When I bought my place it had this "lovely" tan floor finish in the garage - a so called "Epoxy" floor paint over a BEHR sealer according to the cans I found. It apparently isn't rugged enough for the treatment it gets from my kind of automotive activities - jack rollers, jack stands, cleaning concoctions, engine, tranny and anti-freeze drips, grinder sparks - I'll bet everyone knows what I'm talking about. Tire tracks and motor oil. Things that go bump in the garage when you get in there and mix it up with the machinery. It looks a bit better after a good mopping - but it ain't cherry....

Now that I know how to remove enough of this coating (by incident) for it to look pretty ugly - how do I get rid of the rest of it? Chemistry or machinery? (My old Dad keeps grabbing up his belt sander and waving it around) I would consider trying another type of coating if this one could be removed well enough that a new surface would bond properly and cover. I will admit that the "brighter" coloring of the tan helps you see in poor light. Is there a brand or type of coating that stands up to something more than storage - or do I need to get rid of the existing covering and just mop in some concrete sealent that can be seamlessly renewed?

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

I bought some paint stripper from home Depot. It was nasty stuff. Very hot and caustic. It took up all the oldstyle Tar adhesive off of our kitchen floor.

I've never had good luck with painted floors UNLESS you start with a new concrete floor first. And even then I think after what I've learned I would just seal it or wax it. Much harder to screw it up.



It is JASCO professional brand. In a black gallon can. seems like about 15 bucks.

       A  L  A  N   F  R  A  K  E  S   ~  Tulsa, OK    

I purchased my house new and applied the epoxy floor covering from Home Depot. It took about 4 mos. for the tires to start picking it up and it has gone downhill since. So much for the new concrete hypothesis. The only thing I was thinking about trying were the industrial Armstrong tiles. The type you see in supermarkets. If I recall, they are about $.60-.70 a square and very tough. I figure if they stay down all I need to worry about is replacing them if they get damaged from heavy/falling items. They are available in many colors, but my plan was to do the traditional checkerboard.