Due to the numerous emails, comment questions, and some unfortunate mistakes made when purchasing clear top coats for garage floor coatings, we have decided to post this article to help clear things up (no pun intended). Our objective here is to prevent some of the confusion, disappointment, and poor results some people have encountered when choosing a clear coat.
As a refresher, clear top coats have many advantages when applied to a garage floor coating. Besides creating a nice, semi-gloss to glossy finish to your color coat, clear coats lock-in and protect the color flakes and act as a sacrificial layer that protects the underlying base color coat.
The problem, however, is that some people are unknowingly purchasing the wrong product, poor product, or trying to apply a clear coat to paint.
No Clear Coats for Garage Floor Paint
The first mistake is purchasing latex acrylic garage floor paint or 1-Part epoxy paint for your garage floor with the intention of applying a clear coat to it. Paint for concrete is designed as a one-and-done product.
Technically, paint is not a coating. Unfortunately, marketing practices by the large companies that produce these products intentionally do not make that very clear, especially when they call it epoxy paint. Coatings actually seal the concrete of your garage floor while paint does not. Read here for more information about the difference between paint and coatings.
The main reason that most clear coats will not work with paint is because the majority are solvent based or has some form of solvents in it. The moment that you apply it to your water based latex garage floor paint, the paint can soften and sometimes even bleed into the clear as you are applying it.
Technically you can rough up the surface of latex paint after it has dried and apply a water based epoxy clear to it. The issue though is that it doesn’t make much sense to do so in most cases. Water based epoxy clears are generally three times more expensive than paint. If you are going to spend the money for an epoxy clear coat, you should also apply an epoxy coating to the concrete initially and not paint.
Some of these paint companies do offer an acrylic clear that can be applied to paint. Do not use it! These acrylic clear coats are water based and inferior for garage use.
They are designed for foot traffic such as patios and walk ways. They will soften, smudge, and peel the moment you spill any gasoline or brake fluid on it. Most petroleum based products such as oil or transmission fluid can cause it tor break down if it sits on it for more than a small length of time as well.
Unfortunately we have seen some online vendors of actual 2-Part epoxy garage floor coatings offer what they call a “clear glaze coat” for a clear coat. This is an acrylic product as well and people often complain of the poor performance. Again, we recommend not to use it.
Home Improvement Centers Don’t Sell Clear Coats
With some exceptions, home improvement centers and hardware stores do not offer the proper clear coats for concrete coatings. They do a good job of carrying the traditional DIY epoxy garage floor kits, but most do not carry the manufacturer’s optional clear coat to go with them. Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield and Quikrete are good examples. You generally need to special order the clear coat from the stores or purchase them from vendors on line.
We have noticed that this trend is slowly changing however. Home Depot, for example, has started carrying RockSolid’s new Polycuramine garage floor coatings and some sell the optional clear coat to go with it. Lowes sells the Valspar line of garage floor epoxy kits with the optional clear epoxy as well.
What they don’t carry at all is the commercial quality polyurethane and polyurea clear coats as well as the high solids commercial quality epoxy clear coats. We suggest reading our article on how to choose a clear top coat to get a better idea about the difference in clear coats and which type may be best for you.
As a rule, home improvement centers in general are not the best place to start your search and gather information for garage floor coatings. While they may have the product that you ultimately decide is best for you, do not rely on the information that they may provide. This article will help to explain why.
Don’t Buy Polyurethane For Wood Floors
This is an unfortunate mistake that we’ve received quite a few emails about. While we applaud the fact that these people took the time to research and learn that polyurethane has many advantages over epoxy, they didn’t take the time to read the product label of the polyurethane that they purchased and applied to their garage floor coating.
Can you guess where these polyurethane coatings were purchased? You got it — home improvement centers and hardware stores.
The polyurethane we are referring to are the water based and oil based polyurethane for wood floors and furniture. Varathane and Minwax are good examples.
This type of polyurethane is not compatible with epoxy and certainly not compatible with concrete for that matter. If applied to epoxy during the recoat window, you will end up with a yellow tinted mess that you will need to scrape up off the surface. If you are lucky, it will not have contaminated the epoxy color coat in the process.
Where Can I Buy A Clear Top Coat For My Garage Floor Coating?
