Epoxy-coat Review

HotrodHR · Mar 17, 2013

Finished Epoxy-coating my 24x24 shop today… Here are some of my random thoughts on the process and product:

• First off, if you’re like me you’ve spent months reading, researching, watching Youtube videos trying to figure out the best product, approach, etc. Do yourself a favor – STOP! There’s no need to waste a lot time over complicating, re-engineering or second guessing. Read the reviews, select a product and pull the trigger!

• Laying Epoxy-coat or any other product is not rocket science… is it work? Yes, but doable.

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions… For all the folks that complained about Epoxy-coat’s measuring sticks, small spreader (squeegee), etc. just use as instructed, they work fine. In fact the batches turned out perfect and the spreader worked better than my 18” squeegee.

• With Epoxy-coat just use light pressure with the supplied spreader... it easily spreads the material.

• I decided to pour the mixed product closer to the wall… the instructions said 2’ but 2” worked out better… Just push the material up to the wall and cut in.

• Back roll as instructed. If you encounter fisheyes or bubbles, back roll again. I chose to back roll perpendicular to the direction of spread (as instructed), then perpendicular to the first backroll… and so forth.

• Get the spiked shoes and an extension pole… you will need them.

• Don’t worry if a few insects get stuck in your coating… they add character!

• Plan on at least a day to clean and prep your floor, and a day to lay down the Epoxy. If you decide on clearing add another day.

• If your budget allows seriously consider using their clear, really makes the floor pop!

• Epoxy-coat performed better than expected and Jamie was great!

Big-Foot · Mar 17, 2013

Boy that looks purdy!

I am going to recoat my Epoxy Coat floor some day and then top it with clear.. It has gotten scuffed up..

pauls_workshop · Mar 17, 2013

Wow! That really looks super. Which color/chip combo is that? Did you use a clear?

I'm close to doing epoxy-coat in my basement shop space in another week or two.

My only real worries at this point are impact/chip resistance from dropped tools and things onto it or scratch marks. Anyone have thoughts there? - Paul

allinon72 · Mar 17, 2013

Looks great, love the amount of flakes

Shea · Mar 17, 2013

Your floor looks great, good job!

My only real worries at this point are impact/chip resistance from dropped tools and things onto it or scratch marks. Anyone have thoughts there? - Paul

Paul, if you use a 100% epoxy with the additional clear coat you will be fine. Epoxy floors are highly impact resistant. Not impact proof, but very resistant. If you opt for a full broadcast of the colored chips you will gain more floor thickness that contributes to impact resistance and makes it much easier to repair in the unlikely event that you ever scratch the coating severely.

HotrodHR · Mar 17, 2013

pauls_workshop said:
Wow! That really looks super. Which color/chip combo is that? Did you use a clear?

I'm close to doing epoxy-coat in my basement shop space in another week or two.

My only real worries at this point are impact/chip resistance from dropped tools and things onto it or scratch marks. Anyone have thoughts there? - Paul

I used the clear and the base is gray (standard from lowes) with black, white, gray and blue flakes. One of our forum members had some leftover flakes with blue in them that he gave me and I added it to the supplied flakes. Btw, the supplied flakes are black, white and gray. He ordered his products direct from epoxy-coat...

bdamico · Mar 17, 2013

amazing

pauls_workshop · Mar 17, 2013

Thanks, I'm also going to use the gray. I'll have the standard white, black, and gray flakes in the kit. I'm going to use some other flakes too though to get a few blues in there. I hope mine looks close to yours when I'm done because yours is great! - Paul

LegacyIndustrial · Mar 18, 2013

Very nice floor!!

junk yard dog · Mar 18, 2013

HotrodHR said:
I used the clear and the base is gray (standard from lowes) with black, white, gray and blue flakes. One of our forum members had some leftover flakes with blue in them that he gave me and I added it to the supplied flakes. Btw, the supplied flakes are black, white and gray. He ordered his products direct from epoxy-coat...

what brand of clear did you use ? I used the epoxy-seal clear and it isn't as glossy as yours

HotrodHR · Mar 18, 2013

junk yard dog said:
what brand of clear did you use ? I used the epoxy-seal clear and it isn't as glossy as yours

I used Epoxy-coat's clear...

NOZZLEMAN · Mar 18, 2013

Outstanding job !! We're all guilty of "overthinking" this stuff because of the cost and time involved; but I lover your point JUST DO IT

The clear is absolutely the way to go !!

rugerlady · Mar 19, 2013

Thank You for the great post! Your floor looks awesome!!

mysteed · Mar 19, 2013

Your garage flooring looks AWESOME!

roche · Mar 19, 2013

Very nice.

How did the prep went? I'm on the planning stage.

jbkilla187@hotmail.com · Mar 20, 2013

I was on the Lowe's website and noticed they sell an epoxy-coat kit that is labeled as clear in color. Does any body know if this is different then standard clear coat you would place? I was planning on doing the epoxy-coat Taupe from Lowe's with a clear coat, and I am unsure if I could use the clear epoxy they sell on the website or if i need to get the Clear coat directly from Epoxy coat.
Thanks!

