# garage resurfacing



## laurentj23 (Sep 16, 2014)

Hey guys! I just joined the forum, and i need your help. I bought my first house last may. Come to find out, my garage flooring was from the foundation slab and has no surface done to it. They basically just built a garage on top of it.

My plan is to epoxy coat the floor. Last weekend I tried cleaning the floor with pressure washer, brush it with commercial brushes from home depot. I tried to resurface it with quikrete concrete. Concrete 1 which is regular concrete, I mixed it but there's a lot of gravel at the bottom . The consistency is just not right and every time I poured it to the floor, there's just a bunch of stones and gravels.

Concrete 2 which is the resurface has better consistency but still have a lot of gravel and rock after I poured it down the floor

Concrete 3 which was crack resistant needed up having the same results. I spent almost 200 bucks and have no results.

My question is 
What type of concrete shld I use? Or shld I just use cement?
What do I need to do to fix this issues besides hiring a pro?


Thanks.


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## Chris (Sep 16, 2014)

Concrete is not what you need, you need a resurfacer.

http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/039645/039645124918lg.jpg


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## beachguy005 (Sep 16, 2014)

Why on earth would you use concrete to resurface your floor, especially if your were going to put down epoxy?  
Concrete has different minimum thickness requirements.  What you used had aggregate in it because it's probably 2" min depth usage.


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## stadry (Sep 16, 2014)

if the vests' have it, so will the aprons,,, i'll look @ the products & post back,,, better cementitious resurfacing mtls contain polymers,,, most common is made w/white cement altho gray ( portland ) is also avail,,, using conc will markedly change the floor elevation done by either a bonded OR unbonded cementitious overlay,,, you don't need that UNLESS you want to raise the floor,,, typical polymer o'lays generally range from 1/16" to 5/16" in thickness


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## laurentj23 (Sep 16, 2014)

Chris said:


> Concrete is not what you need, you need a resurfacer.
> 
> http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/039645/039645124918lg.jpg



I tried this product and it ended up being the same. It's not with a bunch of stones but more like gray ashen sand.
shld I try leveling instead?


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## laurentj23 (Sep 16, 2014)

beachguy005 said:


> Why on earth would you use concrete to resurface your floor, especially if your were going to put down epoxy?
> Concrete has different minimum thickness requirements.  What you used had aggregate in it because it's probably 2" min depth usage.



What do you recommend that I can get from home depot?


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## Chris (Sep 16, 2014)

That resurfacer will have sand and cement in it. If you are looking for something with no sand than cement is your option. How thin are you trying to put this stuff down? I would think the resurfacer if used right would work for what you are trying to do.


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## mako1 (Sep 16, 2014)

I really don't understand what you are trying to do.What kind of shape was your concrete floor in before you started tinkering with it? What do you expect to achieve?


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## havasu (Sep 16, 2014)

I'm wondering if a self leveling concrete (SLC) would work?

If it was my garage, I'd just use a nice epoxy garage paint kit over what you have currently, and roll it on extra thick in the voids. It'll look good as a garage could look.


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## Chris (Sep 16, 2014)

That self leveling resurfacer I suggested would fill all those voids if done right. If you are good with a flat trowel you can make that look like a new garage.


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## beachguy005 (Sep 16, 2014)

I wouldn't start pouring leveler on it.  I would think that smearing concrete on a cured concrete floor, without a bonding agent, would probably start breaking up in the near future.  Especially if you're going to be driving a car on it.


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## havasu (Sep 16, 2014)

SLC doesn't need any other bonding agent, but I also can't remember if it could be used for a garage floor with such the heavy weight.


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## laurentj23 (Sep 16, 2014)

mako1 said:


> I really don't understand what you are trying to do.What kind of shape was your concrete floor in before you started tinkering with it? What do you expect to achieve?



I am trying to make the surface smoother and level it before applying epoxy paint. Look at the pic I posted. Would the epoxy be able to stick though? I just wanna make sure before I waste another 99 bucks of epoxy kit.


