Paul: You mentioned to me last time I was in your store that you guys have an industrial line that works really well on portion floors, and concrete floors. Do you want to give our viewers just a little bit of an idea of what product that is, or what you’d recommend for this?
Melissa: For the best of the best, you know, industrial grade, Paul, where you’re coming in after a really hot day, and you’re parking your car in your garage, you need to have a coating that’s going to be able to withstand in case you move that tire. That’s one of the most harsh things that you can do on a coating, and you’re actually grinding that coating up.
So, first of all, you said you have oil slicks. Number one thing – prep, prep, prep. So I would do it, start to finish, as perfect as possible. I would be renting a grinder from my local Stevensons or any kind of tool rental company in the area. And normally, they’re just like 17-inch grinding pads with a diamond grinder. You’ll need a little one to get into the corners, but you’re going to just lightly profile and get rid of any kind of stains or imperfections in your floor using that. That’s not really a step I would recommend skipping, so after you’ve done that, you’re going to rinse out your garage and clear it. Let it dry for at least three to five days because, you know, after that, it’s an uncoated floor. It’s going to have moisture after rinsing your garage out of that concrete dust; you want to make sure that is fully dry.
Paul: And the worst thing you can do is trap moisture or oils beneath the coating surface, right?
Melissa: Right, the worst, because you’re never going to have that bond; it’s almost like if you could imagine a piece of paper getting in the way of that bond on the floor, right,
Paul: And this concrete is kind of porous when you look at a microscopic level. It looks like an Aero bar, but it’s got all these little holes, right?
Melissa: A hundred percent! It almost looks like, yeah, it’s rugged, right? So after you’ve done that, you’re gonna, still, no matter how hard you rinse, you’re going to have little uh particles of concrete left, and that’s where I would use the acid etch solution. So that’s gonna actually dissolve those little concrete particles that are left, and it’s gonna create even more of a profile in your floor. Then you’re gonna rinse again and leave it for another three days. So it’s a process, but I can tell you if you do, with this process, you will be able to drive your tractor-trailer through your garage and park on top of it.
Paul: Now, that’s a pretty bold statement.
Melissa: I’m fine with that. Our Armorseal 1000 HS is actually what we use in bunkers and warehouses, and I’ve actually used it on private aeroplane floors before. And all of our products come with full data page and instructions on how to not only mix and apply, but what temperatures to apply the optimal roller or spray tip, but if you’re just looking for a paint, all you need to do is you’re going to take the Armorseal 1000 and you’re going to thin it with the proper thinner down 10 per cent. So really thin coating that’s going to be your first coat. And that’s going to act like your primer coat. And the reason for that is it’s going to thin the coating out so much it’s going to get into all those little small crooks and crevices, and it’s going to create a bond layer. Once that’s done, and you wait, I believe, it’s six to eight hours, you can go on with the full 100 per cent top coat. So again, if you’re familiar with epoxies, there is a sweat-in time, and you have just a specific window, but normally, two kits of this one for the primer coat, one for the top coat, and a normal size garage will do about 500 square feet per coat.
Paul: I take it it’s oil-based?
Melissa: It’s actually a solvent-based product, not to quote me, but I believe it’s R7K15, and it’s a special thinner that you’ll need to thin that and use on cleanup. It’s solvent-based, so you want to be careful. Obviously, if it’s in your home, but when it comes to creating a coating that you’re going to be able to take a car on top of, that’s my recommendation.
