Applying epoxy garage floor coating in Calgary
Applying epoxy coating on your concrete floors will improve the appearance of your concrete and enhance the safety of those walking on your newly coated floors with epoxy’s non-slip features. But as you begin to calculate the costs of epoxy installation, you might start to contemplate whether or not you want to hire a professional to place the epoxy onto your floors or not. While a professional will certainly get the job done faster and hiring someone will ensure the epoxy finish is installed correctly and efficiently, it is also possible for homeowners to apply epoxy garage floor coating in Calgary themselves.
Find out how to install an epoxy coating onto your concrete floors yourself and what the step-by-step instructions entail.
Remove debris from concrete
Before you apply any epoxy coating of your choosing onto your concrete floors, you’ll need to prepare your floor. To properly prepare the surface of your concrete for the application of epoxy, you’ll need to grind it with a diamond grinder and sand it. Once the floor has been grinded, you’ll have to remove all debris and dust from the surface. Extracting debris from the concrete floor will involve using an industrial vacuum cleaner. If you fail to remove all dust particles from the concrete floor, they will remain under the epoxy coating, making the coating much less durable.
Mend imperfections
Using epoxy gout, you should ensure all cracks and minuscule holes on your concrete floor are filled. Covering up these faults in your concrete will better your epoxy application and ensure it’s durable and will stay maintained for a long time.
Apply primer
After removing debris and dust off your concrete floor and filling in cracks and holes, your next step will be to apply a primer that you can obtain from your epoxy supplier. When you don’t take this certain step, your epoxy will have a shorter lifespan as it will help the adhesion of the primary epoxy coating. Be sure your room is ventilated before applying this primer for maximum safety measures, and coat the two layers if time permits.
First coat
Mix your epoxy coating using a bucket, mixer, a drill, and a paddlewheel, and take pains to stringently follow instructions on exactly how to mix your coating. Once the mixing is done, wear PPE and minimize your contact with the floor and any direct contact with the epoxy. You can dump your mixture onto the concrete floor, spread it evenly with a squeegee roller, and work the coating until it’s completely smooth out to prevent air bubbles from forming.
Customization
While the first coat is curing, and as you continuously check for any air bubbles, you can insert vinyl flakes for customization if the timeframe from the epoxy manufacturer allows. Inserting vinyl flakes should occur before the first coat completely cures and is dispersed evenly. You can place the desired amount of flakes as needed until the concrete appearance you want is eventually achieved.
Final coat
After you have inserted the vinyl flakes onto your epoxy coating and the first coat has fully cured, you can proceed to install the final coat of epoxy. You will apply the final coat in the same method as the first coat, by unloading the epoxy directly on the floor and levelling the coating with a squeegee roller. If your epoxy coating kit has an additional non-slip abrasive, mix it with the top coat to prevent slips and falls. It would help if you left this top coat until it completely cures, which can take a day or longer.
Ultra Coating Epoxy Flooring proudly provides our community of Calgary with a wide range of services that will enhance any piece of concrete by making it shine again! We want to amplify your home and business’s greatest strengths by offering professional services to refine your commercial floors and driveways. To make your piece of concrete look immaculate, visit our website at Ultracoatingepoxyfloors.ca or email us for inquiries at info@ultracoating.ca.