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Applying Epoxy Coatings on Garage Floors

Bidisha Mukherjee
When you use epoxy floor coatings on your garage floors, it renders an attractive look to your garage. Find out more in this post.
Today, more and more people prefer to use epoxy paint on garage flooring because it has several benefits. Epoxy floor coatings, when applied to the concrete flooring of a garage, last for a long duration of time. They are available in a wide variety of sparkling colors.
This type of floor coating is resistant to any greasy, oily, or acidic substances that cause damage to other ordinary paints. It is easy to clean and does not wear off for many years.

Types of Epoxy Floor Coatings
Epoxy floor coatings can be broadly categorized into three different types. They are water-based epoxy, solvent-based epoxy and 100 percent solid epoxy. The solid content of water-based epoxy paint is in between 40 to 60 percent. Its biggest advantage is that it does not have any potentially dangerous solvent fumes.
As the name suggests, 100 percent solid types are those that contain epoxy in its highly pure form. It is very difficult to manage this coating, as it tends to harden up very quickly. It is highly expensive and should be applied by professionals only.
Solvent-based epoxies are very popular because they offer a wide variety of colors. In solvent-based epoxies, solid epoxy constitutes 40 to 60 percent of the paint. They possess good adhesive properties and permeate well into the surface of the floor.
The solvents used in this type of epoxy are hazardous in nature. They release fumes, which if inhaled, are very harmful for health. Thus, during the application, one should use protective gear to protect your lungs. After application of this paint, the garage must be kept well-ventilated.

Applying Epoxy Coatings
The real difficulty with epoxy floor coatings is that it does not adhere to all kinds of concrete flooring. That is, if the condition of the flooring is bad, then it cannot hold the epoxy paint. So, you have to prepare the floor before you apply epoxy paint on it.

Preparing the floor

Firstly, you have to clean up the floor by scrubbing, vacuuming, and rinsing, so that the floor is free from oil spots, greases, and acid marks. If the floor has old paint coatings, then remove them completely before you paint it with epoxy.
Once you have washed the floor thoroughly, allow it to dry. If required, leave it overnight or wipe off with a rag. Then, the cracks and holes of the floor need to be filled up with the help of epoxy crack filler. Leave for a few hours to cure.

Application of Epoxy to Garage Floor

When your floor is ready, apply the paint in a manner such that it spreads on the surface of the floor evenly. To obtain the best result, you should put three coats of epoxy paint. It takes at least fifteen hours for the epoxy coating to dry.
Therefore, it is better if you apply the second coat on the next day. For the second coat, you can include some anti-skid additive or granules to get a surface like sandpaper. The third coat should be applied after the second coat has dried up completely. Always keep the garage door open for at least one hour after application of each coat.
In case you have put new slabs on your garage floor, then you should wait for a month before you apply epoxy to the garage floor. If moisture tends to come through the concrete of your garage floor, then the floor is not right for epoxy floor coatings.