Hi Suzanne. I’m glad you found us. The Eco-Etch Pro we list here works very well. Just use a stronger solution when etching for a coating.

Hi Shea! You are so helpful!!!! Thank you! Also, I definitely want to do the least non toxic etching possible for lots of reasons for mcluding pets and plants. I read that article about non toxic but if you have a preferred product please let me know and I will use that one for etching. Can’t wait to show my contractor your answer :)))) lol

Hi Suzanne. Ugh… Contractors have created more confusion and problems when it comes to concrete coatings. They are not concrete coating experts, they are building experts. New concrete requires etching or profiling even more than older concrete does. I’m glad you reached out and asked. We have an article here that explains why.

One product we would recommend if you want something decorative is a single-part polyurea garage floor coating system. Polyurea resists the chemicals you listed for cleaning and disinfecting even better than quality epoxy. Plus, single-part polyurea is easier to apply since it has a much longer pot life for application and does not require the mixing of two components. It does stink upon application, but the majority of the smell quickly dissipates within a few hours and returns to normal after a few days. We have an article here that explains why we believe these are the best DIY garage floor coating kits. We list three different vendors where you can purchase it. They all are very good. Of the three, we believe that AWF Polyure is the best overall value not counting any possible sales going on.

I would consider something decorative, what are my options? Also another question my contractor just said we don’t need etching on new concrete???

Hello Suzanne. Any commercial quality high solids epoxy or commercial polyurea will resist such chemicals just fine. Most can withstand up to a 50% mixture of bleach and water for long periods, so a 15-1 ratio is perfectly fine. Do not use the DIY kits found at home improvement centers and hardware stores. Rust-Oleum is one such example. These are residential quality coatings that can be susceptible to such chemicals. Do want a decorative look for a garage floor coating or something that is just functional?