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By far, the biggest complaint that people hear about epoxy is that it peels up off the garage floor soon after application or within a year of it being installed. What many who are interested in epoxy garage flooring do not realize is that well over 99% of all these complaints do not involve a defective epoxy product. If that’s the case, then what causes epoxy coated garage floors to peel up in the first place?
What’s interesting to note is that the majority of complaints about epoxy garage floors are from DIY applications. There is a valid reason for this. The average DIY installer usually isn’t that knowledgeable about how to apply garage floor epoxy to begin with. When you couple that with the fact that many of the inexpensive epoxy floor kits make application sound as easy as rolling paint on a floor; you now have the potential for failure.
I followed the instructions exactly and it still peeled up
Many of these complaints start with the statement, “I followed the instructions exactly and it still peeled up”. The sad part about this is that many did follow the instructions exactly as stated, but that does not mean that what they did actually prepped the concrete properly.
We will explain shortly.
The main culprit to garage floor epoxy peeling up is poor preparation of the concrete surface. This can be attributed to a variety of factors.
Epoxy needs a clean and porous surface in order to achieve a mechanical bond to the concrete. If you don’t have that, it’s almost guaranteed that your coating is going to fail at some point.
As an example, lesser expensive epoxy kits generally come with safe to use, biodegradable solutions that are supposed to clean and etch the concrete simultaneously in order to provide the proper surface profile for epoxy. In many cases however, these do not work well.
But how is the average DIY installer to know?
If you don’t know what the surface should look like when the concrete prep work is done, how it should feel, and how to test it, then it really is a gamble whether or not your epoxy coating is going to peel or not.
Why epoxy floors peel
Epoxy is a very tenacious and tough coating to remove when applied properly. That is why there are so many successful, long lasting epoxy garage floor coatings that people absolutely love. Just about every problem you may have heard about epoxy flooring can be avoided by paying attention to the details. With that in mind, we have listed the seven most common reasons for epoxy peeling up along with the solutions on how to avoid them.
1. Poor surface profile
As we stated earlier, a poorly prepared concrete surface is the main culprit to epoxy peeling. The number one problem associated with that is a bad surface profile. Surface profile is the roughness and porosity of the concrete that allows for the mechanical bond of the epoxy.
These are examples of concrete surface profiles. Most epoxy requires at least a CSP 1 or CSP 2 profile to achieve the proper mechanical bond.
In order to obtain the correct surface profile for epoxy, you need to acid etch the concrete at the very minimum. Grinding the concrete is the preferred method, but it’s not always feasible for the average DIY install. You can read more about acid etching versus grinding here.
Profiling the concrete exposes the pores so that the epoxy can sink in a little to get the bite it needs to adhere as well as it does. If not done correctly, the epoxy will not adhere well and can start to peel at some point after application.
Once the concrete is profiled correctly, it should have a lighter appearance and a rougher texture to it that is similar to 100 grit sandpaper. Test it by dripping some water onto the concrete in various areas. The surface should immediately turn dark and absorb the water in less than a minute.
Beware of the clean and etch solutions that come with the lesser expensive, single coat garage floor epoxy kits. Many times these solutions are not effective enough to create the proper surface profile.
The reason for this is that these solutions generally consist of citric acid crystals. The main reason for using citric acid by these manufacturers is that it is safe for the environment and it is much more difficult to harm yourself if used improperly. We have more info here if you are concerned about etching with safer alternatives.
The problem however is that citric acid is the weakest of the concrete acid etching solutions and it will not profile a hard troweled or machine troweled surface effectively. It does not work well on extremely dense concrete either.
Another problem with these citric acid products is that they are touted as a cleaning solution as well. If these solutions are applied to a dirty concrete surface, they do not work well at cleaning and etching the concrete at the same time.
When acid etching a garage floor, the concrete should always be cleaned thoroughly first before applying the acid etch.
Muriatic acid or phosphoric acid is the preferred acid to use for achieving the proper surface profile for an epoxy coating. You can read more about how to acid etch properly here.
2. Moisture
The second most common problem associated with the peeling of epoxy garage floors is moisture in the concrete.
Water vapor cannot pass through epoxy. If you have moisture under any part of your slab that is below grade, the hydrostatic pressure that is created from water vapor being trapped under the epoxy coating can create enough force to lift the epoxy right off the surface.
Inspect your floor for signs of moisture. Efflorescence is the very first sign that you may have a moisture problem. So are dark spots on the floor.
If your slab is below grade on any side then it’s imperative that you do a simple moisture test first before starting an epoxy floor project. You can learn more about moisture in concrete and how to test for it here.
3. Oil and contaminants
Once you have achieved the correct surface profile for epoxy, it’s important to check that any oil stained areas that were previously cleaned are absorbent and not repelling water. These are areas that you will want to check with the water drop test.
It’s not uncommon for a previously oil stained area to be darker in color than the surrounding concrete. As long as it absorbs water, then it will absorb epoxy and provide for good adhesion.
Other contaminants such as silicone from tire dressing products and polymer compounds that leach out of warm tires will not allow epoxy to adhere either. Be sure to perform a water drop test around the areas where the car tires sit as well.
Acid etching will not remove silicones and tire polymer residue. If you acid etched the concrete and these areas do not pass the water drop test, you will need to grind the concrete to remove the residue.
4. Acid etch residue on the surface
When you acid etch your garage floor the acid solution works by reacting with the free lime in the concrete. This causes a breakdown of the calcium at the surface which exposes the open pores of the concrete. This calcium is then deposited onto the surface in the form of a very fine white dust.
Many epoxy floors have peeled up because this fine white dust was not effectively removed before the epoxy was applied.
Because the dust is so fine, it likes to stick to the irregularities in the surface and can be difficult to remove. If epoxy is applied over concrete with this fine white dust, the epoxy sticks more to the dust and not the surface. It will eventually peel up exposing the white dust on the underside of the peeled epoxy coating.
The amount of dust left on the surface after acid etching is dependent on how much free lime was present in the surface of the concrete to begin with and how well the floor was neutralized and flushed afterwards.
Never let the floor start to dry during the acid etching process and use liberal amounts of water when flushing the surface. It helps to use a deck brush to lightly scrub the surface as it is being flushed. If you end up with this white residue it can be removed, but it may take multiple scrub downs to get it all off the surface.
A pressure washer works best. If you don’t have one available, wet the floor down in sections and use a solution of TSP and hot water to scrub the surface. Flush it well with a high pressure nozzle and move on to the next section. It will come off, but it may take a few tries.
5. Sealed concrete
Epoxy will not adhere to concrete that has been previously sealed and acid etching will not remove a sealer. As we have stated previously, acid only responds to the free lime in concrete. If the concrete is sealed, the acid etch solution will just sit on the surface and not do anything. More than one case of epoxy peeling has been from people attempting to acid etch a sealed garage floor.
The only way to profile a previously sealed garage floor correctly is to grind it. Grinding the floor will remove the sealer at the surface and profile it at the same time.
If you are not sure if your floor has a sealer, then you need to do a concrete sealer test. Do this by dripping water over various areas of the concrete. If the water immediately beads up or if it just sits there for a few minutes without being absorbed into the concrete, then you have a sealer on the garage floor.
If the concrete turns dark and the water is absorbed after a few minutes, then you don’t have a sealer on the floor.
If your tests are inconclusive, apply a few drops of diluted muriatic acid to the surface. If it starts to bubble and fizz, then no sealer is present. If it just sits there like a drop of water and does nothing, then the concrete is sealed.
6. Excess laitance
Laitance is a weaker top layer of cement. Sometimes it can have a crazed look to it with what appears to be very fine cracks. It consists of a fine cement paste top layer that is produced by excess bleed water when troweling the finish. It can also be caused by concrete finishers who spray water on the surface of the concrete to make it smoother.
Grinding the concrete will remove this fine layer and prep the surface properly for epoxy. Acid etching on the other hand will not do this very well. It will only rough it up. What you end up with is a softer concrete surface that is not bonded well to the rest of the concrete.
When epoxy is applied to this type of surface, it creates a weak mechanical bond to the concrete that can eventually cause it to peel up at a later date. Concrete dusting is a sign of excess laitance and sure indication that you should grind the garage floor instead.
If you don’t have dusting, test the concrete for excess laitance by scraping the surface hard with the tip of a screw driver. It shouldn’t leave much of a mark if any at all. If it doesn’t, then you should be OK to acid etch.
7. Soft concrete surface
A soft concrete surface can be caused from poor concrete, bad finishing or a combination of both. Indications of soft concrete include heavy surface dusting, areas that are easily scarred or gouged, and crumbling concrete.
The only solution to a soft concrete surface is to grind it. It may also require application of a densifier to harden the surface. Sometimes even that will not prepare the concrete properly for epoxy.
This video is a great example of a floor that needed extensive repair before the epoxy was applied. Epoxy coatings will not fix a bad concrete surface.
If you have a soft concrete surface, we recommend contacting a professional floor coating company or installer to inspect the surface and do the job for you if they deem it feasible. If you are looking for a DIY garage flooring installation, then interlocking tiles or garage floor mats may be a better solution for you.