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## laurentj23 (Sep 16, 2014)

beachguy005 said:


> I wouldn't start pouring leveler on it.  I would think that smearing concrete on a cured concrete floor, without a bonding agent, would probably start breaking up in the near future.  Especially if you're going to be driving
> 
> So what products do you recommend? Just regular cement?


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## nealtw (Sep 16, 2014)

But,,,,,,, a garage floor should slope


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## Chris (Sep 16, 2014)

I was thinking the self leveler in small amounts using a trowel to just fill the voids.


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## beachguy005 (Sep 16, 2014)

havasu said:


> SLC doesn't need any other bonding agent, but I also can't remember if it could be used for a garage floor with such the heavy weight.



  I was referring to the original application.  Putting concrete on concrete, especially thinly, doesn't bond very well.  If you've ever spilled some mix and let it harden, it's easy to scrape up. You can put SLC on top of the cement he put down, but I don't know how well that concrete will stay bonded to the slab, especially after driving over it.


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## Chris (Sep 16, 2014)

What about this stuff

http://www.raecoinc.com/products/Product_Sack_Patch.htm


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## laurentj23 (Sep 16, 2014)

nealtw said:


> But,,,,,,, a garage floor should slope




Yes sir. But away from the house instead of towards my crawl space.


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## nealtw (Sep 16, 2014)

laurentj23 said:


> Yes sir. But away from the house instead of towards my crawl space.



A few years ago we had to re and re a set of stairs so the concrete boys could get in and correct the slope of the garage as it had settled. I don't no what prep or product they used but it was from a mix plant. Their skim coat went from 2" to nothing in about 16 ft, they have had no further problem with it.

So mayby you could call a local readymix company and get some idea what they would have you do.


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## slownsteady (Sep 16, 2014)

In your case, I think the key word to look for on the label is "feather-edge". You are reading the labels _before_ you buy the product...right???


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## bud16415 (Sep 17, 2014)

In the barn and milk house we used what Lowes and Home Depot etc. sell in 10 pound buckets called Hydraulic Cement. There are several brands here is one. http://www.homedepot.com/p/DRYLOK-Fast-Plug-10-lb-Hydraulic-Cement-00924/100171483
I wouldn&#8217;t try and surface your whole floor just patch the gouges in the poor finish. If there are any high points I would knock them off and trowel a bit of this over. Your pressure wash should be all that&#8217;s needed to prep for this stuff. 

We fixed cracks and areas where water running or blasting the floors caused groves and would feather the edge out to nothing and it would last a long time without any covering like the epoxy you plan. Most of the areas repaired are in cattle walk ways where skid steers run around and it seemed to hold.


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## stadry (Sep 17, 2014)

guys, forget regular cementitious products,,, there are many polymer-modified brands avail specifically formulated to address this particular issue,,, they're installed w/gauge rakes, pool trowels, & squeegees,,, they are NOT self-leveling,,, so there's no magic bullet

the 1st step in this work is usually diamond grinding for us,,, it may also be necessary to ' pickle ' & neutralize the existing conc floor depending on the selected product

look on:  concretenetwork.com - decorativeconcreteforum.com - concretelocator.com - they're where the pro's hang out

epoxies do not possess the hi-build qualities needed - hydraulic is totally inappropriate impo - fine aggregate is needed to provide abrasion resistance - urethanes are applied as a final coat to protect epoxies - water-based epoxies still suck


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## bud16415 (Sep 17, 2014)

I find this comes up a lot. A DIYer homeowner with almost zero skills trying to have someone help him thru trying to make something better than it was. He&#8217;s pretty new to this as his first tries were thick products with large size fill material I think most of us wouldn&#8217;t have thought about for a second to try. 

The home owner with limited skills I think needs to hear some ideas that he can carry out or to hear it&#8217;s not a job to try on your own, pro only. 

I don&#8217;t know if I could come up with a diamond grinder or the pickling and neutralizing equipment to do a garage floor or if I could I don&#8217;t know if I would have the skills or the PPE to do them safely. 

