Another (zzzz) Wolverine Floor

[drivinhard]

Finally doing my detached shop. I bought my product back in March, as at the time they were killing DIY sales due to Bill leaving. I didn't want to not be able to get it so I grabbed it, but I'm slow to finally pull the trigger. My floor project turned into one of those "do 84,000 other things in there first" deals.

In any event, bondtite down tonight (will post pics later).

I had the humidity creep up to 88% after we laid down the last coat, any problems with it going above 80%? Outside temp is about 50. The doors are almost shut, I stopped them just above the (wet) floor. Inside the shop it's 72% humidity, and warmer.

Also I used an 18" Wooster 3/8" regular paint roller, and their 1/4" nap Urethane/Exopy roller (9"). The regular paint one had less shed when patting it down with tape before, and did better IMHO. Just an FYI.

Tomorrow after lunch the main coat and flakes will go down...pics to come.

 

[drivinhard]

Hmmm, 15 hrs after pouring, still a bit tacky. I presume this is normal (ie, beyond the normal 3-6 hr time) due to it being twice as thick, cold (50's last night while drying) and 70ish% humidity?

What are you guys doing with the dead/stuck wildlife? Cut out with razor blade? I was thinking just covering some of the smaller ones (small spiders that are rather embedded, etc)

 

[drivinhard]

Well here's my observations:

1. When I put down the main coat, I had already decided I liked the look of the solid no flake floor. When it's wet you gotta decide fast what you want to do, I ended up using the flakes (went against my gut) I had already weighed and sectioned out in buckets. But now I wished I had just left it solid. To me, it looked a lot classier. The liquitile really smooths out nicely by itself.

2. The flakes are harder to get even than it would seem. Doing it at night (even with all the good lighting I have in the shop) makes it harder. I see spots in the am now that I didn't see. I also wished I had gone a little lighter on the flakes.

3. I'm glad I kept a little hardner and resin and flakes to touch up places that got wildlife in them last night.

4. Looking back, I had plenty of time to do the whole floor then flake it (it was cool last night) and I think I could have done a better job of flaking it. As it was, I screwed up (got heavy) on the overlap areas. Grrr.

5. All the above is why I wished I had bought another kit and done my workshop in my basement first, to practice.

My flakes are 40 lbs of Moody Granite, + 10 lbs of blue, + 4 lbs of extra moonless midnight.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Looking good! Yes, when you see that vast expanse of glossy LiquaTile right after it's put down it sure is purty. And then you flake it and wonder if you did the right thing. But worry not, you'll get that glossy look again after you apply the clear coat.

About broadcasting the DecoFlakes... We recently had another customer who had some problems applying the flakes with the broadcast being quite uneven.

There are a few ways to help maximize positive results.

A light density broadcast or heavy broadcast are the easiest, a medium density broadcast is the trickiest to spread evenly.

Realize that applying flakes is a unique and unfamiliar task, so it's a great idea to practice it first. Before you even open a can of epoxy, lay out a large sheet of clean plastic and practice broadcasting until you get uniform results! Don't just toss out a hand full or two, do it until you get a feel for what works. Most people report that a overhand throw works best, but for you underhand might work better, the only way to find out is to practice.

Mix up the flakes. Most of the time if you're using a combination of different colors you would have received them pre-blended. But they may have settled a bit by size or clumped up in transit, so mix them up to get a more even looking broadcast.

Make sure the work area is well lit. If you have dark corners, or uneven light, it will be very difficult to judge whether or not the broadcast is even.

Don't rush! By the time you apply the flakes you've probably spent quite a bit of time prepping, you've spent more applying the primer coat, and yet more time putting down the pigmented epoxy coat. All that work and understandably you're anxious to see the finished results, but now is not the time to get sloppy! If you're trying to put down the primer coat, body coat and flakes in one day there's a good chance that mistakes will happen when it comes to the flakes. Better to get some rest and wait until the next day to do the body coat and flakes.

Use spike shoes.

Carefully measure out correct proportions. If you're coating the floor in sections, divide your flakes into equal sized portions so you don't run short as you approach the end.

 

[drivinhard]

Looking good! Yes, when you see that vast expanse of glossy LiquaTile right after it's put down it sure is purty. And then you flake it and wonder if you did the right thing. But worry not, you'll get that glossy look again after you apply the clear coat.

