How to Strip "Sealed" Concrete Garage Floor for Epoxy Shield

[Amethyst]

We have a large (750+ square feet) 3-car garage. I would like to finish the floor with Rustoleum Epoxy Shield, which we used on our last garage with good results.

Trouble is, the previous owners spread some kind of cheapo concrete sealer on the garage floor. It is now peeling in spots. Certainly it would need to be removed before applying epoxy coating.

How do we remove the cheapo sealer? Is something like this adequate? https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Ole...1242/206495770

I dread using paint stripper, since any harsh chemical that gets washed out of the garage is likely to kill my carefully tended grass and shrubbery lining the driveway.

[braumeister]

I considered the same when we moved into our current place, and talked to a few contractors. They all said the same thing -- the entire floor surface has to be ground out. Not a trivial project by any means.

[OldShooter]

Conventional prep for concrete is (or used to be) muriatic acid in a concentration that made it very nasty stuff to work with. It's a fairly common DIY job but it's not something that I would consider for myself.

I suggest you get a quotation from someone who does epoxy garage floors. They should know the answer to your question. Then decide on DIY or not.

[Amethyst]

The main reason I'm considering DIY is that we have, literally, NO place to store the items in the garage while it is being worked on. (Except the car, of course, which can stay outside). So, the plan is to do 1/3 of the garage, then move stored items to that 1/3 and move on to the next 1/3. There is no big rush to get the job done.

We can't leave the stored items out in the weather for the amount of time it would take for the epoxy coating to cure.

A contractor would naturally insist on everything being out of the garage to work on it. Then it would be a week before the epoxy cured enough to move everything back in.

[arbeadub]

My suggestion is to test a section of the cheapo where it is peeling, spray it with some oven cleaner to see if it will soften the coating, also if the concrete is bare at that spot see if has lifted engine oil out of the surface that may have caused the cheapo to fail. It is the caustic in the oven cleaner that is what is in old fashioned paint stripper. The product that you mentioned is an acid to etch the concrete, it will not be a good cleaner of oil.

[Scrapr]

I think Old Shooter is on track with the muratic acid. Can pick up at any hardware store. Use a cartridge type mask. Thin it down spread out & use a stiff broom to work it in. Hose off. If you dilute it with the water your grass & plants should be OK

But I think I would call a Epoxy company to see if they have any ideas or tricks

[pacergal]

If you did not desire to DIY and instead have a contractor get it done all at once, you could rent a POD to place the garage items in while the work was being done and the epoxy cured.

[tfudtuckerpucker]

There's some good advice here
https://www.rustoleum.com/pages/home...g-faqs/?page=2

You can rent a floor sander for concrete from home depot, but concrete dust is an issue, so make sure you get one with a vacuum attachment. Here's the model I would use

https://www.homedepot.com/tool-truck...-HD/index.html

Instructions are here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocqJQ5gLwLc

[Amethyst]

Thought of that...but then we'd need to hire someone to move them in and out of the POD in quick time. Also, there really is no room on our property to park a POD. Gets complicated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pacergal If you did not desire to DIY and instead have a contractor get it done all at once, you could rent a POD to place the garage items in while the work was being done and the epoxy cured.

[Amethyst]

good idea, will have to get some oven cleaner. Modern ovens clean themselves, so I haven't used oven cleaner in decades!

Quote:

Originally Posted by arbeadub My suggestion is to test a section of the cheapo where it is peeling, spray it with some oven cleaner to see if it will soften the coating, also if the concrete is bare at that spot see if has lifted engine oil out of the surface that may have caused the cheapo to fail. It is the caustic in the oven cleaner that is what is in old fashioned paint stripper. The product that you mentioned is an acid to etch the concrete, it will not be a good cleaner of oil.

[Sunset]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfudtuckerpucker There's some good advice here https://www.rustoleum.com/pages/home...g-faqs/?page=2 You can rent a floor sander for concrete from home depot, but concrete dust is an issue, so make sure you get one with a vacuum attachment. Here's the model I would use https://www.homedepot.com/tool-truck...-HD/index.html .....

