People who are unhappy with the results they have after applying epoxy floor coatings actually have a common thread that you can pinpoint by checking out their comments. You can quickly get an idea of why they end up having these complaints. There are times when the epoxy garage floor coating doesn’t work like it was advertised to and the real reason is improper floor prep. It is surprising to hear complaints where the epoxy coat failed to stick over an oil spot when the instructions clearly stated that a good quality degreaser should be used to remove any oil spotting.
For the preparation of the concrete floor so that the coating can be applied, you must keep in mind that it is absolutely essential to have a well-prepared surface. The first step that you should do is to sweep off the dirt, dust and loose concrete chips. The coating cannot stick to these tiny pieces and the epoxy will surely lift up within a very short time. The next step to do is to scrub the floor with soap. You should use a floor broom so that you can get a good forward-backward motion. After you are done scrubbing the floor, you should thoroughly rinse it. At this time, you must check to see if there are any petroleum stains or a clear coat has been applied. It is easy to locate an oil spot but it is more challenging to know if there is a clear coat which the original contractor had already applied. To check, you do a water bead test where you are going to spray a light coating of water on the surface and see if water beads appear. If the floor is set for adhesion, there should be no water beads but the water will seep into the concrete garage floor.
If beading is present at an oil stain, grease or oil is still contaminating the surface. You should use a high quality degreaser, scrub the area with water and soap, and repeat the water bead test. You are going to repeat these steps as long as there are water beads. If most of the area of the floor has water beads but you haven’t seen any spotting, it is highly probable that the floor has a clear coat and, in order to remove this, the floor should be etched. The process for this is very simple but you should take the necessary precautions. You will need a weak muriatic acid solution so the coat can be removed. Apply the acid solution and let it settle down as instructed and then rinse it off. Make sure that the flow does not reach animals and plants because even though it is weak, it is still an acid.
If the floor no longer beads, you should leave the floor overnight so that it will dry. If the weather is cold or damp, use a floor heater to help dry out the remaining water. The following day, you can apply the epoxy coating and, for sure, you are going to be successful.
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