Final tips
One thing to remember is that the lesser expensive garage floor epoxy kits will eventually wear out in high traffic areas. This is not the same as peeling. You will notice that the floor in these areas will become dull and the concrete will start to show through. This is a result of abrasion at the surface of the coating and not from peeling.
Hot tire pickup is not necessarily a sign of bad floor prep either. Again, the lesser expensive epoxy products can be prone to this no matter how well the floor was prepared. The reason is due to the low solids content of the epoxy as well as the chemical makeup.
Applying a successful epoxy garage floor coating that does not peel truly is not that difficult. It just requires some attention to detail and knowledge of how your garage floor concrete should be prepared and tested before application.
With the exception of moisture issues, most of these common problems with epoxy peeling can easily be avoided just by grinding the garage floor.
However, whether grinding your floor or acid etching, if you pay close attention and follow these tips you should have a successful epoxy coating that will not peel after application.
I applied Rust-Oleum epoxy to my garage floor last year. I have one area that is peeling up. I can pull up a 12″ section at a time. On the bottom of the epoxy is a fine white dust. What causes this and what can I do to fix it?
Hello Jason. What you have is a condition called dusting. It’s generally created by a weak top layer of concrete. If too much water was used in the concrete mix it will float to the top and bring many of the fine particulates and sand with it. When it’s troweled smooth you end up with a weakened top layer that dusts. Also, adding water to the surface in order to provide a smooth troweled surface will do the same thing to concrete and create excess laitance (fine cement particulates).
Your epoxy is going to keep peeling if you have this condition. Your only option at this point is to grind it all off to bare concrete in order remove the very fine layer of excess laitance. After that, you can choose to leave the concrete bare and treat it with a densifier or you can apply a new epoxy coating.
Aloha. I have a brand new slab, 24×38. It was poured when the weather man was wrong. The pour started about 8 am before the rain started and it rained 4 inches before noon, about 8 inches that day. They took a heavy duty grinder to the slab and did a great job taking out the visible problems. I took a wire brush to it on a broom stick and scrub very hard on the whiter areas. It was difficult to do but the water would turn milky. Does that mean that I should also acid etch my slab even though it was already ground?
I’d also appreciate a recommendation on the best epoxy floor covering to buy.
Great article. Thanks.
Chris
Aloha, Chris. Acid etching is not needed when grinding has already been done. Plus, etching does not remove soft concrete. Only grinding can do that. One question we have is about the condition of the surface. Is it soft? Can you gouge it with a screwdriver? Does a white powdery substance (dusting) develop a few days after cleaning? Was the wire brush used on it after it was ground down? If so, then it’s not a good candidate for a coating. The concrete is too soft and would just dust under the coating and cause it to peel up. Regarding epoxy coatings, I suggest you read this article about best coatings. I also suggest you read this article here. If have some questions after that we would be happy to help.
Hi Shea. The surface is very hard. It cannot be gouged with a screwdriver. The slab is 1 1/2 months old. The building hasn’t been completed yet and the slab is clean. The wire brush was used after the slab was ground. I think what’s coming up after very heavy scrubbing is the creamy stuff left after the grinder was finished, muck. ( We used a big wet stone grinder, like a whirlybird, with water. What a mess!) It’s very fine particles in the pours of the surface. I think I’m understanding that acid etching won’t help with that. If that’s the case then probably a pressure washer is the answer. It seems to me that every ground slab would have this same issue unless it was dry ground. Thoughts? Thanks again!!
OK, that is good then. Yes, you need to remove all the loose dust and slurry from wet grinding. A pressure washer would be good for that. That dust and slurry will cause the coating to fail if not cleaned out. When slabs are dry ground, they only require a good vacuum in most cases before a coating is applied.
My epoxy floor is peeling. What can I do?
Susan
Hi Susan. We can’t really tell you what to do and why without knowing more about what type of epoxy was applied, where it is peeling, how the concrete was prepped, and etc. There are many reasons why it may be peeling. It could be poor concrete prep, inexpensive epoxy, or a combination of the two. It could be moisture issues as well. Generally, when dealing with epoxy that is peeling, the best course of action is to grind to remove the remaining epoxy. The grinding will also prep the floor properly for a new and possibly better quality coating.
Hi. I have an epoxied garage floor that looks great three years later except where my car tires sit. What can I do to touch up these areas?
Hello Tina. Patching such small areas can be difficult since coatings do not blend like touch-up paint on a wall. Most manufacturers do not offer touch-up kits for this reason as well. Your only choices are to just live with it, purchase another epoxy kit (assuming you applied it yourself) and touch-up with that, or purchase enough kit/s to recoat the entire floor to make it all look new again. We have an article here about doing that.
