Epoxies are designed to bind with concrete, which is obviously great for those who need it.
For example, epoxy is a great flooring solution for a garage floor. However, what happens when it comes time to remove the epoxy?
This presents a new set of problems because the product literally binds to the floor. It doesn’t matter whether you are DIYer or hiring an expert. Below we will discuss some important things to remember when it comes to removing epoxy flooring from concrete.
Epoxy Paint
Epoxy paint was extremely popular several decades ago, even though these days it isn’t that popular. Since there are more durable choices these days, there might be a good chance that your house uses epoxy paint for the garage floor if you have purchased an older house.
There’s good news for households with epoxy paint: you can remove it pretty easily. While everyone has a different level of expertise, when it comes to repair and maintenance work, you definitely don’t need to hire a professional in order to remove epoxy paint.
First, the floor must be mopped. Easy enough, right? This should be a thorough mop rather than a cursory one. The truth is that epoxy paint contains various chemicals and oil that you don’t want lingering.
You then need to purchase stripper or solvent online or from your local store. You have to make sure that the product that you buy is made to remove epoxy paint. In addition, you will need to dilute it, according to the directions, and mix the product accordingly with a mop. For your own safety, make sure that your skin and face are covered adequately. You also might want to wear a respirator, and splash goggles and gloves are a good idea, as well.
The paint will begin to bubble, and you can use a scraper (tip: find one with a long-handle for maximum efficiency) to scrape up the paint. If it seems difficult to scrape up, add cold water to make it easier.
Let the floor dry after scraping up as much paint as you can. You may need to repeat this process several times to remove all of the epoxy paint.
High Performance Epoxy Flooring
High performance epoxy flooring is a different story. As a result, removing high performance epoxy coatings are a different process. The fact that epoxy flooring chemically binds with concrete is necessary for use cases like garages, factories, kitchen flooring and warehouses because it increases the overall durability of the floor.
The most common way that epoxy flooring is removed is usually with an industrial diamond grinder. This is a machine that many equipment rental companies might have, but individuals obviously do not typically purchase industrial grinders or have them on hand. As a result, you will most likely need to hire a contractor in order to remove epoxy flooring.
The fact is that the same reason why epoxy flooring is so attractive – how it chemically binds to the floor and is very durable – is the same reason why it is tough to remove, as well. While there are other ways to remove epoxy other than grinding, the truth is that diamond grinding away is the most effective removal method of epoxy coatings.
