Is your sealed bare concrete or older garage floor coating giving you second thoughts about recoating or applying new epoxy? If so, Rust-Oleum Garage and Interior Floor Primer may be the solution you are looking for. Introduced to make recoats easier, Rust-Oleum’s new garage floor primer is designed to take some of the labor out of the prep work that may be required for your floor coating project.
Surface prep is the most important part of any DIY garage floor coating. This is particularly true for recoating older epoxy floors as well. Until now, recoats have required sanding and a solvent wipe to the old coating to provide the proper surface profile.
Additionally, you need to grind the concrete surface if you want to apply a coating to bare concrete that has been sealed. The grinding removes the sealer.
If the sealer on the concrete is not removed, it effectively blocks the etching solution from doing its job. This is more work than many are prepared to do for an otherwise easy-to-apply DIY garage floor coating project.
Fortunately, Rust-Oleum has found a way to eliminate the sanding of older coatings or grinding concrete. You can now use Rust-Oleum Garage and Interior Floor Primer instead.
The specially formulated water-based acrylic coating is designed to act as a primer and adhere to older epoxy coatings without sanding. Furthermore, it can be applied to previously sealed bare concrete without the need to grind. Once the primer has been applied, you can topcoat it with any concrete paint, 1-part epoxy paint, or 2-part Rust-Oleum epoxy coating.
When Should I Use Rust-Oleum Concrete & Garage Recoat Primer?
We actually had a few questions about the intended purpose and performance of the Concrete and Garage Recoat Primer when we first read about its release. As a result, we were put in touch with Jeff Svihra, brand manager at Rust-Oleum.
Our primer makes painting concrete floors easy
We first wanted to determine the primary use for Rust-Oleum’s new primer. According to Jeff, the intended purpose of the primer is to promote adhesion on previously coated or sealed concrete.
In other words, if you have an older coating that is still sound and adhered well, you can apply the new primer to the surface and then top coat right over it with new epoxy. This eliminates sanding the old surface first. For those with sealed bare concrete, you can apply the primer instead of grinding.
Essentially, Concrete and Garage Floor Primer alleviates the additional labor typically required for recoats to older coatings or previously sealed bare concrete. Or, as Jeff stated in Rust-Oleum’s press release, “Our primer makes painting concrete easy.”
This sounds great, but we are always skeptical about products that seem too good to be true. So, we wanted to know more about the performance characteristics. How well does it actually adhere?
We asked if Rust-Oleum Concrete and Garage Recoat Primer will retain the same adhesion performance to older coatings and bare sealed concrete, as a new epoxy garage floor coating that would otherwise require proper surface preparation.
The short answer is, yes. Jeff stated that they tested the primer on many surfaces and conditions to ensure it would have the same bonding and adhesion as a new epoxy coating.
That’s fairly impressive, especially for sealed concrete. This opens the door to many homeowners who want to apply a DIY garage floor coating, but otherwise wouldn’t due to the labor required to remove a sealer from their garage floor first.
We were also curious if Rust-Oleum recommends using the garage primer on unsealed bare concrete before applying an epoxy coating. Using a proper primer will ensure good coverage rates and color uniformity of new coatings.
Furthermore, we wanted to learn if the primer would help increase resistance to hot tire pickup and increase the adhesion performance of Rust-Oleum coatings.
According to Jeff, Rust-Oleum does not recommend using the primer on bare unsealed concrete. Though it will adhere well, it is not required and ultimately unnecessary. Additionally, it will not improve the adhesion of Rust-Oleum coatings to bare concrete or increase resistance to hot tire pickup.
This answer was not a surprise at first. There is plenty of competition for easy-to-apply, DIY garage floor coating kits marketed toward the general public. Additionally, these companies don’t want to recommend or require a product that will only add to the overall cost.
Furthermore, we don’t know of a company that will admit that their coating needs additional help to prevent hot tire pickup either.
However, why would you not recommend a primer as an option to increase adhesion, ensure good coverage rates, and improve the color uniformity of an epoxy coating over bare concrete?
After reflecting on this, we think we know why. We believe that the answer lies with the next question that we know is on everyone’s mind at this point.
Is etching not required for a new coating if using Recoat primer?
