Garage Floor Epoxies


  #1  
Old 09-20-10, 09:00 AM
E
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: United States, Texas
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Garage Floor Epoxies

I purchase quikrete 1 part garage floor epoxy from Lowes to do my garage floor. After buying the two gallons of sealer I went home and spent all day Saturday preping the floor and let it dry over night. When the garage floor was completely dry I applied the epoxy to the floor and had enough left to do a second coat. I let the floor dry for a week before putting anything in it and a week and a half before putting a vehicle in the garage. Last night was the first night parking in the garage and I leave this morning to have it peel up with my tires. It cant even out stick a piece of duct tape. I called Quikrete (Valspar) tech support and they tell me I didn't apply it correctly. I followed the directions on the can of epoxy to a T and it still doesn't work. Has anyone else had this problem and how can I get this issue resolved if Quikrete just keep saying I didn't follow the directions proper?
 
  #2  
Old 09-20-10, 09:59 AM
Gunguy45's Avatar
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 19,281
Received 6 Upvotes on 6 Posts
One night of drying seems a little short. Did you clean the floor with TSP or similar using a scrub brush or pressure washer.

Not sure about the brand you have..but many epoxy coatings need to cure before a second coat can be applied if needed.

I found some info at the Quikrete site...but I didn't see anything about a 1 part epoxy?

Think we'll need some more info....
 
  #3  
Old 09-20-10, 10:12 AM
E
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: United States, Texas
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
I did indeed scrub the floor and wash it out to remove all dust and debris. I am not sure what you mean by TSP how ever.
We did that Saturday morning/early afternoon so it had till Sunday morning to dry. It may not sound like much time but I am in Texas and it was 100 degrees out all day Saturday and only got down to 85 Saturday night and there were no dark spots from moisture on the floor when we started.
Here is the link for the Epoxy I used on my floor. 1-Part Epoxy Garage Floor Sealer | QUIKRETE® Coatings
 
  #4  
Old 09-20-10, 10:23 AM
Gunguy45's Avatar
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 19,281
Received 6 Upvotes on 6 Posts
Like I said...more info please? How long between coats?

I'm no paint Pro...but I don't really trust anything that says "1 part epoxy"...the terms just don't go together.

Is it possible the garage floor had been sealed sometime in the past?
 
  #5  
Old 09-20-10, 10:26 AM
E
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: United States, Texas
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
The time between coats was 8 hours. The floor was dry to the touch.

I asked the builder and they do not seal any cement for any reason. It is something they will not do, I tried to have them do it before I moved in. So no the floor had not been sealed in the past.

Not sure what other information you need or are looking for.
 
  #6  
Old 09-20-10, 10:39 AM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
Unless I'm mistaken all the epoxy coatings I've ever used were a 2 part system [paint and catalyst]

Was the floor slick finished or was it somewhat porous? The concrete might have needed an acid etch to rough it up enough for the paint to adhere well.

TSP = tri sodium phosphate - a great detergent for prepping dirty surfaces for paint.
 
  #7  
Old 09-20-10, 10:40 AM
Gunguy45's Avatar
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 19,281
Received 6 Upvotes on 6 Posts
Ok...thanks...that answers the questions....and as I thought in my first post...you didn't wait long enough for the second coat. Right in the instructions for the product you provided the link to, it says..."finish with long, even strokes in the same direction. Two coats are recommended for most applications (wait 24 hours for second coat)." http://www.quikretecoatings.com/pdf/...oor-Sealer.pdf

Even 1 part epoxies have a lot of solvents that need to evaporate out for proper bonding and curing. Applying the second coat too quickly prevents that. Most regular paints also say "Recoat within 15 min or wait 48 hrs" or similar.

Sorry...but I really think you are out of luck. I'd have to think scraping it off and redoing with a better product might be your best option. A 2 part system will normally give better result. You might also consider a stain vs a paint type product.
 

Last edited by Gunguy45; 09-20-10 at 11:21 AM.
  #8  
Old 09-20-10, 11:49 AM
E
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: United States, Texas
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Is there any particular brand that would be recommended?

Didn't even see the wait 24 hours between coats. That probably has a lot to do with why it didn't work.

Thanks for the help
 
  #9  
Old 09-20-10, 01:01 PM
Gunguy45's Avatar
Super Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 19,281
Received 6 Upvotes on 6 Posts
Sorry...no advice...I look at concrete as a no maintenance thing..so I've never tried the coatings. Might look at some of the other posts here using the search function and see what comes up. Could be in the paint Forums?
 
  #10  
Old 09-20-10, 02:10 PM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
I've not used any of the newer floor coatings. Years ago some would use porch and deck enamel on garage floors but it never held up well. Generally if I have to coat a garage floor I'll try to talk the customer into using a concrete stain. They will wear away but I've never had them peel.
 
  #11  
Old 09-20-10, 02:12 PM
E
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: United States, Texas
Posts: 5
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes on 0 Posts
Will the floor stain also seal the floor?
 
  #12  
Old 09-20-10, 02:20 PM
M
Forum Topic Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA - N.E.Tn
Posts: 45,659
Received 835 Upvotes on 732 Posts
Yes, the stain is a sealer. It's thinner than paint, adheres well but will wear away over time - but it's usually easy to recoat. It does require bare concrete or being applied over stain. It doesn't work well over paint. I like the H&C line of solvent based stains at Sherwin Williams.
 
  #13  
Old 09-21-10, 12:26 PM
W
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: USA
Posts: 2,978
Received 9 Upvotes on 9 Posts
efarino - I found this among many of the product reviews - most are favorable BTW.

Customers applying the material in summer or living year round in high temperature areas have had difficulty getting the solvent to bond to the floor. Temperatures of eighty degrees or higher seem to drastically slow the drying process, so that even after ten days, two separate coats of Quikrete still have not cured fully. Of course extreme heat can slow the curing process so if you live in a hot climate this would be a great project for the spring or fall.

I'm still not sure about the epoxy moniker. Every epoxy I have used has been a two part mix. Also reading some of the on line marketing and reviews it seems that this stuff is sold as a concrete sealer more than a concrete floor coating.

I used the cheapo2 part Rustolem stuff on my new 24X26 garage floor several years ago. The floor sees daily traffic and the coating is still holding up. It has lost some of the sheen in the traffic areas but it still covers the concrete.
 
 

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
 
Ask a Question
Question Title:
Description: