Hi Carrie. You will need to grind the surface to remove the paint. We discuss how to grind your garage floor here. Grinding will make the surface to porous for a stain guard. You would need to hone the surface with finer grit diamond pads to make it smoother after the paint is removed. If you like the look of bare concrete, then we would suggest applying a clear epoxy or polyurea instead. It would protect the surface of the concrete much better against chemicals and winter weather. Another option would be TS210 by Concrete Sealers USA.

Yes, you can, providing the guard is one that is on their approved list. They say the only benefit to applying a guard beforehand is to slightly increase the coverage rate of Ballistix. Otherwise, it’s not necessary. We recommend contacting them to discuss. They also have a private Facebook group with many contractors who display their work, ask questions, and provide tips. Corey Colsen of Ballistix is very active there and frequently does live video to ask questions.

Thanks. Our polished floors have been polished with a lithium densifier and then Prosoco Polish Guard. I have seen Ballistic advertised. Can it go on top of the Polish Guard?

Hi JP. Yes, a 400 grit hone and polish can look great. You may want to look into a product called Ballistix. It’s an inorganic silicon-ceramic coating that adheres extremely well to polished concrete and is not affected by petroleum, acid, and solvents. In addition, it will not stain from car tires. We are currently testing it and preparing an article. This product is absolutely incredible and the answer to polished concrete – particularly in a garage. You can get more info about it here.

These floors have worked well and while they aren’t as shinny as floors polished with higher grits, they still look great.