Mistake 1: skipping the moisture test
Concrete looks dry and feels dry, but water vapor can still be moving up through it. Coat over that vapor and it pushes the epoxy off from below — sometimes within a single season. A calcium chloride or relative-humidity test takes a day and tells you the truth. We never coat a slab we have not tested.
Mistake 2: acid etching instead of grinding
Etching opens the surface a little. Diamond grinding opens it a lot — and gives a consistent profile the resin can bite into. On old, hard-troweled garage slabs, etching barely scratches the surface. Grinding is louder and dustier, but it is the difference between a floor that bonds and one that peels.
Mistake 3: coating over oil stains
Degreaser cleans the surface. It does not pull oil out of the pores. Deep oil spots need to be ground out or treated until the concrete is clean all the way down. If the oil stays, the epoxy floats on it — and lifts the first time a hot tire sits on it.
Mistake 4: ignoring the cracks
Cracks move. A coating stretched over a moving crack will crack too, telegraphing the line right through your new floor. The fix is simple: fill and bridge cracks before coating. It takes an hour and saves the whole job.
Mistake 5: rushing the cure
Epoxy that looks dry is not done curing. Parking on it a day early can leave tire marks pressed into a soft film — or worse, bond the tire to the floor. We give every customer a clear timeline for foot traffic and vehicle traffic, based on that week's temperature and humidity.