# Garage floor coatings



## stlpaint

Hello everyone,

I am curious about how many people are applying garage floor coatings and which suppliers / technologies are the best.

Thanks!


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## LINE-X

A 100% polyaspartic polyurea is superior to most epoxies. Unlike epoxy, the polyaspartic won't fade or yellow. Also, a polyaspartic is more durable and has much better elongation.

The application process of the polyaspartic is the same as an epoxy.


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## MrPaint

LINE-X said:


> A 100% polyaspartic polyurea is superior to most epoxies. Unlike epoxy, the polyaspartic won't fade or yellow. Also, a polyaspartic is more durable and has much better elongation.
> 
> The application process of the polyaspartic is the same as an epoxy.


I can appreciate your enthusiasm for the product you sell but don't let it cloud your judgement. Polyaspartics do fade, perhaps not as quickly as epoxies but they use the same colorants as urethanes and will fade. You are correct, elongation of polyurea's is substantially greater than epoxies but they have a much lower adhesion value than that of most epoxies. I'm not saying they aren't good products but it's definitely not magic paint and they have limitations just like everything else.


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## LINE-X

MrPaint said:


> I can appreciate your enthusiasm for the product you sell but don't let it cloud your judgement. Polyaspartics do fade, perhaps not as quickly as epoxies but they use the same colorants as urethanes and will fade. You are correct, elongation of polyurea's is substantially greater than epoxies but they have a much lower adhesion value than that of most epoxies. I'm not saying they aren't good products but it's definitely not magic paint and they have limitations just like everything else.


I'm going to respectfully disagree. The polyaspartic I'm referring to is a 100% aliphatic polyurea and does not fade or yellow including the pigmented mixes. Now, if you're talking about color chip flooring, then the little latex flakes will fade, but not the polyaspartic. A polyaspartic's adhesion is just as good as the typical bisphenol A epoxies. What sometimes increases adhesion is the solvents (if present) which take the epoxy or polyaspartic deeper into the substrate.


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## TJ Paint

I like using 2 part soventborne 100 solids epoxy followed by a urethane clear.

Its kinda like wall or trim paint, theres many good quality options by different suppliers.


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## LINE-X

TJ Paint said:


> I like using 2 part soventborne 100 solids epoxy followed by a urethane clear.
> 
> Its kinda like wall or trim paint, theres many good quality options by different suppliers.


Well, it's either solvent borne or 100% solids (meaning no solvents), not both. :thumbsup:


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## NEPS.US

I have line-x in my truck and it faded and chipped. Peels very easy.


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## LINE-X

NEPS.US said:


> I have line-x in my truck and it faded and chipped. Peels very easy.


You have a lifetime warranty against peeling, take it back and get it fixed. "Standard" bedliner products, no matter what the brand, will lose some gloss and color over time. Next time, get LINE-X Premium or LINE-X Xtra, both are aliphatic and won't fade like your current one.

Ford Raptor Blue Flame LINE-X Color match (no fading).




















This is what happens when you buy a "standard" black bedliner. But, some brands fade a lot worse than others.


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## Paradigmzz

You should see the color of my bedliner. Quite a few colors in fact.


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## MrPaint

LINE-X said:


> I'm going to respectfully disagree. The polyaspartic I'm referring to is a 100% aliphatic polyurea and does not fade or yellow including the pigmented mixes. Now, if you're talking about color chip flooring, then the little latex flakes will fade, but not the polyaspartic. A polyaspartic's adhesion is just as good as the typical bisphenol A epoxies. What sometimes increases adhesion is the solvents (if present) which take the epoxy or polyaspartic deeper into the substrate.


I remember my first few years in the paint/coatings business, I thought I had the best product in the world (because the manufacturer told me it was). I would take information from a product brochure or a training seminar as gospel and foolishly tell people till I was blue in the face about how good my product was and how much what they were using sucked. Lucky for me I had more experienced guys around me that were gracious and patient enough to show me my errors and teach me to look at the whole picture rather than simply what a brochure said. I see that you believe very strongly in your product and I can appreciate that coming from a sales background myself but keep in mind you are in a forum with very knowledgable folks with lots of experience. Good luck to you.


