EPOXY PAINT - FLOOR AND STRUCTURES

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HOW TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL

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Have a successful epoxy floor paint job
 issues that impact upon the success of any epoxy garage floor paint project
 


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Paul Oman, MS, MBA - Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc. (floor epoxies, marine epoxies, underwater epoxies, repair epoxies)

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CALL 603-435-7199 (or email).

We are the only technology based coating/epoxy/resin company that actively encourages your phone calls, not just during our East Coast work hours but also after/before hours, evening, weekends and even holidays. We're available when you are. We form a personal relationship with our customers and freely share technical information, how to-advice, product information and tips-and-tricks. Speak with a non-salesman technical professional with over 25 years of experience in the resin/coating/epoxy industry (no newbie staffer on the phone lines!). Floors, tables, boats, leaks, rot repair. We handle it all! We are an 'always available,' one-on-one, technical/scientific, coating company (watch our video). We are NOT one of those fluffy/slick mass sales firms the dominate the internet selling cheap third party (made in China???), low end epoxies and coatings with no real knowledge of what they are selling and quotas to sell to as many people as possible. 603-435-7199 (east coast time).




 


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rolling on an epoxy floor

If there is a trick for achieving a successful coating job it would be to understand why coatings fail and how proper surface preparation can prevent those failures. It is hardly a minor issue. Premature or immediate coating failure is like throwing large amounts of money away. Removing the failed coating, contractor costs and material costs, as well as down time, can cost tens of thousands of dollars and end business relationships and entire careers. Simply put, coating application is a high stakes game, play smart and the odds are in your favor, cut a few corners and sooner or later you'll regret it Big Time. This report will help get you started on the right track.

I. Why Epoxy Paint / Coatings Don't Stick

There are many reasons coatings fail to stick to their applied surfaces. We'll review them one at a time. Unless otherwise stated, we will assume we are dealing with a concrete floor or loading dock, an area that seems simple, but can be one of the trickiest to coat and one of the most expensive to 'mess-up' with.

Dampness: Moisture is a good starting place for a coating's failure to adhere. Moisture doesn't just mean water droplets, it could include high humidity. Some coatings shouldn't be applied when humidity levels are high. More obvious sources of serious moisture are things like thunderstorms during an outside application job, standing water puddles on a concrete slab, or, even more likely, a damp or even saturated surface. Surface dry doesn't mean really dry. There can be (and often is) a high moisture content hidden just below the surface. The standard test is to tape a four foot by four foot plastic sheet to the concrete and see if visible moisture collects under the plastic. Some of the modern epoxies (like those sold by the author) can be applied to wet or damp surfaces but generally a moisture rich surface means no possibility of coating.

Moisture flow: Migrating moisture, as opposed to simple standing water, creates a more difficult problem. The common sign of this kind of failure is water filled blisters. Just a tiny amount of 'flow' pressure under a still curing coating can ruin the bonding process still taking place. With underwater bonding epoxies the 'trick' is to 'reverse' the pressure, i.e. coat the surface under a column of water (for example, flood the manhole then coat the inside of it). There is no good answer here, but rapid drying/curing coatings have a better chance of working. They can setup and bond before the water and water pressure builds to unacceptable levels under the fresh coating.

Grease/oils/silicones: Few, if any, coatings stick to greasy, oily, waxy surfaces. This includes many kinds of plastic surfaces. Oily surfaces can be tricky, Just feeling the surface is often not good enough. Even on what seems like a non-greasy surface, many coatings will 'bead-up' leaving behind hollow, coatingless circles or voids.

Hosing down, high pressure water, and even grit blasting, is no guaranty that greases will be removed, indeed, they will probably stay behind. Greasy, oily surfaces require a degreasing chemical to remove the residue. Experts suggest washing down the surfaces using a degreaser and stiff brush. It is wise to make this a standing surface preparation step, wiser still to do at least two degreasing wash-downs. Unfortunately, even simple degreasing or more advanced hot steam and chemical systems may not work completely. Surfaces contaminated with animal fats seem especially difficult to degrease and successfully coat without physically removing/replacing an inch or so of the surface concrete.

Dust, slime, loose rust: The author has seen floor coating samples collected from peeling floors that were dirtier on their underside than on their top surface. The coatings stuck, but to the dust and dirt on the floor instead of to the floor itself. Hosing down the surface to remove the loose materials works somewhat, but also leaves a lot behind. Ditto for sweeping. The best approach is probably hosing down with as high a flow of water as possible, followed by compressed air blowing to both dry the surface and remove any remaining wet/sticky dust. A quick, last minute broom sweep wouldn't hurt either. Simply sweeping is at the other end of the spectrum. The applicator will need to decide how much time and effort to put into surface dust removal. Contaminants, including salts discussed below, can stick to your floor well enough to not be removed with a hose or brush, yet mysteriously 'pop off' after painting.

