Customer Reviews for Rust-Oleum EpoxyShield 2 Gal. Dark Gray Semi-Gloss Professional Floor Coating Kit (2-Pack)

I have used this product twice now and have learned some tips specific to this brand. Note, these tips are for the PROFESSIONAL floor coating system, not the standard edition. They are different. 1.) Unless you have a brand new slab of concrete, as always, take the time to do all the prep-work completely and correctly... a.) Clean garage floor with bleach and TSP and rinse, b.) de-grease with mineral spirits on tough stains and then wash again with an industrial de-greaser and rinse. c.) power wash, preferably at 3,000 psi. d.) Acid etch with phosphoric acid, muriatic acid, or similar, then neutralize with baking soda and rinse. e.) power wash again. f.) rinse, rinse, rinse until efflorescence (white powder) stops being left behind as a residue. 2.) Very porous concrete and/or cracked concrete will need to be patched. The Rust-Oleum Epoxy patch works well, but it quite expense per sq ft. I found cementitious products did not feather-out to the degree I wanted for a smooth finish. I would recommend something like Pro Chem's Sure Patch or perhaps a polymer modified concrete. The other option is to complete re-float the floor. 3.) When using the product I recommend the following: a.) Definitely do two coats. Why? Because your patches and your older concrete will absorb the epoxy at different rates and will end-up providing some areas with a flat finish and others with a glossy finish. By using two coats, you'll seal the floor first and then get a consistent finish coat. b.) If using only 1/2 the product per coat, DO NOT mix the entire batch and stick half in the freezer. Measure part A and B and mix only that amount. Otherwise your 2nd coat will be a gloppy mess. c.) I highly recommend thinning the product before application. Why? Because I found that otherwise it does not flow-out very well and will leave the texture of the roller imprinted in the coats. According to Rustoleum Epoxy Shield Technical Support, the product can be thinned-out up to 3% with Xylene. I suggest closer to 1.5% (Thus, 1.9 oz of Xylene per mixed gallon). d.) I also highly encourage you to use the paint chips as they nicely hide any irregularities in your concrete. 4.) I also highly recommend finishing with a clear coat. I did use the Rustoleum Clear High-Gloss 2-Part Premium Floor Coating Kit (note: cannot buy in CT, must go the NY) and I was very pleased with the results. By using a clear-coat, if at any time you want to fix scratches and scuffs, just give a quick sanding and throw-down another coat. However, please note that the solvent used in this specific product is very difficult to find and costs about $100 per gallon. So, do not plan on cleaning any tools you use to apply this product. Plan to throw-away any brushes and rollers used, and thus buy cheap ones for this project. 5.) MAKE SURE TO WEAR A RESPIRATOR (which is NOT a dust mask) with either of these products. Good luck and have fun!

Rocket~ think this product would work well in my Salt Lake City basement?

I installed this product ( Internet No. 203853275) on my garage floor in Utah in 2006 and in Hawaii in 2008 and several other friends garages - and it has held up very well. Also I would purchase a case of additional Decorative Chips (1 lb Brown Blend, Internet No. 2043611771 and apply the decorative chips much closer together than would be possible if you use only the chips supplied with the kit. This makes the final product look like a marble surface. Before coating the cement floor, clean and acid wash the cement floor and rinse with water several times. If you caulk the spaces between the cement slabs with a fast drying DAP type paintable caulking material, and also caulk the edge of the garage floor all around the garage floor (using a lot of caulk around the edges so it does not crack) this really makes the final coated garage floor look much nicer and it seals the floor so no insects can come up from the ground below. Also after the caulking is finished and has dried. I use a paint roller to coat a foot or so up the garage walls, with the Professional Epoxy Coating and this protects the sheet rock so you can wash the garage out with a hose and not damage the sheet rock. Use a disposable paint brush to paint the floor next to the wall and then coat the floor as recommended by Rust Oleum. This caulking and painting up the garage wall really makes the final job look better in my opinion and be more functional. Note: I would not install any garage floor epoxy coating that allows water wash up of brushes as it is a inferior coating. I would only install a 2 part- solvent base epoxy coating such as the Professional Floor Coating Kit. I much prefer the tan color, but have installed the battleship grey in my garage before I installed the Tan color elsewhere. I also recommend that in addition to coating your cement garage floor with this Professional Floor Coating product, that you then apply two coats of Rust Oleum clear- high gloss 2-part Premium Floor Coating (Internet No. 203282323) solvent based, over the top as a final coating, this really makes the floor shine, and gives it additional strength and durability over the decorative chips. You can add a fine sand additive to the final top clear- coat if you wish to add some skid resistance and make it less likely that a wet floor would present a slipping-falling hazard. I installed this coating on a friend's garage floor in Maui, Hawaii and the neighbors asked if it was a marble tile floor. They were amazed at how well it looked and 3 years later it looks just like new.

Instructions say only one coat. But I recommend two coats.

Be SURE to prepare the surface REALLY well. If this isn't done correctly, the coating WILL peel. Floor preparation accounts for 90% of this project. I can not stress it enough.....FLOOR PREP IS KEY. The coating goes on rather easily. Be SURE to keep "wet lines" while applying to each 4x4 section. If not, transitions lines will be VERY visible. If transition lines are present, they can be corrected by applying Rust-Oleum's clear coat epoxy (HIGHLY recommended). Not only another level of protection for your already GOOD looking floor, but a GREAT looking clear coated floor you can be proud of. Sorry website wouldn't upload any pics.