Garage Armor Application Suggestions And Lessons Learned

The following is an article written by one of our recent customers. It has a lot of good advice and tips. And just a note that some things have changed since this was written.

Both Armor Chip & Armor Garanite Garage Epoxy kits with flakes now come with application squeegee, TSP and spike soles. For dispersing the color flakes properly and detailed step by step instructions we strongly recommend you read our How To Prep & Paint Your Floor page in the "Need To Know" section. In there you will find a section on disbursing the color flakes. it was sent to us by a customer who did the best color flake application we ever saw, even better than we did ourselves. So between our page and this article, you'll have all the bases covered and of course if you still ahve any questions we're here all the time and are happy to help. Now onto the article.

Having recently installed the garage epoxy system from ArmorGarage to a 3+ car garage and adjacent boat pad (1400 sq. ft.); I would like to share my experience and contribute my lessons learned for those that may be as concerned as I to insure a quality result.

While my result was awesome by most standards; had I utilized these lessons which I learned by experience, the result would have been significantly improved and with much less headache.

To preface; I believe that the ArmorGarage product to be of superior quality to any product on the market and that their technical support staff, specifically Jim Olympios, was extraordinary and assisted my every concern.

As with any paint/epoxy application, preparation and planning is key.  Do not expect imperfections to be filled in or covered up.  While very thick by epoxy standards, the overall smoothness or roughness of the floor will remain. Paint chips however do cover minor imperfections and defects.  If desired, there are several methods to insure proper surface preparation. I selected grinding as the most affordable for the desired result.

Additional Materials Needed

The kit contains most everything needed. If however you work in smaller batches, do not want to reuse mixing bowls, or want to be prepared for contingencies and overall make the project easier, I recommend the following, all of which can be found at either a hardware store, auto paint supply, or on line:

• Adequate supply of one gallon/1 qt/1 oz mixing cups (if mixing small quantities)
• Disposable plastic or paper 16 oz. ‘dixie’ cups (if mixing small quantities)
• Min of 1 qt. Lacquer thinner for clean up
• Adequate supply of clean up rags
• Full face respirator
• Box of disposable rubber gloves (use one pair with each new batch)
• Two broomstick handles with threaded ends to hold roller and squeegee
• Extra 1/4” nap rollers
• Epoxy spiked shoes (a must for ease and to insure easiest application of epoxy and best flake distribution). Can be purchased on line or directly from ArmorGarage.
• Disposable 1” (min) fiber paint brushes
• Paint stir sticks
• Additional drill mixing rod
• 3’ wide water squeegee (if applying second base coat)

Grinding

In my case, having had a 10 yr. old epoxy finish and many imperfections in the original concrete finish; I elected to grind off the old epoxy with a rented cement grinder and follow up along the edges with a hand held 7” grinder with diamond leveling wheel which came in handy on several occasions (available at any Home Depot/Lowe’s for around $50).

Walk Behind Grinder

• Rent from a reputable company that is very familiar with their equipment.
• Insure that all stones are identical in size, depth, and coarseness. If non identical stones are utilized, the grinder will not remain level and will create imperfections, deep grooves, and instability, thereby creating additional work.
• Insure you also rent a compatible vacuum system attachment. The amount of dust produced is significant and without a vac, you will not be able to determine how well you are progressing which will cause over/under grinding, lack of visibility and imperfections.
• Use of a full face respirator is imperative (Home Depot/$25).

NOTE: With many grinders a 120V, 20amp power source w/standard household plug will be required, Electrical service modification may be necessary to accomodate. A standard 15amp service will either pop the breaker or cause the unit to auto shut down.

Epoxy Mortar

If you intend to fill in any cracks, pits or expansion joints, the alternative I utilized was to use the armor garage epoxy mortar. It’s a very good product and I won’t have to worry about a store bought product chipping or cracking out of the foor in the future, ruining the epoxy finish.

Large cracks should be ground slightly to a “V” shape to provide more surface area for mortar to adhere.