HotrodHR · Mar 20, 2013

rugerlady said:
Thank You for the great post! Your floor looks awesome!!

Your welcome!

HotrodHR · Mar 20, 2013

[email protected] said:
I was on the Lowe's website and noticed they sell an epoxy-coat kit that is labeled as clear in color. Does any body know if this is different then standard clear coat you would place? I was planning on doing the epoxy-coat Taupe from Lowe's with a clear coat, and I am unsure if I could use the clear epoxy they sell on the website or if i need to get the Clear coat directly from Epoxy coat.
Thanks!

I'm not sure they are carrying Epoxy-coat's clear at Lowes or online... That said, just like automotive paint you should probably stick to same manufacturer and product line from start to finish avoiding compatibility issues.

In the "old" days we would mix and match lacquer thinner and reducers with paint without giving it much thought... Today I would not think about using a different manufacturer's reducer much less their hardener (catalyst).

And for the automotive painters that use various manufacturer's primers and another's basecoat clear coat system... yes I do that sometimes as well, a good 2K primer should handle just about any top coat applied over it.

A cured epoxy floor properly prepped (sanded lightly) should hold a quality clear that uses a hardener (catalyst). Considering the price of Epoxy-coat I didn't think it was worth the risk experimenting on my new floor.

I did see something mentioned about using polyurea (sp?) coating over epoxy-coat somewhere on their website... don't know what brand they recommend... didn't see that they carried it either.

LegacyIndustrial · Mar 20, 2013

rugerlady said:
Thank You for the great post! Your floor looks awesome!!

Welcome back Christine!

Jsf721 · Mar 21, 2013

Did you add the anti-slip "micro beads" into the clear? If you did, wow that gloss is awesome. I heard that the anti slip can sometimes lessen the gloss.

Is it slipers when it gets wet? I want your look, but I have kids that play in there and i dont want them or me taking a fall.

Either way the floor looks outrageous! Enjoy it.

soapii · Mar 21, 2013

Floor looks great!! What (if anything) did you do to the joints?

--Joe

JamieK · Mar 21, 2013

I've got a 24' x 24' garage I'm thinking about doing with Epoxy-coat. How much of each product did you end up using, and how much money do you have into this? (if you don't mind!)

Cobra6 · Mar 21, 2013

Craig -
That floor looks great - probably better than mine!
You make me look bad by posting your finished project first.
I am glad everything turned out good on the floor.

javafugo · Mar 21, 2013

Floor came out awesome. A side question, is that an 80 gallon compressor you have tucked in the corner? its obviously a 2 stage, but it is very short. Kobalt used to make a 45 gallon but that appears to be a CH

HotrodHR · Mar 27, 2013

javafugo said:
Floor came out awesome. A side question, is that an 80 gallon compressor you have tucked in the corner? its obviously a 2 stage, but it is very short. Kobalt used to make a 45 gallon but that appears to be a CH

Yes it's the old 80 gal. CH Quadzilla from HF... about 10 years old. Blew one head gasket out last year, fixed it and good as new.... other than that no problems.

HotrodHR · Mar 27, 2013

JamieK said:
I've got a 24' x 24' garage I'm thinking about doing with Epoxy-coat. How much of each product did you end up using, and how much money do you have into this? (if you don't mind!)

I batched 2 full kits ($195 ea) plus 1 half kit ($120) and one full clear coat kit for $195. So about $700 with some left over.

The plan was to do my shop and my wife's garage (529 sq ft and 604 sq ft)... 2.5 kits would have yielded 1250 sq ft had I mixed the standard batch all the way through... however, I mixed a standard batch for the first "square" and double batches for the other three sections. After it was a said and done I could have used the standard batch and the floor would have been fine... The clear covered my shop (529 sq ft) with no problem and looks like it covered well.

HotrodHR · Mar 27, 2013

soapii said:
Floor looks great!! What (if anything) did you do to the joints?

--Joe

I wanted to keep the joints for aesthetic reasons so I just caulked the bottom the joints to fill/cover the hairline stress cracks with a quality acrylic latex caulk. This was done mostly for looks and to keep from having a crack that water could get in if I hose the floor down... I epoxyed and cleared over the cured caulk ---- sealed up tight as a drum!

HotrodHR · Mar 27, 2013

roche said:
Very nice.

How did the prep went? I'm on the planning stage.

Just follow the manufacturer's instructions and you can't go wrong... clean, degreased, etched and rinse, rinse, rinse...

bgraper · Apr 9, 2013

How did you apply the epoxy over the expansion joint ? Just with a brush ? Or did you actually use the squeegee and then backroll like the rest of the floor ?

I'm trying to figure out what to do with my expansion joints.

Did you bevel the edges with the diamond grinder cup ?

bdamico · Apr 9, 2013

HotrodHR said:
Just follow the manufacturer's instructions and you can't go wrong... clean, degreased, etched and rinse, rinse, rinse...

