Epoxy-Coat -Took the plunge " John Deere "

[Familyof8kids]

Glad your floor turned out nice! I do love the color! I have been doing this quite a while and have not seen those kind of chunks in the flake before. Are they a mass of flakes all stuck together? I can't tell. Let me know if I need to do anything to help you with this.

As I said to DSC no sticking together of flakes just paint hunks. I just wanted you guys an gals at EC to see the yellow flakes need to be looked at. I am sure Yellow is not a hot seller so easy to catch it.

 

[Familyof8kids]

I am curious about what you think caused the fish-eye's however. ]

James

I feel STUPID but figured out what caused the fisheyes. My garage was sealed up completely and 3 sides of my garage exterior walls are brick that **** up the sun and transfer that heat into the garage at night along with the chemical reaction of the flooring resulting in a warm garage. I am also out of shape and was sweating like crazy. One area in the corner was bad fish eyes and I remember in that area not being able to wipe on my shirt and seeing sweat drip on the coating. Wierd on the backroll making more but that has to be it.

 

[Familyof8kids]

Going Friday morning to Lowes to have my white stem wall paint tinted to JD Green. Then paint the stem / kick walls and then do the trim in white. Slowly getting there.

 

[Chuck W.]

I have lurked and followed many threads on this forum for the last several years. This is one of the best... no, this is the best DIY write up I have ever seen. The results speak for themselves. Great job. You have a lot to be proud of. Enjoy!

 

[rugerlady]

I am thrilled with the results! As I have already told familyof8 I am stealing pictures for our website. Very meticulous write up and process!!
Food for thought....if anyone ever needs a custom color, let me know. Its a bit more money for a custom color but we can make just about any color to your specs!

 

[volvo]

...
+++ I fully agree, Great job Familyof8kids, Thank you.

>>>I have lurked and followed many threads on this forum for the last several years. This is one of the best... no, this is the best DIY write up I have ever seen. The results speak for themselves. Great job. You have a lot to be proud of. Enjoy! >>>

 

[dmeadow]

Great work!

Curious about the Sharkgrip. In the one picture it looks like it protrudes a good bit and looks sharp. How is it in practice? Does it make stuff (like a creeper) hard to roll over it? Is it pretty abrasive, as in tearing up a rubber mat that you might drag across it, for example?

You've convinced me that a topcoat is the way to go, but that means some non-slip would be necessary in my garage, just not sure what will work best for me.

 

[miken123]

There was a good thread Disussing shark grip on epoxy topcoats. It got a very positive review from a guy who had his floor redone (first time used al oxide I think but his contractor bothed the overall install). He didn't like the al ox so on the redo he had his guy use shark grip and he was very pleased. He claimed more grip than al ox and much nicer to the touch.

Do a search for Shark Grip in flooring and find the thread whose last poster was me. I happened to be the last to post.

I just used it in my clear coat today. It's drying and looks like lots of tiny bumps. I'll post in my thread tonight with pics and such

 

[miken123]

Hey FamilyOf8. - you said you used the polyurea from Epoxy Coat brand? Is that dift than the clear coat that comes in their premium kit? I'm guessing so.

 

[Familyof8kids]

Great work!

Curious about the Sharkgrip. In the one picture it looks like it protrudes a good bit and looks sharp. How is it in practice? Does it make stuff (like a creeper) hard to roll over it? Is it pretty abrasive, as in tearing up a rubber mat that you might drag across it, for example?

You've convinced me that a topcoat is the way to go, but that means some non-slip would be necessary in my garage, just not sure what will work best for me.

Yes the pic makes it look like the SHARKGRIP is going to cut you but in fact I walk around a lot with no sock or shoes and it feels like a small grain of sand but no way would ruin anything or hurt anyone. It is an amazing product and when you open the bottle it comes in and you see if float out of the top you will wonder how it works but it just does. I like to mix in regular floor wax and it work in that thin coat also.

 

[Familyof8kids]

Hey FamilyOf8. - you said you used the polyurea from Epoxy Coat brand? Is that dift than the clear coat that comes in their premium kit? I'm guessing so.

When I was making my order with Christine she asked me what clear I wanted. I said huh and she explained normally the kits come with epoxy but it is clear and they also have Polyurea. I was excited because I did a lot of research on Polyurea coatings. Of course I asked what is the difference in cost and she explained it is the same cost. The Polyurea is much better at UV protection.

Sweet huh!

 

[Familyof8kids]

Got my Valspar Primer tinted to a Green for my Stem Walls. Need to finish it up so I can get the steps built for Mommy.

I will post new pics when I get it all done.

