15-2011

So. A lot of us old fogey-ass Alumni now own homes. And a lot of those homes have garages.

Except for RJ's. Let's all take a moment to chuckle to ourselves at his misfortune.

Alright. So here's how you do it. The first bit, anyway. I'm balls deep into this motherfucker, so...

MM!
Grab my dick!
ADVENTURE!

What you'll need:

1 Good metal scraper:
[Image: scraper.jpg]

1 Good push broom. (you need this shit for your garage anyhow)
[Image: 41ApHt5bAML._SS500_.jpg]

For this particular task, a combo broom/squeegee might be helpful
1 Shop-vac. The lowes 20 dolla "shop vac on a bucket" that I've got actually works surprisingly well.
1 Big-ass bucket of solvent. A half'n'half mix of simple green should do the trick
[Image: simple_green_cleaner.jpg]

(If your father in law is an ex concrete guy, he might give you a 5 gallon bucket labeled "solvent". Just use that.)
Enough epoxy to do your garage. I got a two car carage, so I need 2 of 'em.
[Image: AWWzdyQk_aR1evWjJGf4nONBcOcfQgDkGhzppsAi...3sKJQP1Hpg]

[Image: AWWzdyQk_aR1evWjJGf4nONBcOcfQgDkGhzppsAi...3sKJQP1Hpg]

NOTE: If you go to lowes/home depot to get this, they can tint it any number of colors.
1 garden hose, and water source
[Image: Maliah-Michel-S.jpg]

1 Long handled paint roller with a 3/8 nap
[Image: 00002288.jpg]

1 Trim Brush
1 Paint Tray
Optional: Some JBWeld.
Optional: Extra "style flakes

Step 0 (Optional): Reinforce that goddamn broom:
I actually do this with damn near every long-handled tool I will be using. Unscrew/remove the handle from the object. Mix up some JBWeld, spread that shit aaaaaall over the threaded part of the handle, then screw that mother in and let it sit over night. That bitch ain't gonna come loose until judgement day! All my life, when I would sweep out my dad's garage, the fucking handle would screw itself loose as I was sweeping and then I'd have to take a minute to screw it back in tight, so it wouldn't happen again. WHAT NOW, PUSHBROOM?

Step 1: Get all your shit out of your garage:
Do you have a bunch of shit in your garage already? You done fucked up, son! Get it all out! Yeah, all of it!
[Image: DSC_0215.jpg]

Hey, whose fucking bike? What are those Rusty's Offroad 6.5" lift coils doing in there? Get that shit out of the garage! Garage needs to be empty. Here's how you'll know when you're done: Take a look around your garage. Is there shit in it? If yes, you're not done! Get that shit out of your garage. If there's no shit, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Sweep.
Your ass is cinderella and your garage, even if brand fucking new, is covered in dirt. Sweep it all out into your driveway.

Step 3: Sweep it again.
I didn't stutter, bitch.

Step 4: Vacuum out the relief cuts.
I actually ran my scraper into the relief cuts to get all the accumulated dirt out. If your garage has any size to it at all, it'll have 2 (or more) cuts lengthwise and widthwise to give the concrete someplace to "crack" as it settles. It also gives a giant ditch for dirt to accumulate. Get it out!

Step 5: Skeet that Solvent all over the floor
If your garage ISN'T brand new, you'll have some stains. In my case, I had stains, old chewing gum, rotten cardboard, paint, and god knows what on my floor. Pour/spray your solvent/degreaser on your floor, and move it around with your pushbroom. Make sure it stays wet long enough to lift material off the surface. It is highly recommended that you wear close toed shoes for this step. OTOH, that burning sensation lets you know it's working!

Step 6: Scrape
While the solvent is doing it's chemical de-bonding dance, it's time to help it out with a little physical leverage. Go over every stain you see, just giving it a good couple of passes.Guess what! You're probably still gonna have stains. The staining agent has seeped into the concrete (which, despite being hard as fuck, is actually pretty porous) and will be stained FOR EVAR. But that's probably why you're doing epoxy to begin with.