If you want a clear top coat and are thinking of purchasing a traditional garage floor epoxy kit from a home improvement center, verify first that the clear coat is available from them. If not, here are some epoxy clear coat examples from Amazon that are available.
The higher performance clear coats such as polyurethane and polyurea are generally purchased through concrete coating vendors online. Many of our sponsors are good examples. These vendors specialize in concrete coatings and carry a wide variety of quality products. They specialize in garage floor coatings and are a great source of information as well.
Sherwin Williams is another source if you are looking for a brick and mortar store to purchase from. They won’t sell their best commercial quality product to the general consumer, but they do carry some good quality epoxy and polyurethane coatings for residential use.
The reason you will not find commercial quality epoxy and clear coatings at home improvement centers and hardware stores is for the simple fact they require some attention to detail to apply properly. They cannot provide the type of assistance and information required for applying these types of coatings. Most kits offered by major retailers are designed to be easily applied. This is why the quality isn’t the best when compared to product offered by the specialty vendors.
Final Tips
If you are considering a particular type of garage floor coating and are unsure about your clear coat options for that product, take advantage of the toll free number that the manufacturer provides and ask for assistance.
Stay within the manufacturer line. For example, if you apply a garage floor coating by Rust-Oleum, then the Rust-Oleum clear coat will work with your coating. This insures that you will not have any compatibility issues with your clear top coat.
If you opt for a higher performance clear coat such as polyurethane or polyurea, contact the vendor you are interested in and ask about compatibility.
If you are considering the higher performance garage floor coatings available from online vendors, take advantage of their knowledge and experience. Give them a call or email them for information. They can help qualify you and provide options based on your needs. Plus, they are great for assisting you with questions about application and concrete preparation.
Finally, if you ever have the slightest doubt about your clear top coat options, compatibility, or application, make sure to seek help from the vendor or manufacturer before you make your purchase. That way you are insured a successful outcome instead of a poor and potentially costly experience.
Hi there. I have a solar home with South facing windows and stained concrete flooring. We have currently a layer of Stone Mason by Henry, semi-gloss finish acrylic water based finish on the floor. I find that is scratches easily , even from people in socks moving/sliding on the floor. I would like to apply a new topcover next spring and want to ensure compatibility. I am reading that polyurethane is a good choice for indoors, as it does not yellow, and it is harder than the acrylic.
I am wondering if the polyurethane will bond well to the acrylic, as long as I use a water based poly for the new layer. I have also read that applying, then agitating with a brush will help with the bonding process. I am just not certain that a water based polyurethane can be put over a water based acrylic successfully? I am wondering what your thoughts are. Thanks.
Hello Scott. The general rule of thumb is that acrylics should only be applied over acrylics when dealing with floor coatings. A water-based polyurethane is not going to bond well and you may end up with a mess on your hands. If you want a better performing clear coat, it’s going to require that you remove the inferior water-based acrylic first.
Ok, thanks. And would this involve a buffer or how would I normally go about the removal of the existing topcoat. And how does one know if you have removed that layer sufficiently, is there something specific to look for.
Perhaps there is an acetone removal process?
There are chemical strippers available to remove acrylic coatings, Scott. For indoors, an Eco friendly product such as this one by Franmar Chemical is advisable. Before you go through all that though, one option you may want to test is a concrete wax. This one here is an example. You may want to give them a call and discuss. Waxes such as these help to protect acrylic finishes and prevent the scratching that you are experiencing.
Put dry lock on concrete floor in basement. Add color to it. To I need to add a sealer so it doesn’t wear off. If so which one
I’m sorry, Rodney, but could please be more specific about what product and color you applied? DryLok makes a variety of products and I’m not sure what you mean about “add color”?
I bought “SEAL KRETE EPOXY-SEAL CONCRETE & GARAGE FLOOR PAINT”. Seal-Krete suggests to use “SEAL-KRETE clear sealer”, but understand we shouldn’t from the article. What top coat you suggest to coat over the floor paint for glossy finish?
Hello Usrk. As we state in the article, acrylic latex paint and 1-part epoxy paint are not designed for a clear coat and are a poor choice for that. However, if you want to apply one anyway, we suggest using a water-based clear epoxy over the paint. It will require sanding the surface first with 120 grit sandpaper.
