Recoating previously coated floors yourself

Recoating previously coated floors is an easy process if you know what you are dealing with. Before you run to buy floor coatings, let's make sure you are not going to create any problems in the process.

First, you need to examine the floor. Is the original coating peeling, cracking or lifting? Is the floor down tight and not seperated from the substrate(cuts and scrapes are ok). If your examination shows the original coat is "down tight" then you may skip ahead and start profiling your floor for a mechanical bond. If not, you must remove the existing coating. Why? If you do not you may have problems. Your coating job is only as good as the surface you are coating over. Take the extra time, do it right. Rent a scarifier or perhaps a floor-buffing machine with an aggressive sanding head. Once the old coating is removed, you can start the coating process.

If your coating is down tight and you will coat over it, make a good attempt to profile the coating. In other words, scratch it up. A medium grit sanding head on a floor-buffer will do the trick. The objective here is to remove the gloss/shine.

Now, clean the floor with a citrus cleaner. These cleaners are generally made from orange oil and do a great job of neutralizing contaminates. Leave the floor to dry overnight once you have cleaned it, unless you have access to fans or heat.


Lastly, purchase a quality floor coating and go do it. If using epoxy based coatings, roll out (1) thin primer coat for uncoated floors. When the floor has been previously coated you can go ahead and top-coat with a high build or urethane. Generally, you will stay off a minimum of 24 hours. A novice floor coater can create some excellent results with little experience!!