Update to Bandit's Garage Floor Epoxy Project (Guy messed it up!!!!)

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

My original thread located here:[/U][/B]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166484&showall=1

OK Guys, be kind here. I am looking for help. OR, I am trying to help the guy that is doing this to make sure he does things right.

First of all, he did a good job prepping, laid down Epoxy, paint flakes. Posted a few pics and some commented it was a little Splotchy in the pictures, OR, they said it looked like the flkaes were not spread as evenely as they could have been. Heavy in some areas so they made it appear splothchey. This I think was in part to uneven paint chip coverage.

Anyway, HERE is the Big Issue Now:

He finished Epoxy at 6pm Saturday Night, came back the next afternoon 2pm Sunday (Today 9-23-12) to lay down the Polyurethane Top Coat. He was going to do a double layer, but basically used a 5/8' roller vs. his standard 3/8he usually uses to accomplish this extra thick layer of POLY Top COAT.

I am guessing he should have laid down Poly Top Coat 1, let it dry, then several days later add another (coat 2) ?????

Again, I wasn't there, but he texted me 5pm and said he has to come back and repaint some areas and he messed it up and was sorry. He said he will get it right and it might take a few days It looks like **** NOW, looked pretty good after the epoxy was laid down with paint chips and was drying, see my original Post for Pictures.



While he was laying down the POLY top coat Sunday afternoon, the Paint flakes must have been loose and were sticking to his roller, and the end result from ME looking at it, seems to be that the paint places got all messed up and ended up settling in lines on the floor. The floor NOW actually looks dirty!???


I am not looking for I told you so, but looking for ADVICE from you guys to tell him 1st, what he did wrong, and more importantly, HOW to fix it so it looks right, or what is there next step so he doesn't try to fix it and spin his wheels and end up with an even Bigger Mess than he started with.

I paid him 60% thus far $600, and owe him another $00 which I am holding still. He is a nice guy and seems willing to fix his mistake and admit he made one too. He knows I am picky, but I am only going to be $1,000 picky!

A picture is worth a thousand words so here it is:

Looks like flakes got "pushed around" when he put the thick poly down.....

Thank you in advance for your time, suggestions, comments, and help on this
guys! Much appreciated

The Bandit.......................... (I am alittle sad right now)

 

[Carnut12]

Sorry to hear about your issues, I used Rustoleum and had not such issues. Seems like maybe he did not put on the First Coat thick? I say that because the flakes should not move after it dries, they end up in the Paint. I never did a top coat on mine and it stayed Like New for the 3 years I lived in my old house.

As far as fixing it I besides re-doing it I do not see any other fix.

Good Luck

 

[c7fx]

Well I think what is going to need to be done is that the floor first will need to be dried completely sanded and repainted. I hope it works out for you if anything it will have a thick coating when all done.

 

[dandan111]

Looks like the guy tried to rush it all and botched it up. Now that the job is finished I would let it dry. After its dryed,you can rework it. Sorry you are in a bad spot on this,would have been a better job if you had done it yourself I bet.

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

Looks like the guy tried to rush it all and botched it up. Now that the job is finished I would let it dry. After its dryed,you can rework it. Sorry you are in a bad spot on this,would have been a better job if you had done it yourself I bet.

What should I tell him? It looked really good Saturday, the flakes (which I wanted HEAVY!! So he used a lot an usually doesn't use that many) it seemed were to many for the floor and I bet some weren't actually touching the floor or not stuck to the floor, so when he pushed the clear coat Poly, it pushed the loose flakes with the roller and that is the result

YES I could have done it better!!!! I would have taken a week to do it right. I was happy to pay $1000 to have him do it an he seemed to know what he is doing. I think he does, but he deviated from his process a little and rushed it!!! And now will spend another 5-10 hours fixing it, this really *****. I was so excited after he left Saturday because looked really nice. Maybe it can be fixed???

