Epoxy cure time

[studmuffin]

I finished my 25x25 detached garage last Wednesday with Sherwin Williams Tile Clad Product. I acid etched and then ground down the concrete followed by a pressure washer.

After a couple of days of drying, and an overnight moisture test with a plastic sheet taped to the floor, I did one coat (two kits, four gallons) of Tile Clad with the flakes added after the color was down. The next day I applied the final coat of ArmorSeal clear using two kits (4 gallons). After coating the entire floor once I still had close to a gallon left, so I went ahead and put the left over clear down until it was all gone.

I have a 2 ton Trane central HVAC unit with a gas furnace, six supplies and two returns. I have kept the temperature at 75 F from the beginning to present.

My concern is the floor doesn't seem to be curing to the proper hardness. I can walk on it but if I stick my fingernail into it I can see an indent left over. I'm afraid to start putting all the machinery and such back into the garage for fear of it not being cured enough. Any advise?

 

[Shocker]

All you can really do is wait. Or grind it off...

 

[JD in DFW]

Some Epoxy's can take up to 7 days to fully cure. I would just give it some time to set up fully and you should be good to go. If your prep was done correctly and you mixed the product as per the manufactures instructions you are golden, just need to let it cure up for a few days.

 

[tncatadjuster]

I tried to look up ArmorSeal and there are many products with that name. Was it 100% solids? If not then pouring the last gallon out on the floor you might have put it on too thick. With a forced air system the products can skim over and trap voc under the top layer. It will eventually dry, but then there is the possibility that it will pull from floor.

If it was 100% solids, it should be hard by the second day.

It took me many years to teach my crew to let product set up in the can, they always wanted to put it on the floor. Too thick is not good.

Good luck.

 

[studmuffin]

As far as I know, it was not a 100% solids. I mixed both coats as per instructions (three minutes or more, I went six) and I let it sit for 1 hour before applying. It does appear to be hardening a little more each day, but it has been more than a week now.

The local weather is breaking, 65 F today, so I am opening the doors to let it breath. It is quite hard in the areas that are thinner, so maybe it just needs more time. Sherwin Williams offered to send out a rep, I might take them up on that if it doesn't get better soon.

 

[rugerlady]

I would check with the manufacturer and see what they have to say. They know their product best. It sounds to me like the mix ratio may have been off a bit. It usually is a waiting game now to see if it will cure fully. Good Luck!

 

[WolverineCoatings]

I would check with the manufacturer and see what they have to say. They know their product best. It sounds to me like the mix ratio may have been off a bit. It usually is a waiting game now to see if it will cure fully. Good Luck!

First, I agree with Rugerlady!

Most of those products are only 67% solids at best. When you put a solventborne epoxy on too thick you can see this kind of problem. With 100% solids if you see this it is typically a flexible product or even like our BondTite 1101 which is semi-self-healing.

The problem is that when these products are applied to thick it causes other probelms.

* floor is weakened
* promotes yellowing (especially in polyamide)
* odors can linger for months
* shrinkage can occur... floor will crack later
* in rare cases the floor can be flammable! *** No smoking!

It is likely that the floor will eventually get hard. It's also possible that your heater is doing more harm than good (moisture vapor).

 

[studmuffin]

I called SW yesterday, they are going to send out a rep. I'll let you know what they say. I don't know how the ratio could have been wrong, it was just a matter of emptying the cans into the bucket, no measuring.

 

[rugerlady]

I hate when companies do not have you measure the product. They could have improperly filled one of the containers. Its always best to know what the mix ratio is and measure. It goes with the old saying "measure twice, cut once"

 

[studmuffin]

SW says that all it needs is more time. They say I probably put it on to thick and that it will cure, it just takes longer and that the weather is not helping. They have not sent anyone out to look at it, they are just giving this advice over the phone. I told them I'll give it a little longer but at some point I will need to have someone come and look at it.

My neighbors are making fun of me, saying "you have five cars worth of garage and both of your vehicles are parked ouside". I put all of my stuff from the detached garage into the attached garage.

 

[rugerlady]

Best of luck, hope it works out for you!