Rust-Oleum 238466 Professional Floor Coating Kit, Dunes Tan

Just finished my garage with the Rustoleum Professional Epoxy Shield (SOLVENT based, not the water based junk from HD) and the Premium Clear. Looks amazing.1) As said by others many times before, prep, prep, prep and then prep some more! My garage is about 6 years old and the floor was in really good shape. Only issue I had was with a large oil spot caused by my 2002 civic which likes to mark its territority. I used the Rutoleum degreaser and got a lot of it up but this stuff was really in there. Then I used a product call "Pour-n-Restore". This worked really well and I was surprised how much of the oil it "pulled out" of the concrete.2) I etched my floor with acid but I used the stuff made by Surface Gel Tek. They make a 24% acid solution that is suspended in a gel solution. You actually roll the stuff on with a paint roller. It produce a very uniform profile on the floor that felt like 100~120 grit sand paper. VERY easy to use and much less messy than muratic acid. Only drawback is it is a little pricey, about $70 per gallon and most likely it will have to be shipped to you (very few distributors). Shipping is expensive since it is hazardous materials. Total cost to get 2 gallons was about $180, but I think it made the job MUCH easier and was definitely worth it.3) After etching, washing, etc I let the floor dry for 4 days to be 100% sure it was dry.4) I applied 2 coats of the epoxy shield color about 24 hrs about. Don't try to be cheap and do just 1 coat of the epoxy. You won't be happy with the results. My garage is 440 sq ft. I talked with Rustoleum and the tech said even though they kit says it will cover 500 sq ft in reality the Professional Epoxy kit covers about 350~400 sq ft. So i purchased 4 kits, total of 8 gallons of material. And I am glad I did. No way that 1 kit would have been enough for each coat. Applied the 1st coat "medium" and went very heavy on the 2nd coat. I did not follow the suggestion from Rustoleum to paint in 4x4 sections. I just painted from side to side front to back and made sure to keep a wet edge. I did a medium broadcast of the color chips on top of the 2nd coat. I made a pair of "spike" shoes using two pieces of 1"x4" board and drove drywall screws through it. Then I used duct tape to attach them to a cheap pair of shoes. Worked like a charm and allowed me to easily walk across the wet epoxy to broadcast the chips..5) After 48 hrs I applied 1st coat of the Premium Clear. Stuff goes on very thin and like others have said you have to use a bright light sitting at floor level in order to be able to see where you have painted. I actually found it was best to shut the garage door and just use the floor light (yes, you HAVE to wear a respirator if you don't want to die).6) Applied a 2nd coat of clear after 24 hrs. For this final coat I mixed in the Shark-Grip anit-slip additive. Without it the floor would have been an ice rink! The directions on the Shark Grip say to use the entire 3 oz bottle to 1 gallon of clear but I cut this back to about 1/2 and ended up with a good compromise between floor gloss, clean ability and anti-slip. You couldn't slip on this floor if your tried.So, the stuff has been down about 9 days at this point. I am going to wait at least 1 more week before pulling the cars back in just to make sure I won't have any issues. I'll try to update in 6 moths or so to let you know how it looks.***Update***4/16/13 - Well it has been about 1 year since I applied the Rustoleum Professional Epoxy and it has held up very well. Not a single occurence of the epoxy lifting from "hot tire" pick-up or a single chip from all the tools I have dropped on the floor. I think this is motly due to the extensive prep work and the nice etching profile I was able to get with the Surface Gel Tek product.I do a fair amount of auto repairs in my garage and nothing that I have spilled on the floor has left a single stain (and no issues from the winter's road salt). The floor did get a little dirty after some of the larger repair projects but after sweeping and a quick mop it looked pretty good. What really made it look like new was a good spring scrubbing with simple green and water. I was surprised how great it looked after this.The only cons I have encountered is that the clear coat does scratch a little easier that I thought it would. For example, if a pebble gets stuck under the wheel of my creeper it will scratch the surface. But I am a very OCD person who notices every little scratch. Most people don't even see the scratches unless I point them out. Also, I am only talking about surface scratches on the clear coat. I don't have any scrathes that cut through the epoxy. I just make sure to use common sense when moving a heavy object around the floor (I would not reccommend dragging a transmission from one end of the shop to the other).Overall, I am still very happy with how the floor looks and how the Rustoleum Professional Epoxy has held up. I would definitely use it again. Btw, did I mention to be sure and prep the floor? :)