Thanks, So is it ok to leave it without having clear coat? I do not want to put more labor on sanding my entire garage to apply expensive water based clear coat.
This type of paint is designed as a “one-and-done” inexpensive coat. I would leave it as is. Once it begins to wear out or peel at a later date, then you can look into grinding the floor to remove it and apply something that is much better.
oh wow, i would better return it and get something good and durable.
That would be the best bet if your budget will allow it. You truly get what you pay for when it comes to garage floor coating options.
I put 2 1/2 car garage 2 part epoxy on my floor. I was told by Rustoleum customer service that after 5 days you cannot add clear coat is this true? They said I would have to sand the floor and start over.. sounds like salesman tactics to me. Epoxy looks great, I just wanted that glass look
Hi Steven. Rust-Oleum is correct. Coatings are not like paint. You can’t just recoat over them whenever you like without the proper prep. The recoat window they are referring to allows the new coat to chemically bond with the previous coat. If you are past the manufacturer’s recoat window, then it will not do that. Coatings are extremely hard and not porous at all. As a result if you apply a new coating over one that has already cured past it’s recoat window it will just begin peeling in places, particularly where you car sits. The reason is that the coating cannot achieve a mechanical grip – it’s like applying paint to glass. You need to first rough up the coating with 120 grit sandpaper, do a chemical wipe with denatured alcohol and then you can recoat.
Hi, Great article – I only wish I read it first. I used a one part epoxy for concrete floor then sealed with a Shield-Crete Acrylic Clear Glaze which the paint shop suggested. Now it looks yellowish and inconsistent! What type of product do you suggest I use to remove the clear coat? Thanks for your help.
Hi Andrew. You don’t have the best of options here. You can’t chemically strip the acrylic clear coat as it will damage the acrylic epoxy paint underneath. The other option is to sand the clear coat off. This will dull out and scratch the paint in the process and will require a water-based epoxy clear coat be applied afterwards to bring back the color and gloss. Unfortunately, you will still most likely suffer hot tire pickup since the base coat adhered to the concrete is just paint. You may want to consider grinding everything off to the bare concrete and then apply a much better quality coating.
I used VALSPAR PORCH, FLOOR, AND PATIO LATEX PAINT to paint my basement cement floor. Can I use a clear coat over the top to make a glossier look? If so, what brand or type could I use?
Hi D.L. The only type of clear you can apply over it is a water-based clear acrylic. Seal Krete Clear-Seal is an example. You can get it here from Amazon or sometimes you can find it at your local home improvement center. This type of product works fine for foot traffic only.
Hello, After reading some of your informative articles, I applied “Epoxy-Coat” and “Epoxy-Coat” clear topcoat. This was done after grinding floor. It has been on for 2 days, and although dry to touch, the surface seems somewhat “soft” in that I can leave a mark by pressing hard with my fingernail. At this point I am worried about rolling my tools back over it. The weather was perfect when applied, 70-80F, but we did get unexpected rain which raised the humidity to 75-80% (Florida). The base coat seemed quite hard, how long does the clear coat continue to harden/cure? Any info is appreciated.
Hi Peter. You need to wait a minimum of 48 hours before moving any heavy objects back onto the floor and another 48 hours before driving on it. If you can still push a nail into the clear after 3 days, I would recommend contacting Epoxy-Coat and tell them what is going on.
Shea, thanks so much for your info. I wish I would have found sooner. Yesterday I applied the Rust-Oleum epoxyshield with flakes. Can you recommend a clear coat? Should I use the Rust-Oleum brand rock solid or is there a Polyurea that I should use? Thanks!
Hi Ty. We recommend staying within the own manufacturer’s line if you can. In your case, Rust-Oleum allows for up to a four day recoat window to apply another coat (clear or color) of their epoxy before you have to rough up the surface with sandpaper. Therefore, your best bet is to apply the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Clear if you can get it on time.
Hi, I have just done the rustoleum epoxy to my garage floor (gray with the flakes). I also applied the rustoleum clear finish over the gray epoxy. (It looks awesome!) Being that it’s clear it was hard to see where I had stopped and started. Now that it’s dry, looking at it at different angles I can see spots where I missed applying the clear coat. I have another box of the clear coat (bought 2 boxes in case I didn’t have enough) Can I do a second layer of clear coat at all? If so, over the whole garage or just the spots I missed? Thank you for any info.