Your right I will have 2 inches of paint when it's all done LOL

Thanks guys!!! I'm an idiot!

 

[dandan111]

If he wants to fix it let him. I would not offer any more money until its right. He was the one that wanted to wham bam it.

 

[jordan369]

I would not tell him anything as far as what to fix. Tell him what you expect and don't complete payment until that happens.

Mike

 

[bdamico]

What should I tell him? It looked really good Saturday, the flakes (which I wanted HEAVY!! So he used a lot an usually doesn't use that many) it seemed were to many for the floor and I bet some weren't actually touching the floor or not stuck to the floor, so when he pushed the clear coat Poly, it pushed the loose flakes with the roller and that is the result

YES I could have done it better!!!! I would have taken a week to do it right. I was happy to pay $1000 to have him do it an he seemed to know what he is doing. I think he does, but he deviated from his process a little and rushed it!!! And now will spend another 5-10 hours fixing it, this really *****. I was so excited after he left Saturday because looked really nice. Maybe it can be fixed???

Your right I will have 2 inches of paint when it's all done LOL

Thanks guys!!! I'm an idiot!

There were definitely not too many flakes for the floor. Many people use a full broadcast, which is much much heavier. He should have swept the floor before putting on the second coat, which would have caught the loose flakes.

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

I Really Appreciate all the comments and help. He didn't put 2 coats of paint. He was putting a "Double Coat" of Polyurathane on TOP of the Epoxy (but really just using double the material).

I am sure he didn't sweep. I texted him BEFORE I wrote this New Post and said, I was going to mention this, but didn't want to tell you how to do your jo. Many of the guys on the forums vacum up the loose paint flakes before they apply the Top Coat.

Oh well, I don't mind telling him how to fix it and I don't mind waiting, heklpuing, whjatever. I just want my pretty Garage Done!

It is the Home of my Corvette.....................
And Now my 09 Infiniti G37. (Remeber guys after driving an 1999 Pathfinder for 9 years with 253,000 miles on it when I traded it in.

I have a great ide to solve this issue:

I am going to lay a large net on the floor (a trap basically), then I'm goping to lay a $100 Dollar Bill on the ground in the middle of the garageon top of the net.

When my guy comes back and goes for the "bait", I'm going to pull the rope and Trap Him. Once he's in the air, I'm going to spray him with epoxy and Broadcast (see I'm learning the correct terms now and didn't say "Throw"..........) Paint flakes all over him.

Then I am going to say what Donald T says, "Casey, your Fired!"...............LOL

Too bad he is a pretty nice guy so that isn't an option. Maybe I can tone it down a little and Whack him a few times with the broom or something. It might knock some sense into him????

Oh well, just hope the end result looks good, I can handle some adversity!

The Bandit................

 

[dandan111]

Being nice may be about over. In order to fix it he may have to sand the clear,then recoat. I would not give any more money until its done,he will have to eat the added cost of materials. That's when he will be mad.
Unless he suckers you out of more money,he will try that soon.

Good luck and keep us posted

 

[bdamico]

I have a bad feeling you may be redoing this whole thing not too far down the road.

 

[Jim B]

I would recommend against giving him any advice. Right now you have him on the hook to repair this and make it right. As soon as you start making suggestions he will be off the hook if the suggestions you make don't solve the problem. He will claim he is just doing what you told him. I learned this when I took my car to the dealer once. I told them what I wanted done based on my diagnosis of the problem. I was wrong and the car didn't run any better. Should have let them diagnose and repair. Just tell him what final results you expect and don't pay until you get the results you expect.

Just my $.02 worth.

Jim

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

OK he said he could fix it today when we texted back n forth. I said, you sure?????????? He said, "I'm sure".

He came over at 3:30pm and I had to go back to work so I missed him. When I returned he had already came and repainted the "sections" he messed up. There was also a leaf (or a small object) stuck on the floor and that was gone too when I returned.

