A garage floor epoxy coating can provide a durable, long-lasting finish for your garage floor. However, to ensure that the epoxy coat adheres properly and lasts as long as possible, you must prepare your garage floor surface properly.
Therefore, if you’re considering upgrading your garage floor with epoxy floor coating in Orange County, CA, follow the steps below to ensure your floor is ready for the new protective coating.
Step 1: Clear Out the Garage
Before applying the new coating, you want to ensure the garage floor is as free and clear of obstacles as possible. Remove everything sitting on the garage floor. If you are going to get rid of your shelving units on the floor, remove these as well.
Step 2: Clean the Walls
If you don’t plan to restore or upgrade your garage walls, you may skip this step. However, if you intend to paint the garage, it is best to prepare the walls before your epoxy coating application.
Step 3: Clean the Garage Floor
Concrete floors can get dusty, so you must thoroughly clean your garage floor before epoxy installation. Take the time to eliminate all the accumulated dust and debris. Use a small brush to ensure the seams and corners are as clean as possible.
If you can get a wet-dry vacuum or shop vacuum, it will make your work easier. Also, try to remove as much automotive oil and grease stains as possible from the floor.
Scrubbing the area with a stiff brush and a degreaser can deliver excellent results. Lastly, hose off your concrete surface and give it about three hours to dry before proceeding to the next step.
Step 4: Protect Valuables from Dust
You want to protect any valuable items you might have on the garage walls from concrete dust. Cover the walls with plastic sheeting and painter’s tape. Don’t forget to leave a gap at the bottom to prevent the coating from bonding with the sheeting.
If you intend to extend the epoxy up on the wall, tape it up to where it will end. If you feel this work is too much for you, consider hiring an epoxy professional like Epoxy Time, which uses specialized vacuums to free your walls from dust and debris.
Step 5: Grind the Concrete Surface
You need to open up the concrete floor surface to allow the epoxy to bond to the concrete substrate by grinding the concrete. A hand grinder can work well if you opt for DIY.
However, professional flooring contractors usually use heavy-duty industrial grinders that can complete the job within an hour. With a hand grinder, the entire process can take two to four hours, depending on the size of your garage.
Grinding involves removing a fine layer of concrete from the floor surface, which opens up the concrete to make it porous. Epoxy floor coatings bond strongly to porous concrete.
Sanding down the surface is advisable after grinding to ensure no glue, paint, oil, or other contaminants remain on the floor. Lastly, sweep the whole floor to make it as dust-free as possible.
Step 6: Repair Any Cracks
After grinding and sweeping the floor, check for any cracks and fix them before epoxy installation. You can do this with crack repair, a cementitious chemical that you should mix and apply smoothly on the concrete surface.
After applying, give the crack repair some time to dry before sanding it down. Your garage floor is now ready for an epoxy primer coat.
Why Choose Epoxy Time for Your Garage Coatings in Orange County, CA?
Epoxy Time is the go-to contractor for high-quality epoxy garage floor coatings in Orange County, CA, and the surrounding areas. We are a family-owned and operated business boasting 20 years of industry experience and three generations of epoxy coaters.
Besides specializing in epoxy base coats and polyaspartic topcoats, we can also do a polyurea base with polyaspartic topcoats. Our epoxy base color coat with polyaspartic top coat installations comes with a ten-year warranty.
Likewise, we offer a 20-year warranty for our poly base color coat with polyaspartic top coat installations. We combine expertise, experience, and top-quality materials to ensure 100% customer satisfaction.
Get a Free Quote and Get Started Today!
Are you ready to upgrade your garage floor’s durability, functionality, chemical resistance, and aesthetic appeal with an epoxy coating? If so, contact Epoxy Time at (949) 468-7778 for a free quote for your garage floor transformation today.