wolverine coatings or budget bob

[krymis]

is budget bob still in business? I am a little confuse from the website and i get no answer at the # from the website. If they are still in business are they just repackaging the wolverine product? If not then what is the chance of getting a good epoxy batch from them?

Also wolverine coatings are poping up all over. I would like to know do i just call eric to order and speak about the product? I know there was talk about them going to a diy kit but that pushed back. I see all the beautiful floors and now i just need to do mine in a blood red in say a month. any help on these questions would be appreciated.

 

[locoman]

Blood Red is awesome! Ask for the Ferrari red! It's a little higher in cost but well worth it. You may have to contact Eric directly to get some. It takes an extra additive.

 

[SC-Eric]

Contact Fred at AlphaGarage... you can also register on our forums (wolverinecoatings.com) and make your very own project post. Fred checks in often and will respond.

By the way, Fred is in Paris until August 8... but... he's responding to e-mail and our forums...

Thanks for considering us...
Eric

 

[Apex Painting]

I attempted to buy wolverine coatings through their authorized sales rep. He said he filled the order for vitreous etcher and primer for 180 sq ft when I immediately paid his PayPal bill. After 2 weeks, when I didn't see it delivered, I inquired for a tracking number and the sales rep told me he'd changed his mind and had decided not to ship/sell the product. He then refunded my $181. He says now he's not willing to sell just primer - he wants $482 total for add-on products neither I nor my customer want to use.

I consider this a waste of 2-3 hours tracking down 2 sales people, researching/reading, paying and communicating, and 2 weeks delay in the job. The unprofessional rep is Fred @ Alpha Garage. When I contacted Wolverine, their reply is: we can choose not to sell. True. But I do think people ought to be warned of the runaround and/or "hard sell" threat if they don't buy their expensive add-ons (thick seal coats). Seeing as my project has only light foot traffic, it does not need thick seal coats required for industrial machine traffic. I wish they would have been up front and not wasted my time.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Fred????

Would like to hear your side on this one....

 

[AlphaGarage]

Apex painting is a commercial establishment that we decided to not do business with for reasons that have nothing to do with our DIY operations. The receive different pricing, different products, different services.

For the record I did not offer to complete the order if Apex would purchase more product. My exact message to them was "We’ve decided to cancel your order, a full PayPal refund for $181.50 has been issued. We’re just not comfortable with the use of a 3rd party product for this application, it’s probably better to go with another system."

Considering their response, I'm even more comfortable with our actions, although I admit that I could have been a bit quicker with the decision and response, and that's all I'll say about that specific matter.

We have DIY projects on this board and elsewhere that order less than $300 worth of material - they all receive the same attention, service and respect as clients how order $3,000 worth of material.

Lately we've been offering AcryliSeal 3501, a product that costs $225, those customers, likewise, receive the same quality customer attention that dozens of our customers have taken the time to favorably write about on this forum alone.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Fred,

I know that the amount does not matter to you when ordering product and I also understand that Apex is a commercial painter.I guess I just didn't understand why he ordered from you and why you initially sold him the order.

Were they going to put another product on top of yours that you were not sure if they would work together or was the product the wrong one for the application?

 

[AlphaGarage]

Errors of judgment (partially product, partially personality) on my part, I'm far from perfect.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

LOL, at least you admit it..... I am often called a horse's a** myself because I usually speak my mind without thinking about what will happen later. At least you know where you stand with me...

 

[AlphaGarage]

LOL, at least you admit it..... I am often called a horse's a** myself because I usually speak my mind without thinking about what will happen later. At least you know where you stand with me...

Yeah - not in back of you

 

[Apex Painting]

I am confident the moderator here can make a judgment call if necessary, since this message board is NOT intended to be an exclusive all-hype advertisement for Alpha Garage and Wolverine.

Since this IS the message board where I read reviews about their products that prompted me to buy, it seems appropriate to have multiple experiences posted here. My experience is factual and verifiable by emails. I am a small business person with no employees, and I was never offered to "receive different pricing, different products, different services." In point of fact, I was referred by Eric to Fred the DIY rep, because the task is DIY level.

My point in posting is to allow others to see a broader spectrum of experiences with this company.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

My experience is factual and verifiable by emails.

Well,

I like to think I look at both sides before forming a conclusion so let's see what you have. If you don't want to post it here, send me a PM, I'll send you my email address and you can forward the email from Fred.

