About to pull the trigger...some application questions

[blairlee]

Hey all --

After reading about floor treatments here until my eyeballs popped out, I've decided to put down some Wolverine epoxy in my new construction 400 sq ft garage. I'm working with Fred to finalize details of the order, but I have a couple of questions regarding the logistics of application that haven't been answered in my research.

Prep: I plan to use OrganiPrep. After applying it and rinsing, should I go over the entire surface with a pressure washer? If so, are the "cheap" $100 washers going to do the trick?

Cut-in: What's the best way to go about cutting in to the walls? Given the nature of the product, I was thinking that I might get away with just pushing the stuff to the walls with my roller. There are no tricky corners involved here; it's pretty much a square patch of concrete.

Rolling: I can only find 9" shed-resistant rollers around here. If I break the floor into two 200 sq ft sections, will I have enough time to apply the material before it hardens?

Masking: The instructions state to remove any masking before the material hardens too much. Does this mean that I need to mask my borders for each layer of epoxy? In other words, do I mask before Bondtite, then remove and remask before Liquatile?

Squeegee: I've read lots of different opinions on using a squeegee for the floor. Is having one going to make life easier for me, since I can only find 9" rollers?

 

[AlphaGarage]

For small areas, wiping with a dry cotton cloth, followed by a warm or soapy water rinse can remove residue.

For larger surfaces, the majority of the removal can be accomplished by using a nylon bristled push broom or a floor squeegee, then washing the rest with running water through a regular hose. OrganiPrep 921 can be removed with a mop, however low pressure rinse or mopping may not completely remove laitance or dust, and therefore scrubbing or dry vacuuming may be required to remove dust prior to recoating. For best results rinse with a 1500-3000 PSI pressure washer.

Cut-n: Cutting methods depend a bit on your experience, a lot of people who have done some painting, even just walls and typical home owner projects, don't tape or cut in straight walls etc. The coatings are fairly thick and with some roller control you can kind of "flood" the epoxy up to the wall by bringing the roller within 1/4 inch or so of the wall and letting the wave front push up to the wall.

Or you can always use masking tape and/or or a cut in brush.

Rolling: Yes, you should have no problem rolling out 200 ft2 within the pot life. After you combine the correct measured amounts of the two components by thoroughly mixing them immediately pour out the epoxy over the section, then back roll to spread it out evenly.

Masking: Yes, for flat edges mask for each coat separately. If you mask the walls etc. you can sometimes avoid retaping by not running the bottom edge of the tape directly on the floor, but rather just a 1/16 on an inch up the wall.

Squeegee: For 400 ft2 I probably wouldn't break out the notched squeegee. We don't usually recommend a notched squeegee for either the BondTite or the EnduraShield because for 5 and 4 mils the notch openings are too small. Our squeegee for the LiquaTile do make things a bit easier because it helps put down the correct amount, plus the LiquaTile is thick and the arms and shoulders can get tired spreading it around. But with 400 ft2 cut into 2 sections the portion control is pretty easy, and so is spreading it around. When the area gets up around 700+ ft2 then I start thinking it's worthwhile to use the notched squeegee. But using one for smaller areas certainly doesn't hurt either.

 

[blairlee]

LOL Fred, I try to give you a break and you just won't quit! I appreciate all of the help.

I've gotten good enough at house painting to cut in without tape. I think the only place I'll really need to tape is right where the floor ends; the garage door comes down beyond that point, but the transition area is not super-sharp. I will, however, hang some plastic on the walls to keep the roller splatter from getting up there.

On to look at pressure washers....