• Join Now
• |
• Sign In

How To Apply Epoxy Floor Paint To Your Garage (page 3 of 5)

Images from this article

javascript:void(0);

Applying Epoxy Paint To Your Garage's Floor: Day 1: Floor Cleaning

To begin, use a flat-edged shovel or scraper to loosen hardened surface debris, then sweep it out with a stiff-bristle garage broom.

Next, mix up a 5-gallon batch of water and concrete cleaner/degreaser according to label directions (found at home centers and hardware stores for about $12).

Once spots are cleaned, power-scrub the entire floor. To clean a two-car garage floor, plan on scrubbing for 20 to 30 minutes (keep the floor wet at all times). Make sure you scrub with a stiff-bristle hand brush along the walls and in the corners where the machine cannot reach. Once you’re satisfied with dirt removal, vacuum up the cleaner for proper disposal.

TIP: A coat of floor wax applied over the top of a cured epoxy floor will make it easier to clean.

Don’t just wash the product down the drive into the storm sewer. The environmental effects of cleaning products can vary widely. Check the product label or call the manufacturer for the proper waste disposal method. We looked up the Material Safety Data Sheet for the product we used (made by Behr) on the Web site www.msdssearch.com and learned we could pour the waste into the “sanitary sewer” (toilet). Also check the label or call the manufacturer for instructions on safe disposal of all leftover product and containers. When in doubt, call your city or county environmental office.

Before etching concrete with the acid solution, hose down your entire driveway and several feet beyond the sides of the drive. This aids in the final rinse out of the garage so the material will flow more easily down the driveway.

Now sprinkle the 10:1 ratio of water to muriatic acid ($2 per gallon of 32 percent acid) mixture and power-scrub the floor (with a rinsed brush attachment or new pad).

Rinsing Is Key
When you’re finished, take your hose and nozzle end and flood the floor with water, spraying the material out of the garage for a good 10 minutes (diluted muriatic acid can be rinsed with large volumes of water into a storm sewer, according to the manufacturer). Rinse off the power scrubber brush/pad, then scrub the wet floor one last time for 5 to 10 minutes. Finally, rinse out the entire floor and driveway two to three more times.

The concrete surface should now feel like fine-grit sandpaper. If not, you need to repeat the acid washing. Finally, to speed the drying process, squeegee out any remaining pooled water, and take a rag and dry any remaining spots, cracks or chipped

areas. Leave the garage door open overnight to speed drying.

TIP: Keep a clean cotton rag handy and some Xylol epoxy thinner (for solvent-based epoxy) to clean up epoxy drips and spills.

• • Floors
• • Garage
• • Painting

• How to Wire an Unfinished Garage
• How to add outlets and lights to an unfinished garage.
• 
• Organize Your Garage: Three Storage Projects
• Organize, cut the clutter and tools, clean up the workbench and garage floor.
• 
• How to Patch Chipped and Pitted Concrete Sidewalks and Stairs
• You can repair broken corners, cracks, crumbling surfaces and spalled areas of concrete with a durable concrete patch.
•