Step 7: Wash that shit off.
Get your hose, and soak down your garage floor, Spray as much of the degreaser off as you can get out of the garage with the water pressure, maybe even a pressure washer would help here. Once you've done that, sweep/squeegee all the water out. Even though you swept twice, a bunch of dirt is going to come with it.
[Image: DSC_0219.jpg]

Step 8: Spray your dog with water for being a dipshit and walking on your clean garage floor
[Image: DSC_0216.jpg]

That's solvent, moron!

Step 9: Wait to dry.
Have a beer.

Step 10: Sweep again.
Yeah, that's right. You swept twice, fucking brushed that shit out, and you'll still pick up dirt with your broom.
Dirt, 100000x magnification:
[Image: troll_face___high_definition_by_animeburner-d3dcbnr.jpg]

[Image: troll_face___high_definition_by_animeburner-d3dcbnr.jpg]

Step 11: Wait 24 hours for it to seriously dry.
Remember what I said about concrete being porous? Have more beers.

Part Deux, tomorrow.

Also, jeep parts lolol:
[Image: DSC_0218.jpg]

DAY 2: Dundundunnnn

This day is a lot like day one, only shorter.

Step 12: Etchasketch!
Here, you'll need the etcher that came with your kit. If you watch the instructional DVD (and wtf do you need do that for, you've got Rexy!) it'll tell you when you use the etcher to have long pants, rubber boots, rubber gloves, and birth control goggles.
[Image: tumblr_lpkifwUuaM1qb6xks.png]

You meant hiking boots and gym shorts, right?

So first step is to get your nice dry garage soaking wet again. Just spray your hose all over, getting the whole thing saturated, starting in the front, and ending in the back. (Front here, being the garage door end of the garage). So the back of the garage should be the wettest. So now mix your etcher according to the instructions with 3 parts water in a plant watering can.

LOL, I mean poke holes in the seal of the concentrate and "salt" the wet floor with it, swishing it around with your broom. Do I look like the kind of motherfucker who has a watering can? And even if I did, would I put something that was sure to be PLANT POISON in it? Ah, no. Not this cat.

Anyway, so after you've applied your "single stage etcher", swish it around with your broom, scrubbing especially at your stains, or any place where the water seemed in a bigger hurry to dry,. work in quadrants, from the back to the front.
----Back----
--Q1---Q2--
--Q3---Q4--
----Door-----
Do Q1, then Q2, then you'll probably need to re-wet Q3 and Q4 before you do those. Scrub all your quads, then start rinsing.

Here's the thing, if your etcher doesn't "foam", you're fucked, because you've already got some kind of sealant on your concrete that needs to be removed before you proceed. I don't know how to do this. I imagine it involves sorcery or devil worship or something.

Anyway, Rinse rinse rinse, until you don't get any more suds. Then, get your squeegee broom and squeegee out all the water, doing it in quadrants again. Your garage will dry faster this way, because squeegees do a really good job getting rid of water. It's, like, what they were designed to do or something. (Not just be a fun word to say.)

Now you get to wait another 24 hours before you can put your epoxy down. For the purposes of this "tutorial" though, you'll have to wait until friday friday gotta get down on friday.

Day Whatthefuckever

Time to Paint!
Time it'll take you for a 2 car garage: 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Step 13: Realize you fucked up your flake color and run back to Lowes in your fuckin' pajamas to exchange them
Even though I tinted my shit "royal blue" the flakes in my kit were tan. Now, I am the idiot here, but still...the guy at the paint booth could have at least said 'Hey man, you sure you want these tan flakes with your blue paint?"

Step 14: Mix the activator with your FIRST can of Epoxy
You'll need to stir it for 3 minutes, then

Step 15: Wait 20 minutes for the epoxy to activate
This is temperature sensitive, so it might be 20 minutes, might be more, might be less. There are instructions in your box.

