Epoxies are two part paints that are known for toughness but will usually yellow quickly in sunlight. They can seal wood, cement, concrete, or metal surfaces and serve as a floor coating or undercoat under other paints, tiles, or wood surfaces. The two parts of the epoxy kit are mixed together and then applied to the surface.
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Epoxies are two part paints that are known for toughness but will usually yellow quickly in sunlight. They can seal wood, cement, concrete, or metal surfaces and serve as a floor coating or undercoat under other paints, tiles, or wood surfaces. The two parts of the epoxy kit are mixed together and then applied to the surface. The working time between mixing the epoxies and when it begins to set is based upon temperature, the amount of epoxy mixed, and the kind of epoxies. Many common epoxies may only have a working time of 15 to 30 minutes per batch under many circumstances. Most epoxy floors are applied by paint roller. Some professionally applied floors are sprayed or trawled down.
Problems that may be encountered with epoxy floors (and also their application) include:
1) the yellowing of the epoxy in sunlight (mentioned above);
2) the short working time of many epoxies;
3) air coming out of concrete surfaces and forming bubbles/blisters in thick epoxies that are just beginning to harden;
4) areas of the floor that remain sticky (a sign of poor or incorrect mixing of the two part epoxy);
5) the epoxy not sticking or being pulled up by hot tires etc. (this is related to the surface itself and its preparation prior to coating. It is not related to the epoxy itself);
6) no 'sure thing' preparation method - lots of preparation options available. You have to make some personal decisions on what kind and how much preparation is enough and then cross your fingers. You will not know until the coatings have been down for some time if the surface preparation was 'good enough.' In some cases the cement/concrete is in such bad conditional that no amount of surface preparation will be enough to keep the epoxy coatings adhered to the floor.;
7) moisture/water issues within the cement/concrete can also cause epoxy (and other floor coatings) to fail/lift off. True professionals know which jobs not to bid on and not to get involved with.
8) unknown to you, past owners could have put something like the wax based Thompson Water Seal (tm) on the concrete. No way to remove this and nothing will stick to it for long (best to do a test spot first).
An epoxy floor coating can be a one to seven coat system. It can include colored sands or colored chips incorporated into the floor system for looks and/or anti slip. The introduction of sands or chips into the project greatly increase the options and decisions to be made. There are several different methods for how such systems can be applied which will change the number of layers or coatings applied as well as the use of non epoxy coatings in some of those coating layers. Unless the vendor/applicator/contractor offers a 'cookie cutter' approach to epoxy floors, you'll have lots of decisions to make.
If you decide to add 'grit' for anti slip purposes, this also introduces more options for you to consider. There
are different kinds of grits, different sizes of grits, different methods of applying the grit, and different personal
opinions regarding how much grit to use.
Water Based Epoxy Floor coatings - a thin coating that is easy to apply and work with, but hides nothing and is not the 'commercial' epoxy floor most people think of.
Solvent Based Epoxy Floor coatings - Sort of like an oil based enamel, these epoxies contain solvents. These kinds of epoxies are generally not very common any more.
Solvent Free Epoxy Floor coatings - The classic epoxy floor - thick enough to hide many floor flaws. Short working time per batch. Usually no odor.
Why You Don't Want, Or Need, A Cycloaliphatic Epoxy Floor Paint |
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In a multi coat system, a combination of the above epoxy types might be used as well as some non epoxy coatings (to provide UV protection to the epoxies, reducing yellowing).
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Note that sometimes a thin water based or thin solvent based epoxy can/will be used as a sealer or base coat on concrete/cement under the 'regular' epoxy floor coating.
While the above information sounds daunting, most homeowners successfully get away with minimal surface preparation and one or two coats of epoxy 'slapped' on to the surface.
