Refinishing Concrete Garage Floors

If you have a concrete garage floor, you may decide that it needs refinishing. Today, there are wonderful refinishing products on the market which can help coat and protect the floor. Just by following a few steps, you will be able to refinish your floor yourself and save money.

Tools

For this project you will need concrete grout, painter's tape, painter's tarp, etching solution, a broom with bristles, rollers with long handles, a paint tray, roll-on epoxy and hardener, color flakes, clear sealant with hardener, a small paintbrush, a watering can and protective gear.

Preparing the Floor

To start, you must locate and patch any cracks which may be in the concrete. Use the concrete grout and follow the manufacturer's directions to patch the cracks. Make sure the area around the crack is smooth and even with the existing concrete floor. Next, use the painter's tape and attach the tarp to the walls just higher than where you want the epoxy to come to. Sweep all the dust and dirt off of the floor and make it as clean as you can. In order to get the dust out of corners, use the small paintbrush.

Next you will want to use the etching solution to clean the floor. Fill up the watering can and mix the etching solution in the water. Spray down the entire garage floor with a garden hose to moisten it and to dust it off one last time. Pour a little bit of the etching solution on the floor in the corner farthest from the door and scrub with the broom in a 10'x10' square. Continue this until the entire garage has been scrubbed. Once completed, spray the solution away and let the floor dry for four hours.

Epoxy and Sealant

Now you will start the epoxy. Mix the epoxy and the hardener together and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes in order for the chemicals to activate. At this point you will only have two hours before it hardens, so immediately pour it in a paint tray and begin. Use a small brush to go around the edges of the room and give yourself a border. Then, starting from the corner farthest from the door, paint the epoxy on the floor in sections.

While the epoxy is still wet, apply the color flakes to the floor. Let the floor dry. The drying process should take 24 hours. After a day, mix the sealant and hardener together and let it sit for 30 minutes so the chemicals have time to mix. Immediately pour the sealant in the paint tray and roll the sealant on. It will appear white, but will dry clear.

References

• Garage Floor Refinishing
• How to Epoxy-Coat a Garage Floor