After Nick had mentioned that he was going to epoxy the garage, I went on a fervent hunt to see what it was all about. A couple youtube videos later, I was convinced that I needed to do this for my new house. In my head it was the ideal time to do it, as the concrete was going to be completely fresh and ready for the epoxying to begin!
Buzzt wrong was I.
This easy project started out with me going to my local store and buying Rust-Oleum Professional Floor Coating Kit
. Which now that I search for it on Amazon, realize that it’s much cheaper online than at Lowes. They have a couple colors, but you can also mix it for custom coloring before adding the activator to the paint.
What’s completely sad about the kit is that the instructions come on a dvd, and all my dvd players are broken, even then ones in my MacBook Pro. Thus the hijinks ensue.
Acid Wash Tools
- Harper Brush Works Heavy Duty Push Broom
- Blue Tape (Get FrogTape instead)
- Disposable Coveralls
- Purple Disposable Gloves
- Gilmour Flexogen Hose
- Heavy-Duty Brass Adjustable Hose Nozzle
- 2 Gallon Plastic Pail
(Which I ended up skipping because I read the instructions wrong)
)
The instructions stated that I need to sprinkle and not cause a cloud of the acid powder after hosing down the garage to start.
I interpreted that incorrectly. By “sprinkle” they had actually meant, sprinkle into a pail and mix with water. Nevertheless I sprinkled the powder onto the garage floor directly and created acid directly on garage floor.
Mid washing with the acid, I noticed that it had no effect on paint stains. I ran over to grab my paint scraper
and squatted to remove all paint splotches. Concentrating on the paint, I completely missed that the acid began melting my shoes, along with the rubber gloves I was wearing.
4 washings of the garage over the course of a week, and 20 rubber footprints later, along with some assistance scrubbing and washing from Sam…
The ground was still very most. I waited 2 more days until it was completely dry.
Then I gathered the tools:
- 3-Inch Paint Brush
- One Coater Roller Set, 9-Piece
- Mini Roller Kit (For corners)
- Shur-Line Extension Pole
- Paint Can Key
(For corners)
After mixing the paint with the activator, I began using the brush to paint the edges, however that seemed to take way too long and the constancy of the epoxy begins to rubberize, if you don’t use it quickly enough.
I switched to the corner roller and only used the brush to dab in the holes. This seemed to help quicken the pace.
After that I proceeded with the roller and extension pole. It was slow going, but 3 hours later I was done. Had to switch rollers in the middle as once the epoxy starts to harden, rolling pulls the nap right off the roller and onto your beautiful flooring. But, triumph, victory and all that jazz. I went into the stairwell next to my garage and nearly passed out from exhaustion, but yay, another DIY new home project completed.