Hi Jennifer. Yes, you can apply a second coat over the first one. However, you will want to do the entire floor and not touch up areas. Coatings are not like paint and do not blend in real well together. You will easily be able to see the overlap marks if you did that. As a tip, lean down occasionally to get a better look as you start each new section so that you don’t miss any spots.
Hello, I’ve done the 2-Part Rustoleum Epoxy Shield to my garage floor gray with the flakes.
The next day I applied The Rustoleum Clear Coat but did not realize it was a 1-Part Coating.
The floor looks great but is tacky.
I called the Rustoleum Help Line and they told me that I should have used the 2-Part gloss coat but this is not marked on any of the packaging. You have to read **ALL of the small print. It is so bad that the Rustoleum Company doest put a sign on the front of the can stating that **THIS SHOULD NOT BE USED ON EPOXY FLOORS!!!! Any suggestions on what I can do with my floor?
Sorry to hear about that, George. That is why we started our website. There is not enough information for consumers otherwise. It sounds like an acrylic clear was applied. If that is the case, then once it hardens up you can sand it off down to the color coat and then apply an epoxy clear coat. A rented floor maintainer with a 40-60 grit sanding screens would work best. Don’t worry about scuffing up the color coat. It will look brand new once the clear goes back on.
Ok thanks. If it stays tacky should I still sand over it? Also, how will I know once I’m down to the Epoxy coat? Lastly, what is the prep to re=apply the 2 part epoxy clear coat?
It shouldn’t stay tacky, George. If it does, I would contact Rust-Oleum. A tacky coating will gum up sanding screens and would require chemical stripping. When sanding you just need to periodically check your progress as you go. You will start pulling up some of the color flakes when you are close. To apply the clear coat, just clean up all the dust and then chemical wipe it with denatured alcohol on a microfiber pad. After that it is ready to go.
Hi Shea
I did the Rustoleaum Epoxysheild 2.5 Garage 3 days back and yesterday applied the Rustoleaum clear coat, but now I see my feet marks at many places and looks bad when the light hits the spots, please let me what can I do to fix it, now I feel I shouldn’t have applied the clear at all, as it looked way beautiful then, please help. Thanks.
Hi Jimmy. Did you step in the clear coat as you were putting it on? Or did you trap foot prints under the clear that were on the color coat? I’m not sure I understand your issue.
Hey Shea, I stepped on it when I was doing the clear coat, I was trying to rollover again from different angle and the my paint roller broke and sleeve came out, to pick that up, looks like I stepped over couple of places. After Few hours when it dried up, I could see those marks.
OK, I see. What you need to do after the clear has been down for 24 hours is to sand the areas where the foot prints are. Use 100 grit sandpaper. This will remove any ridges and smudge marks. Wipe the area with denatured alcohol. DO NOT USE WATER ANYWHERE. After that, apply a new coat of clear to the entire floor. This all has to be done before the recoat window expires or you will need to rough up the entire floor before recoating. You cannot just apply clear over certain areas. Coatings are not like paint on a wall and will not blend in nicely. Newly applied areas will show roller marks and overlap marks which will make the touch up areas obvious.
Ok, so when will my recoat window expire ,can this be done say after a month? Its been almost little over to 24 hours since I applied the first clear coat. So I’ll sand those marks and apply coating to the whole garage? Will that show any roller marks like you mentioned ? Thanks!
Most recoat windows are 24 hours. However, Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield is 4 days. The recoat window is short because it allows the two coatings to chemically bond. Once you are past that it requires that you rough up the coating to achieve a mechanical bond.
