Can you do Epoxy Flooring Yourself?

You may be thinking about doing some epoxy coating for your home.  You may have even done you research on the topic and watched a few YouTube videos on the subject.  Maybe you want to apply it to your garage floor.  You can save yourself a lot of money doing it yourself.  Or you can hire a general contractor that will be able to do it under budget for you.  You can even go out and purchase the DIY kits that are available for garage floors.  Why spend extra with a professional when you can do it cheaper, right?

The truth is, applying epoxy coating is probably one of the most challenging things a homeowner can try to take on.  Epoxy does not forgive.  There is very little wiggle room for any error here.  The chemical reactions in the resin and the curing can create some very big obstacles in your ability to get anywhere near your expected results. 
But if you are up to the challenge, we would ask you this:
 
What does the Day Look Like? 
What kind of weather is expected when you are planning to apply the epoxy?  Don’t believe that matters?  Check the epoxy manufacturer’s recommendations on that because they don’t just add that information as filler.  Concrete has a tendency to sweat when high temperatures arrive.  Also humidity.  This will mess with your epoxy being able to bond correctly to the concrete.  Big time.
 
Is the Garage Kits Really any Good? 
The home hardware guy will tell you that the garage epoxy kits are top notch and you should be able to get great results with them.  Depending on what you end up buying, it could happen.  And the epoxy coatings could even last a few years, if your lucky.  But we will be perfectly honest here – you will not get the same quality product that is used in industrial applications.  They are not as durable and do not have the same longevity as the commercial product. 

Do you know how to prepare the surface? 
The preparation of the concrete surface needs to be done correctly.  The entire project will depend on getting a correct bond between the epoxy and the concrete.  The concrete needs to be cleaned, scraped, cracks filled, and sealed.  If you think it’s good enough to proceed, we hope you are right!  Because, if you are wrong, you will have issues!

Have you got Moisture? 
Don’t just look for standing water on the concrete.  You must do moisture tests to make sure that you don’t have any vapor or moisture emissions.  This is probably the number one reason that epoxy coatings will fail.  There was a moisture or vapor issue right from the start that was not resolved prior to applying the epoxy.  The issue does not go away just because there is epoxy on top of it.

How is the Substrate? 
The layer of the substrate controls the flooring’s quality. If you’ve got an inappropriate or low-quality substrate, it can cause issues such as bubbles, blisters, or bad bonding. If you want to prevent these issues, you have to fix cracks properly. In addition to that, you have to patch damaged areas before you apply any coating.
 
Do You Have the Correct Tools?
Every project will have its own set of tools required.  Epoxy coatings installation uses a lot of tools.  The tools are very much needed to achieve the desired results.  You cannot substitute tools for something you might think will do the job.  They are specific to the project at hand.  And you will need to know how to use them correctly.  Just like the quality of the product being used will impact the finished job – the tools used to apply it will as well.
 
Are You Sure You Know What You are Doing? 
We think we may have gotten our point across.  That point being, there are many different DIY projects that homeowners can tackle depending on their experience levels.  There are also tasks and jobs that a general contractor can handle.  We simply feel strongly that applying epoxy coatings is not one of them.  There are way too many conditions and situations that can turn your project into a failed project.  We do not want anyone to have to experience that.  We recommend leaving epoxy flooring or coatings to the professionals.  The results will be much better if you do.