Things to consider with these kits:

1.) There is NO warranty with these products other than returning the unopened product for a refund.

2.) The surface preparation included with these products is a small packet of mild citric acid which must be mixed, scrubbed in manually with a stiff brush and then washed off thoroughly. If not properly neutralized washing the concrete etching acid down your driveway can damage it and in many counties be against the law do to the potential hazard to sewer systems. Plus, no amount of acid washing will remove previously applied curing agents, sealers, paints, oil stains or mastic so the epoxy surface will peel off sooner or later if they are not removed properly prior to the installation.

3.) Also there is no provision in the kit for oil stain removal or crack repair. (Not correcting these problems will lead to early peeling of the surface and ugly crack lines and holes remaining.)

4.) The epoxy density (a measure of its durability) with these kits is normally about 30-40% solids. The rest is water or solvents which evaporate during the application and drying process. The manufacturers dilute the density of the resins in the coating material to cut down on the cost of the $99 kit.

5.) Usually the only colors available in these kits are tan and gray.

6.) These kits only contain a small 2 lb. plastic bag of 1/16 inch decorative chips for a 400 square foot 2-car garage. IF you can spread the chips evenly, that means only about 1 tiny chip to every 1/4 inch.

7.) There is NO sealer supplied in the kit to protect the surface, seal down the decorative chips and provide a durable and high gloss and UV-resistant finish. The store personnel usually can’t even suggest an appropriate sealer product to use with these kits.

8.) When using these kits, the manufacturer usually recommends that you not drive on the surface for 5 – 7 days after application to avoid “hot tire pickup”.

9.) If you do the job yourself with the kit, don’t plan on the surface looking very good after a year or so. Most of the big box hardware stores can refer you to contractors who use the same basic homeowner-grade materials. They usually do provide more decorative chips than the $99 kit and some sort of sealer and charge about $3.25/square foot. Where most of these installers fall short is surface preparation, crack repair and coverage of the stem wall (the short concrete wall at the bottom of your garage walls). If offered the proper methods, like slab grinding, decreasing and crack repair or considered extra’s and your charged more. With these add-ons, your cost will easily be in the $4.25+ square foot range.

These systems also have the same prohibition of not driving on the floor for 5 – 7 days, like homeowner-applied big box store materials, since they use essentially the same coating products.

Professional installation:

a.) Professional installers will carefully test and evaluate the surface of your garage floor. They may use degreasers to remove oil stains, soy-based products to remove old paint or carpet mastic and/or grind off the surface with a diamond grinding wheel if the porosity needs to be enhanced. These techniques will allow the epoxy system to sink deeply into the concrete and adhere aggressively. (Professional installers have an incentive to take such care since they will be supplying you with a much longer warranty.)

b.) Cracks, holes and eroded areas of the concrete will be ground out with a diamond grinding wheel, filled with a 2-part epoxy “crack welding” or an acrylic-modified cement patching system and ground smooth as soon as the patch material is cured. This procedure will provide a secure and smooth floor surface.

c.) Professional installers use a 2-part epoxy binder (base coat for the decorative chips) which contains 95 – 100% solids. This epoxy is self-priming, grabs deeply down into the properly prepared surface and provides excellent adhesion and durability. The epoxy’s purpose is to seal the concrete against water intrusion and to ‘glue’ down the decorative chips. Because of the higher solids content, it creates a much thicker and more durable coating than the watered down hardware store or department store kits.

d.) Contractor-grade epoxy coatings usually come in 15-20 different colors. White, black, deep green, red, blue, chocolate, mocha, light or dark tan, light or dark gray etc. If the installer applies a 100% coating of decorative chips you probably won’t even see the underlying colored epoxy. It will just be a subtle background color. Again, the epoxy’s main function is to penetrate and seal the concrete surface and to provide a ‘glue’ to hold down the decorative chips.

e.) Professional installers will normally apply about 25-50 pounds of ¼” or 1″ decorative chips to a typical 400 sq ft 2-car garage. This quantity of chips provides for a much richer granite-like look and makes the surface much easier to repair to its original appearance should something extra-ordinarily bad happen to the floor. Since the chip coverage is nearly 100%, any minor defects in the floor will disappear in the original installation and with any later needed repairs.

A professional installer can also provide you with a custom colored blend of decorative chips and/or add multi-colored tiny ‘sparkle’ chips or ‘glow-in-the-dark’ chips to give your floor a totally custom appearance. These options are not available with the hardware store kits or from the big box store contractors.

f.) Professional installers will coat the surface with any one of several tough, easy-to-clean and glossy clear sealers. These are selected specifically for your garage situation and will comply with your local Air Quality Control District regulations which strictly limit harmful solvent and chemical vapor emissions. They will also be highly UV resistant so that your floor will not yellow, fade or turn blush white from sun exposure.

g.) The professional materials will cure within 24 hours after installation of the sealer which will allow you to drive into your garage the next day. (No “hot tire pickup”) Full chemical resistance will develop in 5-7 days.

h.) You should expect at least a 2 year limited warranty from professional installers for your new garage floor. Your warranty should include protection from color loss, yellowing and peeling or flaking of the coatings. The lifespan of epoxy floors is typically 15-20 years, exclusions will be unexpected damage from earthquakes, tree roots and earth settling. (Your contractor should have already corrected any water intrusion problems.)