Salts: Salts and/or minerals either deposited out on the surface from the curing of fresh concrete, or from the evaporation of seawater on concrete or steel can quickly ruin a coating. For starters the salts work like dust and other contaminants getting between the coating and the surface. New garage floors for example, have a weak top layer of concrete and concrete salt/minerals that causes even epoxy floor paints to peel off easily, despite what appears to be a clean, nicely profiled surface.

Without moisture, salts tend to form crystals, which can interfere with bonding. Experts claim these salts actually perform in a chemical sense more like a grease, damaging or destroying bonding. Unfortunately it gets worse. Salts tend to attract water both from the concrete and through the coating. The result can be a water filled blister that spreads and grows mechanically, destroying the coating- to-surface bond.

II. Why Epoxy Paint - Coatings Fail

Simply not sticking to the surface is one of the more obvious coating failures and has been discussed above. Other reasons include:

UV: Ultra-violet radiation from the sun, UV, will breakdown most coatings. Epoxies tend to yellow and chalk, other coatings, such as plastics, get brittle and crack. After too much UV the coatings will fail.

Porosity: Coatings are not as hard nor as solid as you might think. Some coatings tend to be quite porous, permitting moisture, chemicals, etc. to invade the coating and attack both the coating and it's bonding interface. Some epoxies are more porous than other kinds of epoxies. One common 'fix' used by manufactures of porous brands of epoxy is to add 'glass flakes' (usually mica) to slow the migration of water or chemicals through the coating by physical means.

Pinholes: A single layer of any coating runs the risk of including tiny pinhole areas of non-coatings. These 'leaks' permit chemicals to attack the unprotected surface as well as the bonding interface. In harsh environments it is common to apply two coats of paint/epoxy. Each coat is a contrasting color to aid in spotting thin or missing spots.

Brittleness: Simply put, some coatings are more brittle than others and overly brittle coatings are more likely to crack or chip with impact or expansion/contraction. Older epoxy formulations were generally more brittle than many of their modern counterparts.

Abrasion: Different coatings handle abrasion and wear better than others. Some of the more wear resistant epoxies now available contain Kelvar (TM) microfibers. These fibers, in addition to improving wear resistance also seem to work like rebar does in concrete, localizing any damage to the coating.

Chemicals: Chemical resistance varies between different coatings. Strong acids, for example, will quickly destroy many coatings.

Movement: Paint over an expansion joint and you can count on a coating failure. The slabs will move and the coating over the joint will crack and probably disbonding big chunks of coating in the process. Don't paint over expansion joints. There are other methods for dealing with them.

Salts: Salts were already covered above. Besides possibly reacting like a surface contaminant, as well as acting something like a grease, they also attract moisture through both the coating and concrete, forming water filled blisters. Note that often coatings fail from the inside out. This is certainly the case with blistering.

III. Surface Preparation for Epoxy Paints (see our surface prep page)

How much surface preparation is necessary can be a tough call. Someone has to take the responsibility, balancing effort and success against time and money.

A pre-step is to insure the strength and integrity of the concrete. Crumbling concrete is a poor or impossible surface to bond with. There are several repair or replace options, including 'sealing' the surface with a thin, penetrating epoxy or some other compatible product. Once that is done real surface preparation can begin.

The process of surface preparation involves at least five steps:

1) getting rid of greases, oils, etc.;

2) providing a surface profile or texture;

3) removing dust and contaminants;

4) removal of salts;

5) removal of moisture.

Thanks to exposure to the elements, outside concrete slabs are often more ready to accept a coating than interior concrete surfaces (with the possible exception of sea water salt deposits in marine settings). New concrete usually has a thin veneer or crust of very weak concrete and salts that absolutely must be removed prior to coating.

 


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 issues that impact upon the success of any epoxy garage floor paint project

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In a perfect world surfaces would probably be prepared as follows:

1) Two wash-downs with a degreasing chemical.

2) The use of a 'Blastrac' (TM) type machine that performs concrete surface 'grinding' to remove weak surface layers and give the concrete floor an enhanced profile to bond with. Special grinder machines also work, as does an acid treatment (muriatic acid) known as 'acidizing'.

Acidizing is any easy and inexpensive option. Muriatic acid is sold to clean concrete and bricks and is available in concentrations of 20-40%. Dilute the acid to 10-20% (add the acid to water, don't add water to the acid). If the concrete/acid solution fizzes a lot and the acid releases strong fumes, dilute the acid some more. New concrete will fizz more than old concrete. In any event, sweep the floor twice with a thin layer of muriatic acid. Rinse off the acid washed surface well. Check local disposal rules regarding this 'nasty' waste liquid. See our acid page.

