"100% Solids" epoxy floors

[boonjh]

Are all "100% solids" epoxy floor coverings more or less of equal quality? If not, what makes one better than another, and what should one look for in the ingredients?

Also, what is the recommended thickness for a residential garage with regular car "traffic"

Thanks
Jan

 

[AlphaGarage]

Given a selection of 100% solid epoxies, are they all equal? No. No more than a 2 seater smart fortwo is equal to an 2 seater Corvette Z06.

Epoxies are all different. They may share some of the same basic ingredients, but there are many other ingredients that make a huge difference in the performance of the final coating, and even a difference in how easy they are to apply.

For example, our recommended system for most DIY projects has two different epoxies, BondTite 1101 and LiquaTile 1184. Both are 100% two part epoxies, both have a 2:1 mix ratio, but both are very different and do different jobs. They have at least a dozen different ingredients, many of them unique to just that particular epoxy, and of the few ingredients they do share, they are in differing proportions. And that's just for two 100% solids epoxies from one manufacturer!

The LiquaTile has ceramic content, which most epoxies don't have (quality ceramic ingredients are expensive). Ceramics gives it better abrasion resistance and strength in addition to its ability to absorb shock from falling items (unlike ceramic tile). And then even other high end epoxies that do contain ceramic content don’t necessarily have the same quality ceramics that LiquaTile has. And if they do contain those premium ceramics, it may not be formulated the way that WCC epoxies are. The ceramic content of LiquaTile is linked together, so essentially you have chemical chains of ceramics binding the epoxy together. That makes for an extremely durable and long lasting floor coating.

So again... No. Epoxies are not equal, not in content, not in application, not in performance, not in durability.

As for recommended thickness, it's best to follow the manufacturers' guidelines. In our case for most home and shop applications we recommend a 3 coat system for maximum durability and lasting appearance. Generally the total dry coat thickness would be a minimum of 22 mils, which would be 5 mils of primer coat, 12 mils of body coat, and a clear coat of 5 mils. The primer coat would be our BondTite 1101, a 100% solids epoxy with extremely tenacious grip strength. That would be followed with a coat of LiquaTile 1184, this pigmented epoxy will give your floor the ability to withstand shock and impacts, protecting the concrete. Finally a 5 mil clear coat of BondTite 1101 to help resist abrasion and give your floor that high gloss finish. Our epoxies are 100% solids, there is no water or solvents to evaporate, so what you buy and what you apply is what you benefit from 100% when it cures.

 

[Timm129]

The above post is very true. It comes down to price you want to spend and how durable you need the floor to be.

 

[SC-Eric]

Many 100% solids epoxies are full of a cheap chemical called Nonylphenol (MNP). While MNP will increase flexibility it also reduces durability. Some formulations have up to 40% of MNP! The MNP is basically a cheap liquid filler to reduce cost. And, like anything else, you're only going to get out of it what you put in it! I know someone is going to ask... so... while we're not going to give away too many secrets... I will say... While we may use small amounts of MNP, we don't load up our products with cheap liquid fillers like MNP! If we did, we could lower the cost by about 20-30%... and... the performance by 60%!

 

['the epoxy floor guy']

IMO "100% solids" is the RED HERRING in our industry.

JUST used as a sales tool to 'hoodwink' customers by using a number they can compare.

YES, if a product is NOT 100% solids it contains a solvent (or water for water base) that does not stay in the floor.

YES, sometimes this creates 'pockets' of air in the coating SOMETIMES.

YES, if you apply 8 Mils WET and have a 50% solids you will end up with 4 Mils dry.

BUT, IS that necessarily a bad thing? I'm sure some of the other posters here will disagree with me BUT, Here is my example:

Do you paint a car without adding 'solvent'?

Why Not?

Like when you pour concrete you add water to make it more workable and easier to get it where you want it.

Epoxies are the same way. Sometimes they need 'help' to make the products easier to apply how/where you want to.

The other idea that these guys want you to believe is that MORE IS BETTER.

BUNK!

Again if you paint your car is 12 mils of paint better than 3? is it FOUR TIMES BETTER?

Epoxies are designed to work at their specified thicknesses. SOME epoxies MUST be applied to that thickness in order to provide a quality product.

BUT NOT ALL. Some of the new Generation of epoxies perform SO WELL a 10-15 mil TOTAL THICKNESS coating provides a BETTER coating than the 1940's technology Polymers that require a 20-40 mil build in order to provide even minimal serviceability.

I am NOT saying that ANY other poster here has a bad product. In fact they may have great products I have not used any of them but seem to be Quality suppliers.

I AM saying that using terms like ONLY, NEVER, and MUST MAY refer to their Polymer family products but NOT ALL.