The products and tools he needs to hear about should come from a builder&#8217;s center or a hardware store and be relatively safe and simple to do. If a more complex solution is what is needed then we should take the time to really spell it out in detail. I did a google search on polymer-modified cementitious overlay and I&#8217;m finding a lot of tech talk and places I can but a 55 gallon drum for $1049. Most companies I found doing the work are good size and show lots of examples of resurfacing steps and walks and patios etc but offer a product but a service. 
Here is a link I found for smaller quanities.
Would this be a good product?
http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/b...gclid=CNn9zvLj6MACFcZQ7Aod_gYArQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
Would this be a good video of the skills needed?
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe8Vq-mMC3g[/ame]
Is there any home retail stores that sell it for DIY?


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## laurentj23 (Sep 17, 2014)

Here are some more pics. And yes! I'm new to this and I'm learning . They don't teach these kind of stuff back in high school. I could go the easy way out and go with a pro. My garage is 200 Sq feet area. That's arnd 2 grand. I don't have that kind of cabbage to do that. Or I can choose to just cover it with garage floor mat. 

But what's the challange if you ask a pro to do it. It's kinda like you want to modified your car but asking someone to install all the parts for you.

Here are more pics. I ask the guys at my station and he suggested materials with very little sand and a polybond

Thanks for all the advise btw.


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## havasu (Sep 17, 2014)

I still think I would just use sticky painter's tape, about 5" up from the floor. Mix the epoxy and paint the wall with a brush. Then, remove the tape before the epoxy sets. Now, using a roller, roll out the garage epoxy paint, nice and think, and if you want little sprinkles, this is the time to spread them. I will guarantee you it will turn out great for less than a hundred bucks.


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## bud16415 (Sep 17, 2014)

Having gone most of my life without a garage and then one with dirt floor I'm happy now that I have one with a floor that looks pretty bad with cracks. But I understand wanting it to be a showplace. My friend has checkerboard floor and you can eat off it. He uses mine for dirty jobs. Mine is a workplace some want a showplace. 


Sent from my iPhone using Home Repair


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## Chris (Sep 17, 2014)

I'm going on a limb here here but what about using grout? You can trowel it flat and it is made to bond? You can also get 50 pound bags of rapid set grout which is what we use to seal storm drain systems?


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## slownsteady (Sep 17, 2014)

I'm with Bud on this one. Get some Drylock or something similar and fill the crack and the low spots. But chances are the surface colors will be different - even just because of age.

L23: have you looked at the plastic tiles designed specifically for garages?


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## stadry (Sep 18, 2014)

guess some of my posts didn't appear legible so here's some mtls by name - 5star, master builders, elitecrete ( which we used for yrs & still occasionally do even tho we're not generally doing decorative conc work anymore ), stardek, super-krete, schofield, cts,,, even think apron store's now sell cement-all 

haven't read a response acknowledging these 'new' materials used 25yrs, have state dot approvals, & are spec'd on fed projects,,, i'm thinking IF the apron/vest stores don't sell it, many don't know about it,,, either that OR we've got some responders who aren't public works contractors,,, guys, wake up !  there's a whole 'nother world of conc repair out there    under youse noses  :beer:


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## bud16415 (Sep 18, 2014)

The below links are to the suggestions made by stadry. The only one that I could find that is readily available to the DIY was the &#8220;Cement All Rapid Set&#8221; thru Home Depot the other links are worth a view even though they are commercial contractor related as their photo pages give lots of useful tips and great photos of end results. 


http://www.fivestarproducts.com/products/concrete-repair-and-overlays.html

http://www.basf-admixtures.com/en/new-brand/Pages/default.aspx

http://elitecrete.com/

http://www.stardek.com/

http://www.super-krete.com/

http://www.scofield.com/

http://www.ctscement.com/
This is CTS Rapid Set DIY homepage. They mention Home Depot and have a selector tool to find a product.
http://www.ctscement.com/do-it-yourself/

Here is a link to the home depot page for Cement All Rapid Set. There are a couple videos there as well. 
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rapid-Se...pose-Construction-Material-02010055/202188447


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## laurentj23 (Sep 19, 2014)

bud16415 said:


> The below links are to the suggestions made by stadry. The only one that I could find that is readily available to the DIY was the Cement All Rapid Set thru Home Depot the other links are worth a view even though they are commercial contractor related as their photo pages give lots of useful tips and great photos of end results.
> 
> 
> http://www.fivestarproducts.com/products/concrete-repair-and-overlays.html
> ...




Bought it and tried it . No go. It's the same thing as the quikrete resurfacer except it's cheaper. Still has sand residue on the end after trowelling. I ended up using the leveling kit and 30 bucks a bag.


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## bud16415 (Sep 19, 2014)

laurentj23 said:


> Bought it and tried it . No go. It's the same thing as the quikrete resurfacer except it's cheaper. Still has sand residue on the end after trowelling. I ended up using the leveling kit and 30 bucks a bag.


 


Can you post a link to the product you ended up using? leveling kit


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## laurentj23 (Sep 19, 2014)

bud16415 said:


> Can you post a link to the product you ended up using? leveling kit




http://m.homedepot.com/p/Custom-Bui...lb-Self-Leveling-Underlayment-LQ50/100192482/

I'll post pics when I get home


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## bud16415 (Sep 19, 2014)

I don&#8217;t know anything about that product when used on a garage floor. Did homedepot recommend using it for your garage?


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## stadry (Sep 19, 2014)

you can't listen to the apron/vest folks UNLESS a particular individual has been ' on the tools & in the trades ',,, those places spend $ 0.00 on product training,,, generally all they know is what's written on the labels/bags/etc,,, think of your apron/vest ' expert ' as a tsa screening agent @ your local airport & it'll be much easier to comprehend

we would have had zip trouble resurfacing the floor using any of the mtls i mentioned,,, slc is NOT 1 we would have picked,,, its abrasion resistance is so comparatively low its generally not suited as a final floor finish - certainly not in any garage of mine OR a client's,,, however, if you're happy & you know it, that's fine


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## Chris (Sep 19, 2014)

I have used a lot if that product with good results. If you get creative with a trowel you can make a stamped concrete look out of it.


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## bud16415 (Sep 19, 2014)

Stadry. 

Of all the products you listed I took the time to find the link explaining what they are and how to use them. It also looked like only one of them was available to a DIYer. And I showed the link to that at an "apron store". The OP then came back with been there tried that and didn't like it and apparently didn't listen to any advice he was given. I didn't suggest him using it and was questioning where the info came from. I honestly have no idea how it will hold up with epoxy over it.

The more I learn the less I know on this thread. 


Sent from my iPhone using Home Repair


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## laurentj23 (Sep 20, 2014)

bud16415 said:


> Stadry.
> 
> Of all the products you listed I took the time to find the link explaining what they are and how to use them. It also looked like only one of them was available to a DIYer. And I showed the link to that at an "apron store". The OP then came back with been there tried that and didn't like it and apparently didn't listen to any advice he was given. I didn't suggest him using it and was questioning where the info came from. I honestly have no idea how it will hold up with epoxy over it.
> 
> ...



I get the information from one of the crew at my station that do concrete work on his day off. He said that i need to use a concrete leveling kit with polybond if possible . Anything that has sand is not gonna work. It just gonna make a rough texture appearance. And yes stadry , I have listened to your advised. I bought the cement all, use 2 bags, and the product came out the same as the one I use before which is quikrete resurfacer. I need one that is o" -1" not more. The rest of the products you've mentioned is not available at hd or lowes. Even sakrete flo.coat coat is not available. 

Stand by..I'll post pic of the surface that I covered with cement all.

This is not gonna be the final product surface. I'll epoxy coat it as the end product.


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## laurentj23 (Sep 20, 2014)

This white spot, rougher texture is the one I covered with cement all... The other one with the leveling kit. Total bags used 6. 180 bucks total. How much does you guys charge to do that in my garage..so arnd 300 Sq feet.


