How to fix peeling epoxy paint on a basement floor

by Michelle
(Beloit, WI )

I used an epoxy paint last year in my basement (typical tan with brown and white paint chips). But then had some water issues. Parts of the paint have peeled up. Is there a way to repair that, either with the same product or possibly by etching and re-painting the entire floor?

Hi Michelle,

You can repair just the areas that are peeling.

1. Scrape or sand the loose epoxy off from the concrete floor.

2. Sand the concrete clean with a palm sander and 60grit paper (don't use water to clean with).

3. Vacuum clean and wipe the area with a clean rag & denatured alcohol (wet the rag and wipe the concrete).

4. Re-apply the epoxy and sprinkle the flakes into it.

This/These areas will look newer than the other areas.

Or

You could go over the entire floor again.

1. Same as above, sand/scrape away any loose epoxy from the concrete floor.

2. Sand the entire floor (concrete and epoxy) to clean the concrete and "scratch" & clean the old epoxy. (the scratches will give the new epoxy something to "bite" into so the new coating will bond to the old coating.

Use a palm sander with 60 grit paper or a Floor buffer with 100 grit paper (probably have to rent this) if you have a large floor area.

3. Vacuum the entire floor and wipe down with denature alcohol and clean rags.

4. Re-coat the entire floor with new epoxy and broadcast the decorative chips into it.

Note: We usually apply a clear top-coat of urethane or polyaspartic over the epoxy to help protect the epoxy against scratches & harsh chemicals.

If the room is just light foot traffic, you can decide if you want to leave it the way it is or just apply a clear coat of epoxy.