Actually, you can go wrong--you have to be ready to account for the individual issues surrounding the floor

xrdad · Apr 9, 2013

pauls_workshop said:
My only real worries at this point are impact/chip resistance from dropped tools and things onto it or scratch marks. Anyone have thoughts there? - Paul

Paul, my Epoxy Coat floor is almost a year old and is subjected to daily auto and motorcycle repairs. The bike is set up on the center and side stands and not a scratch on the floor. Dropping tools and most work won't even make a mark.
Something that can chip the concrete is another story! But for the most part, it's indestructible to some extent :thumbup:

I am working on some stains though... if certain liquids are left to pool for a significant amount of time, there can be discoloration. In my case, differential fluid that soaked a piece of cardboard on the floor and was compressed by a set of torches on the cardboard. It left a FAINT stain. I will try some cleaners this spring to see if it can be removed.

OP - your floor looks amazing and I agree 100% - I over analyzed the process too. Did the floor by myself, turned out 120% :pimpflash

gobble · Apr 9, 2013

I really like your result. Looks great!

How many points of flake did you use?

frantylouis · Apr 10, 2013

Hey Hotrod Thank God for real reviewers, I know one thing nothing will affect the epoxy coating if it is done right.

bdamico · Apr 10, 2013

frantylouis said:
Hey Hotrod Thank God for real reviewers, I know one thing nothing will affect the epoxy coating if it is done right.

Totally not true. Sun, welding splatter, dog piss, etc.

Ltdplus9 · Apr 10, 2013

[email protected] said:
I was on the Lowe's website and noticed they sell an epoxy-coat kit that is labeled as clear in color. Does any body know if this is different then standard clear coat you would place? I was planning on doing the epoxy-coat Taupe from Lowe's with a clear coat, and I am unsure if I could use the clear epoxy they sell on the website or if i need to get the Clear coat directly from Epoxy coat.
Thanks!

Had the same question so I called Epoxy-Coat and spoke with Jamie. The "Clear Epoxy" that Lowes advertises is the same product as the Clear Coat from Epooxy-Coat. Jamie said they were working with Lowes to clarify the product writeups and descriptions since their seems to be alot of confusion. Although Lowes has good prices on the epoxy and clear coat kits, the Premium Kit from Epoxy-Coat comes with 10 lbs of flakes, which Lowes sells for $6.36 a pound. That makes the Premium Kit a pretty good deal IF you want the clear coat and higher flake density.

BTW, I'm new here and researching for my upcoming epoxy job in my garage. Thanks HotRod for an awesome write up! Super job - looks amazing.

rugerlady · Apr 11, 2013

bdamico said:
Totally not true. Sun, welding splatter, dog piss, etc.

Taken in order:
Sun - no epoxy is 100% UV resistant, we do add inhibitors to slow the process
Welding - every epoxy company will recommend a welding blanket if doing alot of welding or dropping alot of heavy slag.
Animal waste - liquid or solid, will not stain if the floor has cured for at least 7 days, provided its not left for an extended period of time (a week). I do have alot of ASPCA's and kennels that use use solely for this reason.

bdamico · Apr 11, 2013

rugerlady said:
Taken in order:
Sun - no epoxy is 100% UV resistant, we do add inhibitors to slow the process
Welding - every epoxy company will recommend a welding blanket if doing alot of welding or dropping alot of heavy slag.
Animal waste - liquid or solid, will not stain if the floor has cured for at least 7 days, provided its not left for an extended period of time (a week). I do have alot of ASPCA's and kennels that use use solely for this reason.

No experience with your product, but ucoatit definitely was brought down by a little 12 pound cavalier king charles spaniel's piss (and don't think it was on very long). my only point is that the poster can't say that epoxy is impervious to everything as it is not (shoot, there was a thread about sunscreen staining and we all know about tire track marks). thanks for confirming the rest of my views and hope you're back to good health

gobble · Apr 11, 2013

Ltdplus9 said:
Had the same question so I called Epoxy-Coat and spoke with Jamie. The "Clear Epoxy" that Lowes advertises is the same product as the Clear Coat from Epooxy-Coat. Jamie said they were working with Lowes to clarify the product writeups and descriptions since their seems to be alot of confusion.

I wondered that too, but doesn't it seem odd that Lowes shows the same picture and price for the clear as the regular epoxy kit?

rugerlady · Apr 11, 2013

bdamico said:
No experience with your product, but ucoatit definitely was brought down by a little 12 pound cavalier king charles spaniel's piss (and don't think it was on very long). my only point is that the poster can't say that epoxy is impervious to everything as it is not (shoot, there was a thread about sunscreen staining and we all know about tire track marks). thanks for confirming the rest of my views and hope you're back to good health

Thanks for the well wishes. When comparing epoxy, you need to compare apples to apples. The brand you mentioned is a water based product, they are not nearly as strong or chemically durable as the 100% solids.

bdamico · Apr 11, 2013

rugerlady said:
Thanks for the well wishes. When comparing epoxy, you need to compare apples to apples. The brand you mentioned is a water based product, they are not nearly as strong or chemically durable as the 100% solids.

Absolutely. Had I known better way back then, would have definitely done it differently.

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