Epoxy Garage Floor Etching
Posted: Wednesday, December 09, 2009
by Anthony Davis
Many times, etching is overlooked when people are applying garage floor paint. However, etching is necessary if you want your garage floor coating to be the best that it can be. Contrary to what some would say, most garage floor coatings are usable without any etching at all, but not only will the epoxy paint not last nearly as long, you will also be losing some of the best features.
A definition of etching is basically cutting into a surface. An example that is not garage flooring would be glass etching. This etching is usually done for beautification reasons, though a better grip generally results as well. When speaking of garage floors, most do not etch specifically for decorative purposes, though the texturing that results is sometimes considered preferable to a slick mirror finish.
Is There Really Any Reason For Garage Floor Etching?
There are definitely some reasons why you would want to etch the concrete garage floor when using epoxy paint. First, if you do not etch the concrete, the epoxy paint will not give nearly as much traction as even concrete alone. Not only will this promote slips and falls, but driving upon non-etched, painted flooring can also result in annoying spin outs and such, although some prefer the smooth, non-etched look, and will take their chances to get it. If you intend to do work while in the garage, though, etching should be considered a necessity.
What If My Epoxy Garage Floor Paint Kit Says Etching Is Not Required?
In reality, etching is never required in order to apply a garage floor coating. However, if the instructions for your kit say to etch the concrete, then that is what you will have to do to get the maximum stated life out of your new epoxy coating. Without etching, epoxy paint cannot create a complete seal, and will peel far earlier. There are no hard and fast rules on how long epoxy garage floor paint can last, either with or without etching, but it will certainly last longer with etching than without. Some kits do not include etching in their instructions, which enables them to make the claim "No Etching Necessary!" or something similar. This is generally a marketing ploy, and the directions for those kits either do not mention how long the coating will last, or may say that although it not necessary, etching is recommended to get the maximum life out of your epoxy garage floor paint.
At What Point Should I Etch My Garage Floor?
The majority of the higher end epoxy garage floor coating packages will include a "etch-and-clean" product as well as instructions on how and when to use it. The epoxy garage floor paint kits that come with everything that is needed to do the job will usually be a better value than purchasing everything separately. Be it a kit, or if you purchase the chemical separately, you should etch the garage flooring before you do anything else. Many etching products clean as well, but if yours does not, read its instructions to see if the concrete garage floor should be cleaned before or after.
For more garage floor information, check out Sweet Garage Floor.
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