Rust-Oleum238467, Dark Grey

I read so many reviews over and over about this epoxy and compared it to the others at Home Depot/Lowes. I watched tons of videos and honestly couldn't decide for months on this. Seriously, every day I thought about it and just was debating constantly on what to get or who should do it. I thought about hiring someone to do it which would have cost about $1k with labor with the water solvent epoxy. I finally took the plunge, bought this product along with the extra material and just did it myself. I bought a new construction home with new concrete so it was fairly easy to clean my 420 sqft garage. I started on a Wednesday and finished on a Saturday morning so give yourself a few days to finish this project. I bought 2 packages of the professional epoxy and 2 packages of clear coat but with the intention of not using the 2nd ones. Although, that did not work out as planned. My wife didn't like the included blue chips so I bought 2 bags of the Glacier Gray Decorative Color Chips.The 1st day in the early afternoon I cleaned the garage with Rust-Oleum concrete etch and used a brush and squeegee. I brushed around the area for 1 hour and rinsed the floor off. I did it a 2nd time with the concrete etch and then used Rust-Oleum Degreaser in which I rinsed everything off thoroughly. I left a fan on overnight to make sure there was a good amount of air moving around. The 2nd day in the morning I taped all the areas and edges of the garage. In the early afternoon, I started the process and mixed the A&B epoxy per instructions in a separate bucket. This stuff gets really messy therefore its best to cover the floors with cardboard or bags. I used a new bucket and mixed it together. I started painting the sides really fast and my father was using the roller on the floor. I sprinkled some chips but noticed the dried areas was coming out uneven so I stopped doing it. Me and my father finished the entire garage in 1 hour but I really had to use all of the epoxy out of the can to get everything. In the early morning of the 3rd day, I noticed there were so many uneven spots that it looked terrible up close. I was supposed to clear coat the garage but I changed my plans and used the 2nd package of epoxy. I did all the sides as usual and made sure I covered all areas along with using the chips very lightly (I only used 2 1lb bags of glacier colored chips) since I decided I did not want the floor filled with chips. This time around it looked much better and again I used the whole can of epoxy.The 4th day early in the morning, I reviewed the floor and it looked great but looked a bit bland without the clear coat. The mixing of the clear coat was easier since its a burst pouch and it mixes all in the bag. I poured the bag into a separate bucket along with the anti-skid and mixed it well. This stuff was really hard to see since its very clear and did not smell much at all. I started on the sides which were easy and did the best lines on the floors. I tried to only use 1 package but unfortunately, I had to use the 2nd package to really get all the missed areas fast since it dries up in 90 minutes. Basically, this ended up being another coat of clear on top of the existing one. I had to look at it from different angles to make sure I did not miss any areas (even though I did). The next morning I checked it and it looked great. Just to be safe I did not park my vehicles in the garage until 5 days after and I left the garage open a little bit to dry up. After 5 days, the epoxy was hard as a rock and ready.I did put some garage mats under the tires so there won't be any hot tire pick up. I have also been cleaning the floor once in a while with ammonia and a mop. Other than that it has been 2 months since I painted the floors and it looks great. There are a few spots I missed but I know from experience Ill do a better job next time. I would definitely recommend this product but it really does take 4-5 days in total and 5 days of drying time afterward. Whats important is 2 coats of epoxy and 2 coats of clear are needed to make it look great. DO NOT skip out on the extra coats or else it will look bad and not durable. The epoxy fumes are super strong and make sure to vent out the garage properly. If I had to do it again I would buy the items needed below without a thought, rent a grinder to clean the garage (because I would need to take out the existing epoxy), paint it evenly and inspect all angles to check for missing spots. I would have definitely prepared everything beforehand and take my time instead of rushing to get the job done.Items Needed to cover a 420 SQFT Garage:- 2 Packages Rust-Oleum 203373 Professional Floor Coating- 2 Packages Rust-Oleum 292514 Epoxy Shield Premium Series Clear- 1 Package Rust-Oleum 238475 EPOXYShield Concrete Etch- 1 Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield Interior/Exterior Concentrated Concrete Cleaner and Degreaser- 3 5-Gallon Buckets from the local hardware store- 1 Floor squeegee with handle- 1 Brush Scrub Masonry 8in with handle- 4 Epoxy Glide Roller, 1/4-Inch Nap, 9-Inch- 3 Painting Brushed 1-3" depending on the area needed (2 for epoxy coats and 1 for clear)- 1 Paint Roller Frame, 9 IN., Cage (use the same handle from the brush)- 1 Paint Tray if needed or just get the epoxy straight from the bucket- 4 Paint sticks to stir the epoxy and clear (Otherwise use a paint mixer with power drill)- Watering Can (for concrete etch)- Water hose to reach areas of garage when cleaning- Small Box of gloves to cover hands- Disposable Respirator unless you want to sniff all the epoxy fumes- Cardboard boxes and garbage bags to place the epoxy cans and materials on (Gets messy)- OPTIONAL:Extra Decorative FlakesSpiked ShoesGoof Off - 6 oz. Professional Strength Remover (If needed to remove epoxy from the walls, cabinets or clothes)All items above will be instantly garbage once it touches the epoxy or clear coat.

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.