Nobody wants to etch their concrete if they don’t have to. So, the question we are sure everyone wants to know is; can you use Rust-Oleum Garage and Interior Floor primer instead of etching?
The answer is no. It will not adhere well if you don’t etch. In fact, Rust-Oleum states in the data sheets under surface preparation that the primer requires etching for application to bare unsealed concrete.
We believe the reason for this has to do with the fact that this is an acrylic coating that is formulated to adhere specifically to older coatings and water-repellant concrete surfaces. Though it may adhere well to etched concrete as Jeff had stated, it will not adhere as well as an epoxy coating. You would be limiting the adhesion performance of your new coating.
This is why using Concrete and Garage Recoat Primer on bare unsealed concrete is not recommended. Instead, you should apply a new epoxy coating to a properly prepared concrete surface to provide the best results for adhesion and hot tire pickup resistance.
One important note to make is that Rust-Oleum states it should not be used as a final wear surface. Nor should a clear coat be applied over it. Though it is a gray color, you need to apply a base color coat of epoxy or similar coating over the primer after application.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase, we may earn a small commission. As an Amazon Associate, All Garage Floors earns from qualifying purchases. You can read our full disclaimer here.
Where to purchase Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer
We have updated this section since you had to special order it online when we first published information about the primer.
You can now purchase Concrete and Garage Recoat Primer from most major home improvement centers. You can also find it find it here on Amazon. Reviews of the primer are beginning to come in at Amazon as well.
How to Apply Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer
Application is as easy as Rust-Oleum states. First, you need to determine that the old epoxy coating is sound. Scrape or wire brush any loose coating, color flakes, or sealer from the surface.
Next, clean the surface of the coating or sealed concrete. Rust-Oleum Cleaner and Degreaser is recommended. 
After the surface has dried completely, apply the Garage and Interior Floor Primer. One gallon will cover up to 400 square feet.
Once applied, you need to wait a minimum of 6 hours and up to 48 hours to apply your new epoxy coating over the primer. This is the recoat window. If you wait longer than that, it will require another application of primer or sanding of the surface.
Final thoughts
Rust-Oleum Concrete and Garage Recoat Primer is a remarkable product that has the potential to fill a must-needed niche for recoating older DIY garage floor epoxy coatings. We know most homeowners would much rather apply this primer than go through the normal process of roughing up the surface first. Moreover, it can be a game changer for those with sealed concrete garage floors.
If it works as well as Rust-Oleum states, we can see how this new primer will help to increase sales as potential customers turn to Rust-Oleum to help fill their needs.
One key point we want to make. This product is best used with the Rust-Oleum line of floor coatings found at your local home improvement centers or other online retailers such as Amazon. Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield and RockSolid are good examples.
We do not recommend using this primer for high-solids commercial quality garage floor coating systems. Such coatings adhere much better to concrete than the recoat primer and require proper concrete prep.
So, if you have an aging epoxy garage floor coating that you want to recoat with a Rust-Oleum product, we suggest you consider Rust-Oleum Concrete and Garage Recoat Primer. It can’t get much easier than this.
Hi there
I’m planning to apply the rustoleum epoxyshield garage floor kit to a new townhouse build garage.
I’m not sure if the garage flooring has been treated/sealed. I’m trying to figure out the best result/longevity for the flooring and I don’t mind doing the prep work except the diamond grinding of the floors (not available in my home depot)
Can you provide feedback on what the best combination would be based on two possible situations:
1) garage floor is sealed :
Etch with muriatic acid or no?
Use primer or no?
2) garage floor is not sealed:
Etch with muriatic acid or no?
Use primer or no?
Thanks!
Hi AJ. We have an article here that discusses how to determine if your concrete has been sealed. The Rust-Oleum Garage Floor sealer can only be applied to bare concrete that has been sealed or an older coating. It is not designed, nor will it work well with bare, unsealed concrete.
If the concrete is sealed, you cannot etch it. The reason is that etches work by reacting with the minerals in the concrete. If there a sealer, then the etching solution is effectively blocked. Grinding would be required to remove it. If using a Rust-Oleum coating, then this would be a circumstance where you could use their primer.
Keep in mind that unless you plan on using Rust-Oleum Professional EpoxyShield, the standard water-based EpoxyShield is not considered a long term solution to a coating. This article here explains more. Rust-Oleum RockSolid is also longer lasting than the water-based EpoxyShield.