3) Ideally, the next step would be a high pressure waterjet cleaning, hopefully at pressures of about 3,500 psi (at pressures over about 5,000 psi waterjetting will actually begin removing concrete, and could be an alternative to #2 above). After waterjetting wet vac dry, sucking up all the remaining water and dirt. Sweep well just before coating.

Often this step gets reduced to simple sweeping and air drying of the surface. In most cases, that's probably OK, but every shortcut raises the chances of future problems.

4) The concern about all the bad things various salts can do to about-to-be coated surfaces is growing as their affects become better understood. On steel surface these salts form ions and corrosion cells that are easy to spot because of the rust. Concrete may have a bigger problem than steel. It is porous and it contains minerals to start with. Several chemicals and/or processes have been developed or proposed to deal with these salts. Seriously consider using/testing these chemicals. Some applicators now include desalting treatment as a standard step in their surface preparation. Often the recommended method of application is with a waterjet unit, however, some can also be brush/roller applied.

Of course we don't live in an ideal world so surface preparation almost always has a few corners cut. Based upon personal field experience I would require, at a minimum, high pressure waterjetting of exterior concrete and 'Blastrac' conditioning of interior concrete. Steel surfaces constructed from new steel must be abrasive blasted (largely to produce a surface profile), all other steel surfaces require high pressure waterjetting or dry abrasive blasting.

IV. What About Pre-Existing Coatings and Epoxy Paints?

Most surface tolerant, modern, solvent-free coatings can be applied over well adhered traces of a pre-existing coating. 'If it ain't broken, don't fix it,' could be a completely valid strategy. On the other hand, complete stripping and total surface preparation would be the absolute proper approach to take.

V. Vertical Surfaces and Garage Epoxy Paints

Vertical concrete surfaces are less likely to have a grease layer or thick layers of contaminants than floor surfaces. They often also have a pre-existing rougher surface, negating the need for 'blasting' a profile into the concrete. Salts and loose/crumbling surfaces, pre-existing coatings, or moisture are probably the major problems with coating vertical surfaces.

VI. Epoxy Paint Conclusions

Coatings fail for many reasons, and frequently manifest that failure by becoming 'unstuck'. Proper surface preparation can often prevent coating failure. Unfortunately proper surface preparation is often given short shrift to save costs, time, or materials.

Because each coating situation is unique, sometimes cutting a few corners causes no problem. It is a gamble played out every day between contractors/end users and the coatings they use. It is one thing to gamble and lose and quite another to fail out of ignorance.



 

ON-LINE CATALOG HOMEPAGE.

Inside Our non-marine, commercial, DIY Catalog:

Section A EPOXY PAINTS

corro coat FC 2100; water gard 300; CM 15; crack coat™; liqua tile 1172 potable water; water prime

Find Corro Coat FC 2100 and Water Gard 300  epoxy in our Best Selling - fix anything Catalog


Section B FLOOR EPOXIES (regular and non-skid products), SEALERS, ACCESSORIES

water bond (water based); industrial floor epoxy; bio vee seal; walnut shell; rough coat grit filled epoxy floor paint; epoxy clear top resi


Section C THICKENED EPOXIES - EPOXY PUTTIES, ETC.

wet/dry 700; splash zone A-788, epoxy cream; splash zone a-788

Find Wet Dry 700 epoxy in our Best Selling - fix anything Catalog


Section D CLEAR TWO PART EPOXIES

low V epoxy; basic no blush; ESP 155; Bio-Clear 810; epoxy clear top resin

Find Low V, Basic No Blush, and ES 155 epoxy in our Best Selling - fix anything Catalog


Section E NON-EPOXY PAINTS COATINGS SEALERS

Aluthane moisture cured urethane; Acrylic Poly UV Plus and other 2 part polys ; Capt. Tolley's creeping crack sealer; india spar varnish;

Find Aluthane in our Best Selling - fix anything Catalog


Section F MIX-IN ADDITIVES

fumed silica; fiber fill; micro balloons/micro-spheres; graphite;  wood flour; EZ thick, rock flour;


Section G OTHER PRODUCTS

water activated pipe wrap; TA 661 solvent-free epoxy brush cleaner; fiberglass tape/cloth


Section H SURFACE PREPARATION PRODUCTS


Section I MISC. ACCESSORIES

short nap epoxy rollers; epoxy/stone deck resurfacing roller; 1 inch foam brushes; 2 inch bristle brushes; tongue depressors


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epoxyt floor paint

 

 

Links to Lots of MUST READ Information Articles About the Best Epoxy Floor Paints, Including Preparation, Alternatives, What Can Go Wrong, etc.

floor related articles, info, links

CLICK HERE

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


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Have a successful epoxy floor paint job
 issues that impact upon the success of any epoxy garage floor paint project
 

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