Clear epoxy over VCT

[hula37]

It has been several months since since the discussion about sanding the vct first versus after its down has taken place and wanted to see if there are any new thoughts on the processes. My floor has been cleaned and waiting for it to really dry out. Also got my classic black and cool white vct tiles last night at Lowes. Ended up negotiating them for 70 cents per tile. Just tried sanding the first box both sides to make sure and took about an hour. Thats 20 hours vs the 10 hours written about in the last discussion. Might be easier to wait till its down and selectively sand the white then the black. Any more thoughts or suggestions are very welcome. the floor is 850 sq' and am planning on using the Bondtite 1109.
Thanks again for your help.
Greg

 

[AlphaGarage]

Greg:

Just a quick update... The demand for BondTite 1109 was a bit unexpected, enough so that the product has received a bit more attention from the lab geeks. They've managed to tweak the formula and increase both the durability and UV resistance. As a result the VCT clear coat is now "BondTite 1115".

 

[Voi]

I remember that thread I think. Somebody was having issued with the colors bleeding onto each other, right?

Have you tried putting two side by side and sanding over the joint?

 

[hula37]

Fred, Thanks for the update. I will be calling you today to place an order.

Voi, No I havent tried a side by side test with a big floor finisher because of the rental cost. At this point without further input, I am planning on using a da and sand one color then the other. Thanks for the input.

 

[Voi]

I didn't mean a floor sander. What I meant was just laying a black and white tile side by side and using your planned sanding technique to see of one color bleeds into the other. You wouldn't need to adhere them to the floor or anything else.

I assume you're talking about the previous thread that discussed color bleeding from black to white or vice versa. If not, then disregard my posts.

Let us know what you do and how it turns out.

 

[hula37]

OK, understood. Yes I will try that this afternoon and report back. Going right now to get a new pad for my da and will give it a go. Thanks again for your input.

 

[hula37]

Tried sanding a black and a white vct tile side bt side. Used 80 grit paper with a DA sander. Didnt get any transfer but only did one tile each. Perhaps If the paper loads up, you may see some transfer happening. It will be something I will have to watch for. The tiles sanded really quickly. It removed the gloss in no time.

 

[Voi]

So do you think by changing pads frequently you can sand the tiles before install or do you still think it will go a lot quicker after they're down?

I would still like to use VCT where I'll be rolling my table saw, etc. so this is a question of concern to me as well. I do plan to topcoat with clear epoxy or polyurea. I look forward to following your progress.

 

[hula37]

At this point, I am planning to put them down then sand. Best case scenario will be that I can start in a corner and go across the whole floor just changing discs when needed. Worst case would be having to do one color then the other. Got the bondtite 1115 ordered yesterday.
Make sure to get current pricing on your materials before you start. Might change your mind on the materials you do choose.

 

[hula37]

Tile is down and have sanded and scrubbed the floor. Waiting for the epoxy to get here.
Ended up sanding the floor with a 6" da and 60 grit paper. Ran it fairly slow and had no problem with black transfer onto the white tile.
A couple of observations:
1.Wipe down the tile with a dry, clean rag before you lay it down to install. There are tiny chips all over the tiles right out of the box. They will keep you from getting a nice tight seam.
2.Try to talk someone into doing that part of it and handing you the tile for installation. Would make it way quicker.
3.After you are sanded, and are on the final scrub. work your way back to the door and dont drag your scrub bucket along or step on the light color tiles after they are final scrubbed.
I will post some pictures after the epoxy goes down.

 

[AlphaGarage]

We did change the specs a bit when we reformulated our VCT top coat from BondTite 1109 to BondTite 1115. The upgrade improves the durability, adhesion, and decreases yellowing, but we also upped the suggested minimum depth to 12 mils. Now 1 gallon will coat about 120 square feet of VCT, that includes 10% waste.

This is a 100% solids epoxy, and the mix ratio is 1:1, it's available in 2 gallon and 4 gallon kits, $150 and $300 respectively.

BTW Usually we ship out product more quickly than this order, but there was a QC issue with one of the raw ingredients that took a few days to resolve.

 

[AndrewBigA]

ive thought about doing vct in my garage many times. if i do, i would sand them before installing them. then give them a nice wet mop & let it dry over night with the heat turned on. seal the floor the next morning & finish up the job.
good luck with your floor.

 

[hula37]

Andrew,
I presanded 1 box and found that in doing so, small chips along the edges come off. It makes the seams look larger.I even made an 1/8" aluminum jig to put the tile in to keep from sanding too hard on the edges. I also found it took much longer to do it that way.