subject: Protect Yourself In Your Garage With Epoxy Floor Paint. [print this page] . No business can afford for an employee or visitor to fall especially one which results in injury and this is why you will see that many car dealers and mechanic garages have a coating on the floor. The safest way to avoid spills is with a garage floor paint that has an anti-slip topping, not only will this make the flooring secure when spills occur but it will also protect the floor from any accidents such as ones caused by the sparks from welding.
There are two different kinds of epoxy floorings, there is the standard two part resin or hardener along with a water based garage floor paint. The two part system works great and has been around for many years, the idea of resin and hardener has been utilised in fibreglass construction, giving a tough lasting result. The main difference between fibreglass and the covering of a garage floor is that fibreglass has a woven blanket providing longitudinal force. Fibreglass mesh is strong and provides the epoxy something to hold on to, but when you put epoxy onto a concrete floor surface the concrete provides the support so no mesh is required.
One main key point for durable epoxy flooring is that a lot of time should be spent on the prep work, by spending time focusing on preparing the surface you are ensuring that you will get better adhesion and therefore your surface will be much more durable.
When you are preparing your floor for an epoxy coating the firs thing you must do is sweep it, sweeping the floor will remove any loose concrete chips and dirt. You should then spend time removing any oil stains by rubbing the areas with a high quality degreaser, if you dont remove all of the oil from the floor you will find that the epoxy doesnt stick to your floor. One way to test that you have removed all oil from the floor is by doing the water bead test, all you need to do is spray a film of water on the floor and to check for beading, if the water beads up then you need to spend more time degreasing the floor, but if it soaks in then you are ready for the next step.
Old concrete is very hard and so if you are adding epoxy at a much later date you will find that it may not stick to the surface. However if this happens you will need to etch it using a weak acid mixture which can be found in any DIY store. All you need to do is follow the instructions on the packaging, but be cautious when applying it as it can be very harmful to pets and plants.
Once your floor has been prepared you should leave it over night to dry out, using a heater will help to speed up the process. When it comes to applying the epoxy you should work from the back corner, ensuring that you have mixed enough to cover the flooring, once the epoxy is done you should spread on the anti-slip topping. When you are applying the anti-slip coating be sure to do it in small patches until the floor is covered, you should then leave it to set for a day before you can walk on it, and you will need to leave it for a week before it is safe to drive on.
If you apply your epoxy flooring correctly you will find that it lasts for years, epoxy flooring paint is much tougher than standard floor paint, and with an anti-slip coating you wont need to worry about it.