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## stadry (Sep 20, 2014)

generally speaking, decent size double garage floor resurfacing runs about $ 2.00 sf in atl & 2 guys are done in less than a day,,, only 300sf ?  make it $ 2.50-$ 2.75sf - in & out,,, its rare the good stuff is avail to diy'ers @ the apron/vest stores &, usually, diy'ers won't look beyond them,,, that just diy'ers - if the apron/vest stores don't sell it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, you can finish the rest


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## laurentj23 (Sep 21, 2014)

Dang! Shld have called you guys to do it.i spent close to 500 bucks without counting gas, and tire wear. !


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## stadry (Sep 22, 2014)

not to mention being harassed  :beer:  by us  :  learning is a life-long process especially IF you live long enough


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## bud16415 (Sep 22, 2014)

So just for my own future knowledge, the product (LevelQuik) sold at home depot and intended for underlayment between sub flooring and carpet,tile, wood flooring and such is also a good product to finish a garage floor with subjected to heavy vehicles and such and can be covered in epoxy coat and stand the test of time?
Also that is a preferred to the only other DIY product I could find (Rapid Set Cement All) for skim coating? 

The reason being the Cement All has sand in it and leaves a sandy surface. ????

To Stadry above post that DIYers won&#8217;t look beyond the products they can readily buy at apron stores. I don&#8217;t quite agree I often look beyond what they sell but in most cases it is all but imposable to buy the commercial grade product unless you know someone in that trade that will do you a favor or buy a massive amount of the product. It&#8217;s not that I don&#8217;t know I&#8217;m getting ripped off buying at the apron store on some of this stuff but a homeowner DIYer is limited in how to get the product and most of the cost is having the apron store carry the inventory for when I need a small amount of it. 

This is a DIY forum and everyone appreciates the pros that offer their time here helping but giving suggestions for products that can&#8217;t be had doesn&#8217;t help anyone. 

Laurentj23 I&#8217;m not quite seeing that much improvement in the before and after photos of your floor. I&#8217;m still seeing a lot of tool marks for a self-leveling product. Did you mix it to be very thin and pour it out and leave it or was it thicker and troweled on or did you tool it after it was setting up? I&#8217;m not critiquing your work just trying to understand your process.


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## stadry (Sep 22, 2014)

i wouldn't use ANY product from the apron/vest store IF i wanted good results,,, diy'er or pro, nobody can earn pro results UNLESS they use PRO materials,,, this doesn't include pro handyman stuff from the apron/vest stores

IF you're looking for tru PRO MATERIALS, you need to shop where true PRO MATERIALS are sold - not just stop in @ the nearest apron/vest stores

Cement All has fine aggregate but shouldn't leave a sandy surface IF its properly mixed, placed, & finished,,, IF diy'ers & semi-pro's can't take the time to locate the right material suppliers, how in hell could they ever expect pro results ?  yes, some materials are proprietary & only sold to those who are licensed to use them,,, that doesn't mean there aren't others of equal performance but 1 must search for them -NOT take the fastest path of ease

remember gary player ? the south african golfer ?  someone once remarked to him ' i wish i had your golf swing. '  player replied ' you won't because you won't hit 1,000 balls til your hands bleed, tape up your hands, & hit another 1,000 ! '  i heard him say it - so did nicklaus & palmer.  those 2 nodded & i smiled.  he said it at the 64 masters' practice range which arnie won.  

i guess the point is this:  IF you buy where the diy'ers buy just because its local, easier, & not far from the job, you'll always get those results,,, we don't even buy tools in there UNLESS we consider them throw-aways - i can't afford tools that quit,,, even in atl, IF we can't get the mtls we want, we'll order the RIGHT mtls in & pay the freight,,, that doesn't happen often tho, maybe 1 or 2x a  month


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## bud16415 (Sep 23, 2014)

I work in a large industrial complex and have access to every type of numerical controlled machine tools for metal working including lasers, water jet, wire EDM, etc. I also have access to almost every product finishing process paint, powder coat and all types of plating processes. I have heavy and light fabrication equipment and every type of welding you could think of. I can build a custom surface mounted circuit board if I wanted to.  
On occasion have used it all. 

But on a DIY home improvement forum I&#8217;m not about to suggest someone cut out their ceramic tiles using a half million dollar CNC water jet machine just because I have access to one.  Or polish their project to a micro finish on a extrude hone polishing machine. Or thousand other similar commercial processes they don&#8217;t have access to. And I wouldn&#8217;t advise that it&#8217;s not worth doing without such equipment or materials. 

