High Solids DIY Epoxy Kits

How to Install Your DIY Garage Floor Epoxy Kit

Want to prepare your flooring and get started installing our high-solids DIY epoxy coating kit? The process is straightforward and easy to follow. Here is a brief guide to give you an idea of what the installation process will entail with an epoxy coat floor coating kit, along with some aspects to consider before installation:

Surface Preparation

Untreated concrete floors can easily and safely be prepared without grinding or the use of muriatic acid. We recommend our Ghostshield Eco-Etch 1001 product.
Grinding is perhaps the best bet when it comes to preparing a garage floor. Rental centers have the Diamabrush product on hand and if you are unable to locate one locally we have them available. The most aggressive method is shot blasting and this is overkill for this specific system. A good garage floor epoxy system requires proper floor preparation. Epoxy will fail if you do not properly etch or grind.

Ready for Prime Time

A garage floor epoxy system needs to have a primer. It’s that simple. It is a scientific fact that epoxy floor coating systems that utilize a primer have a stronger bond, are less prone to failure, are more DIY friendly and have less installation related issues. Imagine spending 3 days installing your dream floor, only to have it ruined by air bubbles. A primer fixes that. Imagine having it removed by a hot tire. A primer and proper prep will fix that as well. A primer is a very low cost and easy to install component that greatly increases the likelihood of success with epoxy. It is included in these kits.

High Solids Vs 100% Solids Epoxy

The mass marketing of watered down epoxy flooring products to the DIY market has forced high-end garage floor epoxy manufacturers and dealers to differentiate themselves. One way this is done is by talking about the benefits of 100% solids epoxy. The truth is a true 100% solids epoxy is very difficult for the average customer to install properly. On the flip side, cheap garage floor epoxy consisting of mostly water or solvent is nothing more than what we sell as primer. There has to be a balance, right?

Our two-part garage floor epoxy system has a Part “A” and a Part “B”. The Part “A” is the epoxy resin and the Part “B” is the hardener. Our Part “A”, the epoxy resin, is 100% solids. The Part “B” hardener has a small amount of solvents mixed in. This allows for ease of application, longer pot life, and better adhesion. Many companies would call this system 100% solids. The truth is it is 93% solids by weight which creates the ideal combination of thickness, durability, and ease of installation. If you truly need 100% solids, we sell plenty of it. But ask yourself “why?” Is it because you really need it, or because you have bought into the salesmanship the industry has out there.

Single Component Aliphatic Urethane Topcoat

Now you have a primed floor that has been coated with a high-quality epoxy. Can you leave it at that? Although we sell a system without a topcoat for special applications and California compliance, we believe a quality aliphatic urethane topcoat is essential to the performance of your garage floor epoxy system.

Our urethane increases UV resistance and prevents yellowing. Increases chemical resistance, resistance to tires and makes the floor look amazing. In short, a good aliphatic urethane topcoat is the essential final step in any epoxy garage floor coating project! It is VOC compliant in every state except California.

Recoat Times

One of the most common questions we have is recoat times. Our suggestions are as follows — based on 70 degree temperature:

• Prime the floor (TL015): THEN Wait 7-10 Hours but Never more than 24 Hours.
• Epoxy Coat (TL707HS): THEN Wait 8-12 HOurs but never more than 24 hours
• Top Coat (TL356): Then Wait 9-13 hours before any additional coats. 24 hours for very light foot traffic and 7 days for full use.