It's not so much the shine as much as it is, I just like the solid look.

I'm almost tempted to order up 12 gallons of light gray again and re-roll it

I've live with it.

I did the underhand thing (got a 12" ceiling, so I was throwing them pretty high). It helps to have a spotter, it's hard to "see it all" when you are right on top of it.

I've give it a B- for my first attempt. I guess my basement shop and house garage will be the the ones that turn out better next go around

 

[FFPL]

Well here's my observations:

1. When I put down the main coat, I had already decided I liked the look of the solid no flake floor. When it's wet you gotta decide fast what you want to do, I ended up using the flakes (went against my gut) I had already weighed and sectioned out in buckets. But now I wished I had just left it solid. To me, it looked a lot classier. The liquitile really smooths out nicely by itself.

This is the part of the job that I've enjoyed twice (mine and my neighbors). The liquitile looks outstanding without the flake. I've seen it with endurashield on it as well (again without the flake) and it certainly looks glossier and really nice. That said, I'd still do the flake. You'll get the gloss back with the topcoat. I did bondtite (1 coat) but on my neighbors floor I did endurashield (3 coats) which is really stunning.

 

[WolverineCoatings]

Another option is to order a bit more clear and then do a second coat of flakes to even them out...

I couldn't really tell from the pics that the flakes were uneven... I thought the floor with just the BondTite 1101 looked pretty darn nice!

 

[drivinhard]

I got the endurashield on tonight (2.5 gallon). Real easy to do, but it's got a bit more of a potent odor (the bondtite, and liquitile were not bad at all, more mild than even regular paint).

That bondtite is cool stuff, I had a little left over in my trim/edge bucket, so I was sticking it here and there just for testing purposes. I even let the rest harden in the bucket, it looks like that big block of resin they found the mosquito to make the dino DNA in Jurassic Park. lol

 

[FFPL]

I got the endurashield on tonight (2.5 gallon). Real easy to do, but it's got a bit more of a potent odor (the bondtite, and liquitile were not bad at all, more mild than even regular paint).

That bondtite is cool stuff, I had a little left over in my trim/edge bucket, so I was sticking it here and there just for testing purposes. I even let the rest harden in the bucket, it looks like that big block of resin they found the mosquito to make the dino DNA in Jurassic Park. lol

I've got quite a few coasters made from bondtite; and door stops.

 

[FFPL]

and we need some pics

 

[drivinhard]

and we need some pics

it's still drying, so it's got some uneven area's where it's thicker and still drying, and some thinner that are more cured.

the lift goes in this weekend (I'll probably give it till sunday before I move heavy stuff in) and I'll be painting the poured walls this weekend as well.

btw FFPL, you're thread/advice was a big help through all this. I lurk more than I post

 

[AlphaGarage]

With the humidity and temps you're seeing the cure times will be on the long side, so be sure to check and make certain everything's well cured and hard.

Thanks for sharing those pics!

 

[Dave88LX]

Looks great!

 

[drivinhard]

I moved in (or started) on sunday. The floor held up well during the move so far, I've dragged and rolled some pretty heavy stuff on it.

I still wish I had gone 1 shade darker gray on the liquitile, and just rolled it out no flakes. It would have been slick (literally, and sweet looking to)

It'll take a month to move in and organize. lol

Anybody need any C5 Z06 parts?

Neighbor landed me some nice garage decor, I'll hang it from the ceiling I suppose.

 

[nathank]

Would love to know the story on that car! (the vette)

 

[drivinhard]

It's my parts/spare parts car.

I've got a clone of it (in 1 piece)

It's a long story, involving freezing temps, a bridge over a pond/drainage creek on a back road, and a tree, and the law that 2 objects can't occupy the same space.

 

[nathank]

Oh wow. I think I understand now.

Awesome shop! Awesome floor! Even the parts car is pretty awesome.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Clearly the flake or flakeless choice is a purely subjective call. As it is now the floor and the walls are pretty similar and lack definition and contrast. Although it looks pretty sharp as-is, I think you might be a bit more pleased with the overall look once the walls are finished.

Nice job!

