Understanding The Purpose Of Garage Floor Etching
Dec 11, 2009 More Saving
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Etching is often an overlooked step when people apply garage floor paint. For your garage floor coating to be at its best, though, etching is a necessity. For the most part, garage floor coatings can be used without etching, but you will be missing out on a lot of the benefits of your epoxy paint, and it might not last as long.
When It Comes To A Garage Floor, What Is Etching?
To etch is basically to cut in to the surface of. A good example, outside of garage flooring, is glass etching. Glass is generally etched for decorative purposes, although the results can also result in better grip. When it comes to garage floors, etching is not so much for decoration, although the texture that is produced is considered, by most, to be preferable to a mirror finish.
Why Should I Etch Before Applying Epoxy Garage Floor Paint?
You don’t have to etch your concrete garage floor when applying epoxy, but there are some very good reasons why you will probably want to. For one, the increased traction that epoxy can provide comes from etching, and it will be absent if the floor is not etched. This can cause slips, falls, and other assorted chaos, and driving on such a slick surface can also be irritating. If the intention is to do a lot of work in your garage, etching is definitely the way to go.
But My Epoxy Garage Floor Paint Kit Says That 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?
Many of the more expensive epoxy garage floor coating kits will come with some sort of “etch and clean” chemical, and will come with explicit directions. When purchasing your epoxy garage floor paint, you will get the best value from the ones that include everything you need, as opposed to buying the chemicals separately. Whether in a kit, or purchased separately, etching should generally be applied to the garage flooring as the first step. If the etching product does not also clean, then cleaning your concrete garage floor will be what comes next.
Visit Sweet Garage Floor for more information about every kind of garage floor out there.
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