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Rust-oleum RockSolid Floor Coating Reviewed!

69L48Z27

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Every so often I'll see a thread asking about floor coatings and there seems a lot of questions from the DIY community, me included. This Fall I had the opportunity to build a garage and I had to make a decision on what to do with the floor. I like the look of a painted floor and I wanted a tough coating. After what felt like months of internet surfing I chose the Rustoluem Rocksolid stuff you can buy at the big box stores locally or Amazon. All the pro-products seemed to be well over $1k for material. For reference I'm working with a 800 sqft space.

This stuff has a 50% rating, 3 stars or less on most websites and YouTube videos. But, nothing out there has a good rating in the DIY space. Here's what people said the problems are:
- Poor coverage - they said double what they say you need.
- Color issues - not matching between kits.
- Bad Finish - gloss in some areas, dull in others.
- Fish Eyes, Seperation

After all this bad stuff you'd find a good rating scattered in, but consistently coverage was a problem.

Here's what I chose:
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Next was to put a plan together. I could tell the most of the issues were prep and not understanding how this stuff would flow out. This is not 'epoxy' but rather Polycuramine. Same principle, two parts mixed and you have 45 minutes of pot life @70*F.

Clean, clean, clean, and then clean some more. This being a new pour I didn't think it was that dirty, wrong. I cleaned the floor with simple green and stripper first then did it again with a pressure washer, in hindsight I should have done it once with the pressure washer. Once cleaned and dry I had to decide wether to add a step and apply moisture block. I did make this choice just because I didn't know if I had moisture and I didn't have time for the moisture test. Minor step and small cost so it was a no-brainer.
IMG_0741.JPG

Etch then moisture block and dry again. Follow the directions on both, simple as that.

Ready to paint!

Heat - the instructions say 40-90*F but I wouldn't recommend anything less than 60*, cure time goes way up and you risk moisture issues. This time of year you can't do this without heat.

The box says 400-500sqft cover for a 2.5 car garage. Based on all the reviews I knew that wasn't going to work. I got one extra 2.5 car kit giving me 1200-1500sqft of coverage in my 800sqft project. The texture of the floor really plays into this, the etch makes it like a 150 grit sanded surface. Rougher surface takes more product.

Color issue - I mixed all 6 kits together, color side only, in order to make sure the color stayed the same. I used a smaller bucket to then measure and mix in smaller portions. I did find that one packet of color was way off, it would have been an issue.

All-in-all I'm happy with the product. I did not run into any of the issues (sort of) except coverage but I was ready for that. I did use almost all the 6 kits, only a bit left. I did apply it thicker once I knew we had plenty but 4 bags would not have been enough.

Problems?!? For a DIY product none really to mention but I'm super critical of my own projects. I had a spot fish eye because of something silicon based on the bottom of my bucket, touching the bare concrete. No clue what it was but I have a spot that has the imprint of half a bucket bottom. My dispersion of the paint chips is not the best but once we get some traffic on it and load the garage up I'll never notice it. The gloss level is great and it's not slick at all with the chips in it. I also see a couple spots where color is different. No clue why because all the base color was mixed and the 'Part B' is clear. Very, very minimal and you have to look for it.

Time and Cost:
Time - a lot! Prep is where it's all at in any project. Time to paint with a helper trimming was under 4 hours.
Cost - $700. Kits are $209 at the Home Depot and Moisture Stop was $18/gallon, 3 needed.

In contrast the same prep is needed no matter what you do but product is half the cost of the pro grade stuff. I had an install quote with pro stuff at $7sqft, $5600. No thanks. I do realize how much labor is required on the prep side.

It's only been a couple days, I'll report back in a few months and let you know how it's holding up.
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I also forgot, there's also an optimal top clear coat that can be applied within 7 days. I'm not going to add that.
 
Nice job! Appreciate report, look forward to long range review.
Rocksolid looks and sounds straight forward. So true on importance of prep. It’s ALL about the prep.

Griots Garage has a good product, lasts a long time and doesn’t lift. Not sure what price difference is these days.

Congratulations = your efforts yielded good return and outcome.
 
Nice job...looks great...

Thanks for the report I am considering using that for my new garage.....
 
I've done 7 shops over the years and because it been that long ago the only product available was a plain ol' concrete floor paint. Most shops were new so it was important to wait at least 6 months for the concrete to totally cure. Then do the etch, etc.. I had great success considering the low cost (about $40. a gallon). The only two issues were the common "hot tire" marks left by any rubber contact - hot or cold and the paint lifting if I spilled lacquer thinner on it. While these finished floors were nice, in my current shop I decided paint was something I was always worried about damaging and this shop was going to see a lot more work done in it. However I did want to keep the dust of bare concrete down so I used an industrial concrete sealer which is applied as soon as the surface water is gone from the new concrete. Its not as pretty and when my projects are complete I'll probably splurge on a nice coating but for now I'm happy.
 