Hi! We applied Behr 1 part epoxy paint to our garage floors as well as the decorative sprinkles, after cleaning and etching as directed.
We have been walking on it for a couple weeks now, but haven’t drove on it as we planned on applying a top coat, mainly for cosmetic shine. However, last night I drove on it, to unload some stuff and this morning I noticed were my tires sat the paint had lifted.
With all that said, I have two questions. 1. If we used a durable top coat would that prevent this from happening again/as bad?
2. If so, what top coat do you recommend?
Thanks in advance!
Hello Sidney. 1-part epoxy paints are not designed or compatible with clear top coats for a garage floor. They are designed as a stand alone application just as you applied it. This article on clear coats explains why. Unfortunately, what you experienced with your application is fairly typical for 1-part paints. They are not a true epoxy coating. If you were to go through the process of roughing up the paint to apply an epoxy clear coat, you would still experience the same problems since it’s the paint that is adhered to the concrete and not the epoxy.
Ok thank you! So there’s no solution other than stripping the paint and starting over?
How would you recommend stripping the paint off?
The most effective way would be to grind it off. This will prep the concrete for an actual coating at the same time. If you elect to grind with a floor maintainer, then the Diamabrush removal tool would be the one to use. The other method would be to use a chemical paint stripper followed by an acid etch.
Grinded surface…followed directions and one year later Behr one part epoxy is pealing in several areas. Any ideas?
Hi Jody. What did you grind the garage floor with and what grit diamond discs or wheel was used? Unfortunately, the biggest problem is that you used a latex paint and not a true epoxy. This article here explains the difference. We suggest removing the paint and applying a quality concrete coating to avoid these issues.
I applied applied Rustoleum’s Garage Floor Primer and then applied their Rocksolid topcoat 24 hours later. The Rocksolid topcoat fisheyed over the entire primer area. Any ideas what may have caused this?
I’m planning on trying to fix it by repriming and repainting. What do I need to do for surface prep before reapplying the primer, and topcoat?
Hello Steven. What was the name of the exact primer product from Rust-Oleum that you used?
It is the Rustoleum GARAGE & INTERIOR FLOOR PRIMER. It is designed to go over “hard-to-paint surfaces that were previously coated or sealed, such as garage floors or basement floors”. The Tech Data Sheet refers to ROC-146.
Hello Steve. I would contact Rust-Oleum about this issue and ask for answers. You are actually the second person to ask us about fisheyes when applying RockSolid to this product. We did an article on that exact primer here. Rust-Oleum stated that it was designed to have other Rust-Oleum products such as RockSolid applied over it.
I recently had an epoxy floor professionally done. It started to peel all over the garage. The contractor stated it was efflorescence and was not covered under warranty. I did not receive the warrranty until after the job was complete as he held it back (shame on me for continuing with the job). In some of the comments above I see that this could also be dusting. Is efflorescence and dusting the same and could this be re-sanded and re-done without the peeling happening again? Or should a coating been applied prior to the epoxy to keep the salt from coming o the surface?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Hello Tania, we are sorry to hear of your issues. Yes, never agree to any work from a contractor without reviewing the warranty information first. Efflorescence is caused from moisture in the concrete. When moisture travels up through the slab, it carries minerals and salts with it. Once it reaches the surface and evaporates, it leaves behind these minerals and salts. Coatings will not stay adhered when efflorescence builds under it. This why moisture testing or inspection of signs of moisture should be determined first by a floor coating contractor before applying a coating. Peeling all over the garage is either a sign of bad moisture issues or more likely, poor prep by the contractor. Did they grind the surface before application? We would recommend calling a reputable floor coating contractor to come give a free estimate to fix the issue and to ask about the possible causes.
Dusting is a condition that is generally due to the way a concrete slab is finished. If too much water is added to the surface during finishing or if excess bleed water is not allowed to evaporate first, it creates a weak upper layer of concrete that is full of fine particulates that raised to the surface. It makes the concrete surface soft and dusts as it wears.
Hello,
Just had our garage treated with epoxy by a company. The house is brand new, completed in October. Right after the epoxy was applied cracks started to show in areas closest to the house. The guys applied the clear coat anyway. Now they are offering me a discount and 5 year warranty or have them come back and redo the whole thing. What’s going to happen to the cracks over time? Will it start to peel off? Should I have them come back?
Hi Nancy. Is it the concrete that has cracked under the coating? Or is it just the coating and the concrete is sound underneath?
