Can you Apply New Epoxy Over Old Epoxy on a Garage Floor?

Epoxy resin floors are durable, resistant, and very efficient in terms of minimizing repair costs. The garage floor epoxy Kansas City does not quickly wear, crack, or chip. Even when heavy tools fall on it and hit the surface, they won’t break. It will not get scratches even. With that said, the epoxy coating can peel off or fade in color due to severe factors like heat, overuse, and constant heavy foot or vehicle traffic. 

When the going gets tough for the tough flooring, what comes to mind is if it can be fixed with a second helping of the same epoxy coating? A solid YES is the only answer. What you need to find out next is how?

Good thing you found this blog. Everything will be answered here. So, take notes as you learn here facts about epoxy that experts want you to know!

How long does epoxy last on garage floors?

As mentioned above, the main villain of this super strong floor coating is the heat. More specifically, the sun’s UV rays. First, you need to know why. Remember that epoxy consists of a subgroup of polymers or a synthetic type of plastic. In short, epoxy is a plastic material in its raw form. 

A concrete garage flooring is enhanced with this super adhesive mixture. It is also made of 100% solid parts. As the resin mix spread on the concrete surface, it solidifies. It paves the way for an ordinary concrete slab to upgrade with another layer of dense material. It’s double the strength and doubles in function. The coating turns into a flooring system itself. 

With a concrete floor getting a tough coating, nothing will seem to downgrade it. So, is your epoxy floor there for you for life? Typically epoxy floors last from 5 to 10 years! If fading and scratching happen in its early years, you can reapply another coating of epoxy. There you go, you heard it once. Yes, use epoxy to apply it to an existing epoxy.

Can you reapply epoxy over an epoxy coated garage floor?

Typically epoxy garage floors last from 5 to 10 years! It paves the way for an ordinary concrete slab to upgrade into a more dense material. With a concrete’s tough coating, nothing will seem to downgrade it. So, is your epoxy floor there for you for life?

If fading and scratching happen in its early years, you can reapply another coating of epoxy. There you go, you heard it once. Yes, use epoxy to apply it to an existing epoxy.

As mentioned above, the main villain of epoxy is heat, the sun’s UV rays in particular. Why?

Remember that epoxy consists of a subgroup of polymers or a synthetic type of plastic. In short, epoxy is a plastic material in its raw form. It can be brittle under to too much heat. It also causes the coating to fade in color. 

Here are other common reasons why some users opt to recoat the floor with epoxy:

  • You need to change the color and add a glossy surface.
  • Epoxy becomes brittle, and the coating chip-off and peels.
  • Too much scratch or abrasion appears and is too obvious.
  • You want to upgrade with a multi flooring system.

Can you reapply epoxy over an epoxy coated garage floor?

Now that you know that epoxy can be recoated to an existing old one, the next to know is how? There are three basic steps:

Step 1: Degloss or Sand the Surface

If you only need to recoat epoxy over epoxy, prep the floors with sanding. It works by scraping the old coat away and make it ready for the new skin of coating. The key is you do not want to mix old skin into new ones. Doing so will assure strong adhesion, and it will also give a flawless look. 

A tool called “buffer” or sand screen will thoroughly clean the floor area for massive areas. You can get in touch with expert flooring contractors to assist you in using it.

Step 2: Sweep and Smooth

After roughing up the surface, you need to sweep those tiny, sandy particles out. Then, apply denatured alcohol to smooth out the dusty surface. The alcohol solution will also melt any grits that are hard to remove by sweeping alone.

Step 3:  Clear and Ready for Coating

Once the old epoxy floor has been roughed-up, then smoothen out, you are ready for coating. 

Take a peek below at the many variants of epoxy coating to reapply to existing ones.

  • Clear Epoxy. One of the times that you will think you might want to recoat epoxy onto epoxy is when you need a change of color. Clear coat epoxy will give it a vibrant and glossy color.
  • Slurry Epoxy. What is in the name? It’s called slurry, for it spreads and levels out on the top surface without much effort. What you see after is seamless, flawless floors. This is the preferred floor coating to repair massive areas such as laboratories, manufacturing facilities, and commercial garages that will take more than a 3-car garage area.

Flexible Grade Epoxy. A residential garage, such as a 2-car garage size or a 3-car garage size, can find a helpful resealing with a flexible grade epoxy. If there is a material that is stronger than epoxy, it is this one. The flexible grade type now resists severe abrasion, especially from heat-generating equipment.

Concluding Words

Now that you have this expert’s knowledge on epoxy continue that path by getting in touch with our expert contractors, Garage Floor Kansas City. The flooring tech is evolving non-stop, and you will not know that the next innovation is already out in the market. Better get the latest trends trusted flooring professionals. Stay up to date with fresh style and the latest products today or read through our next blog about why epoxy floors are great for garages.

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