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how to safely remove paint off cement garage floor

Discussion in 'Garage / Workshop' started by TacomaPrime, Jan 22, 2012.

  1. Jan 22, 2012 at 4:52 PM
    #1
    TacomaPrime

    TacomaPrime [OP] Cybertronian Tacoma

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    I'm not just talking about a spot of spilled paint. I'm talking the whole garage floor.
    bought my house 3 years ago, and someone who owned it before us PAINTED the garage floor, with what appears to be just regular paint. Well, after 3 years of driving on it, it is chipping off. Then it gets wet and on our shoes and we drag it into the house and all over the carpet.
    So the wife and I finally said enough. We are going to take the paint off, and either do that epoxy stuff, or do the race deck garage flooring.
    How do I get the paint off? Can i just get paint stripper and apply that and then scrape it off?
    Thanks!
     
  2. Jan 22, 2012 at 5:04 PM
    #2
    Trapper6speed

    Trapper6speed Hacksaw engineer

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    It's going to be nasty any way you do it. Sounds like there isn't a vapor barrier under your garage floor. Test some stuff. There is paint remover. Gas is way to dangerous. Sand blast it.
     
  3. Jan 22, 2012 at 5:07 PM
    #3
    Boerseun

    Boerseun Well-Known Member

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    It will be difficult, unless it is coming up by itself anyway. My guess is that it is only chipping in some areas. Sandblasting is an option, but it might be expensive. There is a tile product that snaps in place - floating floor, so it does not get glued down on the floor. You might be able to install something like that over the painted floor and not have to worry about getting the paint off.

    Something like this:
    [​IMG]
     
  4. Jan 22, 2012 at 5:08 PM
    #4
    Brunes

    Brunes abides.

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    If it really is just paint- Can you rent a floor sander and/or pressure washer to strip it up??
     
  5. Jan 22, 2012 at 5:08 PM
    #5
    Pugga

    Pugga Pasti-Dip Free 1983 - 2015... It was a good run

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    Depending on how big your garage is, putty knife and a heat gun will work and avoid the use of chemicals. Otherwise paint thinner would work to soften it also but the clean up would still take a while and be messy. To avoid fumes and chemicals, I'd go with a putty knife and a heat gun. It'll be tedious but will get the job done.

    I'm assuming the floor is a hard trowel finish (flat) and not a rough finish?

    Edit: Brunes' idea of the pressure washer is a good one, they're effective paint removers.
     
  6. Jan 22, 2012 at 6:08 PM
    #6
    TacomaPrime

    TacomaPrime [OP] Cybertronian Tacoma

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    yeah, thats like the race deck garage flooring. unfortunately, it's not cheap.
     
  7. Jan 22, 2012 at 6:10 PM
    #7
    Maverick904

    Maverick904 Resident Fishing Expert

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    x3 on the pressure washer
     
  8. Jan 22, 2012 at 6:10 PM
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    Oat

    Oat Well-Known Member

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    Sand blast it, get a floor sander like said above. Then i would epoxy it and re-do it, seal it,e tc.
     
  9. Jan 22, 2012 at 6:17 PM
    #9
    JDMcQ

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    Pressure washer with the highest psi rating you can find, like 3300.
     
  10. Jan 22, 2012 at 6:21 PM
    #10
    186000mps

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    With the pressure washer, aim towards to outside or you'll get paint all over your walls. Another option could be to steam it off and scrape as needed.
     
  11. Jan 23, 2012 at 2:27 AM
    #11
    2008taco

    2008taco Well-Known Member

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    They sell floor scrapers which should work decently. They have an 8-12" changeable blade that is pretty sharp. they tend to be used to remove glue from old tiles.

    A floor sander would also work. You will likely go through quite a few sanding pads though.

    If you can go larger a sand blaster would remove it best, and the sand can be reused sometimes. This will remove every bit of paint guaranteed, but will leave A LOT of dust in your garage to be cleaned up. They also make industrial sand blasters which you may be able to rent which would do your whole garage in about half an hour. The dust while using these is very bad for your health and a respirator is the MINIMUM of what you should be wearing.