The concrete is fine. It’s brand new. They said maybe the concrete slab has not dried completely yet in the area near the house. The cracks don’t seem to show near the garage door opening. They did a moisture test in 1 spot only which happen to be dry. They are coming back to strip the areas that have the cracks. They said they may be able to treat it with something to help dry the concrete faster then redo the epoxy and coating. Is this the best remedy?
Hi Nancy. Epoxy does not crack due to moisture – it delaminates. In addition, epoxy chemically cures (it does not dry like paint) to a very hard substance. In order for it to crack, the concrete underneath would have to physically move (crack) to pull it apart. Could it be that “cracking” is not the best word to describe it? Sometimes it’s hard to diagnose a problem without pictures or seeing it in person. Lastly, you cannot treat concrete to accelerate the curing (drying) process. What brand and type of epoxy are they using? Is this company a professionally licensed and bonded floor coating company? It good to see that they are coming back to fix the issue, but their statement that they may treat the area to make it dry faster sounds suspicious. I would advise proceeding with care, ask questions, and document everything they do in case there is a problem in the future.
How long does a new concrete floor have cure before coating.
Hi Carl. You need to wait a minimum of 30 days. As an FYI, even new concrete needs the proper prep (acid etch or grind) if applying an epoxy or similar type of coating.
i have a floor done recently it looks great but the top clear coating is peeling off and it scratches easily we have bar stools with plastic feet that are scratching it??
he used a Simiron MVB moisture primer epoxy was a carboline 725 and the top coat was a GP 4850
Also what is the best way to coat murals on your floor ?
Hi Jason. It could be a few things. If the top clear coat is peeling, then that’s generally a sign that it was applied too late over the Carboline 725 epoxy in order to achieve a chemical bond. If it’s past the recoat window, then the surface it is applied to needs to be sanded first. Also, improper mixing could cause the problem and also result in a coat that does not fully cure. This could explain the scratching. Can you press a fingernail into the coating? If so, then it did not cure properly. It should be hard as nails. The GP4850 does not have the best abrasion resistance compared to other polyaspartics as well. That would explain some of the scratching issues. However, I would recommend replacing the plastic feet with felt.
I would need more info about a mural. There are a few ways this is done depending on the substrate. However, it does require sanding of the mural and application of a water-based or 100% solids epoxy over the mural in order to prevent bleeding of colors. You then apply a high wear coating over that.
Hi Thank you for your helpful site.
I live in central Alberta and have a garage floor that has 40 years of wear.
I want to fix the floor before painting. If I use Rustoleum concrete patch repair or Turbocrete concrete repair to fill the cracks (they’re not wide) and pits, will the paint adhere to these products?
Thanks again.
Yes they will, Richard. It will require that you rough up the surface first via grinding or 40-60 grit sandpaper.
HI. I need to refinish my garage floor. The 1 part epoxy paint is peeling and needs to be replaced. The failure started at the garage door. My slab extends out 8 inches past the door and is completely exposed to the elements. Epoxy isn’t supposed to be applied to outdoor surfaces exposed to sun and water, so how to I treat the exposed portion of the slab so water doesn’t get under it and lead to failure?
Hi Norm. You have a couple of choices. The first would be to treat the exposed concrete outside with a penetrating sealer like this one. It will help protect that area from water and the winter elements and it doesn’t change the look of the concrete. The other option is to coat that area with an acrylic coating. Acrylic completely seals the concrete and will not amber from the sun. However, it will darken the color of the concrete and make it look glossier.The Easy Finish of Acrylic Garage Floor Sealers
Thanks for the suggestion. I think I will give the penetrating sealer a try. Your site is a great resource.
Thanks Norm. We are glad to help.
I did not etch my new garage floor because I was foolishly told it did not need it. I have only the 4 areas by the tires that peeled. I sanded down these 4 areas to the cement. Can you give me tips on how to etch just these 4 areas without affecting the rest of the floor.
Hi Steve. Yikes… this can be a bigger issue than you realize. We actually have an article here on why etching is required. It’s not that difficult to etch small areas. Just tape off the areas while making sure to leave approximately an inch or two of the current coating exposed. You can cut up a cheap plastic drop cloth to tape down with it to catch overflow. Using a wet/vac, you can etch and rinse while sucking up the solution into the wet vac. Once dry, you would rough up the exposed epoxy with 120 grit sandpaper so the new epoxy will adhere properly to it. That is the process, but here is the problem.
Anytime new epoxy is applied over bare concrete where it has peeled up, it requires scraping the edges of the older epoxy first to make sure it is adhered properly. Since your concrete was not etched, this may lead to large sections of the floor easily peeling up as you try to find where it is adhered well. Additionally, there is a greater chance that other parts of your coating may begin peeling up on its own at a later date. Hopefully this won’t happen. Additionally, epoxy does not blend like paint on a wall does when a new coat is overlapped with an older one. As a result, it’s going to be fairly obvious where these repairs have been made. If the coating does not easily peel up and you are OK with noticing where the new epoxy is applied, then great. However, the only real way to make sure this does not happen again would be to grind the current coating off the concrete (grinding preps the concrete as well) and apply an entirely new coating.
