The best list I've found for this stuff is the shop-talk list. I've cc'd
them and hopefully, they'll include you in their replies...
Could it have been moisture from below? Doesn't really sound like it
because that would be lifting the whole floor. Could be insufficient
cleaning post-etch but then the same thing would be happening. Could be a
marginal affect of both. Most likely the crap paint though.
My tips for painting concrete follow (my garage floor is hopelessly dirty
and wet & besides it's too full of crap) but when I build my next house... :-)
Painting your garage floor is like painting your car. Prep work is
_everything_. First off, make sure the concrete has had a month or two to
cure. You want a stable base.
Get the stains out
Head to Wal-Mart and buy some kitty litter. Get a 4x4 on your way home at
Home Depot. Pour kitty litter, smash & grind with 4x4. Grab the wife and
"go dancing". Luckily, you get to avoid the scrape stage and the pour
naptha/MEK/paint thinner on the kitty litter and let it soak step. Or the
rent a commercial floor scrubber/cleaner step.
Etch the concrete
Before you start. Tape a 1 foot square piece of aluminum foil down on the
surface. Leave it for a week. Pull it up. Is the surface wetter than the
rest of the floor? If so, you're kinda screwed as the moisture will raise
the paint (it's not a matter of it, but of when). Ideally, you do this in
the fall or the spring (when it's wet outside) so you can be sure of the
conditions.
To etch: use a garden sprinkler can, moving the acid with a broom doesn't
work - it reacts too fast. Wear a mask, use fans to circulate fresh air in
and acid air out. 8% muriatic. Spread fast because the reaction is too.
Bubbles & hissing is good. Rinse it off with fresh water after a few
minutes. Repeat if you have mottles in spots. Let it dry. Sweep up the
DUST. Sweep it again. Or use a shop-vac. Or use a pressure-washer. Let
it dry. You want to make sure you get all the dust up because you want the
paint to stick to the floor, not the dust. Once the stench is gone, turn
the fans around to dry the floor. Make sure the floor is dry before
continuing.
Paint the floor
Decide if you want to put sand in the paint in certain areas (by the door
to the house, by the outside entrance, between where the cars would go, by
the workbench, etc...). Brooming is more difficult but if you've ever
walked into an epoxied garage in December with snow on your boots and went
flying.... You don't want to do the whole floor as this makes squeegeeing
next to impossible and you'll wear your creeper's wheels out as well. If
you use a texturizer, remember to stir it often while you paint as the
stuff will sink.
Use a _real_ floor paint system. Pratt-Lambert has a good system. Grigg's
Paint has a good system. Griot's Garage sells a good system too. I'm sure
there are others. PL, GP & GG all have good support and technical
staff. You want a system that has a primer & a 2-part epoxy base. You'll
also want a finish coating: use a commericial urethane - very hard, very
tough finish. Pick a light color that reflects light. You'll know it's a
"real" paint when there's a warning label about isocyanates and danger of
suffocation if you don't wear a respirator with the proper
cartridges. Don't put those fans away just yet. The "real" paint guys
have some miracle products out there so talk to them if you can.
Also think about painting the walls and ceiling while you're at it (light
reflectivity is important). You don't need to epoxy the walls but at one
friend's, I made him do the first few courses of block up the walls and
it's been great for clean up and such.
Where are you moving to? I'm up near the Qtown exit.
At 12:17 9/10/2001, Igor Kessel was inspired to say:
>Folks,
>
>Three years ago I had built a house. After that I waited for 6+ mos
>before painting the floor with a special 2-part epoxy for garage floors
>sourced from Home Depot. I did everything by the book, in my ususal
>meticulous manner. The concrete floor was brand new. I had never rolled
>either car into the garage prior to painting. I had meticulously prepped
>the floor with the acid that came in the kit. I painted the floor with
>several thin coats. I did not roll a car into the garage untill after the
>floor had been drying for more than a week.
>
>The paint started to lift under the hot tyres within a month after the
>application. Now the floor really looks like hell with 4 ugly bare
>concrete spots where the car's wheels usually stay. Sure, Home Depot gave
>me another such kit free of charge under warranty, but this time around
>the paint being 2x as thick is being lifted by the hot tyres even quicker
>than before.
>
>I have just built another house and will be moving in on the 28th. It
>comes with a 2.5 car garage with the 12' ceiling. Yeah, baby, here comes
>the shop lift!
>This time around I would like to paint the floor with something that is
>both oil resistant and WILL NOT lift under the hot car tyres. Money is
>not an object, I'll gladly pay more than $50 (Home Depot uselless epoxy).
>The question is, does any one know of a good epoxy (hell, even of a
>concrete sealer) that will not lift under the hot tyres?
>Or perhaps somebody can recommend a professional shop that installs such
>floors? I am located in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia.
>
>I know some of you folks are subbed to other lists (q-list,
>swedishbricks, porsche, mb, bmw etc.) Would you kindly forward my post to
>those lists as well? Thanks a million!
>
>--
>Igor Kessel
>two turbo quattros
Cheers!
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