WATER BASED (WATERBORNE) EPOXY FLOOR PAINTS
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SOLVENT FREE (or low solvent) EPOXY FLOOR PAINTS |
(comparison table) Water Bond Epoxy (tm) med. gray only |
(comparison table) Industrial Floor Epoxy (tm) light gray or beige only |
* actually contains voc solvents plus water (restricted in some locations) * slight odor * very long pot life * water clean-up * large coverage per gallon * good color stability * very thin coating - will not hide flaws (may highlight them) * somewhat breathable and some penetration into concrete (good adhesion) * generally less used than solvent free epoxy floor paints * can be primer /sealer under other epoxy (non epoxy) floor systems
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* no solvents or
VOC issues (solvent free only) * generally odorless * wet thickness equals dry thickness (no shrinking) * thick coating hides flaws and imperfections * can trap air bubbles from expanding air in concrete * shows epoxy yellowing in UV * coverage about 150 sf per gallon * creates vapor seal (radon etc) * can have adhesion issues on damp moisture rich surfaces * tough and durable * standard commercial - professional floor solution * short pot life - working time * use with colored chips or colored sands * works with chips - sands - multi-coat systems |
FIND WATER BOND EPOXY IN CATALOG ASK PROFESSOR E . POXY (help link) PROGRESSIVE EPOXY POLYMERS, INC (SINCE 1992)
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FIND INDUSTRIAL FLOOR EPOXY IN CATALOG ASK PROFESSOR E . POXY (help link) PROGRESSIVE EPOXY POLYMERS, INC (SINCE 1992)
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1) epoxies that require a wait time after mixing and before applying are almost always obsolete, low quality products.
2) be wary of companies that don't tell you what kind of epoxies they are using and/or imply that their 'method/product' is the ONLY way to go.
3) be wary of companies that downplay surface preparation and don't mention the issues/problems (like yellowing or air bubbles from the cement/concrete) that might be encountered.
4) professionals use technical product data sheets and government required MSDS (material data safety sheets) to learn about and evaluate products. Be wary of companies that do not easily make these available to you as they are probably hiding something they don't want you to know.
5) Email or call the companies involved before you buy.. If they will not return an email or telephone call before the sale, you can be certain they will not after the sale.
Email Customer Feedback
Subject: Thanks
Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 18:38:01 -0400
From: "Martha & Mark" <xxxxxx@comcast.net>
Hi,
Just wanted to say Thanks for the great product (Industrial Floor Epoxy) and service on my Garage floor project.
It set up great and once I got the nak for Pot Life times, I was off and running laying down the mixture!!
I should have taken before and after photos but it really came out great and most important, I can see the strength
of the Epoxy as a protective
barrier. I look forward to winter now with all it's wrath! This time I'm ready!
Hope to be in touch soon for other projects.
Mark
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Links to Lots of MUST READ Information Articles About the Best Epoxy Floor Paints, Including Preparation, Alternatives, What Can Go Wrong, etc.
|
Bio Vee Seal - INTERNAL CONCRETE SEALER |
SOME OF THE SITES THE ABOVE LINK WILL DIRECT YOU TO |
Clear Top Coats - FLOOR CLEAR TOP |
Best Floor Epoxy - CLICK HERE |
Epoxy Quartz Floor - BROADCAST FLOOR |
Acid Etching - ACID |
Epoxy Paint Chip Floor - CHIPS |
Epoxy Paint vs. Floor Epoxy Paint - EPOXY PAINTS |
Epoxy Paint - SURFACE PREP |
Floor Basics/Options - START HERE |
Floor Epoxy - CATALOG PAGE |
Questions: ASK PROFESSOR E. POXY |
NEW Epoxy Floor/ Deck non slip coating. Check out the 8 oz test kit of Rough Coat (tm) - a tan colored solvent based epoxy floor coating with non slip grit already mixed in. Standard unit size is one gallon which covers about 160 sf. Texture is suitable for bare feet. Use on boat decks, garage floors, shower areas etc. CLICK HERE to see catalog page . |
need to learn more about epoxies??
--- visit these third party sites ---
(EVERYTHING-EPOXY.INFO --- Intro to basic epoxy resin types)
also visit the EPOXY GURU
Internet Epoxy Confederation (IEC) Your connection to SAFE, DEPENDABLE, EXPERT epoxy web sites, vendors, products, links VISIT IEC NOW at Epoxyfacts.com
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DID YOU KNOW...
Epoxy coatings are used because of
their outstanding chemical resistance, durability, low porosity and
strong bond strength.
Epoxies consist of a ‘base' and a
‘curing' agent. The two components are mixed in a certain ratio. A
chemical reaction occurs between the two parts generating heat
(exotherm) and hardening the mixture into an inert, hard ‘plastic'.
