Epoxy floor for basement, couple questions
#1
09-19-14, 11:04 AM
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Epoxy floor for basement, couple questions
Long time lurker, first time poster..
So the story is I had someone attempt to do a polished concrete floor in my basement. It turned out looking terrible so I decided to do a basic epoxy floor myself. I am curious if the floor will be ready for the epoxy or is there something else I need to do? The guy who did the polished floor sanded it, primed it and sealed it so it is smooth. But I have heard that too smooth a surface is not ideal for epoxy because it won't absorb properly.
The kit I have has some sort of "etching" product - will this be enough to apply the epoxy or is there something else I should do? Thank you all kind sirs..
So the story is I had someone attempt to do a polished concrete floor in my basement. It turned out looking terrible so I decided to do a basic epoxy floor myself. I am curious if the floor will be ready for the epoxy or is there something else I need to do? The guy who did the polished floor sanded it, primed it and sealed it so it is smooth. But I have heard that too smooth a surface is not ideal for epoxy because it won't absorb properly.
The kit I have has some sort of "etching" product - will this be enough to apply the epoxy or is there something else I should do? Thank you all kind sirs..
#2
09-19-14, 12:19 PM
I've never painted over concrete floor sealer but suspect it would need to be removed first. The etching product is probably something like muratic acid which is used to open up the pores in slick finished concrete so the coating can suck in and adhere well. Muratic acid isn't effective over paint and/or most coatings.
#3
09-21-14, 03:03 PM
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Is there any alternative? I hate to have the sealer removed as I have already sunk $1k into this and have gotten nowhere 
#4
09-21-14, 08:10 PM
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You need to grind the floor to remove the sealer and get to a bare, clean concrete surface for the epoxy to bond. Muriatic acid probably will not be effective with the floor sealed which is why most manufacturers recommend grinding to remove any sealers or paint. You also need to confirm that you don't have water vapor passing through the slab.
#5
09-22-14, 04:35 AM
Muratic acid has little/no effect on paint. Back in the 80's I painted a subdivision of town homes with all the wood being stained a rust color. I was accused of spilling a lot of stain on a homeowner's concrete driveway. I told them it wasn't paint! It was cleaned up with muratic acid. Muratic acid will not remove paint! The builder later told me that the stain reappeared and was traced back to battery acid off of the homeowner's car.
