Installing Epoxy Resin Flooring
♫ Tuesday, January 11th, 2011One of the biggest changes in garage home in the last decade or two has been the popularity of concrete floor coatings. Until recently pointed out you will find a floor coating or floor paint will be in a repair shop or an industrial setting. Now, many homeowners also realize the benefits of adopting some protection for the floor to their specific vehicle, along with the safety benefits it provides for protection against slip and fall.
Installation of epoxy resin flooring is really straight forward but you absolutely must spend the time necessary for completely cleaning the existing concrete surface. Start with a power washer and clean off all the dirt and grime you can. Next, scrub the surface with a detergent and water. Using a push broom works well for this step because you can apply a lot of downward pressure as you are scrubbing. Lastly, use a degreaser to remove any oil spots or other petroleum stains, if you don’t do this the epoxy resin will most likely lift up within a few months. When the floor is completely clean, use a propane or electric space heater over night to dry it.
A great way to ensure that you have everything you need for your resin flooring is to buy the materials in a kit form. The kit will tell you how many square feet or meters it will cover, but usually your actual coverage will be a little less. For this reason, be sure to have an extra kit or two on hand because you don’t want to run out of coating and have to make a trip to the store while half the floor is curing.
When you get ready to apply the epoxy resin the first step is to mix the resin and hardener.If you don’t work quickly with the mixing and application you will start to see blobs of epoxy in the mixture. This can really ruin your surface coat. For this reason, it is best to only mix up enough at one time to cover about a 30 square foot area. Mix this amount, roll it out, and then mix another batch. You should find that this will allow you plenty of time to get a good covering.
Before the tacks on the surface, you will want to spread the anti-slip material that comes in the kit. For a garage floor, the industrial grit works well but if you’re doing a concrete floor in the house, such as a basement, because the piece using the colors as they do not tend to rub raw barefoot . You will still be protected but it is not sliding so powerful that your family will complain.