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## TJ Paint

LINE-X said:


> Well, it's either solvent borne or 100% solids (meaning no solvents), not both. :thumbsup:


I haven't done any for several years. Can't get the right money for them. But you are right, not solventborne.


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## LINE-X

MrPaint said:


> I remember my first few years in the paint/coatings business, I thought I had the best product in the world (because the manufacturer told me it was). I would take information from a product brochure or a training seminar as gospel and foolishly tell people till I was blue in the face about how good my product was and how much what they were using sucked. Lucky for me I had more experienced guys around me that were gracious and patient enough to show me my errors and teach me to look at the whole picture rather than simply what a brochure said. I see that you believe very strongly in your product and I can appreciate that coming from a sales background myself but keep in mind you are in a forum with very knowledgable folks with lots of experience. Good luck to you.


Thank you for your comments, but you don't know me. I've had SSPC training and practical experience in C & I applications. I do have lots of brochures for my customers though.

The original question was in regards to a garage floor coating. There are lots of types of epoxies, the most common for a garage floor is a bis-A/epichlorodydrin epoxy. Polyaspartic polyureas (a urethane) are a step up from bis-A epoxies. In fact, most good commercial epoxy floors have a urethane topcoat. There are better epoxies (bis-F Novolac, cycloaliphatic) but they can get rather expensive and are typically not used for garage floors. There are products other than epoxies and polyaspartics for your garage floor. I'd say the next most common is just a densifier/sealer.


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## paintguy86

What about ppgs w/b aquapon? Anyone have a comment?


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## JEPaints

wow. that floor looks great! the paver drive is sweet as well


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## Caveman Al

I'm in New England...are there any local companies aroud where I can purchase polyaspartic polyurea products from??? Everyone seems to be out west...


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## jhutch

I have been very happy with the Amazing Garage Floors system. Excellent looks and easier to install than some of the other systems I've done in the past.


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## Curtis51

Free shipping from versatile building products in Anaheim CA. Good stuff ! , pricey ouch.


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## henrymilathy

Yes i totally agree with MrPaint..Polyaspartics is not 100% reliable for floor coating...There may also be the chance of fading same as epoxies..So from my opinion firstly check it out on the INTERNET..Definitely you will find a better solution...


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## LINE-X

henrymilathy said:


> Yes i totally agree with MrPaint..Polyaspartics is not 100% reliable for floor coating...There may also be the chance of fading same as epoxies..So from my opinion firstly check it out on the INTERNET..Definitely you will find a better solution...


Well, no floor coating is 100% reliable. All polyaspartic polyureas are aliphatic and are subject to minimal fading and no yellowing. Most epoxies are aromatic and thus not UV stable. However, there are aliphatic epoxies but they are no better than aliphatic polyaspartics as far as fading is concerned.


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## DiamondPaintingInc

I use Sherwin Williams Tile Clad 2 part Epoxy and Rexthane Clear Coat. 
Just make sure you wear a respirator otherwise you might forget your name after the job is done :yes:


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## vermontpainter

I did H&C on our new shop floor and it has survived much brutalization.


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## oz_painter

I've done dozens of epoxy floors for ambulance and fire stations, garage floors, office floors and workshop floors. As far as I'm concerned most of the work is in the preparation, you prep it properly and use the paint system specified by the manufacturer you can't go wrong. I've only ever had product failure on 2 jobs, the paint rep gave us drums of paint that were past there shelf life so the paint company had to pay us to fix it made double the money haha


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## kenaroo

I've done hundreds of decorative chip and solid color floor coatings.
We've averaged 2 a week for 9 years.

Used dozen of different manufactures and products. I do laugh when I hear a rep telling everyone their product is superior than others as now I know better than take any reps word. there are a lot of great manufactures of flooring products.. Some spend a lot on marketing so they can charge premium prices.

Just ask some of the franchise owners of a "Premier" garage company how the lawsuit went. Corporate partnered with a company and spec'd a polyurea flooring product for all their jobs and had multiple failures in the Midwest due to de-lamination issues.

We spec products to the needs of the job (size, durability, look, Budget. Some are better than others 

Like Oz painter says.. floor prep is most important. 

We have a system that we've used for years with less than 1% failure rate with a 15 year warranty.

