Concrete sealer peeling on garage floor

When I became a homeowner, I painted the floor of our garage with an exterior silicone acrylic concrete sealer from Sherwin Williams. Three years later, it's peeling and flecking up off the floor. In one place where water tends to pool, it's completely gone.

I attribute the problem to a lack of experience and improper surface preparation. I also wonder if I really used the best product for the job. That's the sucky thing about being a new homeowner--you don't usually get an opportunity to practice something like this first and learn from your mistakes before trying it out on something you own.

I'm looking for ways to remove the sealer safely and preferably without using a pressure washer. I've recently installed pegboard on all of my garage walls and don't want to get it wet. I've read a few ideas online such as soaking a white sheet in xylene and peeling it away when it dries. Could I use a machine (scarifier?) to grind it away instead of using chemical strippers?

Also, I'd like to know what products you might recommend to re-seal the floor once I strip it and properly prepare the surface.

Thanks!

 

SWP's concrete sealer does a decent job. Was this a brand new house? if so was there any type of sealer on the concrete. What prep [if any] did you do?

IMO a pressure washer would be the easiest best method to remove the sealer but a scarifier would also do a good job but would be dusty.

 

The scarifier would certainly remove the sealer....and about 1/4 inch of the concrete surface. A pressure washer would partially remove the sealer, but anywhere it is still adhering would probably stay.
Really, a chemical stripper is about the cleanest and most benign method of removal. The xylene/sheet thing works, but the fumes are incredible! If it were mine, I'd get something like citrus strip from HD and have at it. There are certainly better chemical strippers, but I'm just going by what you can easily get your hands on without a lot of fumes. If you have an ICI/Dulux paint store nearby, ask them about BareZAll. It does a good job with very few fumes.
As to the re-seal, go to a local contractor's supply and ask for a recommendation. You won't typically find a great sealer at HD, Lowes, etc. Make sure you follow all preparation instructions closely, especially the part about making sure it is COMPLETELY dry before sealing. That would require a minimum of 24-48 hours drying time after washing it. Also, do not apply it too thickly. That's almost worse than leaving it unsealed. Good luck.

 

The floor was new and unsealed. It was a painters wish...until I effed it up. I thoroughly cleaned and dried the floor, but I didn't acid etch it. At the time I was too afraid to mess with acid etching solution (I was a royally freaked out new homeowner), so I asked around until someone told me it was OK not to use it. Obviously I listened to the wrong person. I should have just hired someone to do the job for me; it would have been less expensive than having to do it twice.

I have since painted a concrete walkway with the same product after properly cleaning, drying, and etching the surface, and I've had very good results so far, so I know without a doubt that not etching the floor was the largest contributing factor to this disaster.

I'm considering just letting the garage floor go rather than pouring additional time and expense into it. Nobody else on my block has sealed their garage floor at all; I suppose that being at least partially sealed it's better than not being sealed at all. But if I do decide to undo my past mistakes, I'll at least know how to proceed.

For now, I'll throw the project on the Someday/Maybe list.

Thanks again for your advice.