Once everything had been cleared out of the Kuppersmith Project garage, we finished the concrete slab floor using two-part EPOXYShield coating from Rust-Oleum. Here’s how to go about it:

• Clean concrete garage floor with detergent.
• Etch concrete floor with acid solution.
• Rinse floor thoroughly with water.
• Allow concrete floor to dry completely.
• Mix two-part epoxy coating together, and stir 3 minutes or more.
• Allow the mixed coating to sit for 30 minutes before using.
• Trim around the edge of the floor with a brush.
• Use an epoxy safe, 3/8” nap roller to roll the floor. Keep a wet edge to prevent lap marks, and complete a 4’ x 4’ section at a time.
• If desired, sprinkle the included decorative color chips in each section of the coating as you go.
• Finish trimming and rolling the floor in the time span allowed (2-5 hours, depending on temperature and quantity) before the coating starts to set.
• Allow the floor to cure for recommended time before using.

Watch this video to find out more.

Further Information

• How to Seal a Garage Floor (video/article)
• How to Finish a Concrete Patio (video)
• How to Acid Stain a Concrete Porch or Patio (video/article)
• Repair Cracks and Resurface a Concrete Driveway (video/article)

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From the shingles to the flooring, between doors and windows, from electrical to plumbing, and inside or out; what you put into making your house a home takes a lot of time and patience, to make sure you choose something that will stand up for years to come.

We kept that in mind when we transformed the garage floor with an epoxy coating from Rust-Oleum. The first step is cleaning it to ensure that there’s nothing here to prevent the epoxy from sticking. The cleaner is a mild acid solution so there’s plenty of rinsing followed by ample drying time.

The coating itself is made up of two parts, which have to be mixed together to form the epoxy, a few minutes before it’s applied. While it sets, I’m making sure there’s no dust or debris left on the floor to mar the finish.

Although this stuff looks like paint, and is applied like paint, it is very different in one aspect. When we mixed those two different parts, we started a chemical reaction; that’s what will make this stuff stick to the concrete like nobody’s business.

And, this also means that we have a limited window of time in which to work with it before it loses its ability to bond. There’s no capping up the can and going to lunch once you start this job.

After we cover a small area, we apply the decorative paint chips to it before moving on to coat the rest of the floor.

Danny Lipford: I’m a good flake man, I can put these flakes down.

This stuff is just what this garage needed to finish it off.