+1
Just wear a really great mask and cover over all the stuff in garage with plastic paint tarps to cut down on the dust.
When done use a leaf blower to blow the dust out of the garage.
Hopefully you have a windy day to disperse the dust.
Take a shower afterwards.

[Amethyst]

How about a combo of the right chemical remover for the type of sealer, and then some sanding to remove residue.

[skipro33]

I bet the previous owner used ZEP floor sealer. They make a stripper too. Home Depot sells both. Might get lucky!

[Lewis Clark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst The main reason I'm considering DIY is that we have, literally, NO place to store the items in the garage while it is being worked on.

Maybe consider renting one of those PODS storage containers. Either just leave it on your driveway during the work or have them store it for you off site. We had the POD sitting on our driveway while refinishing our garage floor.

[aja8888]

If the floor is sealed like you say, then that must be removed. Then the concrete can be prepared for the next sealant. Use a contractor as it's a big job and messy.

If you don't want to do the above, consider covering the garage floor with a tarp(s) and just store your stuff on the tarp. Since you don't park a car in the garage, maybe that's an inexpensive alternative.

[arbeadub]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst How about a combo of the right chemical remover for the type of sealer, and then some sanding to remove residue.

You are on the right track with this. A wet dry vacuum to pick up residues and not get it on your landscape if you are using water soluble cleaners.
If you can tolerate lap marks in the final Finnish you can do the floor in sections, moving your things around as needed.

[Amethyst]

I never said we don't park the car in the garage. That would be our neighbors

(I know the sealer needs to be removed. This thread is looking for ways to do just that).

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 If the floor is sealed like you say, then that must be removed. Then the concrete can be prepared for the next sealant. Use a contractor as it's a big job and messy. If you don't want to do the above, consider covering the garage floor with a tarp(s) and just store your stuff on the tarp. Since you don't park a car in the garage, maybe that's an inexpensive alternative.

[Stormy Kromer]

I have painted many cement floors, both garage and basement. Some were painted before, and others weren't. All showed signs of wear and pealed within a few years. The basements got wet and the garage floor had salt, sand and melting ice and it was just too much for them.


If I had a garage floor that had already been painted and was still smooth I would put tile on it. There are tiles made especially for garage floors and look fairly simple to install DIY. It would work well if you wanted to do just a portion at a time and move your stuff.


I would do this before I would sand or strip a layer of cement.

[Amethyst]

It will probably be possible to disguise the overlap marks with the final coating - gray epoxy, plus those sparkly chips.

Related to epoxy floors, I just remembered a funny story. When looking at houses in our price range, we were shown a small, 1960's house that had been renovated at some point.

The real estate agent was a 70-something woman with a manner I considered condescending. Making a big deal out of this bungalow, which probably cost $6,000.00 new, how well-off the owner (in New York) was, how they were personal friends, etc. And trailing us around the place, like a jewelry store owner with teenaged customers who might steal something.

Well, she pointed to the floor, which I found unattractive for a home interior, with its shiny gray, pink, and white chips. "Do you know what this is made of?" she asked. I didn't, but was game. "It looks like our epoxy garage floor," I said.

Looking like I'd asked which shelter she'd gotten her Grand Champion poodle from, she said, "No! It's terRAZzo!" Oops.

Quote:

Originally Posted by arbeadub You are on the right track with this. A wet dry vacuum to pick up residues and not get it on your landscape if you are using water soluble cleaners. If you can tolerate lap marks in the final Finnish you can do the floor in sections, moving your things around as needed.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst <fantastic story omitted for brevity> Looking like I'd asked which shelter she'd gotten her Grand Champion poodle from, she said, "No! It's terRAZzo!" Oops.

Ouch. Did she chaperone you to the dance too?

Terrazzo would make an awesome garage floor. Which, oh, reminds me. The process of finishing terrazzo involves grinding down the top layer. The whole process is beyond cool and is part art, and part skill. It is those kind of machines, on a much lighter scale, you could employ to get rid of your coating. I believe there are some pictures and discussion earlier in the thread. A grind would make for a really sticky epoxy coat.