Epoxy Floor Coating: How to Make Your Own Epoxy Floor!

IIs your old floor looking beat up and drab? Do you need the look of stately natural stone in your bathroom, garage, or kitchen? How about a touch of exotic color?

The good news is that you can completely revitalize your old floors. And it’s simple, too! All you need is Stone Coat Countertops’ epoxy floor coating. Add in a little DIY spirit (or a contractor), and you’re on your way to a stunning new epoxy concrete floor!

To make it extra easy, we’ll provide everything you need to know about epoxy concrete floors. We’ll cover what kind of effects you can create, answer some FAQs, and even give a quick step-by-step guide.

Are you ready? You got this!

Why Epoxy Flooring?

Let’s start with the obvious: Epoxy floors look incredible! Imagine any natural or exotic stone you can think of…

Fractured granite? Sliced jade? Carrara marble? White quartz?

All that and more. Concrete floor epoxies are so easy to work with that you can create any look you’re going for. If you want a flake floor, solid colors, or something with a bit of sparkle, epoxy can get you there.

Not only that, but epoxy flooring is tough! It’s scratch-resistant, stain-resistant, UV-resistant, heat-resistant, and impact-resistant. That’s a lot of resistance! Plus, it’s sturdy enough to handle the normal wear and tear of household living while maintaining its incredible looks.

Finally, an epoxy floor is extremely cost-effective. Natural stone (like marble) can get obscenely expensive and hard to install. Flooring epoxy is affordable, and any DIYer can tackle an epoxy project over the course of a weekend..

Flooring Epoxy FAQs

We get a lot of questions about our concrete floor epoxy. Here are a few of the most common questions and concerns that we hear:

• Do epoxy floors scratch easily?Epoxy resin is an extremely tough and durable product that resists scratches. That’s not to say that it’s scratch-proof—nothing is. Even natural stone floors and countertops get scratched. But Stone Coat Epoxy concrete floors are very scratch resistant.
• How long does epoxy flooring last?This definitely depends on your application. In commercial kitchens or high-traffic garage floors, epoxy will last at least a few years. An epoxy concrete floor can last a decade or more in homes, bathrooms, and other residential areas.
• Is concrete epoxy flooring good for homes?Yes! Epoxy floors are great for homes. Epoxy is highly customizable, allowing people to achieve their dream home look. Plus, they last a long time (see the point above)!
• Do epoxy concrete floors crack or peel?Generally, an epoxy concrete floor will not crack or peel. Improper preparation or bad product may cause the epoxy to peel. And epoxy floors will crack—if the foundation does. As long as your home is stable and your prep is good, your floors will stand the test of time.
• Does concrete floor epoxy work for countertops?Yes and no. Yes, a lot of the ingredients for floor and countertop epoxy kits are the same. But no, the ratios for those ingredients are totally different. And so is the application process!
• How much does it cost to epoxy a floor? A DIYer can epoxy a floor for only a few dollars per square foot. Of course, the desired look for your project will affect the cost as well. Some pigments, metallic powders, and paints are more expensive than others! But one thing is for certain: epoxy is cheaper than granite!

Unfortunately, we can’t answer every question here. However, feel free to drop us a line any time. We’re happy to help you figure out how to tackle your next home project.

Your Step-by-Step Epoxy Floor Coating Guide

Scroll down if you prefer reading. Or, if you’re like us and you want to see how epoxy floors are made, just watch the video below!

You can also see our full step-by-step epoxy floor guide here.

1. Figure out the size of your epoxy flooring project

Our concrete floor epoxy is great for commercial, home, or garage flooring projects. Calculate the size of your project and then see how much epoxy you’ll need.

For epoxy floor systems, we use a 2:1 mixing ratio. So, we sell 1.5-gallon kits that cover 150 square feet. If you need more, we sell 15-gallon kits that cover 1,000 square feet. You can use this calculator to see how much flooring epoxy you’ll need:

Next, get your baseboards ready. Use a razor blade to cut paint back from the baseboards. You may lightly score the top of the baseboards to avoid tearing the pain. If you need to, you can use a hammer and crowbar.

2. Prepare Your Floor

Preparation is key for any flooring project. From grinding the concrete to cleaning and filling cracks, you’ll need to do it all. We recommend using a grinder and 4” diamond cutting blade to help with cleaning our cracks and control joints.

We use a 7” angle grinder with a 7” dust shroud and a 7” diamond cup wheel to grind our floors for our concrete epoxy flooring. projects. If you see cracks in the concrete floor, use our floor patch kit. Make sure to overfill the cracks for proper sealing and so you can sand down to a perfect level.

