An epoxy coating creates a durable, firm, and impermeable surface that is harder than concrete and wood substrate. However, like other flooring materials, epoxy doesn’t last forever.
The wear and tear from heavy foot traffic, vehicles, furniture, and lawnmowers can take a toll on an epoxy coating. If you have an epoxy garage floor that has seen better days and lost its shine, garage floor resurfacing or garage floor refinishing offers a cost-effective way to give your floor a new lease on life.
As long as the existing floor coating is a two-part resin product such as epoxy, polyurea, polyurethane, or polyaspartic, you can apply an additional coat of a compatible product with no issues. However, always consult the manufacturer of the new coating before beginning your project.
How you prep the surface determines the outcome. You must prepare the surface thoroughly so the new epoxy can adequately adhere to it. Keep reading to learn how to prep and recoat an older epoxy floor for a new coat.
How to Prep Epoxy for a Fresh Coat
The most critical part of prepping for a new coat is to rough up the surface of the older coat to create enough grip for the fresh coat to adhere to. You can achieve this in two ways:
- Use 120-grit sandpaper on an orbital or pole sander. Rather than remove the surface, you merely want to rough it up. After sanding, the floor should look deglossed.
- Rent a buffer with a 100-grit sanding screen. Buffers work faster than sanders, allowing you to cover larger floor spaces in less time.
After priming the surface, sweep up the dirt and debris, then thoroughly vacuum the entire floor with a shop vac.
Next, wipe the surface with a cleaning solution such as denatured alcohol on a microfiber mop or small towel. The denatured alcohol will remove all the fine dust particles, leaving the surface squeaky clean in preparation for the application process.
If you have an older coating that needs resurfacing, use a 60-80 grit sanding screen or 80-100 grit sandpaper. The sanding screen or sandpaper will eliminate any deep scratches or embedded dirt by removing a small layer of the coating.
The same treatment works well for a worn coating that has adhered well but has spots where the coating has worn through to the concrete slab. The more aggressive grit also preps the bare concrete.
Applying the Epoxy
After properly preparing the floor surface, follow these steps for a smooth epoxy application:
- Mix your epoxy according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then pour it onto the surface in small stripes.
- Next, use an appropriate floor roller to spread the epoxy mix evenly throughout the floor surface.
- Once complete, give the garage floor epoxy ample time to cure before using the surface.
Can You Recoat Your Epoxy Floor?
Remember, you can’t recoat all epoxy surfaces.
Inspect the existing coat thoroughly to ensure all the epoxy is attached. Don’t recoat an extensively cracked, peeling, or bubbling finish. Such a damaged finish prevents the new finish from adhering properly.
You also want to look for areas where the epoxy has pulled away from the concrete surface and sections of severe unevenness or excessive wear. In such cases, you’ll want to use a shot blaster or floor grinder to remove the existing coating and lay a fresh coat of epoxy.
Seek Professional Help
When you need flooring installation experts, trust Bad Ass Garage Floors. We use an epoxy basecoat and polyaspartic top coat to turn your older epoxy floor into a highly durable, customized surface. From start to finish, we aim to exceed your expectations and offer a streamlined process that makes garage floor resurfacing or garage floor refinishing hassle-free.
Why Choose Us
Bad Ass Garage Floors offers premium floor coating and resurfacing services in Georgia. Our team goes above and beyond to provide customers with only the highest quality services, using superior products and the latest tools and equipment.
As a family-owned business with over a decade of industry experience, we take pride in our work and back our services with a failure-to-adhere warranty and lifetime warranty on residential projects. We also offer a 10% military discount with ID.
Get a Free Quote
Are you ready to make your home or business stand out? Choose the best garage floor resurfacing or garage floor recoating contractor in Atlanta — Bad Ass Garage Floors. Call us at (678) 713-4348 or submit an online request for a free quote.
