You invest a lot of money on keeping your house looking great, but sometimes you might neglect your garage floor.
To keep your garage floor in great shape and prevent slips and falls, you should put some work into it.
If you have considered an epoxy floor coating, keep reading to learn how you can paint your garage floor.
Inspect Your Garage Floor
You need to inspect your garage floor before you consider using epoxy floor paint. Epoxy paint will not adhere to painted or sealed concrete.
The concrete will not take on the paint if it has been coated previously. There’s a test you can perform to check if the concrete has been sealed. All you need to do is sprinkle water and if it doesn’t turn darker then there’s no sealer on the concrete.
If there is, you will need to remove the sealers using a mechanical device or for smaller spaces with flakey paint, a wire brush and some elbow grease might be enough to do the job.
Test the Concrete for Moisture
Before moving on, you will need to perform a test for moisture. Inspect your floor for signs of damp concrete and efflorescence.
To identify efflorescence you need to look for a white powdery substance, it’s usually formed on the surface.
Clean the Garage Floor
Ensure you clean your garage floor once you have completed the inspections. All of the oils and greasy residues should be removed.
If you don’t remove the oils from the garage floor, it will act as a repellant and the epoxy paint will not adhere. An oil contamination primer could be used but this would add to the overall cost of resin floor installation.
Profile the Garage Floor
This process is necessary to ensure you expose the pores of the concrete before applying the epoxy. This way, the epoxy will flow through pores and create an even coating.
Skipping this step is not an option if you want the best possible finish.
You can profile the garage floor using an acid etch or grinding the surface. Most professionals prefer to grind to prepare the floor. Just make sure after grinding, you use a potent vacuum to get all the residue.
The other option is to acid etch the floor to expose the pores.
Choose the Epoxy Floor Coating
You can choose between three types of epoxy paint: water-based, solvent-based, and 100 per cent solids.
With 100 per cent solids, you should be careful because it’s quite difficult to manipulate due to its consistency.
Solvent-based paint is easier to work with because it contains 60 per cent of the epoxy. However, you’ll need adequate ventilation to apply the coating.
Water-based paint has two parts that need to be mixed together before you apply.
Patch the Cracks
Before you begin the painting process, use an epoxy crack filler to fill all of the large cracks so you have a smooth surface before you paint.
Get the Tools Ready and Apply the First Coat
Like all DIY projects, you need the right tools to ensure you get the job done right.
Collect a paint roller, paintbrush, vacuum, and wheelbarrow. Once you have everything ready, you can begin to apply the first coat.
Use An Epoxy Floor Coating
Using epoxy paint on your garage floor requires a series of steps such as inspecting the concrete, cleaning, and filling the cracks. You also need to choose the right paint for the project.
Are you ready to begin your DIY garage floor paint project? Let us help. Visit our site to browse all of our products.
