duhtroll
05-13-2011, 08:52 AM
I ended up going with the RustOleum since it was easily available. I made a new thread for the post-application. I will let people know how it holds up after it cures.
Last night I put this coating down. It took about 1.5 hours for a 550-ft. garage. I bought two kits, since it said one kit does up to 400 sq. ft., but I only ended up using one and had a little left over. I don't see how I could have spread it too thin since I had to go over each spot a few times to keep it even, get rid of spots, etc..
It says full curing time is 4 days on the box, but 7 days online, so I will go with 7 days. Since we haven't even moved into the house yet (not til this weekend) I can keep the MM in the old garage for a week.
The prep work was a bit tedious. Since the garage has been used for about a year I used a pressure washer to go over basically every inch of the floor. I did not get up all the stains, but I did use a degreaser for the stains that needed it and it seemed dry to the touch prior to application. Pressure washing took a couple hours for that, rinsing, and squeegee.
After that came the acid wash/etching. I was told differing stories about whether this step is needed. The box says definitely yes, the folks at Menards said if it was a newer clean floor, definitely no.
The installer of the garage floor (real estate agent I bought from also happened to be the builder/contractor - nice) said I would need to etch it or otherwise rough up the surface for better bonding. It was not a coated floor but he said the type of concrete they used forms its own seal or something.
The etching was a PITA and I should have bought a larger broom style bristle brush. As it was I applied the solution to the floor in 4x4 squares, let it sit for a minute, then brushed it in. Then rinse.
Then I had to let that dry with fans on it for two days, due to the high humidity.
It also looked (as I was doing the acid step) that it wasn't really doing anything. Boy was I wrong. After it dried I saw the surface was much cleaner and whiter and was grit-free, so I recommend this step, PITA though it was.
The coating was done last night and I won't check on it until probably Monday, when I can start moving my garage stuff over, sans vehicles. It looks GREAT at first while drying, anyway.
Last night I put this coating down. It took about 1.5 hours for a 550-ft. garage. I bought two kits, since it said one kit does up to 400 sq. ft., but I only ended up using one and had a little left over. I don't see how I could have spread it too thin since I had to go over each spot a few times to keep it even, get rid of spots, etc..
It says full curing time is 4 days on the box, but 7 days online, so I will go with 7 days. Since we haven't even moved into the house yet (not til this weekend) I can keep the MM in the old garage for a week.
The prep work was a bit tedious. Since the garage has been used for about a year I used a pressure washer to go over basically every inch of the floor. I did not get up all the stains, but I did use a degreaser for the stains that needed it and it seemed dry to the touch prior to application. Pressure washing took a couple hours for that, rinsing, and squeegee.
After that came the acid wash/etching. I was told differing stories about whether this step is needed. The box says definitely yes, the folks at Menards said if it was a newer clean floor, definitely no.
The installer of the garage floor (real estate agent I bought from also happened to be the builder/contractor - nice) said I would need to etch it or otherwise rough up the surface for better bonding. It was not a coated floor but he said the type of concrete they used forms its own seal or something.
The etching was a PITA and I should have bought a larger broom style bristle brush. As it was I applied the solution to the floor in 4x4 squares, let it sit for a minute, then brushed it in. Then rinse.
Then I had to let that dry with fans on it for two days, due to the high humidity.
It also looked (as I was doing the acid step) that it wasn't really doing anything. Boy was I wrong. After it dried I saw the surface was much cleaner and whiter and was grit-free, so I recommend this step, PITA though it was.
The coating was done last night and I won't check on it until probably Monday, when I can start moving my garage stuff over, sans vehicles. It looks GREAT at first while drying, anyway.