It looked WAY better (BUT, the painted "sections" were still wet, and my concern is, that they will dry and be different shades of paint and will not be a seamless continuous color.

Here are a few pics I snapped at 8PM. the garage doors are closed and it is drying and he's coming back tomorrow to I assume reapply the POLY Top Coat. If what he just re-painted looks like #$%^& I am sure he will call me, as he knows I am picky, so I am just going to let HIM do what he is going to do and see what the end result is. I'm $600 out of pocket thus far, so not too bad. At least he is trying to fix it and even proactively fixed the areas that had foriegn material stuck into the paint that blew in from outside the garage.

OK, here it is. It looks worse in the pictures than in person, BUT, the various shades of Tan are evident at this point and hopefully the contrasting shades of paint will lessen when they dry, and I am crossing my fingers that they will dissapear and look cohesive and consistent after it is all done.

Also, this was after 1st time he did it, BEFORE he messed up the flakes with the Poly Top Coat (Looked GREAT!!!!)

OK, PICS below ........................

After he messed it up to use as a comparison:

Repainted (But still wet):

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

Am I screwed guys????????????????????????????????

I'm like this now

I want to be like this soon

 

[dandan111]

He is shooting from the hip now. It looks a little better.

 

[jordan369]

Looks better. Only time will tell if it will match.

Mike

 

[c7fx]

why didn't he repaint the whole thing?

 

[Blk88GT]

How does it look this morning?

 

[slickgt1]

****, is that what $1k gets you now? OMG, I would have blown a gasket. Why the hell did he not repaint it all? And did he paint over the poly? How is that bond going to work?

It does look better, curious how it will hold up now. Sorry for the misfortune. If it makes you feel better, my friend had his garage done in epoxy as well. He has a pair of Porsches in there. Yea the "Pros" charged him way more than you, and he has peeled up the epoxy where each tire was. He now has welcome mats under his wheels. Sad stuff if you ask me.

 

[bdamico]

I'm confused. Did he paint tan over the flakes?

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

OK Guys, he was back today and repainted the entire garage! He saw it looked like ****!
I think he painted over the flaked (he mentioned he sanded it, so I am not sure), I saw him throw more paint flakes down over the fresh ly painted Epoxy.

However, he is putting a Polyurethane top coat over the Epoxy Paint, so that should seal things up, right?

It looks GREAT now! At least what he did today. The silver lining in all this, is he put down 1st coat of epoxy paint, then Polyurethane, (messed it up).

Then painted over the Poly Top Coat, spread flakes, and then he is coming back tomorrow to lay down another Polyurethane top coat of the latest paint.

It is either going to be strong as a Gorila, or fall apart in 3 weeks. I am hoping for the first conclusion.

Before:

Here are the latest Pictures after he left. 9-25-12 (2pm) I like the way it looks now

AFTER!

What do you think???

 

[Blk88GT]

I don't know about the logistics of the layering, but it LOOKS good. He's probably never going to forget to sweep the flakes again.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

I'd give him points for coming back to make it right. If the multiple layers cause problems in the near future, well, I still wouldn't bad mouth him then. It seems that anymore a lot of 'cra(p)ftsmen' are simply 'hit-and-run' perpetrators.

 

[bdamico]

Can you put epoxy on poly?

 

[thegarageguy]

For $1000, this guy won't be in business long. With all due respect, this is what newbies or cut throats do. Being that he came back and fixed it, means he's a respectable guy but definitely a newbie.

Hopefully he learned a lesson and takes some workshops to learn better technique and proper pricing so he doesn't feel like he has to cut corners to be profitable.

Glad you finally got your result, hope it holds up. Good luck

 

[Carnut12]

I have to say most would have bailed on you, I give this guy a lot of credit. I agree $1000 seems like a great price, seems like he may have lost money on this deal for sure.

Hope it holds up well.