I didn&#8217;t think I would ever be defending an apron store as I grew up in the days of neighborhood hardware stores and handy man shops that would fix things. But in defense of the apron stores. I know they have more than their share of knuckleheads working there stocking shelves and greeting people coming in and checking people out. But around here they hire quite a few retired trade people. I wasn&#8217;t that familiar with PEX plumbing a couple years ago and at our home depot I met a guy named Bo that had 40 plus years as a plumber. I don&#8217;t know if he needs the money or he just likes using what he knows, but he is my go to guy for plumbing and he spent hours with me helping me with plumbing related questions. The guy in the kitchen area is also great and worked his whole life as a kitchen designer and installer. I also get my fair share of people I&#8217;m pretty sure I know way more about what I need than they do and I have even helped other shopper when it looked like they were being given bad advice. Last year I was given very bad advice from an older &#8220;expert&#8221; on the best way to apply poly to some hardwood floors and ended up with a mess. There are knuckleheads running around calling themselves professional contractors also. They are not all located at the apron stores. 

My point has been all along anyone offering advice here needs to do it as complete as they can. If that advice is the best product you need is something you can&#8217;t buy or install so I suggest you hire a pro. Then that is solid good advice. It could then be followed up with if you insist on DIY here is the best you can do by going here and buying this and here is how to do it. 

I answered a post the other day where a person had a whole house electrical failure. Some others were advising on how to trouble shoot the problem and my suggestion was turn off the main and call the power company and tell them it is an emergency. As it turned out the supply to the house was holding by a thread and it was nothing any DIY should be messing with. 

Gary Player gave some good advice to that guy, but he didn&#8217;t know for sure maybe the guy did go back and hit 1000&#8217;s of balls and turn pro. 
I had the privilege of following Arnie around his 2004 Friday round at the Masters and was part of the Army on the 18th green. That was his last Masters round. Also Jack&#8217;s but he didn&#8217;t make any big deal out of it and let Arnie take the spotlight. 

Getting back on topic I still don&#8217;t know if floor leveler is going to work a week, month or 50 years as a garage floor?


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## stadry (Sep 23, 2014)

typically slc's ( self-leveling cements ) are not a final finish floor surface but, rather, good support for that selected final surface - engineered wood, tile, etc

our local apron/vest stores sell stuff that's appealing to their customers in general - there's always a good inventory of basic stuff,,, when it comes to needing mtls they don't stock, 1 has to do some investigating of probably sources,,, in my experience, that extra effort's largely lacking from the typical diy'er

we don't disagree  :beer:


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## laurentj23 (Sep 23, 2014)

bud16415 said:


> So just for my own future knowledge, the product (LevelQuik) sold at home depot and intended for underlayment between sub flooring and carpet,tile, wood flooring and such is also a good product to finish a garage floor with subjected to heavy vehicles and such and can be covered in epoxy coat and stand the test of time?
> Also that is a preferred to the only other DIY product I could find (Rapid Set Cement All) for skim coating?
> 
> The reason being the Cement All has sand in it and leaves a sandy surface. ????
> ...



The tool marks is because of the cement all that I used prior to the leveling kit. It makes the surface rougher and uneven. At this time I've spent a lot of time and money to get a concrete grinder and grind it again. So what I did was just lay the leveling kit on top of it. Overall Im satisfied and learnt a lot. I ask another guy, who build houses on his day off, and he also suggested leveling kit.

As far as durability goes, Im not sure. I haven't driven my car in there yet. Epoxy suggested to wait 2 weeks before putting the car in. Stadry is a pro, he might know where to get the materials. But all I know is, they are not a cheap products. I didn't expect to spend 500 bucks. So make an account of that prior to starting yours.


