Preparing the Floor

The very first step in the epoxy process is cleaning the room you wish to epoxy. This is our machine shop, after moving all of the machinery out of the way. We opted to paint the room before applying epoxy, and we definitely suggest the same to anybody else. Paint dries fairly quickly, and you can work on the floor almost immediately, whereas after applying the epoxy there is a several-day waiting period.

We used the scaffolding that was donated to us by STVA Scaffold, along with the pressure washer that was donated by Briggs & Stratton to clean the floor. If you do not have a pressure washer, we definitely suggest renting or buying one for this project. It cleaned the floor much more thoroughly than we could have done before - this is especially vital if the floor has grease on it, such as a garage floor.

After we cleaned the floor, we filled some of the larger holes with the filler epoxy. The repair epoxy comes in separate kits and run around $15 a container. When applying it to the floor, keep in mind that it is "what you see is what you get" - meaning how it appears wet is how it will appear dry. It doesn't "settle" or spread out. For the most part, any variation in texture won't be terribly noticable when the floor is finished, thanks in large part to that confetti we found in the kit earlier.

Our facility was previously home to Flint Ink, as a manufcaturing facility for several types of ink. Consequently, most of the building was covered in dry ink. While this meant for a very colourful cleaning process (quite literally), it also presented us some challenges. The inks we encountered were far more brutal on the epoxy than grease or oil. Even with a very thorough cleaning, scrubbing, and acid-etching, after we finished the floor there are still a few small spots were the epoxy simply didn't adhere. It did, however, cover the old grease areas quite well.

The image on the left is the floor right before applying the epoxy. It is clean and dry. If you were to apply a strip of tape to the floor, there would not be any debris sticking to it. That is the ideal environment for the epoxy.

After the floor is clean, you want to apply the acid-etching (the white packet). It is important to follow the directions when doing this step. Trying to take a shortcut will only result in you spending the next several hours cleaning up residue on the floor.

In our experience with the epoxy so far, we have determined each kit gives you a fairly generous amount of acid powder. So do not fret about having enough - mix it and apply it to the floor. If you end up underestimating your floor and need to use more epoxy than you had planned for, it will be just fine.

It is very, very important that the floor is wet before you apply the mix of acid and water. Scrub the floor with the bristle brush, and then clean the floor until any remaining water on the floor is clean, clear water.

The mix may have a slight "bad smell" to it, and it may make a sound similar to Rice Krispies when applied to the floor. This is completely normal and a part of the process. It may also have a slight discolouration, especially after contact with the floor.

After the floor has been cleaned of any remaining acid-water, let the room dry completely. Inspect the floor after it is dry - you may find some white powder spots on the floor. This is acid residue. (You may find it in a "low spot" on the floor) Simply add a little water to the area, and vaccum it. Repeat this process a few times to ensure it is clean, and let it dry again.

When you have a clean, dry floor you are ready to apply the epoxy.