Hi, When we moved into our house 3 years ago we had someone install Rustoleum Epoxy Shield 2 part water-based epoxy in our garage, gray gloss with chips. After installation, it looked great but it didn’t look shiny at all. More like paint with color chips spread throughout. At this point in time, our installers were long gone and we had already started moving things into the garage. Low and behold, a week later as I was going through old discard boxes, I found the Rustoleum box and it still had Part B of the epoxy mix still in the box. They never mixed both Part A and B together!!! The garage is still holding up but the flooring does chip and discolors more then it should have if the flooring been done correctly the first time. Is there a way to now go back and put an epoxy topcoat over the painted and color chipped floor now and what would that process entail? I don’t need to get the perfect look back, just the protection of the epoxy. Your knowledge and product recommendation would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi Ross. They had to mix the two parts together, especially considering that it has adhered to the garage floor and you have been driving on it. The reason for this is that one part is the colored epoxy resin and the other part is the catalyst or “hardener” that creates the chemical reaction that causes epoxy to cure and get hard. If the colored resin is applied without the catalyst mixed in, you would just have a gooey mess that would never harden. Have you opened the can? Rust-Oleum used to be opposite the industry and labeled the hardener as part-A and the epoxy resin as part-B. Just an FYI, Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield is not going to have a nice glossy look. It’s more of a satin to satin gloss finish. This is simply because it’s a lower grade, low solids, water-based epoxy.
As long as you don’t have issues with the epoxy peeling up, you can apply a new coat over it if you like. We have an article here that details what this requires. If you want a more glossy look, then RockSolid would something to look at instead of EpoxyShield. It has a very glossy finish.
Hi Shea,
I wrote to you on your article review for Rocksolid Metallic Poly. I have not put it down yet as I had a moisture problem. I recently put down rust oleum’s moisture stop but have some efflorescence I am tending to (even though I followed the directions exactly and used a power washer). I then used a 50/50 white vinegar/water and flushed with the power washer to get most of it off. Still have a little left that needs to get removed. If there is any left as in slight amounts do I risk seeing peeling? That is one question. I came to this article because I was going to clearcoat after the poly coating but 1) Is it necessary? The garage is going to be used as a rec room for the most part but I want to shine… also 2) Will the poly clear coat yellow from the sun? … I leave the big double garage door open most of the time and direct sunlight will hit the surface. I have read that UV rays cause this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
Hi Michael. Try to remove all the efflorescence that you can. If the remaining areas are spotty, then you should be OK. Are you sure the moisture problem has been mitigated? If it hasn’t, it can cause issues later down the road. RockSolid metallic is extremely glossy on it’s own. Applying a clear polycuramine over it will slightly reduce the gloss, but it will still be a glossy surface. The issue about not using a clear is that metallic coatings tend to highlight light scratching much more than standard coatings. A clear coat will help to reduce that a little since it’s the clear that will be getting the traffic and not the metallic. Regarding U.V. rays; RockSolid polycuramine is not U.V. stable. That means that the metallic coat and subsequent RockSolid clear coat are both susceptible to ambering if exposed to direct sunlight for periods of time. Just an FYI – all metallic coatings are susceptible to U.V. light because epoxy is the ingredient required to make metallics work.
Thanks Shea. I did see a little evidence of moisture around the perimeter of the garage this morning. Not as bad as it was before the moisture stop and just in a couple spots. The garage was built in the early 60’s and did not have gutters until I put them on recently. I’m thinking the foundation isn’t so great. There was a rather large area 3ftx 3ft in the middle of the garage that showed moisture coming up during humid/rainy weather. I have pics I can send. I am waiting to see what happens this weekend as it is going to be humid with spots of rain here in Jersey. I used rust oleum’s moisture stop fortifying sealer on the whole floor and I want to see if it worked in that 3×3 area. Are there any products that I can use in areas if I see a little moisture?
Hi Michael. The Rust-Oleum Moisture Stop is a concrete densifier. Short of applying a much more expensive moisture vapor blocking epoxy primer, densifiers are really the only thing you can apply to slow down or stop moisture intrusion. They take about 7 full days to react with the concrete before they can achieve their full potential.
Any suggestions on a certain moisture vapor blocking epoxy primer? Would it be ok to use on the whole floor as a preventative measure (even though I used the densifier already)? The polycuramine is expensive itself and I don’t want to risk it peeling up, so cost is not too much of an issue as long as it’s reasonable.
Thanks,
Mike
Hi Mike. Moisture vapor blocking epoxy primers are expensive and require grinding for application. This one here is an example of a lesser expensive product that will cover up to 12 lbs of moisture. They get more expensive from there.
