I applied this wonderful product to my Lakewood Ranch home a year ago with great success. It has been very durable and continues to look great. Because we don’t have basements in Florida some of us tend to use are garages almost like the basement we had up north. We do have our lawn equipment, power tools, and other garage items, but we might have exercise equipment and maybe even a TV out there too. The quikrete product really makes the garage look like an indoor space allowing you to appreciate it now and help you sell your home in the future.
Now I can honestly say that this is the #1 returned paint product at the box stores. How do I know that? Well at one time I was a paint representative and when there was a customer complaint 9 times out of 10 it was for the garage coating products. The key here is to follow the directions 100%. The first step is to see if your garage floor is porous. The epoxy needs to penetrate the concrete almost like a sponge. Your test is to pour a glass of water on the concrete. If it beads up it isn’t porous and additional prep work needs to be done. I was in that situation because my floor had been treated with an epoxy and probably sealed to boot. I had to use a paint stripper and scraper with a 6 inch (or so) blade on the end to help remove the old epoxy. It is a stinky and messy job, but necessary if you want the new epoxy to adhere. After the old epoxy is removed I needed to pressure wash and clean the floor just to get to the etching step.
The etcher that comes with the Quikrete kit is called bond-loc. What this does is cleans, etches, and degreases. It cleans any spills that have happened over the years (gas oil) and also etches the concrete. Etching simply means that it opens up the pours to allow maximum top coat adhesion. You will need to mix the bond-loc with water in a plastic watering can (what you would use to water flowers with). Follow the bond-loc to water ratio instructions. Apply in a back and forth motion and watch the product bubble up on the concrete. This means it is working. Let it sit for the allotted time recommended then rinse. The box says rinse until the water runs clear. So I rinsed and rinsed and then used a squeegee to get all the water out of the garage. Again everything has to be 100%. Let the floor dry overnight! Don’t move to the next step because you think your floor looks dry; let it dry overnight like the directions say.
The next day is epoxy application time! Mix Part B (the hardener) with Part A (the base) and stir for 3 minutes. Again 3 minutes! Then put the lid back on and let it sit for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes you are on the clock and have 2.5 hours to get this product down. I outlined half the garage (half because I have a two car garage and I needed two kits) with a brush and then began to roll. Use a 3/8 roller and work in 2’ x 6’ sections rolling in one direction and then rolling over it again in the opposite direction. Apply the flakes to that section and move on. My opinion is to pick up an extra container of flakes. I really liked the look and it covers up any imperfections, so I went a little flake heavy. Instructions say after 8.5 hours it will be dry to the touch, 12-24 hours for light foot traffic, and 72 hours for automobile traffic. I would add a little extra time just to be safe, but that is just me. After 3 days of drying I went back over the epoxy with a clear epoxy coating as a sealer. It gave me the additional protection and glossy look I wanted.
I could go into more details about moving my stuff from one side of the garage as I prepped the other, but won’t. It added lots of additional fun (just kidding) and time to the project, but that was part of the deal. I completed this a year ago and have had almost no problems. The only thing I noticed was a few milky sections which could be from too much of the clear epoxy. To treat this take a heat gun and work it back and forth over the milky section, but don’t get too close. Sure enough, it takes care of the problem. I would go through the expense and time this project took again in a heartbeat. The floor really looks great and is very durable. If there is a “next time” I might pick more of a neutral color. I went with a midnight blue which really looks a little too flashy.
Some of us like to spend a great deal of time in our garages just hanging out. We take pride into how it looks and how it is organized. My grandfather years ago had his Cadillac on one side of the garage and then had a couch, chairs, family pictures, a work bench, a stove, and rugs on the other side. It was a great place to hang out and he would have loved this product. In regards to selling your home, any of the unique things you do will not only provide you satisfaction now, but will help you sell your home down the road.