Epoxies yellow, chalk (or more commonly least lose their gloss), in
direct sunlight (UV). The yellowing can be a real problem. For pigmented
epoxies select colors that are dark or contain a lot of yellow (such as
green). Even clear epoxies will yellow and cloud up. Often epoxies are
top coated with latex or urethanes that will retain their color and
attractive gloss. This is particularly true if color coding or matching
company colors is important.
Epoxies will harden in minutes or hours, but complete cure (hardening)
will generally take several days. Most epoxies will be suitably hard
within a day or so, but may require more time to harden before the
coating can be sanded.
By their nature, epoxies are hard and brittle. Additives can be added to
epoxies that make them less brittle, but generally at the loss or
reduction of other positive epoxy properties such as chemical
resistance.
Other clues of cheap epoxies include ‘induction time' (after mixing the
two components the mixture must sit for several minutes to ‘self cook'
before being applied).
The best time to recoat epoxy is within about 48 hours after the initial
coat. Because epoxies take days to reach full cure, a second coat
applied shortly after the first coat will partially fuse to the first
coat rather than forming a simple mechanical bond.
End users can thicken epoxy with many things, Tiny glass spheres, known
as micro-spheres or micro-balloons are commonly used. Besides
thickening, their crushable nature makes sanding the hardened epoxy
easier. On the downside, they work like tiny ball bearings, resulting is
sagging and slumping. Another thickener is fumed silica (a common brand
name is Cabosil (tm)) which looks like fake snow. About 2 parts fumed
silica with one part epoxy will produce a mixture similar in texture and
thickness to petroleum jelly. Micro-spheres and fumed silica can be
combined together.
Fisheyes are areas on a painted surface where the coating literally
pulls away for the substrate leaving a coatingless void or fisheye.
Often fisheyes are caused by surface contaminants such as a bit of
silicon, wax, or oil. I have also seen them on clean plywood where
epoxies paints have been used as sealers and the problem might be due to
uneven saturation (soaking-in) of the epoxy into the wood. Surface
tension plays a big part in fisheyeing. There are some additives that
can be mixed into the epoxy that will reduce surface tension. Likewise,
on wood, applying several coats of solvent thinned epoxy, instead of one
coat of unthinned epoxy, seems to work well. Applying a thick coat of
epoxy over a contaminated fisheye surface will bury the fisheye but
expect the coating to peel away in the future. As a rule of thumb,
always suspect some sort of surface contamination as the primary cause
of fisheyeing.
Adding a bit of solvent to a solvent based or solvent-free epoxy is
something that most manufacturers would not officially approve of and
something that might not work with all epoxies. However, it can be done
(unofficially) with the epoxies I deal with. Adding solvent to these
epoxies will: 1) thin them out; 2) increase pot life; 3) allows them to
flow off the brush/roller a bit more smoothly; and 4) perhaps allows
them to ‘soak-in', penetrate, or may be soften, the substrate just a
little bit. Not change is visible in the epoxy unless 12% or greater
solvent is added. With that amount of solvent, the epoxies no longer
cure with a glossy finish.
It is best to use epoxies with a mix ratio close to 1 to 1 as opposed to
something 4-1, 5-1, etc. because errors in the mix ratios can be more
pronounced with the latter. That said, no matter what the mix ratio is,
some epoxies are more forgiving of mix ratio errors than others. One
‘trick' of epoxy vendors with odd or very sensitive mix ratios is to
sell calibrated pumps that disperse the epoxy components in exact
amounts.
How Thick? How thick should your coating be? Economics play a major role in determining how much coating to apply. One U.S. gallon contains 231 cubic inches. That's only 1.6 cubic square feet of surface at one inch thick and that's also assuming a solvent-free product. If the product is 25% VOC (i.e. 25% solvent) then dry thickness/coverage will be 25% less. Again, assuming a 1/4 inch thick coating (250 mils) maximum coverage will still be only 6.4 square feet per gallon. A solvent-free (100% solids) epoxy coating applied at 16 mils will cover 100 square feet per gallon (note: the wall paint in your office is probably 2-4 mils). While thick coatings sound like a good idea, they use so much product that they must be made very cheaply so that coating 1,000 or 10,000 square feet can still be done at a competitive price. A high quality, fairly expensive product with a coverage rate of 100 sq. feet or more per gallon, on the other hand, will have a low enough cost per sq. foot to provide both economy and top quality.
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Section One
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Section Two FILLERS THICKENERS ADDITIVES
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