Some people think that just because their garage is dry-walled and insulated it is "finished" - it's not! Most people forget about the floor. Concrete is porous and unless its been epoxied or sealed, it'll absorb almost anything that spills on it: vehicle fluids (motor oil, transmission/differential fluid, etc), lawn fertilizers and pesticides, paints and varnishes, and everything in between. The answer to help combat this stuff from staining your concrete and, in some cases, preventing odors from these chemicals even after they've been cleaned, is to epoxy your garage floor. If prepped and applied correctly, it'll cover the existing eyesores and smell and will make your garage look good as new!I've lost count of how many times I've applied this product for myself (in three different houses and two barns) and for friends and family. When I epoxied my first house, I used Rust-Oleum 251965 Garage Floor Kit but found that even after I had prepped the floor properly, I would have chipping and hot-tire lift. I was able to remove most of it and used this professional grade floor kit and fond it to be the best! Ever since then, I've been using it with great results. Some people might be turned off about the amount of work and time that is involved. Make no mistake about it! Depending on the size of the floor you are doing and how dirty is was previously, it take A LOT OF TIME and some elbow grease (this has allowed me to make a part-time business out of applying this stuff). You also need decent weather conditions (70°+ and no rain for two days) for the best application. Also, make sure you have plenty of epoxy. If you are remotely close to 300 sq ft per kit, I recommend getting another kit - it is better to have too much than to run short! When you are starting to apply you have no way of knowing how much you'll have left. But as long as you don't slop it on there or have excessively porous or rough concrete, you should be in great shape!To make it easy, you'll need the following:Garage floorDecent weather (70°F+ and no rain for a few days)Rust-Oleum 238466 Professional Floor Coating Kit (one kit for each ~300 sq ft)Rust-Oleum 214382 EPOXYShield Heavy-Duty Degreaser, 32-Ounce (one bottle should do unless you have a lot of oil spillage)Rust-Oleum 238475 EPOXYShield Concrete Etch (one package for each ~250 sq ft)(2) 5-gallon pailsPaint brushesPaint roller tray (a good metal one - not a cheap plastic one)3/8" nap roller w/ paint roller and extension stick (so you aren't bending over)Stiff-bristle brushPaint stir sticks or power stirrerCardboard, carpet reminant, or whatever to catch spills/drops and from tracking the stuff around if you are sloppyHose with sprayerSqueegeeThe first step is to remove everything from the floor. This can take time and can be a pain since some items can be heavy and cumbersome to move. But don't complain - I can't stress how much it'll be worth it in the end. When I've moved items out of the garage, I usually just place them about 10 feet or so away from the garage door in the driveway and put a tarp over the belongings (keeps the rain off the material and keeps the riffraff from seeing what you have out there).Second step is to degrease. If you have a brand new garage floor, which most people don't, you'll likely need this step. This help remove all of the oils, grease, and some chemicals from the surface so the epoxy bonds properly to the concrete. I've used Rust-Oleum 214382 EPOXYShield Heavy-Duty Degreaser, 32-Ounce straight out of the bottle (don't dilute) for the areas where the oils and grease are. Make sure to use a stiff-bristle brush. You'll notice that the stain may not disappear because it has soaked down into the concrete but that the surface contamination is gone - this is the point! Make sure to use plenty of water when washing this stuff out of the garage, especially when using at 100% concentrate. Squeegee after rinsing.Immediately after degreasing (if applicable), you'll prepare to etch. A good etch without using muriatic acid is Rust-Oleum 238475 EPOXYShield Concrete Etch. You'll mix it in a 5-gallon pail and then should use a watering can to distribute it on the concrete. You'll hear fizzing sound (which means its working!); after few minutes, scrub with a stiff-bristle brush again and then rinse and squeegee. Let sit overnight or a few hours in the day to dry.Finally, after all that prep work, you are ready to apply the product! You'll want to have a "helper" if you are doing more than a 2 car garage - it'll help keep the application time down and give someone to help you edge (paint the concrete reveals [if you have them]), get the relief cracks and where the roller can't get to. You'll want a small, plastic paint bucket and a decent brush for this. If you are using more than one kit (in the case of anything larger than a 1 car garage), you'll want to mix the "Part B's" in a 5-gallon bucket to ensure the color is consistent across the garage. This instructions state this. Once you've done that, you'll dump the Part B's back into the can (with the exception of the last can - you'll just start and will add "Part A" and mix in the 5 gallon bucket [along with each subsequent kit]). Make sure to mix well with a pain stick with vigorous stirring or use a power stirrer. You'll then have a 30-60 minute break while the materials activate. You can always start a tad early by starting the edging and painting where the roller can't get to. Once your wait time is up and you've edged, start applying the epoxy via roller. I typically do 4' x 10' sections at a time so I can throw the flake on and keep a good rhythm. One thing about flake - use as much as you want but don't use too much. I also highly recommend that you use some, even if you don't want to, since it'll help disguise dirt, grime, and eventual sun fade and shadows from where your stuff was (if you leave your garage doors open to the sun a lot). After application, you'll need to wait at least 24 hours to walk on it and a few days (3-4) to start putting your stuff back into the garage, including vehicles. After all this time and work, you'll have a garage (floor) that everyone will envy! I still get compliments on ours, even by family that have seen the finished product.