Our basic job is a 5 step system.. 
1.Clean, Prep (diamond grind and acid etch) depending on condition of concrete
2.fast cure epoxy with cabosil thickening agent to patch cracks voids
5.color base coat 50% solid epoxy at 3 to 5 Mils broadcast decorative chip (chips unlimited or Torginol brand chips)
4.clear coat epoxy 50% solid epoxy at 3 to 5 mils
5.top coat UVA polyurethane. 70% solid 3 to 5 mils

Typical 3 days installation 
Day one (4-5 hours) Prep, patch, 1st coat with broadcast
Day two (2 to 3 hours) scrape, broom and vac loose chips, check for blems, cover any missed areas with chips and apply epoxy clear coat sealer
Day three (2 hours) check for blems, apply top coat of polyurethane.


Pricing varies $3.75 to $4.25 sq/ft plus any extra prep if concrete is in bad shape or client specs additional coats.


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## zogo12

Like Kenaroo, I"ve been doing coatings for over a decade and used a lot of different products over the years. I to laugh when when reps and companies say their products are far superior. That just makes me stand back from it most of the time.

The right system is one you've installed 100's of times and know how to avoid different problems that could occur. This system is also one that you have abused over the years yourself, and it has held up and proven itself.

You can't just start naming products. The products I use, most people wouldn't be able to install correctly, at least the first few times. The floors wouldn't last long, and people would say they are a joke.

Plugging Products Names is dumb. It should be the specs of the product you talk about. The raw materials come from the same place, and a huge majority of all the products are made by 1 of three companies. It's not like there's hundreds of manufactures that make these products. i could start selling "Big Bob's Epoxy Coatings" as a manufacture within a week. My prices would competitive to all the others. Give some cash to an Architect that landed a deal with a national retailer and spec it for "Big Bobs" and the money starts to roll.


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## oz_painter

That's pretty well the the way we do it as well kenaroo, great write up!

How do you spread your flakes for the fleck floor? We don't do to many of them but people either winge there's to much or to little


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## AJB001

*Chip broadcaster*

No affiliation.....works great with the 1/4" chips that I sell.

http://www.krafttool.com/download/PC801.pdf


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## Xmark

AJB001 said:


> No affiliation.....works great with the 1/4" chips that I sell.
> 
> http://www.krafttool.com/download/PC801.pdf


quick question about the chip broadcaster.

how do you avoid messing up the just painted floor while dragging the air hose attached to the chip broadcaster and air compressor? in my imagination i can't see a way to elevate the air hose above the just painted surface.


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## snkd

Any tricks to adding a cove you guys can help with. I have tried adding chips to clear and rolling on. Throwing chips at wet surface. The best I have come up with is adding Cab-o-sil to the clear with chips mixed in and troweling up the wall. Then smoothing off on the floor to the best of abilty before laying floor. But this is all very costly (labor wise) and I have not found a result that looks like I would want.


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## PPG

:thumbup:


paintguy86 said:


> What about ppgs w/b aquapon? Anyone have a comment?


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## PPGPaintRepMI

Aquapon WB is not the best choice for a garage floor. I would use Aquapon 35 or (my favorite) Megaseal SL 100% solids. Some important things to keep in mind when it comes to garage floors is 1 - Surface Prep ( diamond grind or shot blast). 2 - Anti-skid aggregate ( Gloss Epoxies are very slick). 3 - UV Protection: ALL Epoxies will yellow and chalk over time when exposed to uv light. Use an aliphatic urethane to seal down decorative color fleck and/or aggregate. This will give it UV protection.


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## GrantsPainting

PPG said:


> :thumbup:





PPGPaintRepMI said:


> Aquapon WB is not the best choice for a garage floor. I would use Aquapon 35 or (my favorite) Megaseal SL 100% solids. Some important things to keep in mind when it comes to garage floors is 1 - Surface Prep ( diamond grind or shot blast). 2 - Anti-skid aggregate ( Gloss Epoxies are very slick). 3 - UV Protection: ALL Epoxies will yellow and chalk over time when exposed to uv light. Use an aliphatic urethane to seal down decorative color fleck and/or aggregate. This will give it UV protection.



So what would be a good better best comparison of products available by PPG for garage floor coatings?


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## Bender

AJB001 said:


> No affiliation.....works great with the 1/4" chips that I sell.
> 
> http://www.krafttool.com/download/PC801.pdf


Thats how we do it, but I use my drywall hopper.