Don’t take any shortcuts here! Make sure your floor is clean, dust-free, filled with cracks before mixing your epoxy.

Pro tip: Tape your shop vac hose to your grinder before cleaning cracks—it will help you suck out all the dust!

3. Do a quick moisture test on your prepared concrete floor

Wait a day to pour your concrete floor epoxy. And, overnight, tape down (on all sides) a 3-mil plastic sheet square over a section of concrete. In the morning, you can see if there’s excess moisture—and if you need to put down a moisture barrier.

One moisture barrier option is our. epoxy undercoat. We recommend white if you are mixing brighter colors, like blue or quartz. For darker floors, we suggest using black.

Once your moisture levels are acceptable, you have the green light!

4. Now it’s time to mix your concrete floor epoxy and set a prime coat

You’ll want to start with a prime coat of epoxy and metallics. The first step in this is mixing your concrete floor epoxies with metallics. Put your metallics first (or pigments, or glitter, or paint), then pour your epoxy on top. (This reduces the chance of making a mess while mixing at higher speeds!) /p>

Mix enough epoxy to apply a thin prime coat to the whole project area. This will ensure a strong chemical bond.

We use a chop brush to apply a coat near the perimeter of the floor. Then, we use an epoxy glide roller to spread epoxy over the rest of the floor.

Let this coat dry for 18–24 hours.

Meanwhile, let your epoxy floor coating (Part A) sit overnight to incorporate metallics.

5. Apply your second epoxy floor coating

If you apply the second coat of concrete floor epoxy within 24 hours, you don’t need to do anything special. The chemical bond will still be strong.

But if you wait more than 24 hours, you’ll need to ensure a mechanical bond between the layers of epoxy. Sand it lightly with 220 grit sandpaper. Then, wipe the dust with acetone or denatured alcohol.

Apply your hardener (Part B) to the epoxy you let sit. Mix it with a yardstick for 10 minutes, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom. Then, use a magic trowel and roller to apply your epoxy to the floor.

This step is also where you will add accent colors and meld them with the base floor color.

6. Cure the epoxy floor

Before letting the epoxy flooring cure, heat it with a propane torch. This will ensure an even surface free of bubbles.

Then, let the concrete floor epoxy cure for 72 hours at 70 degrees or anything close to room temp. Don’t use it heavily or drive on it (for garage floors) until it’s had a chance to fully settle!

Our epoxy flooring kits are great for commercial epoxy projects or garage flooring projects. Epoxy floor systems are a 2:1 mixing ratio which is why you’ll get a 1 gallon and half-gallon kit. This kit covers 150 sq feet. That is perfect for a small room or garage, or get our 15-gallon kit for a 1,000 sq ft area. Preparation will be key for any flooring project, from grinding the concrete to cleaning and filling cracks in the concrete.

We want to reiterate here that Floor preparation is essential, so please take your time and ensure your floor is clean, crack filled & dust free before mixing any concrete floor epoxies. Taping your shop vac hose to your grinder before starting cleaning cracks out will help suck up all of the dust. Clean out cracks and control joints with a grinder and 4” diamond cutting blade.

Use a razor blade to cut paint back from the baseboards. Next, lightly score the top of any baseboards and peal or remove with a hammer/crowbar.

Use a 7’ Angle grinder with a 7’ dust shroud and a 7’ Diamond cup wheel. Apply even pressure when grinding the floor. Sweep and vacuum the dust. If you have cracks, make sure not to forget your Floor patch. See Floor patch for step-by-step instructions. Make sure to overfill the cracks for proper sealing and so you can sand down to a perfect level.

If you are pouring the epoxy floor coating the next day, make sure to do a moisture content test. One way to do this is by taping down a 3 mil plastic in a square on all sides, so in the morning you can see how much moisture and if you need to put down a moisture barrier.

One moisture barrier option is our epoxy undercoat, white if you are mixing colors like blue or black for darker floors.

After preparing the floors, you start with a prime coat of epoxy and metallics.

Start by pouring metallics into your mixing container and then the concrete floor epoxy on top. This helps mix the metallics before you start mixing at a higher speed.

Make sure to watch our videos for more steps and read the step-by-step instructions. We always recommend doing your research on your DIY project and if you can do a small test project, so you know you'll love the look. We are so grateful for all of the fans and people helping to make this era the Epoxy Revolution.

So Remember...........................................

You Got This!