There are a lot of question that are related to garage, concrete and epoxy. One of them is can a epoxy paint that is used on a garage floor be used on a concrete. And the answer is quite simple really. I am surprised when people ask me that, it’s one of those questions you don’t have to think about at all. It’s natural that you can use it on the concrete, because epoxy floor paint is made specifically for it.

While that first answer is quick and straightforward, there are some other factors you may want to know about. The thing is, you can’t simply apply the epoxy to the garage floor, because not all concrete floors are capable to accept the paint. Yes, you have to take care of the procedure, but I am not talking about that right now. It’s not the bad procedure that causes some concrete floors to not accept epoxy paint.

You won’t be able to use it on a sealed concrete because it is treated with special compounds that keeps all the moisture outside. The reason for this is concrete protection, of course. And while the compound is usually used on walls, there are some people who choose to use it on the floor and seal it. This is something you probably know about your own garage floor. If you are not a house owner, you should ask a previous one. Because once it is sealed, you won’t be able to apply paint to it. You can do a test to check this out, in case you don’t want or can’t contact the previous owner.

You have to take a glass of water and spill it onto a floor you want to redo. If the water stays on top of the concrete, you have a sealed floor there. But if the cement absorbs the water, you have a concrete that will be able to adhere with epoxy paint. But don’t be worried if it is sealed after all, because you can remove the seal.

When you do all the preparation considering sealing and checking concrete flooring, you can then clean the area you plan to work on. The procedure is then the same as with any epoxy floor coating. You have to take care of few things, but we won’t go through them since we already did that last time.

One new thing I could say is that a can of primer could be used before the paint. It will kill the grease and help with adhesion. And while doing the work, use a roller brush since it will cover a wider area and help you finish faster. Also, a layer will be much more equal then when using a regular brush. Just add one by one layer until you are satisfied with the look. This is how you will get perfect epoxy floor coating for your concrete flooring.

We use epoxy floor paint on those floors that have to endure heavy traffic, from vehicles and humans. Most popular areas are garage and basement, but it is not unusual to find epoxy paint on shop floors, laundry room floors, concrete slabs, kennels, brick pavers or pole barns. The wide range of use is caused by the floor finish which can resist many types of dirt like oil, grease, water and similar messes. A tough epoxy resin helps to make this possible. And this mixture is what makes it the most cost effective choice for most floor coatings.

You will be able to find three different types of epoxies. First are 100% solids which do not have any solvents that can evaporate, they are totally pure. Next come the solvent based epoxy paints that will adhere and penetrate quite well. The drawback is that they are dangerous to health and when you work with them, you have to ventilate the area. It is not recommended to breathe the fumes that emanate. And at last, we have water based paints that are a lot cheaper but also thinner. They maintain anti slip texture and are not hazardous at all. But unlike previous two types, they need a lot more ventilation to dry up.

Before applying the epoxy floor paint, you have to clean the floor and clean it good. You can use brush and you can get yourself a floor buffer to clean it. I know that floor scrubber is not something you might have, but you can easily rent one. It will pay off for sure, since cleaning floors before applying paint is a tough job and it needs to be done well. There should be no debris left, and no moisture on the floor you want to decorate.

You can use warm soapy water on concrete surfaces to get rid of the oils. Oil is quite stubborn and won’t go away so easily. But you have to clean it because it can create bubbles in the coating, and that won’t do you any good. When it comes to soluble contaminants, a degreaser could be your best friend. Scrubbing it over the area and rinsing it should be a process that you will repeat few times. The best way to know your floor is finally clean is to check the water. If it doesn’t stick to the floor, you managed to do it all right.

To get rid of the moisture, leave the floor to dry overnight. The next day is the painting day. Make sure that there isn’t any moisture left by putting a plastic bag on the floor. If tomorrow you find small drops on water on it, it means that you will have to wait a bit more. It is important that it’s all dry, because you don’t want to have any bubbles in your epoxy coating. Choose a day that will be warm, but not a day just before the rain, since then will be a lot of moisture in the air.

You will need 2 or 3 coats to prepare for a good finish. Make sure there is a clean cotton rag to clean the drips. Apply the paint with the same thickness through the entire surface. Once you have it all finished, you can polish the new flooring. Now you have a tough and durable garage that is resistant to all the salt and acids.