What a weekend this has been. I will be glad to go back to work tomorrow to rest up.
Friday night I had to wash and detail the truck for the car show on Saturday. (WON my class, by the way. Got a Plaque. 138 cars and trucks)
Saturday we spent all day at the show and came home. Went to the workshop and tried to get everything ready for my project on Sunday. Moved all the stuff out and into the garage at the house.(Wife's car will have to be out for a few days)
Sunday I went to the workshop and fired up the pressure washer. Spent 4 hours pressure washing the floor. Next, I got ready to acid etch the concrete. Applied the acid, scrubbed it in, rinsed, scrubbed floor again to remove all concrete residue left over from the etching, squeegeed all the water out and sat down. Had to put away the pressure washer and waited for floor to dry. It looks pretty good, but I see a few small spots that I am going to etch a little more.
Anyway, I am now about ready to apply the epoxy floor paint sometime in the next few days.
This is all because some time back, I tried to save a few dollars and painted the floor with some Ace Hardware floor paint. A BAD choice. Stuff started peeling about 2 weeks after I painted. The garage on the house was done at the same time, but with epoxy. After several years it looks as good as it did when I painted it. A lesson learned!

 

Don,

Wow, busy weekend. Congrats on the car show

Bobby

 

Don, what epoxy paint are you going to use?

 

Sounds like a busy weekend no wonder your tired lol but congrats on the car show indeed

 

I am going to use Rustoleum Floor paint for Severe service. I painted the garage floor with it several years ago and it is worn a little where the cars drive in. The rest of it is like new. The whole trick is the preparation as with any paint job.
I scrubbed it with a mop and TSP soap a couple of times, then I washed it with a 2000 PSI pressure washer. Mixed the Muratic Acid 4:1 with water and put it on with a sprinkling can. Scrubbed it in with a acid brush and then rinsed. Scrubbed it again with a brush and squeegeed all the water out. I just checked it tonight, and the etch looks very even. It will be totally dry and ready to paint this weekend. I am going with a Light Grey.

 

Don,Was the floor already covered with a sealer?

 

You do not want a sealer. If you have a sealer you have to get it off. Hard to do. The acid has to be able to eat into the surface of the concrete a little bit. After rinsing and drying, rub the floor with your fingers. It should feel slightly rough. If you get concrete dust on your fingers, you have to rinse again and scrub with a brush to get rid of it. I learned the hard way about all of this, but now I know what it takes to get a first class job that will last.