 

[WolverineCoatings]

It's a long story, involving freezing temps, a bridge over a pond/drainage creek on a back road, and a tree, and the law that 2 objects can't occupy the same space.

Well, if you've got a story like that... that involves the law I guess it's better that it didn't involve BLUE LIGHTS! lol...

I think your garage looks fantastic! I can't wait to see pics with the walls completed!

FFPL... what are you doing next weekend?

 

[FFPL]

FFPL... what are you doing next weekend?

Now those walls would be a challenge. Could be fun though....

 

[drivinhard]

When I was grinding my floor, I kept thinking of FFPL's pictures of those beveled edges...ugh. No thanks. Grinding concrete, having done it, is about as low on the list as it can get.

I knocked off the rough edges with the grinder (where the forms meet on the poured walls) but that's enough for me. I'll roll some drylock on it, and some paint over that, and call it a day. It can't look TOO good, it's a shop.

 

[AlphaGarage]

I knocked off the rough edges with the grinder

What was your grinder set-up, size make, model, media type? And how did it go?

 

[drivinhard]

I rented a home depot blastrac 7" hand grinder and bought one of their $59.** wheels (2nd to most expensive/long life?).

I tried their 10" floor grinder, and I dunno if it was the wheel that was one it or what, but it sucked. The hand grinding (with a good wheel) went 5x as fast.

I was going to shotblast, but the local HD that had the blastrac shot blasting machine was out of shot.

Grinding was a real pain, when I do the house garage, and basement garage bay, I'm going to try shotblasting. Do a rental and try to knock out both in a day.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Odd about the shotblaster. Another customer just rented one in Orange County and they had him purchase the media, I think the rental was about $110 and the shot about $35.

 

[bobhere]

Anybody need any C5 Z06 parts?

Why yes I do


Engine, computer and exhaust manifolds

Front and rear suspension components (minus leaf springs and shocks)

Front and rear brakes, hubs, calipers and rotors (outer CV joints on rear)

Fuel tanks with pump(s) and flexible lines uncut

Radiator w/fans and plastic shroud

Wiring harness w/engine, throttle control, & ignition sections

Wheels and tires

Tilt steering column w/stalks and Ignition switch

Flexible brake lines- calipers

Radiator fill tank

Wiper motor

Oxygen sensors (4)

Side & rear view mirrors

Exterior door handles and door window mechanisms

Seat belts

Vehicle speed sensor

E-brake handle/cables, Gas pedal

Hood latches w/ cable actuator

Bob

 

[dreamingmuscle]

I couldn't really tell from the pics that the flakes were uneven... I thought the floor with just the BondTite 1101 looked pretty darn nice!

I thought so too. Can it be left like that? I might rethink epoxie if I can leave it in bondtite 1101.

Glen
________
Chrysler Sebring (sedan) history

 

[AlphaGarage]

I thought so too. Can it be left like that? I might rethink epoxie if I can leave it in bondtite 1101.

Glen

Yes, you can do a floor just with BondTite 1101.

We had a contractor spec a job using just BT1101 and DecoFlakes 130. As I recall it was a 5 or 6 layer system, with different layers having different DecoFlakes. The resulting floor would have a deep "3D" appearance to it. I wish we had some pictures, but we don't.

Of course, and floor of just BT1101 doesn't need to be that thick, this particular customer was looking for a special look.

 

[iamhistory]

Your floor looks impressive.

The car on the lift is even nicer!!

 

[drivinhard]

Your floor looks impressive.

Thanks, even though in person you can see how crappy I got the flakes evenly spread

The place was pretty "drab" till I got the walls painted, now the floor sets everything off nicely. It is a dream to clean up, and (while I didn't do it for this reason) everybody who comes in the shop, comments on the floor first.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Looks very sharp!

Broadcasting the flakes is one of those things that seem simple, but can be a challenge.

I like the overhand toss method, but customers recently have reported great results with a hand fertilizer spreader.

Regardless of which way you end up broadcasting them, we strongly recommend that you practice broadcasting flakes before putting down one drop of coating. Simply put down a large, clean, tarp or piece of plastic, and practice your technique beforehand.

This model works for a lot of folks:

 

[fasteddie24]

Wow, the walls really make it.

 

[Stargeezer]

Very nice job on all the painting. Looks like you need cabinets and shelving now ;-)