I have been on this board for a few months now and other than the sometimes "colorfull" exchanges between Fred and the garage guy, I have never seen any said about his advise or product that was not in the positive.

Even those exchanges with the garage guy were were still civil and informative on the various products that are available and I value both of their opinions on floor coatings.

 

[Apex Painting]

I have sent you an PM to forward the emails that confirm our original order and the initial comment from Fred that we could order the primer alone without seal coats.

 

[TheBanker]

I am confident the moderator here can make a judgment call if necessary, since this message board is NOT intended to be an exclusive all-hype advertisement for Alpha Garage and Wolverine.

Since this IS the message board where I read reviews about their products that prompted me to buy, it seems appropriate to have multiple experiences posted here. My experience is factual and verifiable by emails. I am a small business person with no employees, and I was never offered to "receive different pricing, different products, different services." In point of fact, I was referred by Eric to Fred the DIY rep, because the task is DIY level.

My point in posting is to allow others to see a broader spectrum of experiences with this company.

I don't think anyone is telling you not to tell your story. Its actually good to hear that Fred is in fact human! Personally I appreciate you stepping up and telling your story. Thats what this board is all about. He should have handled it better.

So what product are you going to use?

 

[Apex Painting]

I'm looking now at XIM bonding epoxy for the exterior tile stoop I need to cover.

I've actually had very good success with Epoxies on tile in dated-color shower enclosures (both fiberglass and tile). I've used Quickrete Garage Floor epoxy because the kit from Lowe's can be tinted powder white.
Wash with CLR,
then a phosphoric acid etch (included in the kit),
then a light buff w/fine sanding block to add tooth,
tack cloth to pick up grit
Divide the 2 part epoxy carefully, equally each into 4 clean plastic disposable food containers (8 total ziplock storage bins or the like). I use a spatula from the $ store to cleanly use all from the paint pails, and even out amounts as necessary.
Apply four daily coats with a foam roller (and a sharp clean brush to cut in).
Clean the roller and brush well before the pot life expires and all gear, even rubber gloves, are re-usable for the next coat.
Looks like a spray-on with the foam roller. Landlords tells me so far, several have held up to a couple of years of tenant use.

The tile stoop needs more traction than a shower enclosure, so I was looking for a tile primer first, then planned to add another product with tint and inclusions.
I am certainly open to any suggestions for alternatives!

 

[gabeancounter]

Sorry to the OP for the hijack of this thread. I doubt I would use budget bob...I never understood the exact roll of his company. I read somewhere it was Wolverine over runs or rejects that he sells. I'd pass.

Now..

I attempted to buy wolverine coatings through their authorized sales rep. He said he filled the order for vitreous etcher and primer for 180 sq ft when I immediately paid his PayPal bill. After 2 weeks, when I didn't see it delivered, I inquired for a tracking number and the sales rep told me he'd changed his mind and had decided not to ship/sell the product. He then refunded my $181. He says now he's not willing to sell just primer - he wants $482 total for add-on products neither I nor my customer want to use.

I consider this a waste of 2-3 hours tracking down 2 sales people, researching/reading, paying and communicating, and 2 weeks delay in the job. The unprofessional rep is Fred @ Alpha Garage. When I contacted Wolverine, their reply is: we can choose not to sell. True. But I do think people ought to be warned of the runaround and/or "hard sell" threat if they don't buy their expensive add-ons (thick seal coats). Seeing as my project has only light foot traffic, it does not need thick seal coats required for industrial machine traffic. I wish they would have been up front and not wasted my time.

Errors of judgment (partially product, partially personality) on my part, I'm far from perfect.

I really hate to hear this is how business is done. Apex seems to be telling it straight, no real arguement to that. I can understand an application usage that they feel might fail using a certain product. Error in not informing the customer quicker and making the customer contact you after two weeks. I would say fine, mistakes happen, but its troubling that you would supply if he purchased additional products.

Please help me understand "partially personality"? So if you don't like someone, then they can not buy your coatings?

 

[PaulR]

So ya, is this a bad time for a newB's first post?
I've been reading up for the past 24 hours in anticipation of my new house with a 30x50 garage. For my floor I've narrowed it down to a few options:

1) Quickcrete Homey Despot kit 3 @ $69...and over that I'm going to cover it with Wolverine Endurashield 2254 2 gals for $390. You all think Fred will sell to me??