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## Xmark

Bender said:


> Thats how we do it, but I use my drywall hopper.



again,how the hell do you use a compressor type broadcaster and not let the hose touch the freshly painted floor? i'd luv to see a video of that.


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## Bender

Its really not that hard fella.


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## aaron61

Xmark said:


> again,how the hell do you use a compressor type broadcaster and not let the hose touch the freshly painted floor? i'd luv to see a video of that.


 You do it in sections.......Example....paint a 10 x 10 square shoot your chips! You are not walking back over wet epoxy.You are standing on a non painted area with your hose behind you walking backwards

I don't understand your confusion


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## A+HomeWork

Anyone ever used ArmorSeal 1000?

I've used a urethane product from a Florida company that still looks brand new, but would rather not have to order out of state again.

I need to bid a 4200 sq ft steel building floor that will be used by an oil company. Trucks, welding, chemicals, etc. will be present. The slab is about 8 months old.


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## ducky

LINE-X said:


> You have a lifetime warranty against peeling, take it back and get it fixed. "Standard" bedliner products, no matter what the brand, will lose some gloss and color over time. Next time, get LINE-X Premium or LINE-X Xtra, both are aliphatic and won't fade like your current one.
> 
> Ford Raptor Blue Flame LINE-X Color match (no fading).
> 
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> This is what happens when you buy a "standard" black bedliner. But, some brands fade a lot worse than others.


For what it costs to coat your bed/bumper, you can buy the Duplicolor bed liner at Autozone. Its $60 a gallon, mix in a little black beauty into the goop, and apply 2 coats to whatever your using it on. In my case the back bumper of my work truck.

When it fades, (which it really hasnt) or gets dirty, just apply a coat of black gloss rustoleum to it, and viola! like new :whistling2::thumbsup:


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## GrantsPainting

paintguy86 said:


> What about ppgs w/b aquapon? Anyone have a comment?


I talked to my rep about it today. He said its excellent stuff. He did say that the high build semi-gloss or Megaseal was the way to go. However with my shop floor I may step it up to the Pitthane urethane enamels due to the chemical resistance that the normal customer wont need at all.


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## Bender

LINE-X said:


> You have a lifetime warranty against peeling, take it back and get it fixed. "Standard" bedliner products, no matter what the brand, will lose some gloss and color over time. Next time, get LINE-X Premium or LINE-X Xtra, both are aliphatic and won't fade like your current one.
> 
> Ford Raptor Blue Flame LINE-X Color match (no fading).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> This is what happens when you buy a "standard" black bedliner. But, some brands fade a lot worse than others.


I would like to see pics of that raptor blue now. Wonder how its holding up?

My truck has Rhino lining. It amazes me, after all these years when I wash it, it foams like its covered in dish soap!


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## cdaniels

My truck has a plastic Tuff liner which I really don't like but the painted bed under it still looks new and it's an 01.


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## mudbone

aaron61 said:


> You do it in sections.......Example....paint a 10 x 10 square shoot your chips! You are not walking back over wet epoxy.You are standing on a non painted area with your hose behind you walking backwards
> 
> I don't understand your confusion


 I tried that and ended up in a corner.


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## Andyman

Does anyone cove their floors?


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## goodkarmapainting

I have had very good luck with this stuff. 
WWW.tennantco.com
WWW.icscoatings.com


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## cdaniels

This is what I use.


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## GrantsPainting

Prep it right and you wont have an issue. If there is oil spots then get it off somehow. No matter how good of a product you use. If you don't prep right... expect a failure. If you do it right.... expect referrals from it for years to come.


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## pauloman

epoxy floors are sort of a very different product with different 'painters' at work. lots of different epoxy floor options and products. for a hint at the market check out
www.epoxyproducts.com/floorlinks.html


paul


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## NACE

Hate to sell the competitor but these guys are the best. I am impressed by ther quality, pricing, expertise and sales staff.

http://dur-a-flex.com/Home/WallSystems/


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## joebudd

*Garage floor systems*

OK There are so many epoxy floor systems out there and not sure where to start. From what I have read I do not want a water base system. What I want to do is put a medium gray color with flake colors in it. Then I am putting down vinyl floor decals. Big, pro made, then want to top coat with a clear to protect the decals. What brand to buy is the question. Only want to do it once. Don't want to spend a mint, but I do plan to grind the floor and clean it. There is no real oil, floor is only 2 years old.


