Countertop
I had my outdated countertops removed and concrete countertops installed about 2 years ago. The concrete kept absorbing stains and I couldn’t find a solution. I had someone come in and put and epoxy seal over and it looks terrible, sloppy drips all down the edges and now it shows smudges, scratches and looks worse than the concrete. I want to remove the epoxy and figure out how to make my concrete aesthetically pleasing. I like an industrial feel but this looks bad. Help! I don’t mind learning and doing myself. Help!
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Hello. How frustrating. This link might be helpful. I hope someone who has had this situation will come forward with a direct answer.
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-remove-epoxy/
Hello Twila, so sorry that the epoxy did not turn out well. I have copied a link for you (you may have already seen it). It offers a bit of information but I'm thinking that perhaps a call to a company who does this type of work might be a way to get some advice from professionals. I've often found the pro's very willing to offer some solutions to diy-er's problems. I suppose it is too late to have the person who did the epoxy work for you to try to make it right with you?
https://www.countertopepoxy.com/blog/how-to-touch-up-your-epoxy-counterop/
Sorry, whoever did it didn't know what they were doing. Here's some information. personally I would use a heat gun first to soften it up and scrape as much as I could. Open windows and have some fans to handle the fumes. Then i would resort to chemicals to remove the rest. You may not be able to remove all of it as some could have soaked into the concrete.
https://watsoncoatings.com/quick-fix-how-to-remove-epoxy/
https://www.epoxycentral.com/blogs/epoxy-floor-coatings/spilled-epoxy-resin-what-should-i-do-next
Here's a discussion on Hometalk about the same topic. Maybe you can find some tips there, too. https://www.hometalk.com/diy/repair/home-exterior/q-concrete-countertop-epoxy-disaster-17711067
Concrete countertop epoxy disaster
After you remove the epoxy, you can put a top coat of concrete over the original. Once it's fully cured, you must put several coats of a food-safe concrete sealer over it so you don't get stains again.
here is info I found for you
https://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/aclk?sa=L&ai=DChcSEwjqgfeOwcTvAhUHsoYKHU0cDnIYABAAGgJ2dQ&ae=2&ohost=www.google.com&cid=CAASEuRoIA5Rd326x43WnarQIPqs-A&sig=AOD64_3STUWgZf_PoFp5nzT_PD7I6qgqPw&q&adurl&ved=2ahUKEwib8-OOwcTvAhUvw1kKHWOqCkoQ0Qx6BAgPEAE
Hi Twila, I'm so sorry what a nightmare! my experience with epoxy (and concrete) is that you can totally sand it to polish it and even remove it. That would be my first try, I would look into sanding down the epoxy. You may even be able to totally remove the epoxy imperfections and then give it another light coat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdXXc-M6gi0
Make sure and open all of your windows, plastic off other rooms and wear a respirator before attempting though!
I had concrete floors and I sanded them, you can get the concrete sanded and possible stain them
You have to seal them then seal every year
Ouch! I hate it when I trade one problem for another! Hope this helps:
https://www.lepage.ca/en/know-how/how-to-remove-epoxy-from-concrete-all-you-need-to-know.html
I love GrandmasHouseDIY's advice! If you can sand out the annoying spots and spills, that would save a lot of time an energy of removing all of the epoxy and starting over!
There are some great sites and videos on refinishing concrete. Take a look
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gid5FCUpyTI
polishing or removing epoxy can be super costly .. I would consider whole counters replacement