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Budget Garage Floor Painting
Finally got my own place last year. Been fixing/painting/decorating/furnishing for most of the time since --- got things cozy-enough to have Zovig over. Rest of my house-keeping 's under control enough to where I can finally get going on The One Thing that I've been jones'ing for since I bought the place . . .
. . . The Garage
Budget = ~$1k
May not sound like much but what 'll make the garage interesting won't be the architecture, my color or material choices, or the finances I commit. This'll be a repository for all the stuff that I've picked-up over the years that doesn't quiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite fit in a regularly-viewable socially-acceptable domestic situation . . .
. . . in other words --- this'll be where all my junk lands
Anyway . .
Step 1 . . . = clear the joint
I've had most of my stuff in various boxes + locations for the past 8 years, so this part wasn't as tough for me as it could be for others. Biggest issue was where to put what little (ha!) I brought with me someplace outta the way. I settled on (what will be, eventually/hopefully/someday) my laundry room. And part of my kitchen. And-uh . . . two upstairs bedrooms
This is what was left after a couple week-ends of humpin' boxes up the stairs. Still took me a coupla days to get this little bit o'stuff sorted/placed/moved
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Stripping a Painted Floor
(Your deity here) --- was not looking forward t' this part
Wasn't exactly sure quite what kinda finish had been used here. But --- whatever the paint/stain/coating was? . . . hot tires had already been removing it for years before I got there --- prolly from the beginning. Fast-forward eight-some years and this stuff now was coming-off on my hands. Fugly color, too. Concrete's already gray so? . . . why bother painting it gray? Weird
Anyway, had several options for removal . . .
..1) chemical stripper --- ugh! . . . deadly-poison, noxious fumes, waste disposal = pass
..2) pressure washer --- this looked attractive, but . . . I'd prolly end up with my garage if not soaking wet, than, at least, soggy. A lot of exposed lumbar + sheet-rock in my garage + never used one before = lemmethinkaboutit
..3) mechanical stripper --- like the one in my trunk . . . see previous post
Actually bought a can of paint stripper --- to test it out . . . like, <$10 for a ~quart-size can. 'Apply + wait 15 minutes' = meh!
Pressure washer seemed kinda problematic, so . . .
. . . tah-daaaah! . . .
. . . grinder it is
Home Depot was down the street --- and they had everything I needed + then some, so . . . $123/day got me a machine + grinder. Requisite eye/lung protection was another $46. I already had ear-protection, so . . .
. . . off to the races
Thing is heavy as hell, too --- maybe 50 lbs? . . . + not small --- but fit in my car trunk (more-or-less). Took a little getting used-to to use. Ended-up maneuvering the grinder by tilting/putting pressure on the corner of the pad --- pretty easy once I got the hang of it. Started-out working in small areas, trying to get every last molecule of paint off --- and taking WAY to much time, in the process . . . then settled on a simple 'sweep' technique --- swinging the grinder in 6-foot arcs . . . making better/faster progress
Not exactly strenuous, but --- in >100-degree heat? . . . made for a long day
'Keep the stomach tight + watch the back'
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OK --- Time to Spend Some Hard-Earned . . .
. . . on the stuff that I used
Muriatic acid is for etching the concrete, otherwise pretty-regular-type stuff getting used, here. Ended-up using 2 cans o' paint stripper (not shown). Had to buy the broom to thread into an all-wood-cum-natural-fiber scrub brush that's acid-proof (for scrubbing the now-mostly-paint-free floor . . . next step, coming up). Plus a little bag o' anti-skid . . . 'cause I like to keep my coccyx un-cracked. All this --- minus the watering can + the fan (already bought those) . . . =~$180
Didn't need/use the scrubby-brushes, one o' the metal pails, or the mixer-thingy, so let's call it ~$150
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