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## Jmayspaint

I did my first big floor with all SW products. Macro poxy 646 for the first two coats . Actually not bad price wise, like 45$ a gallon. 
Top coats are armor seal HS Polly. It is a little more expensive.
It looks a lot like you are describing, light grey with flakes. 
I was happy with how it turned out and how it's doing so far. The guy has a lot of cars in and out of there.

Looks darker in first pic, lighting I guess.


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## NACE

Andyman said:


> Does anyone cove their floors?


We have been coving some of our commercial floors. Quite an art. Not residential.


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## 97audia4

Jmayspaint said:


> I did my first big floor with all SW products. Macro poxy 646 for the first two coats . Actually not bad price wise, like 45$ a gallon.
> Top coats are armor seal HS Polly. It is a little more expensive.
> It looks a lot like you are describing, light grey with flakes.
> I was happy with how it turned out and how it's doing so far. The guy has a lot of cars in and out of there.
> 
> Looks darker in first pic, lighting I guess.


im about to do a garage floor similar to this one, what grade did you use in the amorseal line?


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## Jmayspaint

97audia4 said:


> im about to do a garage floor similar to this one, what grade did you use in the amorseal line?


 It's holding up great to traffic so far. That garage is at the end of a long gravel driveway. I'm sure that helps, no hot tires.


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## PaintNerd

I just read through this thread and am actually quite surprised that there has been so much commentary on surface preparation and product selection with no mention of moisture testing. Many of the different brands and technologies of floor coatings will work just fine when matched to the owners expectation, service requirements, and budget, but the vast majority of the premature flooring failures I have seen were related to moisture issues, inadequate surface prep, or a combination of both. If you prep the floor properly, get acceptable results from moisture testing, and follow the manufacturers' instructions you will have great results!


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## kdpaint

Well, good point about moisture, but the other 100 threads about garage floor coatings were all about prep, not products, so this one was a little different...and old!


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## cdaniels

Checking moisture is part of the prep.At least on the systems I've used it is.


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## EthanK

*Spraying vs. rolling*

I am looking into spraying my top coat with a hopper gun vs. rolling it on. The questions I have are 1) am I going to lose too much material spraying it based on the fact that these materials are pretty expensive 2) are pin holes going to be an issue if I am applying 20 mils or less 3) what about solvent popping


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## NACE

Andyman said:


> Does anyone cove their floors?


We cove floors if it's in the spec. Last we did was a dog kennel and will be doing another next week after shot blasting and poly Crete in another dog training facility.


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## aaron61

EthanK said:


> I am looking into spraying my top coat with a hopper gun vs. rolling it on. The questions I have are 1) am I going to lose too much material spraying it based on the fact that these materials are pretty expensive 2) are pin holes going to be an issue if I am applying 20 mils or less 3) what about solvent popping


What The??????? Top coat with a hopper gun??????


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## paulnelson

LINE-X said:


> You have a lifetime warranty against peeling, take it back and get it fixed. "Standard" bedliner products, no matter what the brand, will lose some gloss and color over time. Next time, get LINE-X Premium or LINE-X Xtra, both are aliphatic and won't fade like your current one.
> 
> Ford Raptor Blue Flame LINE-X Color match (no fading).
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is what happens when you buy a "standard" black bedliner. But, some brands fade a lot worse than others.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> decorative garage floor coatings


I know this has been discussed before but some of the links to past posts are broken with the new forum organization.

Does anyone have any experience with 2-part epoxy garage floor coatings? Is this really a do-it-yourself job or should I consider hiring a professional? Any recommendations on brands to use? BTW, this is brand new concrete so no oil stains to remove.

Thanks in advance


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## stelzerpaintinginc.

paulnelson said:


> I know this has been discussed before but some of the links to past posts are broken with the new forum organization.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with 2-part epoxy garage floor coatings? Is this really a do-it-yourself job or should I consider hiring a professional? Any recommendations on brands to use? BTW, this is brand new concrete so no oil stains to remove.
> 
> Thanks in advance


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