Thank you Shea for your detailed response. I have my work cut out for me.
Steve
I have a covered porch with a cement slab that had a glued-down carpet that we pulled up. Removed all glue that I could with a sawzall and scraper bit – what’s remaining is really stuck and going nowhere but there is a good bit of old glue remaining. The stuff might as well be concrete. Can I apply epoxy? Do I still etch? I was going to put a really thick layer or epoxy… would that work?
Hi Rob. No, you can’t apply epoxy to the surface you describe. Epoxy needs properly prepared bare concrete to adhere to. Additionally, they are not so thick as too be able to cover up and hide materials you describe. There are special urethane slurries that can do that, but they still need properly prepared concrete and they are very expensive (>$10 ft2). What we recommend is grinding the concrete to remove all the old mastic and glue in order to put down your flooring of choice.
Hi,
I am a retired building surveyor and appreciate surface preparation is , paramount. I am very pleased with the result from using Bradite HD floor and wall two pack epoxy coating, but there are four areas about the size of a dinner plate where the tyres of my wife’s car parks, which is being picked up in part by the tyres. Is there anything I can do to stop this happening again? I am in the process of preparing the areas and intend to revolt these area again with two coats and redo the whole floor with a fresh coat. I did wonder about getting some small rectangular mats to put down just where the tyres rest. Any advice would be appt.
Mick.
Hi Mick. The majority of the issues you are experiencing with hot tire pickup is due to the coating you are using. I looked up the data sheets for Bradite HD Floor & Wall. It’s similar to the DIY Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield epoxy we have here in the U.S. It’s a thin mil water-based coating (2.25 mils dry film thickness) with a low solids content. These type of coatings are notorious for suffering hot tire issues. Two coats will help, but it will not guarantee that it won’t happen again. A parking mat or individual mats where the tires sit would definitely solve the problem. We recommend polyvinyl mats as they will not stain the epoxy like some synthetic rubber mats can.
Many thanks.
Small mats from ikea seem to have sorted the problem.
Mick.
I am contemplating a DIY garage floor epoxy project. My floor is severely pitted and has a some cracks. If I coat this with a concrete patching , can I use a 2 part epoxy on it once it thoroughly dries and is properly prepared, or will the epoxy pull the top coat off ?
Hi Pete. Yes, you can apply a quality epoxy coating as long as the surface has been properly repaired. All patch repair work will need grinding to make the repairs flush with the concrete and to prep it for the epoxy to adhere. You cannot etch concrete repair materials. We have an article on repairing pitting and spalling here.
I am planning on doing the epoxy on my 4 car garage. The house is only a year old, the concrete seems to have been poured correctly, but because of the high humidity where I live I’m not sure about how to make sure their isn’t moisture before I begin. I also wanted to know if grinding or chemically etching overall works better? If I purchase the Rust-Oleum products can I put two coats on or does that not matter?
Hello Mike. If you are using a thin mil Rust-Oleum product, then a proper acid etch is best. Two coats will produce the best color uniformity and reduce the chances of peeling due to hot tires. The humidity should not stand in the way of doing a moisture test beforehand.
Your site is very informative, thank you. We are having trouble with our professionally done garage floor. After we drove our cars in the rain, then parked them in the garage the floor peeled under our tires. The painter came out and patched those areas with a new kit. Applied a 2 part epoxy product from Sherwin Williams. Next time it rained, it did it again. Now he’s saying it must be an additive put into our concrete when the house was built (1998) and there’s nothing he can do about it. What do you think?
Hi Kelly. Was you garage floor done by a professional floor coating company that put down a multi-coat system or was it a painter that applied a product he purchased off the shelf some where? What are the exact products that were used and how was the concrete prepped beforehand? Was grinding done to the floor or was it just etched with a product from the kit?
Hi Shea,
We had a painter do it. He purchased Shield Crete apportion floor kits from Sherwin Williams. I’m pretty sure he grinded it some. Then used some kind of cleaner that looked up on the floor and sat for 24 hours before he applied the product.
Thank you!
Kelly
Yikes, I was afraid you were going to say that. Unfortunately, painters are not coating professionals. We get more readers who contact us over issues like this. They think that applying a coating to concrete is like painting a wall.
