epoxy-coat without a top coat
- Thread starter nokkieny
- Start date
TheBanker
Well-known member
Are you putting any flakes?
Most of our customers do not use a clear coat. There is a high gloss built in to our product. There are a couple reasons you may want one. One being if you were doing a heavy flake or decal. Another would be if your trying to build depth (clear costs less). I really don't think you will need it. Let me know if you need anything else on this.
The yellowing issue has been resolved. We had someone ship out the wrong product to a couple customers. I will only sell the cycloaliphatic clear (which has alot of UV resistance built in). If someone needs 100% UV protection, there are a couple ways to handle that. No Epoxy is 100% UV resistant. If you have more questions on this feel free to ask.
I'm not referring to your product specifically, but isn't the yellowing phenomenon common to all epoxy coatings? Or is this fear just overblown on this board?
In a nutshell, is a non-clear coated epoxy floor going to yellow soon (first year) or much later (5-10 years)? And is the yellowing noticeable to the naked eye?
Maybe it is me, but there seems to be a lot of misinformation about this issue.
In a nutshell, is a non-clear coated epoxy floor going to yellow soon (first year) or much later (5-10 years)? And is the yellowing noticeable to the naked eye?
Maybe it is me, but there seems to be a lot of misinformation about this issue.
True, lots of misinformation. Let me try to clarify some of it. NO epoxy is 100% UV resistant, clear or pigmented. Some of the colors are harder to tell (Taupe). We do build alot of UV resistance into our product. Its hard to tell how long you can go without noticing yellow. If your in Michigan and do not have sun shining in your garage all day, it could be years. If you live in Arizona, and have a moderate amount of sun coming in a clear epoxy COULD start ambering at about 12 months. Every situation is different and I try to discuss all those variables with my customers so they can make an informed decision. Every brand epoxy is different. Hope this helped.
Thanks. I have seen some say a clear coat is optional; others say it is absolutely a necessity. My floor, north-facing in Michigan, does not receive a large amount of direct sunlight. I would like to put my money where I get my most bang for the buck and one company told me the only way I will notice their product is yellowing is to put a fresh coat down. Otherwise, to the naked eye it is imperceptible.
I would love to hear all opinions on this, particularly end-user real life experiences.
I started a new thread. http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=933599#post933599
I would love to hear all opinions on this, particularly end-user real life experiences.
I started a new thread. http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=933599#post933599
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thegarageguy
Well-known member
I like to explain it this way to my clients.....
Imagine painting your car with the best paint in the market and not clear coating it. Polyurethanes provide you with more scratch, uv and stain resistance than most if not all epoxies.
Imagine painting your car with the best paint in the market and not clear coating it. Polyurethanes provide you with more scratch, uv and stain resistance than most if not all epoxies.
Ruddy
Well-known member
I have a little patch of the dark gray epoxy-coat basecoat that fell on my cardboard during application. It is very hard, harder than my clear, I believe. If I was trying to save cost and still have a good looking, oil proof finish, I would just go with the base color.
does anyone have a definitive answer of when would be the correct time to apply urethane (HPU747) during the curing window on epoxy-coat? I would prefer to apply without having to re-sand. I guess I am juggling 1) When you cannot finger print the epoxy 2) within 18-24 hours (which is the time frame to apply additional coats of epoxy.)
thegarageguy
Well-known member
Pro's usually apply the urethane the next day, unless it's still tacky. Slow cure could be caused by temperature and humidity. But as a general rule, apply the next day.
Interex
Well-known member
How do the clear coats stand up to things such as gasoline, hydraulic fluid, and oils? Will it fade over time and with tire traffic?
I'm in the same boat debating if I should have gone with the clear on the Epoxy-Coat kit that I ordered. I keep going back and forth on it.
I'm in the same boat debating if I should have gone with the clear on the Epoxy-Coat kit that I ordered. I keep going back and forth on it.
The clear is the same formulation as the colored coat without the pigment.
I am putting the anti-slip in my urethane, that is what others have done, I assume that is the only way as the urethane could cover it up if put in before
I would add it to the urethane. Even though the urethane goes on much thinner than the epoxy, you want to make sure you get it in the topcoat to be effective. I also answered your PM, but in case anyone else was interested....
Christine: You mentioned above that if someone is looking for 100% UV protection to keep from yellowing - could you tell us how that is achieved? I am about to epoxy my concrete floor in my entire condo (not garage). I am going with white and found someone who recommended your product - they used it in their loft throughout 2 years ago and it has not yellowed and looks great. I get tons of light since we are facing south and have big windows. I am so scared to do this project because it will be all white and no flakes. I would hate to see yellow. I also am using window film tints that block 99% of UV - think it's the 3M brand.
Anyway, besides window films and top coats with UV and maybe tinted polyurethane layers - what else can be done?
Oh, and I am having it professionally installed.
Anyway, besides window films and top coats with UV and maybe tinted polyurethane layers - what else can be done?
Oh, and I am having it professionally installed.
LegacyIndustrial
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Correct.
All epoxies will yellow, no matter who makes them.
The only way to prevent yellowing is URETHANE and I don't mean the stuff you use for wood floors.
-Scotty
All epoxies will yellow, no matter who makes them.
The only way to prevent yellowing is URETHANE and I don't mean the stuff you use for wood floors.
-Scotty
Unfortunately tires leave marks on the urethane I put down norkan hpu747, it is just like a dust but I talked to the manufacturer and they said it can absorb... so they suggest adding wax or carpets.. the last thing I want to do is put some junk on top of the floor i just spent half my life working on..
Not sure if this is all urethane, but if you are going to be driving a car on it I would check to see if it has this issue.. apparently it is the tires fault for having the wrong compound in the tire.. but 3 different cars all do the same thing.
Not sure if this is all urethane, but if you are going to be driving a car on it I would check to see if it has this issue.. apparently it is the tires fault for having the wrong compound in the tire.. but 3 different cars all do the same thing.
TheBanker
Well-known member
Damn, if its not one thing, its the other! Someone needs to just tell us the perfect combination of everything for the most perfect results.
Ruddy
Well-known member
Damn, if its not one thing, its the other! Someone needs to just tell us the perfect combination of everything for the most perfect results.
Beancounter put down the same stuff, wonder if he has any issues?
After a 3 hour drive on a hot day and the last part being twisty, I parked the Mustang on top of the clear epoxy. Next day, when I backed it up, I saw a fine "etching" of the tread pattern and it will not wipe up.
As time goes on, things like this and fine scratches, bother me less and less.
Maybe the memory of all that hard work is dulling with time!
Big picture, the floor looks great, and cleans easy, including oil spots.
The thing that upsets me is I put on a urethane coat to keep things like this form happening. after a month my entire garage floor is going to be one big tire mark.
Ruddy
Well-known member
Yeah, I hear ya. The info we were getting here was that the urethane would be harder than the epoxy, so this has to be frustrating.
The other thing that makes it hard, is that when you first put your clear down of any type, it just looks so perfect and amazing. You just want to preserve that look forever!