Planning on painting floor in bathrooms at our lake place. These bathrooms are not heated in winter (Iowa) and also have been previously painted. Some of paint is flaking off, will Re-Coat work? Also what paint coating can we put over Re-Coat if that works? Prefer solid color. Thanks for any info Terry
Hi Terry. You actually replied to a question that was asked by AJ in a previous comment. I will answer your question here. The bathroom not being heated is not an issue as long as you are applying the products when it’s warmer and within the product application temperature range. Any peeling paint must first be removed or anything applied on top will peel up with it. The Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer is designed to be topcoated with most Rust-Oleum floor paint and coating products. They list their topcoat options here.
If I want to use rocksolid what primer do you recommend? I have a just under 500sqft area and don’t want to buy 2 kits of rock solid since the 2.5 car garage kit says up to 500sqft.
Hello Jesse. Proper primers for coatings are used for high solids, high quality coatings that go on thick. Because thick coatings do not penetrate concrete as well, specially formulated epoxy primers are recommended first in order to penetrate the concrete better and achieve the best possible bond. Many are clear in color because the thick color base coat applied afterwards does not have color tone issues. Rust-Oleum does not make a primer for their DIY coatings. They are designed as thin coatings to make application easy and penetrate the concrete well enough to not have adhesion issues. This is all done to keep costs down and make it an easy DIY project. It does not result in an ideal coating application though. Unfortunately, you most likely will have color tone issues with the RockSolid from trying to get close to the maximum coverage rate. If this happens, you just treat the first coat as the primer coat and then apply a second coat over that. As expensive as RockSolid would be for two color coats, you could apply a commercial quality high solids (3x thicker than RockSolid) epoxy color coat, including the epoxy primer, for less money.
Thank you, yes I agree it is expensive I was also looking at a kit from allcolorchips with primer epoxy and topcoat included, not sure it’s a high solids blend though. What high solids should I go for If I’m after a black top coat with some chips/flakes? Definitely looking to use a primer my floor has some pitting I will try to fill but I doubt i will get every single pit
Thin coatings will highlight every pit as well, Jesse. We can almost guarantee that RockSolid in black is going to require two coats for that square footage. Something to keep in mind is that black will show every speck of dirt, dust, and dusty tire prints. Are you referring to Original Color Chips coatings? If so, you can check their data sheets to determine the solids contents. They carry everything from the thin water-based kits up to the high solids kits. This kit here is an example of what we are speaking of. It’s an epoxy primer coat and 93% solids epoxy color coat that is available in black. This will go 500 square feet without issue. If you add the high-performance polyurethane clear coat, then you will have a coating system that will last many years.
This kit you recommend seems perfect, it says it does 500sqft with 1 GAL of top coat, you think this will be enough?
Hi Jesse. Polyurethanes have high coverage rates. However, I would check with them first to verify that the one gallon will cover the 500 square feet. They are very good at providing all needed coating materials for the square footage, however, we always recommend calling to discuss your project. They are very good with their customer service.
Hi so I purchased the 93 percent solids kit from garage flooringllc, I did all the prep outlined in your guides acid etched twice grinded the crack fillers cleaned all dust etc. The epoxy from them felt super thin when applying like almost water. I mixed exactly how they said and did the transfer bucket (which seemed to do nothing but add bubbles) It did seem to stick and looks pretty nice I’m just hoping it still looks good tomorrow and is good to walk on to apply the included top coat over the chips.
Can you use this primer on tile floors before painting them?
Hi Michelle. This product is designed to be used as a primer over bare concrete that was previously sealed, or over an older coating or paint that is otherwise in good shape. It is not specified for tile or other flooring. In addition, it is compatible with Rust-Oleum products only.
Hi, can I use a garage floor paint on top of the garage floor primer instead of epoxy?
Hi Lee. Assuming you are using the primer properly (over sealed bare concrete or painted / coated floors only – not plain bare concrete), then you can use a garage floor paint. If you are parking cars on it, we don’t recommend it. You WILL experience hot tire lift at some point with paint.