First, there are no type of additives that can be added to a concrete mix that would reject a coating. There could have been a cure and seal applied after the concrete was poured to help the curing process. These can act like a sealer and interfere with adhesion. However, grinding removes these type of sealers and is one of the many reasons that “professional” concrete coating companies and installers prep concrete this way. If your installer did indeed grind, then this would not be an issue. We don’t know of any cleaners that sit on the floor 24 hours before applying a product. Something does not sound right about that. This is why we asked what materials he used exactly and how the concrete was prepped. It all helps in determining the problem. Our best guess is that he used a residential quality one coat DIY epoxy kit which is commonly known for hot tire pickup. These are not commercial quality professional coatings and will always suffer these issues at some point. Poor concrete prep is common for this type of problem as well.
Unfortunately, if he indeed used a low solids one coat epoxy kit, then the only way you are going to prevent this from happening in the future is to grind the floor properly in order to remove the coating and prep the concrete for a better coating system.
Hello, great information here, thank you.
We have a question. We paid for a contractor to provide us with epoxy on our garage floor. He provided a quote which included i) power wash and clean garage floor, and ii) apply 2 coats of Armour Seal 8100 epoxy coating. The total cost was over $1,000 + tax for a 2 car garage. When we ask why so expensive, the contractor told us that the product is quite expensive. He said this was a commercial epoxy and therefore would last a very long time i.e. over 10 years. The work was completed 2 months ago and we are already noticing it is peeling in several areas of the garage. We suspect they applied the epoxy too soon after the power wash and we do not believe they etched the floor but can not confirm. Our contractor subcontracted the work to painters which I see from your prior comments can be another issue (if the painters do not know how to properly apply and prepare the surface). Can this be fixed or does the entire floor need to be redone? How can we tell if this was an application error so we have more to go back to the contractor on? Our contractor is not owning up to this issue.
Thank you very much in advance.
Hello Dave. We are sorry to hear about your problem. It sounds exactly like the typical issues we hear about all the time regarding painters who apply concrete coatings. ArmorSeal 8100 is a very low solids water-based epoxy that generally costs less than $60 per gallon for an average coverage rate of 250 square feet per gallon. We are guessing they used a total of 4 gallons for two coats. The data sheet for ArmorSeal 8100 clearly states that besides cleaning the concrete, you need to follow ASTM D4259, which is mechanical abrasion, or ASTM D4260, which is liquid acid etching. Creating the proper surface profile is not usually written in such formal language, however, mechanical abrasion (grinding or shot blasting) and acid etching are common procedures required for concrete coatings. Plus, licensed contractors should be familiar with ASTM regulations and requirements.
Pressure washing falls into the cleaning requirement and does not properly profile concrete. In addition, you typically need to wait a minimum of 24 hours after pressure washing concrete because the pressure washer drives the moisture deep into the concrete. Did they test for a sealer on the concrete? Some concrete contractors use a cure and seal product to help cure concrete. This needs to be removed via grinding before applying a coating. Are the bare exposed areas of the concrete rough and/or abraded? Or is it smooth like the original surface? Our guess is that you coating is peeling up in sheets because the proper surface profile (etching or grinding) was not performed. I suggest you show the required surface prep for 8100 to the contractor and see what he has to say.
Your content and answers are fantastic. I’ve read all your comments/answers.
I’ve just had my slab poured for my garage workshop. 40m2 (8x5meters).
Ive read in your comments to wait minimum 30days before epoxy + machine grinding to get left over slurry etc off. I won’t need acid etch as I’ll be grinding with a diamond blade hand walker machine.
Can you recommend what products or what is classed as “professional grade” so I know what to look out for?
I don’t mind paying a bit more as I’m doing it myself. Fyi I’m in Australia.
Thanks!
Hello Ash. We are not familiar with all the different suppliers in Australia. What we can tell you though, is that you want to stay away from the low solids content, single coat, water-based epoxy products – especially those that are sold as DIY kits available from your local home improvement centers. Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield is one example. You should be looking for coating systems that consist of an epoxy primer (many of these are water-based and OK), a high solids (greater than 75%) epoxy base coat, and a high performance clear coat such as polyurethane or polyurea. We did a quick search and came up with examples of concrete coating vendors that sell such systems. Epoxy2U APC, and Durable Concrete Coatings are examples.
Hi Sir, my painter accidentally mixed etch powder with the epoxy paint and painted the whole floor. Will the paint stay on or peel after sometime? Does the etch powder in the floor harm our health? I appreciate your responses.
Hello Ram. We can’t tell you for sure without knowing what type of concrete etching powder was mixed in with the epoxy. Also, was this a 1-part epoxy paint that was applied to the garage floor or was it an actual 2-part epoxy coating? If he mixed the etching powder in with the paint, what did he use to properly prepare the concrete with?