Shea,
Would you recommend I use Legacy Industrial’s HD39 DENSIFIER/WATERPROOFER or is it too late as I used the rustoleum densifier? If so, which product would work better for my situation having some wet areas around the walls. I ground the floor day 1 when I started this project so I could use the moisture vapor primer. Does it work with polycuramine?
Thanks,
Mike
Hi Mike. As I said, the Rust-Oleum Moisture Stop is a densifier. It’s the same type of product as HD39 Densifier. Rust-Oleum just markets it differently. They work by reacting with the concrete to create calcium silicate hydrate. This is an extremely hard material that tends to fill open pores at the surface. Densifiers will slow down moisture intrusion and sometimes even stop it, but they are not a true sealer. No film forming barrier is formed. Densifiers are only applied in one application. A subsequent coat later will not have much of an effect if at all.
When it comes to coatings, moisture in concrete can be a serious issue. Sometimes the coating may stay down for a year or so, but then it can begin peeling up in sheets with layers of concrete dust stuck to the bottom from the deteriorated concrete. This is why a proper moisture vapor epoxy primer needs to be used and aggressive grinding is required for application. Has anything been done to address the source of the moisture? Is water puddling against the foundation? Or is the slab below grade?
Thanks Shea. I added gutters to the sides so there is no pooling happening. The detached garage was built in ’64 so there was 56 years of rain water running off the sides of the roof which puts a beating on the foundation as water just rested against it and probably caused some cracks. It is not below grade. and it is not pooling into the garage. There are just some darks spots around the perimeter when it is humid or rains. They come in a couple inches. The walls were framed and sheetrock was hung (not by me) so I can’t see what the inner walls look like but outside they look fine. I moved into this house a couple years ago and removed mold carpet and peeled paint below that with a diamabrush removal tool. Would the moisture vapor primer prevent peeling or is there no way for sure to tell? Should I be thinking about a different type of flooring? Thanks for all the advice. Mike
A calcium chloride test during times the moisture appears is the only way you would know for sure if the moisture blocking epoxy primer will be effective, Mike. That is one of the reasons for performing such a test. The results will tell you how much moisture vapor that you have expressed in “X”lbs/24hrs/1000 sq.ft. All moisture blocking epoxy primers list how much moisture they will effectively block. However, with your slab being above grade and with moisture mitigation steps you have taken, the chances of you having more than 12 lbs of moisture is extremely remote. Just keep in mind that if you use it to cover and safely overlap just the areas where moisture is present (not the entire floor), the RockSolid Metallic in those areas will look slightly darker and deeper in color than the rest of the floor. Assuming that the moisture comes from the wall edges only, if you apply it in a relatively straight line, say 12” out from the wall, then it may not be very noticeable.
As you can see, moisture in concrete creates many issues. They can be overcome, but it requires the proper materials, prep, and more $$. RockSolid Metallic is intended as a DIY coating for residential use on concrete in relatively good shape to begin with. It’s not the best product once you introduce repairs, moisture, and other issues. You may want to look at other flooring options before you continue in order to make sure you are comfortable with the decision of moving forward or not.
I already purchased 4 boxes and planned on getting 2 more for 400 sq. ft. The 4 I purchased through amazon are non returnable. I just checked as I was going to entertain a different floor but I guess I am all in at this point and only time will tell. Would you suggest i use the moisture vapor blocking epoxy primer on the whole floor? As a preventative measure and so the polycuramine has a uniform look. And by darker, how much darker?
Thanks
Mike
If you aren’t positive about the moisture source or where it may pop up, then yes, I would recommend the moisture blocking primer for the full floor. Be aware that it will require that you grind for the primer. The primer does not change the color of the coating. What it does is slightly change the tone so the true color shows better. If you compared it side by side, you would notice that the coat with the primer looks richer in color and ever so slightly darker. You would not really notice it otherwise.
Hi Shea. I mitigated the water issue did a regrind of the floor and cleaned up all the patch work. I am going to use vapordike and then apply the rock solid metallic. Any suggestion on a UV stable clear coat that is compatible with polycuramine? Also how long after that coat is applied should the clear be applied?