Unless your lowes is less than 5 miles away, make sure you do 13 before 14, or you'll risk getting a ticket driving like your ass is on fire to lowes to exchange the flakes before your bucket of paint turns completely solid.

Step 16: Paint Q1 of your trim
Paint about 1/4 the way around your garage on the edge with your trim brush. You won't be able to get in there well enough with a roller, so about the width of your brush will cover what you need.

Step 17: Paint a 2X6 section of Q1
You don't want to paint a larger section than that, or you won't be able to reach for your flakes.
About dis big:
[Image: PICT0439.jpg]

Step 18: Skeet your flakes on the 2X6 section of Q1
They come in like a red pepper flake shaker, but instead of turning it upside down and shakin it like a polaroid piiiitchaaa, I found that if you sort of flick your wrist with the bottle tilted up, you get a better shake. Just, you know, cast magic missile at the floor, and you'll get it.
[Image: PICT0441.jpg]

Also worth noting, the flakes settle during shipping, so when you first open a bottle, you'll get a lot of "dust sized" flakes. So give your bottles a shake/stir before you start "salting" the floor. Also, when salting, make sure you leave some "overlap" for your next 2X6 stripe, so you don't end up painting over the flakes.

Step 19: Repeat 17 and 18 until your fucking garage is covered.
I went Q1, Q3, Q2, Q4. The instructions suggest Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4. Just make sure you think it through and don't paint yourself into a corner. When you've got about 1/8 of a can of epoxy left (and a "full" paint tray), go ahead and mix up your other can, so it can "activate" while you finish out the first can.

Step 20: Let dry
Don't walk on that shit for 48 hours. Leave the garage door open if you can.

Step 21: Enjoy your fucking baller garage floor.

[Image: PICT0442.jpg]

Old'n'busted (but clean!):
[Image: PICT0437.jpg]

Teh New Hotness:
[Image: PICT0436.jpg]

Also, a word on flakes. I went apeshit with the flakes:
[Image: PICT0445.jpg]

In my 2 car garage, I used all of one gallon of paint, about a quarter of the second gallon...and three bottles of flakes. Two bottles came with the kit, one bottle I bought. (8 dolla) I think it looks nice, but some people may not like it so "flakey".

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - .RJ - 08-15-2011

:like:

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Mike - 08-15-2011

rj's place doesn't have a garage? lulz.

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - .RJ - 08-15-2011

Nope. Just a basement.

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - ScottyB - 08-15-2011

lay down that bling Rexy!

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Mike - 08-15-2011

.RJ Wrote:Nope. Just a basement.

unfinished? if so, that's more or less a garage.

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - .RJ - 08-15-2011

Finished, with a tile floor. Its nice.

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Apoc - 08-15-2011

For me to poop on.

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Goodspeed - 08-15-2011

[Image: this-thread-is-relevant-to-my-interests.jpg]

Do go on. Is this stuff non-lifting? I'm torn between a UCoatIt kit, Griots non-lifting floor paint, and a complete DIY process like you're doing.

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Evan - 08-15-2011

at my house the previous owners decided to take the leftover interior wall paint and paint the garage floor with it prior to selling. so i now have a garage floor with flaking paint that matches my walls, which would be a major pain in the cock to strip and completely remove. :finger:

so i bought some racedeck. which are sitting in boxes. for about a year. cuz i got shit in my garage. cool story bro

btw, brooms carry a shit ton of dirt. before step 10 you want to get as much of it out as you can

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - CaptainHenreh - 08-16-2011

DAY 2: Dundundunnnn

This day is a lot like day one, only shorter.