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback and comments.

 

[Baada]

EpoxyCoat recommended UGL Drylok as a primer when I asked them. QUOTE]

So how long have you worked there? LOL

I asked several times from different numbers and used different voice accents and was told every time that the do not recommend any primer. With the clear note on the directions and website that EC is not responsible for fish eye or bubbles that is a closed subject.

EC should stand with the self priming statement because it is a proven product but have an option for post purchasers that want an insurance pre-coat and request a primer option.

Understand other MFG's would use that against EC for listing a primer but list as an option to help reduce possible up-gas issues but not required. We know the factory has unlimited epoxy and could test a few different bigbox store and Legacy "primers" so we could get some with no compatibility questions. We also would like to know if EC would not void us because we are trying to get a better EC floor final appearance and a few of us are willing to spend the extra $$ to do so.

Well I certainly don't work for EpoxyCoatr else I would never reccomend the stick measuring method. I should clarify that Christine definitely told me that the EpoxyCoat alone could withstand a fairly high moisture level without blistering so they don't reccomend a primer unless absolutely necessary. But if I wanted to use a primer, "Other EpoxyCoat customers have had good luck using DryLok." Also DryLok comes in water based and traditional "bad chemical" varieties.

That said I was skeptical of the bond with a primer so I didn't do it. The problem with the fish eyes for me was they didn't show up until several hours after I put it down....when I was sleeping....so I missed my opportunity to fix before they hardened.


I think the real vaule of the primer is simply filing in the little tiny holes and such. Because I did my basement in two steps, the second half turned out much better than the first. For the second half I spent hours on my hands and knees with acrylic crack filler and a putty knife filling in all the little holes I could find. Then I just used a large disc sander to knock off any high spots. I missed a few but overall I had about 90% less fish-eye/volcanoes.

If I ever do epoxy again I am going get a large broom handle squegee and
drag DryLok or acrylic crack filler accross the whole floor with the goal of only filling in the/ holes and squegee the rest off. Maybe a thin layer of epoxy would work better?

That said I hardly even notice the fisheye/volcano flaws that were devastating right when i finished the floor. Now all I see are the chips from dropping heavy sharp items on the floor.

 

[lopro]

great job, I have been putting this off in my own garage for a long time now. After reading this I must admit, im very much interested in taking on the project

 

[sxk122]

That looks gorgeous. Great job.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Well I certainly don't work for EpoxyCoatr else I would never reccomend the stick measuring method. I should clarify that Christine definitely told me that the EpoxyCoat alone could withstand a fairly high moisture level without blistering so they don't reccomend a primer unless absolutely necessary. But if I wanted to use a primer, "Other EpoxyCoat customers have had good luck using DryLok." Also DryLok comes in water based and traditional "bad chemical" varieties.

That said I was skeptical of the bond with a primer so I didn't do it. The problem with the fish eyes for me was they didn't show up until several hours after I put it down....when I was sleeping....so I missed my opportunity to fix before they hardened.

Family:

You did a great job and your floor looks very nice.

Must interject here as you are giving out bad information to people who may use it....

Primer is primarily used to seal the floor so that the coating does not get sucked into the floor and look uneven.

Extra benefits are: reduced chance of bubbles, better penetration into the slab (100% solids don't penetrate as well as a good thin primer), blockade between things that cause fish-eyes and your base coat, etc..

and I repeat, you won't find one pro installer on this site that applies this material without a primer in a garage application or possibly any.

Lastly, dry-lock is not an acceptable primer for any epoxy system. You must use a two part epoxy that is compatible.

 

[Familyof8kids]

Must interject here as you are giving out bad information to people who may use it....

Huh? Me give out bad information to who? That was not me or did I bump my head?

 

[Rye425]

I think legacy gave you praise then jumped back in response to Baada. If not then he should go back and read page 4 again.

Floor looks good dude

 

[burleyfarm]

My primer coat was a super-thin coat of the Epoxy-Coat color followed by the regular color coat.

 

[Familyof8kids]

My primer coat was a super-thin coat of the Epoxy-Coat color followed by the regular color coat.

Did you thin out the epoxy or roll the fire out of it so it would stretch out? If you did the thin thing let us know what you used and how much.

 

[rugerlady]

If you use our product for a prime coat you can thin it with MEK by about 6-8%. I try to stay on the conservative side of the thinning process.

 

[Cobra6]

I hate to resurrect this, but I noticed earlier it was stated that there were a couple of inaccuries in the Epoxy-Coat instructions -

1. You really need to let it dry more than 6 hours - easy

2. you only need to pour out what you can smooth in 15 minutes -
So............
Does it solidify faster than that? or slower?

