epoxy coat question: too much left over

[tomd]

I just finished the first coat of my epoxy coat and I have WAY to much epoxy left over, and I am looking for what I did wrong if anything, and what should I do differently on the second coat.

Info: I am using Menards Rust-Oleum Solvent based epoxy system. My garage is 30 x 16, so 480 sf.

Can and instructions say 300-400 sf coverage. My plan all along was to do two coats, adding paint chips to second coat. At $98 per kit, I considered trying to use 1 kit and applying thin, but decided against this and I used 1 and 1/2 kits. I mixed according to instructions.

Concrete is 10 years old, never coated before.

I have left about half of what I started with! One potential error, I used a 1/4 inch nap roller instead of the recommended 3/8.

While rolling I didn't feel like I was being conscious about keeping the epoxy thin. I can't believe how much I have left in the bucket. Weather info: 72 degrees, 56% humidity.

SO: for coat #2 (with chips) how should I make the coating thicker?

 

[Edger]

I wonder if the kit was enough for 2 coats and should have been divided. Just a thought, and if you want to put it on thicker you have to use a longer nap roller definitely, also chips will use up more of the epoxy, but I do not know how much more.

 

[tomd]

http://www.rustoleumibg.com/images/tds/CBG_EP_TDS_Pro Solvent Based Floor Coating_609.pdf

near top of page #2, says 300-400 sf coverage per kit.

 

[Edger]

Hi Tomd,

Having a look at the spec sheet it seems that if you had used a long nap roller, put it on as thick as possible and you had a porous floor that soaked a lot up you would have enough to do the job.

In contrast it seems that you had a smooth floor, not highly porous and used a shorter nap roller, plus I guess that you may not have put it down very thickly because with a shorter nap roller it leaves marks when you try to do that.

The product is around 70% solids, but looking at the dry film thickness against wet film thickness my gut instinct says it could be a bit less than 70%. All that means is that it will dry out 50%-70% as thick as you lay it down wet, but it also means you can and should put it down as thick as you can get away with.

If you do a second coat it will be fine, no problem, but do not wait too long! If you plan on a second coat try to do it in less than 24 hrs. If the coating is still a smidge tacky all the better, as long as you do not leave footprints (that would not be cured enough). It would be much worse to let it cure for 3 days and then recoat because of the risk of delamination of the top from the bottom because the bottom coat got too hard before overcoating.

Oops, I just thought, how much have you got to do the second coat? Look at the data sheet and.. I just did, one kit will do 300-400 sq.ft and you have 480 sq.ft. I would say putting it on thickly with a longer nap roller you would do the 480 sq.ft. because a second coat goes further than the first.

Professionals never take a chance they measure as they go. If you have a way to measure the volume of the product then put a quarter of it in the tray and roll it out over a quarter of the floor. It may be a bit less for the first quarter because the roller takes up some. You can adjust the quantity easily by rolling lightly for thick and heavily for thin, so pour the next quarter into the tray and then roll the next quarter of the floor. This way you will have the perfect finish for whole floor with little left over.

Sorry about all the words. Good luck.

 

[tomd]

thanks for your thoughts, I appreciate it.

The instructions say (based on my temps) I could recoat in 16-72 hours. I was thinking of 48 hours after first coat. So you think that may be a bit too long?

 

[csp]

If you have a way to measure the volume of the product then put a quarter of it in the tray and roll it out over a quarter of the floor.

Exactly. We mixed ours in batches of a certain size and spread them out over a certains sized area on the floor. Our epoxy was poured directly onto the floor and spread evenly first with a squeegee and then rolled to a consistent thickness.

 

[Cruzin90]

A 5 mil DFT floor is REALLY thin! A dime is about 40 mils. Also, figure 1 to 2 mils soaks into the concrete.

 

[Edger]

thanks for your thoughts, I appreciate it.

The instructions say (based on my temps) I could recoat in 16-72 hours. I was thinking of 48 hours after first coat. So you think that may be a bit too long?

If that is what they say then up to 72 hrs will be fine. I forget because in the end I only used 100% solids epoxies which cured a bit faster and the recoat window used to be less than 24hrs so you will have no trouble.

Your coat is thin, but with another coat, nothing wrong with that, you will never wear it out in a garage. I think people go overboard with their garage floors and the thickness of epoxy, if it was another paint such as acrylic then thickness is needed for wear. Epoxy takes a hell-of-a-lot of wearing.