Hi – We are trying to find out if we can add a second coat of this primer because we ran out of time. It says only one coat is recommended on the can. But in your article you said if longer than 48 hours passes, just add another coat of primer. Is that correct? We primed yesterday but had some issues today and wont be able to put the top coat until next weekend. So just double checking that applying a second coat of primer about 5 days later and then the top coat within 48 hrs wont cause problems…
Hi Melissa. Yes, that is what we were told by their brand manager. However, their data sheets do not specify either way. We would recommend calling Rust-Oleum Customer Service to verify.
just checking if you have an update on this. did you recoat? if so how is it holding up?
Hi. We are in the process of redoing our concrete garage floor. I am in the process of etching and removing old paint. Is it correct that I do not have to remove all of the old paint if I plan on using this product? I also have concrete floor paint and sealant I’ve planned to use, both are made by Seal Krete. Can I use those products on top of this one?
Thank you in advance.
Hi Todd. The Rust-Oleum recoat floor primer is for use on bare concrete that has previously been sealed or for older coatings that are still in relatively good shape. You can only apply an actual coating over it such as Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield or RockSolid. It’s not designed for use on bare unsealed concrete or floor coatings that are peeling in multiple areas. Just an FYI, you cannot etch paint or coatings. Etch only works on bare, unsealed concrete. It reacts with the minerals in the concrete surface to work. In addition, the Seal-Krete color base you plan to use is not a coating. It’s acrylic paint. This article here explains the difference. The Seal-Krete clear coat is an acrylic coating. Neither will perform well if you plan on parking vehicles in the garage. We get many emails and comments from people who wish they would have discovered this first before they applied it to their garage floor. If you want to apply the Seal-Krete anyways, you would be better off using a concrete bonding primer.
Thank you for the quick response Shea. A little more background on our project. About 80% of the floor has no paint. Only in corners and one of the sides does any paint still exist. And I don’t think it was ever sealed before. We also haven’t kept a car in the garage for 5 years. So would I be good to etch the bare concrete and then use the bonding primer with the Seal Krete products I have on top of them in this instance? I don’t mind spending money on these projects but I’ve done a fair amount of them this year and want to conserve money where I can.
Yes, that would work well, Todd. The paint should hold up fairly well if the garage is only seeing foot traffic. Just so you are aware, the Seal-Krete paint is not going to have a glossy look like a quality coating does. It’s more of a matte finish. The acrylic clear will provide some overall gloss, but the matte tone of the paint will still be apparent. If the garage is used for projects, be careful about solvent spills on the floor. Dab them quickly (don’t wipe) and they won’t affect the clear. If they sit or you wipe them aggressively, it will degloss and smear the clear coat.
What colours is rocksolid available in?
Hello Mick. The standard colors are listed here by Rust-Oleum.
Doing a basement floor that has been painted with a little peeling ,so what type of top coat and clear coat do you recommend
Hello Michael. Makes sure you scrape the peeling paint well before anything is applied. Otherwise, everything that is attached to that paint will peel up with it. Also, have you tested for moisture? Moisture will cause coatings and paint to peel.
You need to use a Rust-Oleum coating product when using their floor primer. We would recommend RockSolid color coat and clear coat or EpoxyShield color coat and clear coat. Of the two, RockSolid has much more gloss and is more durable.
Hello,
I have a garage floor that I previously put the Rust-Oleum garage floor epoxy paint (gray color with flake) on. It was about 12 years ago that I did this. When I originally did this, I cleaned and etched the floor as best as I could. The paint has held up pretty good but there are some spots where the bare concrete is showing where the paint came up over the years.
I now would like to re-coat the floor to make it look new/fresh again. I was going to rent a floor buffer and sand down floor with 60 grit sanding screen to prep the floor before recoating. Then I came across this Rust-Oleum floor primer that states no grinding or sanding is required. Is this really true?
Can I just clean my floor up without sanding and apply the primer and then apply my new coating of the Rust-Oleum garage floor epoxy paint? It is hard to believe it will adhere to the old paint on the floor as well as the bare concrete spots. I read the article above but am still hesitant that this will work for me.
What would your recommendations be for my situation?
Thank you for all the great information you provide.