• Mix mortar in small quantities until you determine how far each batch will go.
• Mix thoroughly and with proper ratio. Improper ratio or incomplete mixing will prevent mortar/epoxy from hardening.
• After 3 min of mixing with a paint stick, add in sand as necessary to provide a consistency that is workable. For vertical surfaces, a consistency of peanut butter may be necessary. For horizontal surfaces, lighter slurry worked fine. I found that I wanted as much sand as possible but still wanted the ability to ‘pour’ the material along the cracks or pits. Pour enough to insure the level is higher than the surrounding surface in order to grind back to level.
• Smaller pits were filled in utilizing a putty knife.
• After hardening, a 7” hand grinder was utilized to smooth the surface.

NOTE: For small quantities of the epoxy mortar, I was able to ratio using a dedicated one ounce cup for both part A and one for part B. I then used the 4:1 ratio by combining the material into a plastic 8 oz. Dixie cup.  For even smaller quantities, a 20cc syringe was used for proper mix ratios.  Mortar goes a long way and grows in quantity as you add in the sand, so mix small batches.

Pressure Wash, Acid Wash+TSP

If able, I highly recommend using a pressure washer twice. Once to remove any remaining dust from the concrete pores after grinding or for original cleaning and again after acid washing/TSP.

A TSP solution is highly recommended  after etching to neutralize the acid. To clean oil stains  scrub in some Liquid Tide with muriatic acid and rinse well, you may have to be repeat 2-3 times till the stain is removed. Be sure to use TSP afterwards. Clean stains prior to etching the full floor if doing an acid etch.

To insure proper preparation mix the etch product per the instructions.  Pour solution from 3 gallon pail onto wet floor and brush in thoroughly.   Wait about 5 minutes then sprinkle some TSP on and brush in lightly and rinse and/or pressure wash.  Allow floor to adequately dry. Etching is not necessary if you grind but if you’re washing the floor to remove any remaining dust you might as well scrub in the etch while the floor is wet. It’s really an easy process so you might as well do it.

Primer Coat

As with all multi part systems, mix 3 minutes/batch both individually for Parts A and B, and again when combined.  Do NOT combine mixing rods.  I found that I could mix the Part B (Clear) with a paint stick but purchased an additional drill mixing rod for Part A in order to prevent using a mixing rod that has residue from a combined mix.

Roll on with standard 9” roller. Goes a long way and easy to apply. As always, a small disposable fiber paint brush may be necessary to cut in the areas inaccessible with the roller.

NOTE: If you have reinforced concrete with fibers and you used a grinder, you will find that the fibers become visible after grinding.  If so, they will be most notable after the application of the primer coat and will look like thousands of hairs in the dried primer. As this was the case, a light sanding with the 7” grinder after completely dry, knocked off the fibers very quickly and provided a smooth surface ready to accept the base coat. A small butane or propane torch will burn off the fibers just as well also.

Decals

NOTE: This is the time to use the decals; however, as this process became so involved and will not apply in most cases, I will include this section at the end of this summary for inclusion at this point in the process if required.

1^st Base Coat Application

While not always necessary, should you desire a second base coat application to fill in imperfections, the first coat should be applied by first masking off any protected areas, then cut in the edges with a disposable fiber paint brush.  Pour the mixed epoxy along the surface and utilize a 3’ wide water squeegee with handle  to spread the material.  Apply this skim coat along the surface, spreading and forcing into cracks and imperfections. Use a ¼” nap roller to smooth out any lines or marks left by the squeegee.

Insure you determine a plan of attack so that you work in a predetermined pattern which culminates at an exit. 

NOTE: If you are using epoxy shoes, this is not an issue as you can walk freely over the wet surface.

Using the 2:1 ratio, the recommended ¾ gallon mix of ½ gallon:1Qt works well with one person, gives plenty of time to apply and is an easy quantity to work with.

Final Base Coat Application and Paint Fleck Application

Paint Fleck Application

Before continuing, a word on paint fleck application. If you are applying flecks, I cannot emphasize the value of practice. This can be accomplished before you ever begin the process and the paint flecks can be swept up and reused if practicing on a clean surface.

I found that the best results came from throwing smaller quantities into the air with a quick flick of the wrist such that they had time to separate and create a random pattern. If you are using epoxy shoes, you will be able to walk out on to the wet surface.  Without them you will have to throw the flecks out and away from your present position and the pattern becomes less random.  Regardless, if you try to throw too much at a time or do not get a good snap of the wrist, the flecks will drop in clumps and not separate. 

