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What do you know about epoxy flooring? Can I DIY on my basement floor?


jame
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I have carried water soaked carpet out of the basement for the last damned time.

One of my kids suggested epoxy flooring, and since I believe I can do it myself for a pretty economical price, I'm leaning that way.

But..........as I check around, some of the contractors are trying to tell me that it won't stick right, it's hard to do, I won't buy the correct product for the intended use, etc.

Has anyone done this themselves?  What's your experience with epoxy flooring?

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Essentially, Epoxy flooring is Epoxy paint.  it is very strong. bonds, and wears well.  Very slippery when wet, unless you apply some antiskid treatment to it (it flows well to a smooth finish).  It is very fussy about a completely dry and clean surface to apply it to.

 

I used it on my garage floor.  It was fun pulling the car in when the tires were wet from rain.  I wasn't disappointed when it wore off.  Hot tires tended to stick and pull bits off.

 

If your floor is damp, it will come off as any paint will, with moisture and time.  If applied when the floor is dry and clean, it will provide some waterproofing.

 

As with any coating.  The devil is in the surface condition and preparation.  If water is seeping between the slab and foundation walls, you MIGHT be able to stop it by filling the cracks with the Epoxy paint.  Enough hydraulic pressure from ground water may strip it.  It's better for dampness than it is for wet.

Urethane paint may be similar in results. 

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3 hours ago, Duc748s said:

Are you talking about the gargle floor stuff that you buy in 2 part cans at like Home Depot? or the construction grade stuff?

You tell me.

I can get what ever I want.  Do you have a recommendation?

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janice6 covered it pretty well.  I looked into it many years ago and at that time some sort of acid prep on the concrete was recommended.  All in all it seemed like a lot of

work and I passed.  Anti-slip (sand, basically) is highly recommended.  My info is old, so it's worth about what you're paying for it.

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2 minutes ago, OGW said:

janice6 covered it pretty well.  I looked into it many years ago and at that time some sort of acid prep on the concrete was recommended.  All in all it seemed like a lot of

work and I passed.  Anti-slip (sand, basically) is highly recommended.  My info is old, so it's worth about what you're paying for it.

I did it a few years back and I think I used Muriatic acid to clean and prep. I did buy the little packs of powder to mix into the epoxy and make it non-skid, it's been awhile but I think it was granite dust.

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9 hours ago, jame said:

You tell me.

I can get what ever I want.  Do you have a recommendation?

Use the garage floor stuff, it's easier to apply and you can touch it up. I also use DAP Concrete Mortar Filler and Sealant to fill in holes and cracks prior to doing the floor. The stuff I used in construction was a major PITA and took a lot of prep and a few guys to lay it, also there is a ~15 minute lay time after mixing (on the stuff I used)

 

this is the stuff I used for my Dads 2 1/2 car garage

IMG_20110822_194031.thumb.jpg.c9f69f7226dad05511fe7f0f7e837cf8.jpg

 

IMG_20110824_172000.thumb.jpg.06e77893fbdba7add8c94b404554b60f.jpg

 

Edited by Duc748s
added pics
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I did it myself, and didn't prep things right...Ended up with most of it peeling off in a few years.  Worst part was I was moving more stuff in the basement to be able to use up more of the mix than I'd planned on and knocked over two big coffee cans of #8 shot from the edge of my reloading bench onto the still wet section of painted floor.  Talk about a MESS!!

 

Think it will work if you really follow the directions for prep work, but I was in a hurry as usual.  The painting is the easy part...?

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Prep is the key, to making it stick. Pro's use bead blasting machines. Spartan Chemical in Toledo,OH makes a 100 percent epoxy I believe it is called First Generation. They have a product called concrete prep which is a buffered muriatic acid so the fumes don't pit metal around your floor. I used to put in a sprinkling can to pour on floor and used a floor machine with a butcher block wire brush to scrub. Rinsed floor twice and was ready to start.

Normally there is 50% or 100% epoxy. 50% can be rolled on with a roller. 100% you used a serrurated squeegee blade to spread on floor and used a porcupine roller ( looked like a paint roller of needles) to pop the air bubbles that formed and then it leveled great. Wore golf shoes to stay above everything. Make sure to measure out your floor so the have the right mil thickness. For traction take silica sand and use a flour sifter to apply while floor is leveling.

 

 

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