Most of the problems that people bring to us at The Coating Man can be directly linked back to incomplete, insufficient, or non-existent prep work on the surface to be coated. Coating your floor, deck, or patio is either a DIY commitment or you hire a professional company like The Coating Man to perform the labor.  Either way, you want the best possible result on the first try. So don’t skimp on the prep! Here are some tips to help you get the best result for your hard work.

Prepping Your Concrete Floor

Before you apply any coating, you need a clean, dry floor without debris, moisture, cracks or holes. Give the area a thorough sweep. Clean up any grease stains with a degreaser and a stiff brush.  You don’t need to remove all of the discoloration, just the greasy residue. If you drop some water on the spot and it sinks in, you have done the job. If it beads up, give it another good scrub and test it again.

If you are applying an epoxy coating over an existing coating, examine the coating to make sure that it is bonded to the floor. Any loose coating must be removed completely, and the edges sanded to a feathered edge. The entire floor should be sanded until no gloss remains on the old coating. Then vacuum and wipe up any dust from the sanding process. When you coat over an old coating, you should coat a test patch to make sure the new epoxy is compatible with the old coating.

Repair any small cracks or holes with a concrete patch product. F or for larger cracks use an epoxy patch kit specifically designed for cracks larger than ¼ inch. Follow the directions on the product you choose for preparing the crack to accept the patch, and sanding or grinding it smooth after it dries.

Make sure you sweep or vacuum all debris from your floor again. To finish preparing an uncoated concrete floor, you need to etch, acid wash or grind the floor, as a smooth floor will not allow the epoxy to adhere well. You can rent a sand blaster or diamond grinder and rough up the surface. Or you can etch, or acid wash, the floor using a product designed for concrete floor prep.

The final prep step is the application of primer, if the floor has not been previously coated.  

When installing floor coatings our installation experts review each project and determine what the best process is for your project.