painting garage floor, how do i test for moisture?

[coupe]

My *Home Depot 3-2-1* book says to tape down a 4`x4` sheet of some kind, dosent really say what it is or where to get it.



How do i test for moisture?

[kompressornsc]

Just use a sheet of visquine. Seal it down with tape on all sides and if you have condensation under it, you have moisture coming through the concrete.

[BobD]

Just use a sheet of visquine. Seal it down with tape on all sides and if you have condensation under it, you have moisture coming through the concrete.



What he said.

Or you can always use a moister tester. They are not cheap but can probably be rented or borrowed.

[Setec Astronomy]

What is visquine? And if you have moisture coming through, then what? You can`t paint? You have to give up?

[BobD]

What is visquine? And if you have moisture coming through, then what? You can`t paint? You have to give up?

Visquine is plastic basically. Use a plastic drop cloth.

[coupe]

So basicly any type of plastic?

How long do i leave it taped down for?

[Setec Astronomy]

Hey Coupe, so if you get moisture under the plastic, can you still paint, but you have to do another step first, or what?

[BobD]

So basicly any type of plastic?

How long do i leave it taped down for?

Depends I guess. I would say a day?

[coupe]

Hey Coupe, so if you get moisture under the plastic, can you still paint, but you have to do another step first, or what?





According to my *home depot 3-2-1* book (highly recomend for home owners, its a GREAT book) it says if there is moisture then you cannot paint. I dunno if that is true or if there is away around it. It dosent touch this subject very much/well.



So from what i understand i can use any plastic and just tape it down on all sides.

What i still need to know is how long i leave it taped down for and if i can do this in the winter, my garage is unheated.

[coupe]

Depends I guess. I would say a day?





so 24 hours is probably a safe bet.

Can i do this in the winter?

[Setec Astronomy]

I have never been very successful with paint or even clear sealer on my garage floor. I don`t know if it`s from moisture, improperly cured concrete, some other concrete problem, or road salt and stuff from before I tried to paint/seal it. Went through all the etching/cleaning, but I still get tons of spalling and dust.

[BobD]

so 24 hours is probably a safe bet.

Can i do this in the winter?

Got heat in the garage?

[BlueZero]

Any type of plastic will work. Cut a garbage bag or something. I would do it for 24 hours. Tape down all the edges so any moisture that comes through the floor can not escape. What type of paint are you using? I would stick with the epoxy paint, the other types chip off and don`t last. Rustoleum makes a epoxy kit that looks pretty good. Did you plan on painting it this winter? I would wait till summer to paint it for sure. If you wanted to do the test now that would be alright, but do it in the summer also.

[coupe]

I have never been very successful with paint or even clear sealer on my garage floor. I don`t know if it`s from moisture, improperly cured concrete, some other concrete problem, or road salt and stuff from before I tried to paint/seal it. Went through all the etching/cleaning, but I still get tons of spalling and dust.



Moisture might be your problem. I really dont know becuase im trying to learn how this all works with paint concrete.




Got heat in the garage?



Unfortunately no. I do have a forced air heater that puts out 30K BTU`s though.






Any type of plastic will work. Cut a garbage bag or something. I would do it for 24 hours. Tape down all the edges so any moisture that comes through the floor can not escape. What type of paint are you using? I would stick with the epoxy paint, the other types chip off and don`t last. Rustoleum makes a epoxy kit that looks pretty good. Did you plan on painting it this winter? I would wait till summer to paint it for sure. If you wanted to do the test now that would be alright, but do it in the summer also.





I was thinkin i would use a garbage bag.

I will test it now and in the spring to make sure.

I was planning on buy a 2 part epoxy, i havent bought any yet though becuase i dont know what my moisture situation is yet.

[BobD]

I suggest U-Coat It. They make good products and are a Michigan based company. They should also be able to help you with any questions.