Understanding The Reasons For Etching The Garage Floor
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?
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.
Why Should I Etch Before Applying Epoxy Garage Floor Paint?
There are a few reasons to etch your concrete garage floor before applying epoxy paint. For one thing, without etching, your epoxy paint would provide far less traction than bare concrete. This is bad for both walking and driving upon although, for show reasons, the smoother, non-etched look is sometimes considered better. If you plan to work in your garage, however, you definitely want the concrete etched before being painted.
But My Epoxy Garage Floor Paint Kit Says That Etching Is Not Required…
With some possible, rare exceptions, etching isn’t really a requirement for epoxy garage floor coating so much as a strong suggestion. However, if you’re wanting to guarantee any decent amount of life from your epoxy, and your kit tells you that it needs to be done, then you should definitely etch your concrete. The main reason for this is that smooth concrete will prevent epoxy paint from creating the seal that keeps it from peeling. There are some kits out there that advertise that their product does not require etching, but that’s a bit of a lie by omission. These coatings aren’t meant to last long and, many times, etching is still mentioned in the instructions as “strongly recommended, although not necessary”, or something similar.
At What Point Should I Etch My Garage Floor?
Almost every epoxy garage floor coating kit will come with some sort of etch-and-clean solution, and also instructions on when and how it should be used. Unusual circumstances notwithstanding, you’ll usually get the best deal by buying everything you need in one kit as opposed to separate pieces. Whichever way you go, the garage flooring is usually etched before anything else is done. This is especially so if your etching chemical also cleans but, if it does not, you will want to read those directions to see when the concrete garage floor is supposed to be cleaned.
Visit Sweet Garage Floor for more information about every kind of garage floor out there.
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