2) PPG Aquapon and PPG PSX 700: I'm really intrigued by the guy that posted that use of the PSX 700, seems like the cats nuts, I'd like to hear and learn more about that stuff.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

I have a copy of the emails that went back and forth but before I post a response, I would like to get an OK from Fred to include a passage from one of his responses in the chain. If he OK's that, I will put my take on the issue on here.

I will say this much, I think both sides have fudged a little about the issue and it seems to be more a failure to communicate than anything else.

 

[AlphaGarage]

For PaulR, Would need to know more about the specific Quikrete coating to be used. But assuming it's compatible...

For most shop and garage floors we recommend 4 mils wet of the EnduraSeal 3501 polyurethane clear coat. So for 1,500 ft2 that would require 6,000 mils, factoring in a 10% waste allowance... 6,000 x 1.1 = 6,600, divide by 1,604 to find we need 4.11 gallons of the EDS2254. The smallest kit sizes we offer are 0.625 gallons and 1.25 gallons, so to meet the minimum requirements you'd need three 1.25 and an additional 0.625 gallon kit.

Total gallons, 4.375, evenly spread out over 1,500 ft2, 4.678, deduct 10% waste, 4.21, finally allowing the 10% water to evaporate nets us approximately 3.789 mils of very clear, extremely durable, UV resistant, sharp looking, easy to maintain, polyurethane clear coat.

 

[Apex Painting]

For Georgia Hybrid:
This is the second time you have challenged my honesty about my consumer experience. I have not "fudged a little." I inquired about product from Eric; he was informational; I was referred to Fred to purchase; ordered two primers; it never arrived; after inquiry, I got a refund. You aren't a consumer protection agency ruling on this matter, and I'm not asking you to be. It doesn't need to be further "resolved." It's over. My purpose was, as Banker Bob said, to post a customer experience.

For Paul R:
I suggest not using Quickrete Epoxy for your garage floor unless you have a very intact, new slab in a moderate climate like Seattle or Portland: not much freeze/thaw, not much condensation from humidity. It holds great there for several years (from what I saw working in property maintenance there) and doesn't seem prone to flake or lift.

The Northeast is a different story. Snow, road salt & sand (that combo is called "snirt"), and 90+ degree summer heat/humidity take a toll on the slab as well as the paint. Most concrete garage slab floors are pitted after only a few years, consequently coverage is poor with the Quickrete or SealCrete kits. I once used 4 kits for a 2.5 car garage. It lifted in a few areas (in 1/4" flakes) halfway through the first winter, in areas where the hot tires sit on frozen paint. And I'd prepped it with pressure wash, double step Oil Stain Remover, double acid washes with scrub brush, etc. Yes, industrial coatings will likely hold up better, but may not be necessary in view of the following option:

The best thing going right now for garages IMO is a thick roll-out vinyl mat, 7.5 ft x 15 ft from Costco warehouse stores (not in their online store). It's dove gray with diamond plate texture. Cost: $180. Installation: Sweep floor and unroll mat. Beautiful. Unlike square lock-together mats, there are no seams where dust / liquids can seep when sweeping / mopping later. 225 sq ft for $180 with virtually no labor is a bargain in my opinion. Probably also a good choice to improve areas in occasionally damp basements, for workshop, gym, kids' romper room, laundry area etc.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Apex,

You made a few strong statements concerning a guy that I have seen on this board for a while. Fred DID offer you "different pricing". I agree that he might not have handled it in the correct way (OK he didn't do it right at all...) but I am starting to understand why......That is the only thing you had "fudged" in your statement.

By the way, where did I EVER, as you put it "challenged my honesty" in two of my posts? If anything I was willing to call out Fred on the issue. I have not received a PM back from Fred but the hell with it, it's your problem, deal with it.

 

[SC-Eric]

You regulars know us well enough to know that she is not telling the whole story. I was going to make a long post to address this but who really needs the extra drama.

I will say that this was not an easy project as she claims. And, I was the one who stopped the sale. We did not have confidence that the 3rd party products she intended to use would be compatible with ours.

 

[ods dan]

FYI , I own my own business and if I don't like someone or think he/she will be a PITA I won't sell to them ever... call me a d**k but it takes 20 times more energy to fix or resolve an issue and if there is any chance of that happening no thanks.. all I have to say about that... lol

oh and Fred was great to me when I got my wolverine stuff... and hope in 2 weeks to get it down finally..