[cabmandone]

So I did my usual over analysis of anything I'm going to buy and decided to go with a 3 coat epoxy system with a heavy flake on my garage floor. The first coat was a water based epoxy bonding primer with activator. The second part was a 100% solids epoxy paint that is applied with a squeegee and then back rolled. Then paint flakes go down and finally a 2 part Urethane clear that is UV resistant is put on over the floor.
Lessons Learned:
1. A Diamabrush head on a floor sander/polisher is not the tool to use if you have any imperfections in your floor. I spent 15 hours stripping an old coating that was a Latex based Behr stain/sealer. That didn't get the job done because my floor had some low spots that the diamabrush would not get to. I ended up going to United Rentals and renting a Husqvarna floor grinder that has diamond heads that could be put in the head of the unit. I went with 60 grit which stripped the floor nicely BUT like a bonehead I went in straight lines thinking I could overlap and not leave noticeable lines in the floor. WRONG. So I had to go back over the floor using a circular motion which turned out to look pretty decent.
2. Bought a cheap diamond head for my 4" grinder at Menards. Returned it after using it for about 10 minutes because it wasn't balanced well and was gouging the floor and got a Bosch turbo wheel that did a really nice job for edging.
3. Don't buy a primer that is the same color as your epoxy main coat. When spreading the epoxy it makes it hard to tell what is covered and what isn't
4. When spreading the epoxy use a regular flat squeegee if your floor isn't perfectly smooth. I bought a squeegee that was serrated which is supposed to act as a thickness gauge but if the floor has any dips it doesn't do well picking up the epoxy that is in the low spots.
5. Apply the epoxy on a cooler day to give you more workable time. I did this and it made the job pretty easy considering I was the only one mixing, applying, back rolling and applying the flake to 800 square feet of garage floor.
6. If you use a Urethane top coat, have a lot of air circulation because this stuff has a very strong odor. And use a paint respirator when putting the top coat down.
7. Have a LOT of beer on hand! This can't be stressed enough.