    A pressure washer will remove paint. The fan setting may remove quite a bit, but not all. The jet setting will remove almost all, but it would take forever to do a whole floor with this setting. The water can damage the drywall and create mold.

    Chemicals can soften it up and make it easy to remove with a hose or scraper. They tend to be bad for your health, and some can create a potential fire or explosion hazard.

    If it were me I would start with the scraper and get as much as I could up and then go back over it with the sander to remove whats left.
     
  12. Jan 23, 2012 at 2:33 AM
    #12
    bhh2000

    bhh2000 Well-Known Member

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    rent/find some one with a good power washer and they can get it up quick.... our 13 horse rap's through paint.
     
  13. Jan 23, 2012 at 6:40 AM
    #13
    TacomaPrime

    TacomaPrime [OP] Cybertronian Tacoma

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    I was think of the scraper too.
     
  14. Jan 23, 2012 at 8:14 AM
    #14
    TacomaPrime

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  15. Jan 23, 2012 at 11:37 AM
    #15
    degraaf

    degraaf Old School

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    A scraper won't do much except get the loose stuff off. I've done my entire basement and then stained the concrete and I've put an epoxy finish in my garage.
    If you're garage seeps water up through the concrete, you might as well cross out epoxy, as it won't stick well. You have to do a test on an area.

    I've had the best luck with my concrete basement floor refinish and after doing my garage a different way (pressure washer cleaning and then muriatic acid wash), I'd only do it the way I did my basement, which was with a rented Home Depot drum sander. Don't tell them you're using it on concrete though or they won't rent it to you.

    Get a drum sander with the most aggressive grit rolls. You need to grind down the concrete so it's absolutely clean and spotless. You'll need to wear a good respirator, not just a dust mask. If you have an area soaked in oil or something then you need to clean it first with muriatic acid (be very careful). Once you have the entire floor ground down to bare clean concrete, you can apply the epoxy mixture by following the directions on the packaging.
    I think you're wasting your time if you do it any other way... speaking from experience.
     
  16. Jan 23, 2012 at 11:44 AM
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    Rusty 06 4x4

    Rusty 06 4x4 NBHNC

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    they paint with the sand or other gritty stuff in it or add to it and maybe you could just repaint..:notsure:
     
  17. Jan 23, 2012 at 11:50 AM
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    RoyR

    RoyR Well-Known Member

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    Piant stripper, followed by a good sanding...Home Depot rents some pretty bad-ass sanders.....just finished my man-cave!!

    IMG_1476_43f5deaf1aad1f9e9aae78942a99b4ebfb65c0a1.jpg
     
  18. Jan 23, 2012 at 11:53 AM
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    JDMcQ

    JDMcQ Well-Known Member

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    Looks great Roy. I was just thinking of some ceiling height shelving.
     
  19. Jan 23, 2012 at 12:00 PM
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    macgyver

    macgyver Well-Known Member

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    I've had to remove paint from a garage floor once when I didn't prep the floor properly and it started peeling within a week.

    I used a 3,400 PSI pressure washer (the bigger the quicker it takes) and pressure washed it all out, then once the water dried off the driveway I swept up the paint chips with a push broom and vacuumed up what the broom didn't get with a shop-vac. Haha your neighbors give you funny looks when you're vacuuming the driveway.

    Also, do the ceiling storage! It's GREAT! I put 2 4x8 platforms above my garage door. It makes great storage in an area that's usually wasted space.

    If you plan on re-painting the floor. Make sure you prep, prep, prep and more prep. Take their prep directions and do it twice. Then use a 2-part expoxy. Don't buy that 1 part garbage. It doesn't work and will chip up again. I did the rustoleum 2-part a year ago and it's still holding up great.
     
  20. Jan 23, 2012 at 1:59 PM
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    RoyR

    RoyR Well-Known Member

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    Yep, it's all about the prep...I didn't use the concrete edge that came with the kit, pretty useless IMO, get some real stuff. I used the 2-part water-based epoxy coating, probably should have used the "EPOXYShield Professional Floor Coating" that is a 2-part solvent-based epoxy.

    The overhead shelves are the best, you'd be amazed at how much stuff is up there. I also used the 4x8 sheets...pre-painted everything and used lag bolts to secure it.
     

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