Hi Shea, thnx for the reply. This is the product I used, it is rustoleum rocksolid product, it comes with paint and etch powder https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/rocksolid/garage-floor-kits/polycuramine-garage-floor-coating-kit
OK. RockSolid uses a citric acid etch which is considered Eco friendly. With it being encapsulated in the coating, it should not pose any health issues. However, we can’t tell you for sure what the long term effect will be with the coating. We suggest you call Rust-Oleum customer service to discuss it. In addition, if the painter did not use the etching solution to prep the concrete, then you are going to have issues with coating peeling up regardless. Unfortunately, these are common issues we see when painters are used to apply concrete coatings. They think it’s the same as painting a wall and don’t follow instructions well. Mixing the etching powder in with the coating though is a new one for us 🙂 We hope you can get it settled out.
Thanks again for the reply Shea. I checked with Rustoleum and they suggested that the paint will start becoming gooey once I put water to the floor because the etch will be activated. The only option they suggested is to get the paint scrubbed and redo the whole thing properly. Now the question is, what is the best way to scrub it? grinder or paint remover liquid. I also got suggestion from one more painter is to, add primer coat on the floor to seal the current mess and repaint the garage floor. many suggestions, appreciate your help on figuring out my next steps.
Hi Ram. One question that has not been answered yet that will help determine what to do next is what concrete prep was done by this painter before applying the RockSolid? He obviously did not use the etching solution provided since it was mixed in with the coating. If all he did was clean the concrete, then the entire coating needs to be removed regardless. It is the number one reason, as we stated in the article above, why concrete coatings fail. It does not matter what you apply over the current coating, it will all peel up because because the concrete prep for the initial coating was not performed. You would just be throwing good money at bad. This article here explains why concrete prep is necessary.
There was no prep involved, it was just a clear wash with water hose and he applied the paint. The only option I have now is to re-do the whole thing properly. How do I get the epoxy paint out from the garage floor?
OK, we were afraid of that. The best way to remove the coating is via grinding. The grinding will remove the coating and properly prep the concrete surface at the same time. There are chemical strippers available that will strip coatings, but they take a long time to work at the coating. They are extremely messy and labor intensive as well since it involves a lot of scraping. Plus, you will still need to prep the concrete after the coating is removed. If you are going to do this yourself, we suggest renting the Edco 10″ concrete grinder from Home Depot.
We are pouring a new garage floor soon. We plan to use an epoxy coating after the concrete has cured for the appropriate amount of time. What type of finish should I instruct the concrete guys to do? Based on the comments above, I would think a slightly rougher finish than hard trowel (but not too rough as I don’t want to double my epoxy use to fill the rougher/deeper portions).
Hi Scott. You want a standard troweled finish. The concrete will need to be profiled correctly via etching or grinding regardless. This article here explains why. A rougher finish is only going to make that process more difficult and it will require excess coating materials to get a smooth finish.
I see a comment about ArmorSeal 8100. We are planning to use it on our garage because of ease of use and the fact that it is breathable. Would your recommend against using this product. Most solvent based products are not legal in So Cal due to Voc regulations.
Will you suggest we use the shield Crete (not XL) over Armor seal?
Hi Sri Vid. The ArmorSeal 8100 is slightly better than H&C Shield Crete. ArmorSeal 8100 is low solids water-based epoxy that will last 4 or 5 years if it’s applied correctly. However, it will still be somewhat susceptible to hot tire pickup. A quality clear coat would help the situation. H&C Shield-Crete XL is a far superior product to both. It’s a 98% solids low to no VOC’s epoxy that will go down three times as thick. It is more expensive, but you get what you pay for with coatings. Solvent-based products can still be used in California, it just depends on what SCAQMD district you are located in.
I purchased Behr 1 part epoxy to paint my concrete porch and patio, most of which is covered…I saw a comment on this page where someone stated epoxy isnt suppose to be exposed to the elements…have I screwed up?
Hi Mabel. It’s correct that an epoxy coating should not be used in an outdoor environment due to the U.V. light. However, Behr 1-part epoxy is not an epoxy coating. It’s an acrylic latex paint that has a little bit of epoxy resin added to help increase the durability over standard latex acrylic concrete paint. It’s safe to use in an outdoor environment. This article here explains the differences.
Thank you! That’s a relief…after the paint cures I intend to paint a “rug” on a section of the patio. Do I have to use the same paint or can I use just a latex concrete paint?
You can use a latex acrylic concrete paint. They are typically available in a multitude of colors where as 1-part epoxy is not.
Thank you for helping me out