A much easier way is to use the method shown in their How To Prep & Paint Your Floor Section, which is using a plastic handle jug and drilling 3/8” holes in the bottom, spike soles are required with this method, while walking in the wet epoxy shake the jusg and the flakes will come out in a random but even pattern. Apply the flakes  to each section of epoxy as you go.

NOTE: If flaking under surfaces such as a work bench, use smaller quantities and attempt to not hit upper surface or back wall as clumping will occur.

VERTICLE SURFACES

Vertical surfaces create a unique problem in that you cannot throw the flakes at the surface or they will not scatter and most will end up in clumps at the base of the surface or on the surface itself. To prevent this from occurring, I suggest that vertical surfaces are done first and foremost. Apply the epoxy to the surface with a roller or brush, leaving an inch or so unpainted at the base. Apply the flakes, and sweep up the remainder that accumulates at the base of the surface for reuse or disposal. The distribution of the flakes requires the flakes to separate and move in a horizontal plane as they fall. This can be accomplished in many ways including keeping several feet away,  holding small quantities of flakes in the palm of your hand and using a hair dryer or other air source to ‘blow’ the flakes out of your hand and onto the surface. Or spread the flakes on the floor and puff them up onto the curb with a leaf blower. As with everything, this is only one technique and will require practice but you get the hint.

23mm Base Coat Application

NOTE: Mix all Parts A (color) together before beginning to insure color mix is uniform.

Apply in the same manner as you did with the skim coat. Mix ratio and volume remain the same. In this case however you are using the notched squeegee on a threaded handle to spread the material evenly. After application, use a ¼” nap roller to lightly roll over the material in order to eliminate the lines left behind from the squeegee.

NOTE: You do not have to spread all of the poured material out completely before applying flakes. Just spread as you go. If you do not have epoxy shoes, you will likely only want to spread in lines of about 4’ wide so that you do not get too far away from the area needing flakes (4’ max), then continuing outward.

NOTE: Always have about 2’ between you and the flaked area that is clear of flakes.  Do NOT apply flakes all the way to the edge of the wet surface as it will be more difficult to spread outward without rolling over an already flaked surface. With epoxy shoes you can spread the epoxy farther before flaking which makes the process much easier.

NOTE: Material coverage was not a problem and I found that if anything, the material covered more square footage than advertised.

Top Coat

The top coat is both the easiest and the hardest part.  It is easy in that there is no mixing required if using the red labeled xylene based top coat.  It is more difficult in that it is almost impossible to see where you applied the material in that it is almost invisible.  You must determine a method of sectionalizing and roll the material in two directions in order to insure you do not miss any areas.

NOTE: If you do miss any areas note that once the material begins to dry you should NOT try to go back over missed areas and must wait until completely dry or it will clump up and require sanding and recoating to correct. If you notice a missed spot right away you can simply go and fill it in. When applying be sure to look at the floor from different angles to spot any small missed spots, having a second person watching is very helpful. If you see a spot you missed the next day simply sand the spot and a bit of the topcoat perimeter lightly with 120 grit and lightly brush on some topcoat. It should blend in nicely. Don’t use a roller.

NOTE: The surface will be incredibly bright and slippery when wet. I recommend you use the nonslip additive that is  provided.

Decals

Personalization of the floor requires a great deal of prior planning and possibly some experimentation. This can be done by painting on an image or through the use of decals.  In this case I decided on having several images enlarged to between 42” and 60”. Once you decide on the image you want to embed in the floor, you must find or develop a digital file capable of expansion without losing quality.  This will not work with a standard .jpg file due to the limited number of pixels.  Once the file is found, any sign company can modify the file to your requirements and print to your specifications.

NOTE:  Be sure to tell your decal supplier that you will be applying a urethane epoxy over it. Most decals will be fine with this but better safe than sorry.

NOTE: The decal must be applied over a very smooth surface. If applying a decal make sure you have a good way of knowing where the decal will be while applying the epoxy. Try to leave that area free of flecks. It’s ok if you get some flecks inside the decal area but the lesser amount the better. After the poxy dries you will be scraping the flecks down on the entire floor. In the decal area I suggest you sand any flecks down smooth otherwise they will show through the decal. Once the decal is applied and any water if used to apply is dried off you can roll the topcoat on.

NOTE: While the application of a personalized decal can be difficult and tedious, it also creates an even more unique result.