Painting - Epoxy floor paint questions

Hi, I'm a novice who's renovating his home. So far so good, I'm down to the basement now. I depend on help through forums like this. The basement has had water in it but I think I've corrected that. I'm pulling up old vinyl tiles that were affixed with some black mastic that really holds well. The concrete has no cracks but appears dry and pulverizes easily. I was thinking an epoxy floor paint would help bind and waterproof at the same time. Does this sound like the best remedy (keeping budget in mind, it's a 900 sq ft basement). I'm torn between Drylok & Behr 1-part epoxies. Behr has more colors and will use that if it is as good a product as the Drylok. There are many new epoxy paints on the market, if you know of a better one please say so. Also, since they are both epoxy paints can I coat one over the other? I read in another forum YES if you sand the old stuff first. I'd like to get this right the first time as I hear epoxy is very difficult to remove. I'm all ears if anyone can help. Thanks much, this forum is great. Dave

Welcome to the forums Dave

I don't think that drylok is rated for floor traffic. Most behr products aren't favored by the pros. IMO your best bet would be to go to a paint store [not dept] and discuss your options with the paint rep.

marksr's right
Neither one is a good choice
I agree, head on down to your local paint store and see what they offer

Hi guys, thank you very much however, these are both supposed to be FLOOR paints. I don't get it. I talked with reps from both companies, the only thing I am sure of is you can't paint one over the other. If applied correctly, they are supposed to be nearly impossible to remove (which kinda worries me). I don't want to go through this again anytime soon which is why I am opting for epoxy. If anything, I may put wood over it down the road. I have a feeling from reviews that the Drylok is better but only comes in tan, white and two shades of grey. Too limited, the Behr can be mixed any color so they say. I just finished scraping up the tiles wich I believe were affixed with tar, man what a pain, any suggestions here? After I figure out the best way to remove the tar I should etch the cement, then prime & paint. Sounds easy (yeah right). The Behr is only $25/gallon and the Drylok is $35/gallon, both are cheap. I figure it will take a couple of days to get the tar off, maybe a better idea will come up. The local Sherwin Williams suggests the Drylok and Home Depot the Behr. Thanks for your input, I'm still confused though. Dave

Hey Dave

Mineral spirits might help to soften the tile adhesive - not a fun job however you do it.

At $35 a gal the drylok must have a coating I'm not aware of [or it has went sky high since I last bought some] Did you ask SWP if they could tint the drylok? The drylok wall sealant I've used can be top coated. What type of finish does the drylok have?

Hi Marksr, thanks for writing. I tried kerosene and bug/tar remover this morning. I think the kerosene works pretty good and it's cheap. I just have to make sure I soak up as much of it as I can so the primer adheres properly. The Drylok is a new 1 part epoxy as is the Behr. The Behr comes in a semi-gloss or a satin, the Drylok doesn't say what it is but looks like a satin and it can't be pigmented (4 colors, that's it). They are both water based and clean up with soap & water. $35/gallon is cheap when you consider the options (tile or wood, I wouldn't put carpet in a basement). It covers 300-400 sq ft/gal (10 cents/sq ft, that's cheap). I'll put out some throw rugs when I'm done to warm it up. I have a new love, woodworking & restoration, I wish I got into it years ago. Nice talking with you, have a great day.
Dave

Kerosene and mineral spirits are pretty much alike - kero is just oilier so you do need to remove as much as possible.

Based solely on reputation I would go with drylok.

Your basement floor is a disaster waiting to happen. Based on your description, I would investigate other floor coatings. These would include vinyl, tile, carpet etc. Kerosene is a VERY dirty solvent. You may be cleaning up the coal tar from the past tile, but are leaving a terrible mess for the new coating to rest on. You will need to to several solvent washes, or try something like simple green to remove any deposits you leave. Concrete is porus, and most likely you will not remove most of what you leave.

The new coating will "float" on the deposits, and then decide to pop off at the first hint of hydorstatic pressure. (water vapor) I have visited many coating failures, and the floor ones are the worst. Remeber, the harder the coating (epoxy etc.) the less flexible and breathable.

Good luck

excuse me for butting in, but is anyone else concerned with the danger involved with using kerosene to clean up 900 sq feet of flooring in a basement??? i sure hope there are windows down there!!!! how do you spell "ka-blooooooey"???

here's my thought......why kill yourself (not literally, i hope) trying to clean up that mess to paint it, when you could just put down a nice indoor/outdoor or berber carpet? you said you "think" you've fixed the water problem, and most all basements could use the warmth (tactile & visual) of carpet.

just seems like you're fighting a losing battle for nothing. except maybe just in an area used for woodworking.

Kerosene or any volatile solvents are very dangerous. you face the danger of an explosion AND breathing in the noxious fumes. Two or three small windows is not enough ventilation.

You could rent a floor sander, but be prepared to go thru a lot of sand paper and create a lot of dust.

You could try one of the peel-away products or bean-ee-doo (a soy based mastic remover) from franmar. I haven't used it myself, but do know of contractors that have used it and like it.

This really has nothing to do with the basement, except I know that prep is everything. It took me 4 days to prep my 1 car garage floor. My question is this, I painted the floor using quikrete epoxy and I see some thin spots. Can I do a second coat over the areas that I need to or do I need to do something to it again? I already put down the speckles. I also found out that you should not repair the floor with thin-set mortar, use floor patch instead, it produces a much smoother appearance. I need the answer asap. My curing time is almost up and before I drive my car into the garage, I'd like to know if I can put a 2nd coat on this? Thanks, Mary

Welcome to the forums Mary

The coating label should say if/when you can recoat and any neccesary prep [if any]

Thanks for the reply. I love working around my home, but am sometimes stumped. Thus here I am. I have read the labels and even visited Quikcretes website and nothing tells me that you can do a 2nd coat. Today I asked at Lowe's and the guy replied "I think so?" I appreciate any input. This bleed thru only appears where I used the thin-set mortar.

ddardis

stop with the kerosene right now, if you use it then you are asking to the new coating to come right off. Get a scarator, these a like a floor sander but instead of paper they have diamond or carbide tips for cleaning the floor. once everything is off of it, get some muriatic acid and wash it. then make sure you get everything off the floor, dirt, dust, everything left over from the prep. If you fail to prep it right the new coating will come off.

If you want a coating that will last for a number of years go to your local paint store and look to see what is available for industrial epoxies. you will spend more. But it will last more then a few years. P&L makes a good product as does Rustolem or Sierra. (I think Sierra is a rustolem product) Find the most knowledgeable person there and grill them on the process. Some good reps may even come out to look at the floor even though you are retail customer. we know that is a nightmare if not done correctly.

remeber: Prep, Prep, Prep

Mary

Every coating I've ever used had info on the label about drying time and recoating. Is quickcrete the coating manufacture? Do they have a technical dept that can answer questions?

Most coatings can be repainted after a specified time but may require sanding first. A few solvent based coatings must be recoated within so many hours or after so many days.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help
mark

Mark, Yes it is and I did check out Quikcrete's website and they do have an "ask us" dept. I did send them a question, but being it is the weekend, there is no reply or an answer on the phone. I thought I might try to ask you first... probably with better results too! At least I got some answers. I am going to go ahead and try them in the morning, it has been 4 days now since the 1st application, so I believe that's enough curing time. Nothing on the label though. Thanks for your help, I truly appreciate it. Mary

I finally got a hold of Quikcrete and I had to sand lightly before applying the 2nd coat. It looks great! I just finished, thanks for the input. The company said if you apply it between 1-2 wks. it should be fine, FYI for anyone else. Thank You to all who helped!!!;)