Instead of completely repairing the cracks in your driveway or garage floor, why not live on the wild side and make them glow? Create stunning concrete special effects on your garage floor that’ll win friends and influence people! One of our application contractors did just that for a 75-year-old woman who made the request. She loved the results of her concrete special effects so much that she had them use our aggregates to make the grout glow between her pavers on the side of her house.
Cover Up Cracks With These DIY Concrete Special Effects
You’re going to need:
- Hobby resin or epoxy from any craft store
- A compatible Catalyst to the resin your choose
- Some mixing sticks – popsicle sticks or tongue depressors will do
- Sand
- Ultra-Fine or Fine aggregates from Element Glo – 1 or 2 lbs will go a long way.
The video above gives you a visual of the following steps, but the steps below include more details for each step that may not be included in the video.
Step 1:
Vacuum your cracks to clean them up – If you need to use a chisel to widen some gaps, go for it. The more cracks you have for this technique, the better the effect.
Step 2:
Backfill deep cracks with dry sand – You can also use glue or anything to keep the glow crystals in the next step from falling through. You don’t want to use glow crystals to backfill because it’s a lot more costly; some cracks seem like they go to the core of the Earth.
Step 3:
Spread Element Glo “fine” or “ultra-fine” glow crystals (aggregates) over the cracks just as you would glitter on glue for any craft project.
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Step 4:
Mix any clear craft resin or epoxy with the recommended amount of catalyst – A fast-drying resin is recommended if you need to walk on the floor within a few hours. Keep in mind that “fast-drying” will likely stink up your house. Make sure you have fans to help keep the fumes out of your living area. If you can stay off the floor for at least 24 hours, you can use an odorless, slow-drying resin or epoxy.
Step 5:
Pour your mix over cracks – Keep in mind that if you’re using a fast-drying resin, the catalyst you added to the resin or epoxy starts the curing process. Pour slowly, so you don’t waste material. Also, we recommend applying several pours for various segments of your cracks rather than pouring a giant cup or bucket of resin. If you’re applying a fast-drying resin, you won’t have time to pour a large mix before it starts hardening on you.
Step 6:
Clean up any excess overflowing resin – Use shop towels (cotton) to clean up any overpoured areas. When you wipe, wipe from the outside into the crack and use a different part of the towel for every wipe. Using this technique will ensure that particles of glow crystals don’t get dragged to the last surfaces outside of the cracks. Keep in mind that glow particles will glow no matter how small they are. Even the tiniest specs will be visible outside the cracks when the lights are off. Take extra care to keep all particles inside the cracks for a much cleaner result. If you want to remove excess particles that stray, use rubbing alcohol on a towel to remove them.
Step 7:
Let the cracks dry.
Step 8 (optional):
Apply a coat of epoxy over the entire floor to blend and disguise the glow cracks.
That’s it! You’re done!
Your glow cracks will charge with any regular room light source over a few minutes, but to enhance the glow significantly, install a UV light over the area. A UV light will instantly charge your glow cracks and help create a stronger, much brighter glow. We’ve seen some customers place a UV light on a timer, or they have replaced the overhead bulb with a UV bulb.
Disclaimer: We here at Element Glo are concrete special effects experts in no way. We make the aggregates – your application expertise makes us look great! If you are a flooring or concrete expert and want to advise about this article, please do so in the comments.