 

[rugerlady]

1. I recommend letting it dry thoroughly. I am in the process of redoing the instructions, 6 hours is ok in some climates, I prefer waiting a day for it to dry.

2. You actually have about 45 minutes per batch. You have 15 minutes to do your cutting in and spreading with the squeegee, then you have about 30 minutes to roll it out let it set up for a few then back roll it.

 

[c7fx]

concrete yes more than 6 hours to be certain its dry

you need to mix and pour out the complete mixture if not it will set up in the bucket. We were doing 10 x 10 squares and waited too long between squares. Because we waited too long the roller became really hot and almost solid.
The other issue is waiting too long before back rolling the epoxy will get really tacky and hard to roll.
I made sure that we finished one square in the 15 minutes which was easy and back rolled 10 minutes later. The big thing is to not make this more complex than it is. Pour out the complete mixture at one time spread with the squeegee. I have found at first I was pulling too much product with the squeegee. Just remember the roller will equal it all out.

Also if you have a lot of cutting in, get someone else to spread the product. I actually used the squeegee to cut in with since I was going to paint the walls after.

 

[Cobra6]

Thanks -
My concrete has been drying for 3 days, but it has been damp here - it still looks damp along the expansion cuts. I want it dry before I put the backer board and caulk in there.

 

[Familyof8kids]

Follow-Up 10-13-12

I have been on the road for business and returned to find our racing go-kart has leaked gas out of the carb onto the floor. It created a 14"x24" area of oil substance.

I was nervous but grabbed a few paper towels and to my suprise it easily wiped right up and no sign of any abuse or other.

Epoxy-Coat installed correctly with Polyurea topcoat can easily take on gasoline!

 

[jwvess00]

Hi there!

Your JD floor looks great!

Dad and I just finished doing his floor in Epoxy-Coat gray. It's new construction 32x40 garage. We bought three kits. I mixed while he back-rolled, I cut-in and squeegee'd (is that a verb?) and he rolled.

The floor turned out okay. It did out-gas some, but it's not terrible. I would recommend more precise mixing cups vs. the sticks, and I would recommend a better (wider) squeegee. Also, having two people really makes it go better.

With the dire time warnings all over the kit, I was a bit nervous about this job. Once we actually started it was pretty simple, and we had a pretty good rhythm going.

The biggest problem was in one of the kits itself. Our first two kits were gray. The third kit was labelled gray but was actually white when we opened it. Yikes! Back to Lowe's to exchange it, but they only had taupe in stock. It took a 3 hour round-trip to another Lowe's that had the gray in stock to get what we needed.

It's definitely nice stuff, and if I ever get off dead-center, I'll do my modest 20x22 garage with it.

 

[Familyof8kids]

Hi there!

Your JD floor looks great!

Dad and I just finished doing his floor in Epoxy-Coat gray. It's new construction 32x40 garage. We bought three kits. I mixed while he back-rolled, I cut-in and squeegee'd (is that a verb?) and he rolled.

The floor turned out okay. It did out-gas some, but it's not terrible. I would recommend more precise mixing cups vs. the sticks, and I would recommend a better (wider) squeegee. Also, having two people really makes it go better.

With the dire time warnings all over the kit, I was a bit nervous about this job. Once we actually started it was pretty simple, and we had a pretty good rhythm going.

The biggest problem was in one of the kits itself. Our first two kits were gray. The third kit was labelled gray but was actually white when we opened it. Yikes! Back to Lowe's to exchange it, but they only had taupe in stock. It took a 3 hour round-trip to another Lowe's that had the gray in stock to get what we needed.

It's definitely nice stuff, and if I ever get off dead-center, I'll do my modest 20x22 garage with it.

Wow you got lucky with another store having it and it was in the allowed timeline to lay it down. Epoxy-Coat is reading our post and hopefully is making changes in quality, supplies, and instructions.

They have a great product (Epoxy) but the support items make the experience not so enjoyable. If I would have not found this website and this forum I would have failed big time. The professionals on this website are the best to work with and have great feedback.

You points are correct and I would also suggest to INSTALL A PRIMER!!!!


Welcome to GJ.

 

[c7fx]

Also you should Box (mix) all your epoxy for uniform color. I know it says that in the instructions.
We used two different batches at two different times and the colors matched perfectly

 

[rugerlady]

I am astonished one kit was white. That does not even make sense, I will let my packing deptartment know and I will find out what happened.
I'm glad the colors matched for you, you are supposed to batch mix all your Part A before you get started on the floor.