Thanks,
Mike
There are not any products that we are aware of that have proven to be chemically compatible with polycurmine in order to achieve a chemical bond with each other, Mike. Rust-Oleum will only suggest and warranty an approved Rust-Oleum product. As a result, what you need to do is let the RockSolid metallic cure for 24 hours first, then degloss and rough it up with 120 grit sandpaper in order to achieve a mechanical bond. After the surface has been swept good, it will require a chemical wipe of denatured alcohol on a microfiber pad to get the remaining dust. Right after that you can apply your clear coat of choice. The clear coat will restore the look of the rough up finish. Just be aware that a U.V. stable clear coat is not going to prevent the RockSolid Metallic from ambering if it’s exposed for periods to direct sunlight. It may slow the process down some, but it will still amber over time. We have some suggestions for a clear if you still want to go that route and not stay with a polycuramine clear coat.
So my best bet would be to either not clear coat or just use the rocksolid clear coat… will it amber more or less with the clear coat? I plan on leaving the garage door open often but won’t be doing any crazy amounts of work in the garage.
Thanks
Mike
It will not amber more or less, Mike. However, it will be more noticeable when the clear ambers vs the color coat. The one drawback to not using a clear though is that scratches are more noticeable since the RockSolid metallic is extremely glossy. The clear polycuramine tones down the gloss a little bit and protects the color coat so scratches are harder to see.
Hi Shea ,
I applied Rust Oleum clear coat on top of 2 coat professional epoxy shield but unlike color coat I feel a little sticky while walking after 3 days . It does not create any finger print even when applied high pressure but when walk bare feet I do feel some very little strictness. What could be the problem ? Does it need more time to cure?
It might need one more day, Amit. However, if it does not improve after 24 hours I recommend that you give Rust-Oleum customer service a call. 1-(877)-385-8155
How do I remove (will then reapply) the Rustoleum Top Coat. I have a small strip of the concrete sits outside of garage door in the sun (about 6inches). That portion has yellowed in 2 yrs. I would like to remove at the door line & re-apply.
Ideas?
Have you done it with success?
Hello Robert. Epoxy is an indoor coating only and should not be exposed to the outdoors. The U.V. rays from the sun causes to amber (yellow tint). It will then begin to chalk and eventually deteriorate. If it’s a clear coat on the bare concrete that you want, we recommend that you use a clear acrylic sealer instead. Acrylics are U.V. stable and will not amber. They are not as tough as epoxy, but you would only be driving over a small strip and not parking on it. The best way to remove the old epoxy is to grind it off.
Thanks for the tips. When you say – ‘grind it off’ – I want to keep the epoxy & flakes underneath the clear coat & just want clear coat removed. Will sanding with say 100 grit do the trick?
Do you have a clear acrylic sealer you would recommend?
Ahh… OK, you have colored epoxy there also – I misunderstood you. Unfortunately, unless your color flakes completely cover the colored epoxy then it has ambered as well, Robert. The clear does not stop the U.V. rays from damaging the colored epoxy. ANY epoxy exposed directly to the sun is going to eventually chalk and deteriorate. If you don’t want the bare concrete look, one option would be to color match the epoxy color with some concrete paint from your local home improvement center. Sand the exposed epoxy with 100 grit sandpaper and then paint it with the concrete paint, color flake it, and then apply a clear acrylic. It will still be somewhat noticeable when the door is open, but you won’t know from the outside.
We are about to move into a warehouse and the floor is concrete. It currently doesn’t have any paint or coating. I would like to apply only a clear coat and not any color to the floor. Is this possible? And if yes, what product would you recommend? Thx!
Hi Johanna. What is the warehouse being used for? What type of abuse and traffic will the concrete see?
It’s a print shop where we wrap vehicles from Smart Cars to Trailers. Though the vehicles would only be in one area. The rest is all light traffic
OK. We would recommend a single-part polyurea, Johanna. You can read about it here. These are easy to apply. One complete coat would be sufficient, but two is recommended if you anticipate using floor jacks and other equipment. The coating will create some gloss for good light reflection as well. Most coatings, including this one, require that you etch the surface first before it is applied.
Hello Shea,
I used Drylok E1 platinum to paint my garage floor and added Rustoleum grey chips during the second coat. The floor looks great but I was planning on using the seal krete 1 park epoxy sealer as a top coat over the chips to smooth it all out. After reading this article I’m not sure that’s the best idea. I used three packages of chips where the standard covering is 250 sq feet per package. My garage is about 800 square feet so it would seem I’m under the amount where I would need a top coat. Is there a clear topcoat I can use that would work well over E1 to cover the chips? Or should I just leave it as is?
