Well I took the plunge last fall and coated by garage floor. I wanted to do it myself and after lots of researched decided on UCoat It (
www.ucoatit.com). I thought I would post a review of the product after living with it for about 7 months and my impressions in the application process.
What I got: UCoat It and UGloss-AF. The UCoat It is the base product and is applied in 2 steps. A bonding coat and a finish coat. One could just use this product alone, but I elected to top it with the UGloss-AF. This top coat adds gloss and depth, and is suppose to be used in areas that will be exposed to automotive fluids.
The product: I ordered a UCoat It kit and a UGloss-AF kit. The kits contain everything you will need to apply the product except for long handle to attach to a roller. They arrived packaged in the five gallon buckets that will be used to mix the product. There were written instructions and a video detailing the procedures. I liked the inclusion of the roller, paint brushes (for trimming), roller pads, safety goggles, gloves, stir sticks, and even a plastic sheet for preparing the product, which can ultimately be used as a bag for disposal of all waste. The only additional items needed were the roller stick handle, muriatic acid, hose and water. The instructions were thorough and explained all the necessary steps of applying the product. Also included were instructions for prepping the floor. My only complaint about the instructions involves the UGloss-AF. It is a solvent based product that has quite a strong odor (nail polish remover like). Additionally deep in the instructions there is mention that the fumes are flammable. I inquired about this aspect and was informed that is advisable to turn off all pilot lights for a 24 period after application.
Prep Procedures: My garage was basically new construction and had only been used for 8 months prior to the application of the UCoat It and did not have any real problems to deal with. There was a crack that I elected not fix (UCoat It will not cover cracks). I was very anal about the prep process though and used a power sprayer a couple of time and full strength Simple Green to scrub a couple of spots that were “greasy” in appearance. Over all the prep was difficult but it was somewhat time consuming. I had a lot of dirt and dried mud from laying sod and tracking it through the garage that was somewhat tedious to remove.
Application Process. Not difficult at all. I was worried about coverage and should not have been. Since the first coat is applied to a damp/wet misted floor the coverage goes much further than I thought. I was at the upper end of the (within 25 sq. ft.) of needing another kit. However I had no problems. I had a lot of product left over after the first application. Note the first application will not cover the floor in complete solid coat. It will looks somewhat “splotchy”. The second coat will bring out the final color and coverage. Once again goes on very easy with the a roller with handle attached. Note that I did the application by myself in the evenings in October with ambient temperatures in the lower 60’s and low relatively low humidity for southern Indiana. I mention this because the product has a cure time that is dependent on humidity and temperature (higher humidity and temperature results quicker cure times and limited “pot life” after mixed). The product is very forgiving and can be mixed in small batches if the cure time is a problem. The UGloss-AF is more difficult to apply for the mere fact it is difficult to see with applying because it is the same color as the final color. You can only tell where it has been applied by the “shiny” appearance. The tip here is to apply it very thick. It is a self leveling product. The difficulty in telling where the product has been applied resulting in some imperfections in my applications ranging from “roller” marks of not quite complete coverage (looks like paint when the roller is getting a little dry) and couple of completely missed spots where my roller marks didn’t over lap. These imperfections don’t show up until after it has cured completely. The good news is this is fairly common and UCoat It will send you a “touch up” kit for free to fix these missed spots. Blends perfectly and you can’t tell where it was.
Textured surface: Due to snow, rain, and car washing in my garage I knew the surface would get wet. I thought it would also get very slippery. The product comes with texture crystal to spread out during the initial bonding coat. The use of the textured material is optional. I used it on the traffic areas because I know my wife. The texture material is a double edged sword. If changes the look of floor. The areas where the texture is looks rough maybe like there is dirt there whereas the rest is really smooth. However you are definitely not going to slip on this stuff. You can’t see it when put it down. It completely blends in. However when dry it looks like small mountains in the bond coat. The application of two other coats in my case calmed this “mountainous” look down but it is still noticeable. Use it sparingly. they give you enough texture to do 10 garages in my opinion.
Finished Look: Awesome. Looks very professional, glossy, and clean. I could not be happier with the finished look. Even my skeptical wife thinks it looks good. Very easy to clean up on also. However, it does show dirt more easily now.
Durability: Very good. I have had no lifting problems at all. Even the hot 285 wide tires on the Porsche has not phased it. I also have had no problems with stains. Every thing wipes off. For some reason my wife’s BMW leaves black rubber marks (here car brings in more dirt than any car I have seen also) but they wash off with water and mop. I have rolled around a floor jack with no ill effect to the floor. However, I have scratched the surface. I took off the winter tires off my wife’s BMW and was installing the summer tires this spring and while moving the winter tires around I managed to scratch the floor with a couple of rocks that were imbedded in the treads of the snow tires. A call to UCoat It resulted in them shipping me a patch kit for free. I have not had a chance to apply it though. The customer service is impeccable.
The only other issue I have had is some scratching in the area where the tire tracks of my wife’s car are. I don’t know what she drives through but it appears as if rocks in the treads have caused the scratches. The scratches are not overtly noticeable (very narrow) and should be fixed by the patch kit. The scratches seem to be caused by skidding or sliding of the tires when wet (with rocks in the tread). My wife has complained about this a couple of times when coming into the garage when it was raining or lots of snow on the roads. I think it is caused by coming into the garage a little too fast. I have not experienced this problem. It is also interesting that the scratches have only happened when using the certain tires on the car. Two other cars have been driven in and out of the other side of the garage in the same conditions with no ill effect. It seems the tires on her car are more of a problem than the floor.
Over all and Final impressions: I am very pleased with the results and would recommend UCoat It to anyone interested in a relatively inexpensive floor coating. The people at UCoat It are a pleasure to work with and will answer any questions you have and seem to stand behind their product.
No affliation, yada, yada.....
Would love to see a pic of your finished work.
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