[Shop-talk] Prep/etch/sealing a new concrete floor?

[Ian McFetridge]

Hi All,

I coated three garages and can share some of my experiences.  For the first
two garages I used Rustoleuum epoxy with paint chips in it to avoid
slipping.  The kit comes with citric acid that I mixed into a pump
sprayer.  I believe the intention is to open the pores in the concrete so
that the epoxy has some where to stick, like a physical bond as it seeps
into the pores and sort of locks into place.  This was virgin cured
concrete and I could see the acid loosening some of the construction debris
and opening pores, so I scrubbed with a bristle brush until it was clean,
let dry and then applied the epoxy.  The epoxy held up well for years, but
as Obaa said, in two places quarter size chunks were lifted by hot tires
over the years.

For the third garage I used a stronger concentration of muriatic acid, I
believe it was 10% volume to volume solution, but can’t recall.  This
solution clearly opened the pores in the concrete better and since it was a
single bay I took my time to make sure it looked evenly etched.   I used
the same epoxy and it held up without lifting until we moved several years
later, including parking my autocross car in there with sticky race tires
(Hoosiers).

One thing I’ve seen that I’d like to try is to polish the concrete.  I’ve
seen that at some commercial locations and I seems to serve the same
purpose, but there is no layer to fail and I suppose you can just republish
any blemishes.

Best,
Ian

On Fri, Nov 9, 2018 at 10:20 PM Pat Horne <patintexas at icloud.com> wrote:

> I’m in a similar position, I had a shop fire & want to seal the floor
> before putting equipment in. I found this site but haven’t done much
> research.
> https://allgaragefloors.com/sealers-large-shop-garage-floors/#comment-70753
>
> Peace,
> Pat
>
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