Hi Jeff. Unfortunately, there is not a clear sealer that we would recommend to apply over a 1-part epoxy paint product. They are best left as a one step system as intended. The Seal-Krete clear is a water-based acrylic that would just get abused in a garage and have you wishing you did not apply it. You could rough up the surface and apply a water-based epoxy, but it would be much more expensive than the paint you applied and it still would be susceptible to hot tire pickup.
Hi Shea, I have an epoxy garage floor, from Quick Crete, that I put down 11 years ago and it has weathered well. It was a 2 part epoxy, but think it was water based? I’m wanting to re-coat my floor now and was planning to use the Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield Industrial, which is solvent based. I’ll follow directions for cleaning and roughing up the current coating. I have several questions. Is it okay to apply the solvent based epoxy over the original water based epoxy? Second, I’d like to use a polyurethane type topcoat over the epoxy, so thinking this needs to be solvent based too, and do you have a recommendation for a topcoat? Not sure if Rust-Oleum has a poly type topcoat?
Yes, you will be fine applying a solvent-based epoxy over a water-based product. Rust-Oleum does not have a polyurethane available to the general public and you will not find a polyurethane coating for concrete at your local home improvement center either. It generally needs to be purchased from concrete coating vendors. This here is an example of an excellent product. One exeption would be Sherwin Williams if one is near. You can purchase their ArmorSeal Rexthane Polyurethane. It will not be as abrasion resistant as the previous example though.
Shea, thank you for your response. One last question, do you know if the re-coat time , for applying the polyurethane, is 4 days for the Epoxyshield Industrial?
Hi Dan. It can be up to 4 days if you are using the Rust-Oleum clear epoxy. In other words, the four day recoat window applies to the chemistry within the Rust-Oleum line up for their DIY epoxy products. For a polyurethane from another manufacturer you will want to stay within the traditional 24 hour rule.
I applied the Rust-Oleum Epoxy Shield Premium Series Clear Finish post 24 hours of Epoxy with flakes.
It’s only been about 6 hours but just seems to be EXTREMELY Sticky. I have read many comments froM different people how it is still sticky after 3 or so days.
Any recommendations?
Hi Raul. Give it 24 hours before you begin to worry about it being tacky. If still tacky after that, give Rust-Oleum Customer Service a call.
I applied the EPOXYSHIELD 1 Car Garage Floor Coating Kit- Tan Gloss to my covered back lanai yesterday. I read your article “10 REASONS YOU SHOULD ADD A CLEAR TOP COAT TO YOUR EPOXY FLOOR”. Can you tell me if the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield 2-Part Clear High-Gloss Garage Floor Epoxy Kit is the correct choice for a clear top coat?
Thank you,
Darren
Hello Darren. Yes, that is the correct choice.
I am painting an old concrete floor in an industrial building that is now used only for foot traffic (for the last couple of decades). It was previously painted in several layers, most recently in a porch and floor paint. It has been pressure washed to strip the majority of the old paint. Self-levelling cement applied where patching was needed. (The original floor was not designed to be completely level, and remains slanted slightly.) The next step is acid etching to deal with any remaining paint still on the floor. The new paint is Beauti-Tone Pearl Floor Enamel. Followed by a texturizing paint layer (same product most likely) just to add contrast and minimize any imperfections in the concrete. I realize that floor paint is “one and done”. BUT since this is foot traffic only, and because we are hoping for a wear-resistant and shiny coat on top, would acrylic clear coat be a safe option here? Any other recommendations?
Hello P Johnson. Yes, a water-based clear coat would be acceptable to use on such a surface that is being used for foot traffic only. Seal Krete Clear-Seal by Rust-Oleum is one such example. It is available in satin and gloss finishes. Do not use an acid etch on the paint. It will not do any good and you will only be introducing a caustic chemical to the prep process that is not needed. Etches only work on bare concrete. They work by reacting with the various minerals in bare concrete. They have no effect on painted or coated surfaces. Instead, use TSP. This will clean the surface well and degloss any remaining paint.