GARAGE FLOOR COATINGS, WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
It looks really cool and it seems like it would be easy to clean. Are there many color options? Can I do it myself? How long does it last? What do I need to know about Resinous Concrete Coatings?
Resinous garage floor coatings and driveway coatings are very popular now and come in many colors. Having a top quality coating professionally installed is nice but it can be really expensive! Why would you pay that kind of money for something so simple? Painters, handymen and homeowners are installing them all over town… What could go wrong? Let’s take a look….
There are four parts to a resinous floor coating:
Crack repair product:
Most floors have small crack that need to be repaired prior to coating. A mixture of silica sand and crack repair material are worked into the void once the crack is opened up with a specialty grinder. With chips applied at 100% coverage you can get away without repairing small cracks but they may still be visible at certain angles in the right lighting.
Color coat(s):
The color that goes down on the floor first. It needs to be applied quickly so chips will stick to it if you are using a 3 coat method.
Chips:
Chips are cast into the still wet 1st or 2nd color coat. They can be applied sporadically (feeding the chickens) or with 100% coverage so the only bits of color coat you see are what soak around the edges of the chips. Feeding the chickens takes practice for the perfectionist eye.
Top coat(s):
Clear Product such as epoxy, Polyaspartic or Poly 90. The poly top coats are UV stable and several times harder than epoxy. It’s all about application. Garage floor coatings work well for one person to put it down with a squeegee while others back roll with a paint roller.
There are numerous significant get more info issues when installing resinous chip coatings. The level of solids as part of your merchandise, the Ultra Violet security, Appropriate Crack repair, the quantity of solution going on the floor and Prep. The key of all will be the prep.
Prep:
depending on the merchandise you are Placing down, there are three recognized methods of prep. Grinding, shot blasting or simply a deep acid etch. The finished product or service is just nearly as good as the prep. A rough profile is necessary from wall to wall. Any spots that are not thoroughly profiled or left soiled will eventually Allow unfastened.
Most get it done oneself kits within the large box keep would require 1 shade coat to generally be rapidly utilized, a quick smattering of chips and one coat of distinct epoxy that can transform amber in color with time. If prepped adequately it can hold up for some time but there isn’t a good deal of fabric to have on.
Crack restore can usually moments be the hold up with the DIY kind. It requires follow and some specialty instruments similar to a grinder/vac for getting it right.
A high solids item Like Graniflex covers entirely in one coat and is not going to shrink although drying. Though you may deal with in a single coat a specialist installer will generally slim out the primary coat and ship it deep to the pores of the floor for the ultimate adhesion. The chips will probably be cast into the slower drying next shade coat with one hundred% chip coverage. Once the chips are properly scraped and prepped two UV secure Poly major coats are utilized.
No matter whether using it on your self or hiring the massive guns no less than now you may have an concept of what to expect. If you are doing go the economical route just be well prepared…. It will eventually cost a lot more to get rid of a failed coating prior to deciding to have it skillfully carried out the 2nd time. Thank you for taking the time.
Jon Molden
Blood Sweat & Tears Concrete