Step 12: Etchasketch!
Here, you'll need the etcher that came with your kit. If you watch the instructional DVD (and wtf do you need do that for, you've got Rexy!) it'll tell you when you use the etcher to have long pants, rubber boots, rubber gloves, and birth control goggles.
[Image: tumblr_lpkifwUuaM1qb6xks.png]

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - CaptainHenreh - 08-19-2011

Day Whatthefuckever

Time to Paint!
Time it'll take you for a 2 car garage: 1 hour, 45 minutes.

Step 13: Realize you fucked up your flake color and run back to Lowes in your fuckin' pajamas to exchange them
Even though I tinted my shit "royal blue" the flakes in my kit were tan. Now, I am the idiot here, but still...the guy at the paint booth could have at least said 'Hey man, you sure you want these tan flakes with your blue paint?"

Step 14: Mix the activator with your FIRST can of Epoxy
You'll need to stir it for 3 minutes, then

Step 15: Wait 20 minutes for the epoxy to activate
This is temperature sensitive, so it might be 20 minutes, might be more, might be less. There are instructions in your box.

Unless your lowes is less than 5 miles away, make sure you do 13 before 14, or you'll risk getting a ticket driving like your ass is on fire to lowes to exchange the flakes before your bucket of paint turns completely solid.

Step 16: Paint Q1 of your trim
Paint about 1/4 the way around your garage on the edge with your trim brush. You won't be able to get in there well enough with a roller, so about the width of your brush will cover what you need.

Step 17: Paint a 2X6 section of Q1
You don't want to paint a larger section than that, or you won't be able to reach for your flakes.
About dis big:
[Image: PICT0439.jpg]

Old'n'busted (but clean!):
[Image: PICT0437.jpg]

Teh New Hotness:
[Image: PICT0436.jpg]

Also, a word on flakes. I went apeshit with the flakes:
[Image: PICT0445.jpg]

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - CaptainHenreh - 08-19-2011

Also, goody:

This stuff is supposed to be non-lifting. Don't know if it really is, or not.

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - ScottyB - 08-19-2011

you are one (1) stripper pole away from greatness. that floor looks pimp as hell!

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Steve85 - 08-19-2011

looks good, damn good.

I think I'll do mine

Quote:Step 1: Get all your shit out of your garage:
Do you have a bunch of shit in your garage already? You done fucked up, son! Get it all out! Yeah, all of it!

Oh well, I'm out...

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Goodspeed - 08-22-2011

Mr. Rex.

How would you describe your concrete pre-dicking with? I've been looking at Quickrete at Lowe's, and at our garage floor surface, and I'm a bit confused on the sealed vs. non-sealed issue.

Your floor appears to look like ours in the pre-dick pics, yet it was non-sealed (?). The pic with the bike and the vac makes the floor appear to have a slight sheen to it, as ours does.

I performed this test and the water sort of sat there, and didn't soak right in. This video appears to show that your floor, if unsealed, looks like the surface of the moon.

I'm tempted to say fuggit - the floor, if sealed when new, is 24 years old, and the solvent will probably do work. But your gracious .02 would be noted and appreciated :thumbup:

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Jeff - 08-22-2011

This is very sexual. My garage floor has that rough finish so I don't think I can do something like this. I want to do the tiles.

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - CaptainHenreh - 08-23-2011

Goodspeed Wrote:I'm tempted to say fuggit - the floor, if sealed when new, is 24 years old, and the solvent will probably do work. But your gracious .02 would be noted and appreciated :thumbup:

My instructions said to watch for water "beading". I know what beading looks like, and it only did that on the earl stains, and that's what the etcher is for.

I wouldn't worry, just do it. I certainly am not taking a mechanical grinder to my floor. F that. If the fucking sealers worked I wouldn't *have* to put epoxy down, now would I?

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Apoc - 08-23-2011

Total cost of your materials?

Re: Epoxy on your garage floor. - Evan - 08-23-2011

what scurrs me about the epoxy is if/when it starts to lift. then you're in a world of pain if you want to strip it all off and start over.