 

[haughty]

Great looking floor there! Awesome

 

[redintex]

Outstanding job on the floor as well as the documentation!!! I was with you on the yellow flakes when I saw the first photo you took after mentioning, but they blended and toned down perfectly after curing and/or topcoat being applied.

When I get to this point in my garage (total wreck right now!), I will definitely be using your thread as a reference to ensure I am taking the proper steps!

Kudos!!!

redintex

 

[Cobra6]

Family:

You did a great job and your floor looks very nice.

Must interject here as you are giving out bad information to people who may use it....

Primer is primarily used to seal the floor so that the coating does not get sucked into the floor and look uneven.

Extra benefits are: reduced chance of bubbles, better penetration into the slab (100% solids don't penetrate as well as a good thin primer), blockade between things that cause fish-eyes and your base coat, etc..

and I repeat, you won't find one pro installer on this site that applies this material without a primer in a garage application or possibly any.

Lastly, dry-lock is not an acceptable primer for any epoxy system. You must use a two part epoxy that is compatible.

Good info for the primer Scotty - this makes good sense to me.
A couple of questions - If you use your two-part Legacy Industrial primer with Epoxy-Coat - Do you need to sand the primer before putting down epoxy and is there a time frame you should wait before you put down the Epoxy-Coat after the primer?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Good info for the primer Scotty - this makes good sense to me.
A couple of questions - If you use your two-part Legacy Industrial primer with Epoxy-Coat - Do you need to sand the primer before putting down epoxy and is there a time frame you should wait before you put down the Epoxy-Coat after the primer?

Not if you coat within 24 hours of priming.

 

[Nelkcots]

I will be starting my Career with JD after I graduate with my engineering degree in May... I foresee a garage with this theme in my future!! Very nice work!

 

[kinghong1970]

If you use our product for a prime coat you can thin it with MEK by about 6-8%. I try to stay on the conservative side of the thinning process.

I've read that using primer will void the warranty...
if we use Epoxy Coat thinned with MEK, will it void the warranty?

Great work Family!
absolutely inspirational!

 

[Baada]

Well I certainly don't work for EpoxyCoatr else I would never reccomend the stick measuring method. I should clarify that Christine definitely told me that the EpoxyCoat alone could withstand a fairly high moisture level without blistering so they don't reccomend a primer unless absolutely necessary. But if I wanted to use a primer, "Other EpoxyCoat customers have had good luck using DryLok." Also DryLok comes in water based and traditional "bad chemical" varieties.

That said I was skeptical of the bond with a primer so I didn't do it. The problem with the fish eyes for me was they didn't show up until several hours after I put it down....when I was sleeping....so I missed my opportunity to fix before they hardened.

Family:

You did a great job and your floor looks very nice.

Must interject here as you are giving out bad information to people who may use it....

Primer is primarily used to seal the floor so that the coating does not get sucked into the floor and look uneven.

Extra benefits are: reduced chance of bubbles, better penetration into the slab (100% solids don't penetrate as well as a good thin primer), blockade between things that cause fish-eyes and your base coat, etc..

and I repeat, you won't find one pro installer on this site that applies this material without a primer in a garage application or possibly any.

Lastly, dry-lock is not an acceptable primer for any epoxy system. You must use a two part epoxy that is compatible.

I realize that this is an older thread but it came up when I was searching for information about what primer to use for another epoxy floor I'm about to do.

I just wanted to clarify that I wasn't making this recommendation from personal experience or knowledge as I'm not a professional. I was simply repeating what I was told over the phone by EpoxyCoat. I can't recall if it was Christine or someone else. I'm not in any way saying that DryLok is the best primer to use or endorsing it in any way as I have never used it in this fashion. I am also NOT saying that EpoxyCoat requires a primer.

So, for anyone trying to figure out which primer to use, do your own research and follow your floor specific manufacturer's recommendations.

 

[Familyof8kids]

Follow-Up Performance for Epoxy-Coat


If you read this entire post from the first posting you will see I installed the Epoxy-Coat with higher detail than the MFG recommends and I am SO GLAD I DID. Not a single issue with anything and yes we have 8 kids and many neighbors that abuse the floor and no chips, fading or issues. The only thing is slight scratching in highly used areas but I installed a wax from day one and it is easy to make it look new again.

I COULD NOT BE ANY HAPPIER WITH MY EPOXY-COAT FLOOR.

 

[rugerlady]

I'm so glad to hear the floor is doing well. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything!

 

[SunsetsAndFriends]

Familyof8kids - I came upon this thread this week. Very in-depth. A lot of great and helpful information. I don't see a final pictures in this thread showing floor with the walls painted, etc.