Quote:
Originally Posted by speede5
Cheap options are cheap and will make the floor look nice for a few years but if you really want a coating that will last you need to be using a 2 part epoxy system. (2 part as in resin/catalyst not 2 coats as in base/clear)
Amerlock makes a good system https://pacificsouthwest.net/wp-cont...PDS_AI2011.pdf and you should be able to find it at a paint store that sells commercial products. General Paint carries it here.
Hopefully your concrete has vapour barrier underneath or moisture will come through and can affect any coating. If you want to know, tape a square of plastic on the floor for a few days and see if it gets moist underneath. If it does it's probably not a great idea to paint the floor. The coating becomes a vapour barrier and moisture gets trapped in the concrete.
If it's fine acid wash the floor and use the Amerlock. Roll, don't spray, and use a respirator, this stuff is toxic. But it is awesome. We have it on our hangar floors and there are a few spots it has chipped but after 17 yrs of heavy aircraft maintenance the floors are still shiny and white.
Any quick coatings you buy at Home Depot etc are not much better than just painting the floor with house paint. |
If there isn't a vapour barrier below the slab, then you should use a moisture reduction barrier on the slab prior to application of the coating. It's important to make sure the floor coating is compatible with the moisture barrier coating. Some examples of moisture barrier coating are Planiseal EMB as manufactured by Mapei or Ardex MC Ultra - there are others. If you don't manage the water vapour coming through the slab from the ground below it, then it can delaminate whatever type of flooring you are putting on over - especially the ones that form a moisture seal such as epoxy coatings etc.