That guy that quoted you... sounds like he didn't want the job. 800 sq ft is the size of a four car garage (Mine is 3x 10x20 - roughly 200 sq ft per stall). I was quoted about $1500-2000 to do my 3-car garage. I've contemplated doing it myself, but yeah... that prep work is a lot, especially since I've had fluids and drips for 13 years. I should have done it when I bought (new home) but didn't have the time. Now I wish I made the time. Thanks for the write up.
 
I've done 7 shops over the years and because it been that long ago the only product available was a plain ol' concrete floor paint. Most shops were new so it was important to wait at least 6 months for the concrete to totally cure. Then do the etch, etc.. I had great success considering the low cost (about $40. a gallon). The only two issues were the common "hot tire" marks left by any rubber contact - hot or cold and the paint lifting if I spilled lacquer thinner on it. While these finished floors were nice, in my current shop I decided paint was something I was always worried about damaging and this shop was going to see a lot more work done in it. However I did want to keep the dust of bare concrete down so I used an industrial concrete sealer which is applied as soon as the surface water is gone from the new concrete. Its not as pretty and when my projects are complete I'll probably splurge on a nice coating but for now I'm happy.
Couple of good points here. The instructions say 28 days for concrete cure, no idea how they come up with that number. Hot tire pick is 'guaranteed' not to be an issue. Hopefully I don't need to find out how to do a claim. I will say that this garage will not see daily in/out traffic. I did another garage with the Rust-oleum Epoxy (different product than this) back in '06. The bay that gets daily use is in really bad shape, hot tire pickup was almost immediate and it seems the water and salt off the car in the winter effected it. Other bays with less use still look okay.
 
Report back in a few months about durability. I used the same product and it looked like your floor after application. But it was beat after restoring my Cuda. I found it scratched easily from a floor jack, engine hoist, tool box rollers, etc. The gloss is gone. Hot tires will leave marks.
Hope yours works out better.
Update: just noticed you used Rocksolid. I used the epoxy product, so not the same. Hope Rocksolid is better.
 
That guy that quoted you... sounds like he didn't want the job. 800 sq ft is the size of a four car garage (Mine is 3x 10x20 - roughly 200 sq ft per stall). I was quoted about $1500-2000 to do my 3-car garage. I've contemplated doing it myself, but yeah... that prep work is a lot, especially since I've had fluids and drips for 13 years. I should have done it when I bought (new home) but didn't have the time. Now I wish I made the time. Thanks for the write up.
Wow, send that guy my way. Seems like you can't even get product for that price. Add in a few trips with labor and they're loosing money. Most of the pro's want to diamond grind the floor too.

The price was a guy at Carlisle that had a booth. Based on the trips, labor and cost of material it wasn't that bad of a price. Other online forums seem to think $6-8sqft is the going rate for an installed floor.
 
Maybe rethink your clear coat? Mine down for 2yrs, not as glossy as when new(likewise for youngest son); otherwise I’m satisfied.
 
I doubt there's a product on the market that won't be damaged by steel floor jack wheels and such stuff.
 
Very nice right up! :thumbsup:

FWIW One anecdotal note about that color combo (or at least the flakes anyways); My buddy did the same color scheme as you (a different product to be sure) and he regrets putting the flakes in it. He says it's a PITA to find smaller nuts and bolts that jump out of his hand and go rolling across the floor.
 
he regrets putting the flakes in it. He says it's a PITA to find smaller nuts and bolts that jump out of his hand and go rolling across the floor.

LOL !!! Ain't that the truth !!!
 
Very nice right up! :thumbsup:

FWIW One anecdotal note about that color combo (or at least the flakes anyways); My buddy did the same color scheme as you (a different product to be sure) and he regrets putting the flakes in it. He says it's a PITA to find smaller nuts and bolts that jump out of his hand and go rolling across the floor.
Thx. I did another floor with the flakes in epoxy and I didn't mind it. Just have to get down a little lower and look across the floor.
 
Nice detailed work and thanks for the write up! Looking forward to see how it holds up for you. I need to do this and am debating on using the tile because of years of use and leaks without any coating
 
I also forgot, there's also an optimal top clear coat that can be applied within 7 days. I'm not going to add that.
Very nice job.Did 2 two car and one three car garage in the last few years with same product and was very happy with results,only thing was I let it cure for one month before parking a car on it. It's been five month now and no paint lift.
 
I did the Rustoleum Epoxy in my 3 car garage in my old house. Like many have said, it does lose gloss over time, and jacks scratch it when being rolled around and chip it while moving as you lift the load. Minor things, and I would do it again. BE AWARE - this stuff is SLIPPERY when wet. The chips help, but it's still bad. I did not do chips because I didn't want to lose every little nut and washer. Freaking slip'n'slide if there is any water at all. I'm still glad I didn't use them and would do it that way again. My only issue with application was under the garage door and about 6 inches inward. The builders must have used some sort of sealer. The epoxy would not bond and would literally just roll back up with the roller. I ended up smearing it on to create a coat and let it dry. It was always fragile in that little strip, but not somewhere I commonly work.

All that being said, I moved and now have a 1000ft shop. I have not pulled the trigger yet on floors because I want something tougher than the old epoxy, but cannot afford $5000 to have someone else do it. I'll be watching for feedback on this stuff.
 
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