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## laurentj23 (Sep 23, 2014)

stadry said:


> Cement All has fine aggregate but shouldn't leave a sandy surface IF its properly mixed, placed, & finished,,,



OK. Just to clarify which products are you referring to?
This is the one I use that cause the sandy surface
http://www.ctscement.com/rapid-set-cement-all-2/. If this is the one you are referring to, than how do you mix it, placed it and finished it properly? I followed the instructions to the dot. 
Or you're referring to this product which HD don't carry http://www.ctscement.com/levelflor/
You're in ATL right? maybe you can refer me to a place to get the right materials since Im bat 1 hr NW of you.


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## laurentj23 (Sep 23, 2014)

And for those of you who want to DIY here's what I did from start to end. 2 weeks roughly.

1. Watch a lot of youtube videos. Learnt from it and of course go to this forum and ask the pro for advice.
2. Pressure wash the floor with concrete cleaner. Min of 3200 psi. $78 to rent and $12 for cleaner at HD. 
3. My surface is uneven since they are bult right from the slab, so I used a concrete grinder $ 128 from HD. Let it dry for 2 days.
4.I bought 4 different type of surfacer. A) regular concrete the cheapest one $4 B)Quikrete resurfacer from Lowes $30~. C) Cement all from HD $20. D)Levelquik From HD $30X 6 bags
5. Use a squeeze and level the surface out and let it dry for 2 days
6. I made a mistake and bought the epoxy kit 2.5 garage floor $99. It didn't cover my whole 2 car garage. Just buy the epoxy paint from Behr and be done with it. $35 a can. I ended have to buy another 1 car garage kit to match the same color. Epoxy seal don't sell it individually. $78. 
7. Read and watch the instruction video and start painting.

Total cost abt $500. Should have called sta dry and let the pro do it as it cost abt the same and probably a bit more with painting.


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## slownsteady (Sep 23, 2014)

I'm curious to know if the Levelquik was the right stuff for the job. After all, if it's supposed to level the floor, then the rough surface should have been no problem. Do you think the product worked poorly or do you think the application wasn't thick enough, or what??


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## Chris (Sep 24, 2014)

I'm guessing not thick enough. I've used that product with good results and mine was a pretty thin skim over a couple thousand square feet in a restaurant that we acid stained, turned out pretty good and has held up great for a few years now.


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## stadry (Sep 24, 2014)

when resurfacing, we use brooms, magic trowels, & 4' squeegees for finishing than regular trowels,,,  resurfacer's $45b & covers 200+sf @ 1/8",,, naturally it can be feather-edged & color pigment added,,, we don't use wtr-based epoxies UNLESS someone specs them which occasionally happens,,, owners often think they're smarter than artisans who do the work,,, this affliction also affects some engineers but more often architects,,, don't ask about h/o's


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## laurentj23 (Sep 24, 2014)

slownsteady said:


> I'm curious to know if the Levelquik was the right stuff for the job. After all, if it's supposed to level the floor, then the rough surface should have been no problem. Do you think the product worked poorly or do you think the application wasn't thick enough, or what??



The reason it's is rough is because I laid the cement all product and lay on top of it. I don't feel like renting a concrete grinder to take that cement all product. At this point, I'm ready to be done. And yes. It's pretty thick.

And the next project will be painting the driveway and seal it with blacktop . Any recommended materials? Before I spent more money and it don't work?


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## slownsteady (Sep 24, 2014)

You should prob start a new thread for that. It will draw different readers.


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## laurentj23 (Sep 26, 2014)

stadry said:


> we don't use wtr-based epoxies UNLESS someone specs them which occasionally happens,,, owners often think they're smarter than artisans who do the work,,, this affliction also affects some engineers but more often architects,,, don't ask about h/o's



Are there any reasons for not using water based epoxies?


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## Chris (Sep 26, 2014)

In my experience they just don't hold up or last.


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## nealtw (Sep 26, 2014)

laurentj23 said:


> Are there any reasons for not using water based epoxies?



You will let us know how it stands up over time.


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## stadry (Sep 27, 2014)

to us, 1 good reason is their low abrasion resistance which translates into short service life & less traction mainly caused by the thinness at which they ' lie '

ps - paint a driveway THEN seal it ?  what're you smoking ?  we all need to speak the same language - what're you talkin' about ?


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