 

[bdamico]

I don't know how you guys give the contractor any credit. He says he does epoxy floors. Then makes a mistake that even the most novice rookie wouldn't make. Then he half assed a repair. He shouldn't have been doing the floor in the first place.

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

By the way, he said he did sweep!!! Actually used an air compressor. He said he was sick the day he did it and didn't hav his head on straight. He says he might have mixed the Polyeurthane to HOT the wrong ratio and with the thick coat he was applying it caused what happened. He said he knew it might not work painting the sections, but he tried.

I have no idea about multiple layers, but now I have epoxy, poly, paint, poly.

Hope it works out in my favor.

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

He has done many floors. I am picky and made him do a different process then he normally does. Not making excuses, but he knows what he's doing. Look at the close up picture from day 1. It Looked perfect., just like the picture on the box.


He did a thick layer of POLY that he never has done before and it got him in trouble. To be honest, I don't care what happened as long as the end result looks good. I can wait an extra week, opt up with some headaches, crying, cussing, and paint fumes, as long as in the end, it looks good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's goin to look REALLY good when I get my 4 Post lift in there.

 

[bdamico]

I really hope--and you should too--he didn't mix stuff to the wrong ratio. lol

 

[jordan369]

Looks good man. If it holds up you are in good shape.

Mike

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

He comes back today for the Poly Top Coat (heck, my garage will be strong. I can drop bricks on it.

I am going to set a BEAR TRAP by the garage with a $50 on it. When he goes for the $50, he'll be singing like a chicken.

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

I owe him $400 more. I think $1,000 was a good price and I already know it's going to look good. I think he is going to lay a thin coat of poly on top. I wanted a double coat! BUT, that takes a long time to dry before laying down #2, that is wjhy he put on a thick layer, but it messed it all up.

Oh well, I just hope it doesn't rain because all of my stuff is outside since Saturday 9-22-12........

 

[dandan111]

Looks nice.

 

[bdamico]

I think it was a good call keeping the blue out of the equation

 

[Edger]

Just a tip about a thick coat. When a coat is laid it soaks in and seals off when cured. The next coat goes over the sealed coat to form a uniform glossy finish.

It is almost impossible to put down a double coat in one because even when the roller is thicker it continues to pick up as well as spread the coating. It will be thicker with a heavier roller, but not double.

The other part is that even with a thicker coat some soaks into the surface so the gloss is not the same as two coats, you often get more uneveness because it is dull where it soaks in and more glossy where it is thick.

This is probably not very noticeable with a urethane topcoat compared to an epoxy roll coat, but the principle remains. Epoxy coat is obviously an exception and has been formulated for one coat application from what I can gather on this forum.

 

[richtersrodz]

Your end product looks pretty good. Kudos to the guy for coming back to fix it. Most contractors would have bailed on you, and not answered the phone. Even people that do stuff all of the time, can have a bad day. Personal life, illness, finances.. they can all get in your head, and knock you off your game..

 

[Atamido]

Kudos on getting your garage fixed up. I would suspect that because the poly bonds strongly to the top of the epoxy, that the epoxy will bonded pretty strongly on top. It certainly won't be as strong as the same thickness in epoxy, but it'll probably be stronger than the original design. Either way it shouldn't make the original epoxy-concrete bond any weaker. It might even mean that any damage will leave the lower level of epoxy visible, which shouldn't be noticeable at all.

I'm really curious how this is going to work out over the next year.

I wanted to ask, what make/model of clear coat did he use?

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

I am not sure if he did or not? it is 9-26 at 9PM. Luckily he didn't come over tonight liek he was supposed to to lay the POLY down. That gives the EWpoxy another day to fully dry!

I think I am going to be OK after all this. I really am not that worried anymore and think I actually came out Better than if he would have done uit right the first time.

(i.e. More Coats of Material)

Atamido: I don't know at this point what POLY he used??????????

 

[2001RedCoupeBandit]

Hey Rick, I'm in Highland Village. I see your in McKinney. I go there all the time. Thanks for your comments.