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For quite a long time now Epoxy paints have been on the scene. They are used in the industrial floors because of their toughness, durability and resistance to oil and grease. But in the past few years it is being used by homeowners also.
Homeowners use epoxy paints for garage floors and basement floors.Such an application helps to get rid of dull and gray concrete to provide an easy to maintain clean floor.Some of the benefits of epoxy floor paint include: Long lasting, rustproof, waterproof, heat resistant, salt and acid resistance, Nontoxic when dry and reduced maintenance costs. An average house owner will find it reasonably priced. Keeping the technicalities’ in mind, you should not use concrete floor paint in case your floor has seepage or moisture, as such paints don’t last long under humid conditions.
Epoxies are classified into three categories, namely, 100% solids, solvent based and water based. The strongest and the most expensive are 100% solids for being applied by professionals only.For industrial applications solved based epoxies are the most common. They comprise of 40-60% solids. Application of solvent based epoxies on the floor of your garage or basement makes it necessary to keep your floor ventilated.
You can get them from stores dealing with industrial materials.Water based epoxies on the other hand are the lowest priced. Because of their strength they are recommended for being used for residences.These epoxies can be found at most home improvement stores.You can have them in many colors.
Some manufacturers offer computerized color matching also.
Most of the available brands are recommended for exteriors only. The claims hold good for some of the stronger coatings. For some, living in unkind weather it may be worthwhile to explore the possibility of using acid based or acrylic concrete stains before zeroing in on the use of epoxy concrete paint.
The process of applying epoxy paint starts with the preparation of your garage floor.Inadequate surface preparation is very often the cause of unsatisfactory results. First of all you need to scrub the floor with a hard brush and then clear the rubbish so generated. You will also need to clean it using some mild acid and then scrub it thoroughly.These are usually referred to as acid etching.
The process of acid etching is followed by scrubbing of the concrete floor, using a warm soap solution in water and clearing it away.At the end of it all, you may still be left with certain water soluble impurities that need to be rid of by scrubbing the floor with a de-greaser and rinsing it off with water.The mild acid does not remove grease and oils from the garage floors. It’s of utmost importance to check that rinsing water is not stuck on the garage floor, for if it remains there, you have to repeat the exercise once again.
Having thus cleaned the floor, it should be left to dry.The application of epoxy garage paint has to be consistent. To prevent the formation of blisters and discoloring of the floor, you should ensure that humidity levels are not abnormally high or low. Generally it suffices to apply two to three coats of paint.
If you do a proper install of epoxy paints, you a assured of years of service and if you maintain the surface regularly you can further its lifespan.