Hello Josh. We completely understand your hesitation to use such a product. This particular primer is intended to be applied over older coatings and bare concrete that has previously been sealed. We had many questions for Rust-Oleum when they first approached us to provide information about it. One of the first questions we had was if it could be used on bare unsealed concrete. They said it was not recommended. It is specifically designed to adhere to the smooth surface of coatings and bare sealed concrete. If applied to bare unsealed concrete, it would need to be etched first. The adhesion testing they did for this primer when used with other Rust-Oleum products was good.
We first wrote this article three years ago and we have not heard any complaints. That said, we have not heard any glowing positive comments either. If you do decide to use it, make sure to clean the old coating surface well first. Use the supplied etching solution that comes with the new Rust-Oleum coating to etch the bare spots. The solution will not harm the current coating. We know that prepping the surface as you had planned is a sound method for recoats if you feel uncomfortable about using the primer. It’s the method that we would use. I’m sorry we can’t provide much more information than that.
Shea,
Thank you for the response. I have another question. Is it safe to assume the information you have provided applies to all the different types of floor coatings? I am looking into the Rustoluem Rock Solid Products now (marble or metallic design). I am assuming the primer prep or the sanding prep mentioned above both would work for this type of coating as well, correct?
Thanks again for your help!
Hi Josh. They tested it with all Rust-Oleum floor coating and paint products. So yes, it will work with RockSolid.
Can it be used on interior cinder block walls that were painted but peeling paint scraped off???? Concrete cinder block walls. Want to prime and paint.
Hi Macon. No, the primer is specially formulated for use on bare concrete that has been sealed or painted surfaces that are sound and adhered well. It’s not designed for masonry, brick, etc. You will need a primer such as Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3.
Hi Shea,
We are going to use Rocksolid Polycuramine over an exiting EpoxyShield floor with color Chips and a Clear Top Coat that we put down 7 years ago.
We are think that the Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer is what we need to prep over the old EpoxyShield floor would this be right? Do you have a better recommendation and any other prep that we need to do for the best outcome?
Hi Denise. Providing the current coating is adhered well and not peeling, then the only requirement is to degrease/scrub the surface down and rinse well before applying the Recoat Primer. Our preferred method is to sand the surface to achieve a good mechanical bond instead. We have an article here on how to recoat older epoxy floors.
I used the rust oleum about 10 years ago. Great product love it. Still in good shape but needs another coat. Can I just use the clear opxy? I have no cracks, peeling, oil stains. It’s faded only.
Hi Keith. As long as the current coating is sound, you can most certainly apply a clear coating over it. However, that is not what the Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer is for. In your case, you will need to clean and degrease the current coating. After that, it needs to be prepped by roughing up with 120 – 150 grit sandpaper in order for the clear coat to adhere properly. Once you sweep and vac, a chemical wipe of denatured alcohol or equivalent is done using a microfiber mop pad. You can then apply the Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Clear Coating. We have an article about recoats here.
When removing flaking garage floor epoxy do patches of bare concrete need to be etched before applying primer?
Hello John. No, the concrete does not need to be etched again if you are using the primer and there are only a few small areas of bare concrete. However, the primer is intended for use on coatings or sealed bare concrete. Not bare unsealed concrete. It’s not a “fix-all” for poorly adhered coatings or severely worn coatings with much-exposed concrete. If you have large areas of bare spots, then it’s not recommended to use it. Instead, you should scrape up as much of the old coating as you can, rough up the remaining with 120-grit sandpaper, and then etch the concrete before applying a new coating.
I have an old garage floor. It has been painted a few times and some of the paint was peeling. I was able to grind 75% of the paint down to bare concrete. Should I prime with recoat primer considering there is still some paint in some places ? I want to paint with epoxy shield.
Thanks,
John
Hi John. No, the Rust-Oleum Recoat Primer is not formulated for application to bare concrete. If the remaining paint that is adhered well was roughed up with the grinding, then the surface is sufficient for direct application of the epoxy. Keep in mind that you will want to reduce your coverage rate by 10-15% since the bare concrete treated via grinding will absorb more of the coating (good thing).
Hello, I applied one coat of Rustoleum Recoat Primer to garage floor but I have waited several days and not yet applied any topcoat not realizing that I needed to apply topcoat no longer than 48 hours. What do I do now? Thanks
Walter
Hello Walter. Once you pass the 48 hour window, you need to rough up the surface with 120-150 grit sandpaper before applying a color coat of paint or epoxy.