Epoxy flakes application

[wef]

corvette forum says someone here will help me out.
I didn't have much luck doing a search so here's the question:
The 28'x28' detached garage foundation is done, inside insulated foundation walls, cores full of perlite and glass smooth 6" 3000psi floor. Framing starts tomorrow (Monday). In at least 30 days I'll paint the floor. (is that long enough?) I'm not really settled on a brand of epoxy but a lot of advice is for Rustoleum. Whatever it will be, it will be tan with a dark brown design stripe at the entrance of each 9' door. I want the flakes in both the tan and the dark brown stripes but how do you apply the flakes? Everyone is saying you just spread them like grass seed. The only way I can spread grass seed is with a mechanical spreader. I've tried the pebbles in the concrete sidewalk design and I'm lousy at it. What is the trick to an even application?

 

[Imavol]

Do small sections about 4' x 4' take a handful and throw them up in the air. It makes for a more random pattern. If you put flakes down make sure you put a clear coat over the top. Also you can check your concrete by taping a piece of plastic down over night if there is moisture under the plastic in the morning it is still to wet to paint. Also if it were me I would go with a better grade of epoxy than the Rustoleum brand.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Wef:

I put the link up. I am a vette guy as well.

Imavol is correct, start small.

My only advice would be to use 1/4 sized hand-fulls of flake and throw them into the air in a rainbow motion. You can always add more if it's a little light, can't take any back once in the epoxy.

Good luck.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Get your wife/girl friend involved !

Tell them it is like putting sprinkles on Christmas cookies ! My wife did a fantastic job !!

Stick with the 4'x4' areas and make certain not to box your helper out.

 

[wef]

Thanks guys. Where I mess up big time with the pebble in the sidewalk is when I do the adjacent small section. It seems like the prior section of concrete has dried just enough that the dividing area is visible. Am I correct in ASSuming the epoxy is slow drying?

 

[dlc]

Am I correct in ASSuming the epoxy is slow drying?

Check out www.rocksolidfloors.com You an walk on it in 4 hours and drive on it in 24. I have it in my garage and I love it.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I advise my users to roll out all the coating and then walk back into it. Starting in one corner and then move across the floor left to right back to front until done. Once complete go back and add as required.

 

[wef]

I advise my users to roll out all the coating and then walk back into it. Starting in one corner and then move across the floor left to right back to front until done. Once complete go back and add as required.

My floor is 28'x28'. Even with two of us applying the material, won't the first done area be somewhat stiff? Will the spike shoe holes fill in?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

You will be moving quickly. Epoxy will remain glue like for several hours.
The coating will heal where you walked with the spikes.

 

[jasonvt]

I was trying to figure out the timing of spreading flakes also. I bought 3 kits for a 32x20 garage. Legacy, it sound like I should put down all 3 kits of epoxy and cover the whole floor and THEN spread all the flakes? I will be doing this by myself. Are you saying from the time I start, I can walk on the floor with spikes up to several hours later while I spread flakes and the floor will still heal itself? Just want to make sure I will have enough time to put down all the epoxy and then be able to walk on the first part of the floor that I put down.

 

[arrowhead]

I was trying to figure out the timing of spreading flakes also. I bought 3 kits for a 32x20 garage. Legacy, it sound like I should put down all 3 kits of epoxy and cover the whole floor and THEN spread all the flakes? I will be doing this by myself. Are you saying from the time I start, I can walk on the floor with spikes up to several hours later while I spread flakes and the floor will still heal itself? Just want to make sure I will have enough time to put down all the epoxy and then be able to walk on the first part of the floor that I put down.

Very timely, I will be doing my floor with L.I. system also in the next few days hopefully and have a very similar situation (20x30 and probably be by myself).

 

[jonzer12]

In my application (rocksolid) the product sets up so fast you have a very short time to apply the flakes. Make sure you keep an eye on how much you are using. I was worried about running out and ended up with about half the flakes left over. I wish I would have paid more attention and used more. Just take some flakes and throw them up in the air. Its easy as pie.

 

[pauls_workshop]

I was trying to figure out the timing of spreading flakes also. I bought 3 kits for a 32x20 garage. Legacy, it sound like I should put down all 3 kits of epoxy and cover the whole floor and THEN spread all the flakes? I will be doing this by myself. Are you saying from the time I start, I can walk on the floor with spikes up to several hours later while I spread flakes and the floor will still heal itself? Just want to make sure I will have enough time to put down all the epoxy and then be able to walk on the first part of the floor that I put down.

When I did mine alone in two sections, each about 9x13ft, at separate times, it took me about 45 minutes to spread (with big 24" squeegee only, no cutting in otherwise needed for me with a brush), roll, backroll, then walk back over with the spike shoes and spread the chips out for that 9x13 area. See how long your manufacturer allows before it dries too much to do the chips. Epoxy Coat had no problems taking 45 minutes to do it, prob could have been over an hour just fine, but I pulled up the tape where I taped the section off at 1 hour and it was starting to harden at that point. I don't know that you can do 32x20, almost 6 times my space, and get that all done in one batch before you get into real trouble and it hardens on you. I would prob only do about 10x10 area per person at a time and do it in batches. This would be much safer to me. - Paul

 

[Jim B]

You may want to et some help mixing the epoxy. If you mix 3 batches up and leave it in the bucket until you get to it to apply it may start going off. You want to get it on the floor and out of the bucket. Then spread it. But if you stop rolling to mix each consecutive batch one at a time you may run out of time. Have some one mix the next batch while you are applying the first batch and so on.

As others have said re: chip spreading, just throw them up in the air. If you try and spread them like grass seed I think you may find it difficult to get even coverage.

 

[jasonvt]

thanks. i think i will mix each batch separately and do 1/3 of the garage at a time. apply eopxy, spread 1/3 of the flakes, then mix the 2nd batch, apply, spread flakes, etc. Just wondering if I do it in sections, how do you control the flakes so they only get on the epoxy that you applied and not the bare concrete floor. i dont think i would would want to roll epoxy over a few "overspray" flakes and i wouldnt want to sweep/blow those flakes out of the way and possibly put streaks in the epoxy i just applied. or am i overthinking this? haha

 

[Zoggan]

thanks. i think i will mix each batch separately and do 1/3 of the garage at a time. apply eopxy, spread 1/3 of the flakes, then mix the 2nd batch, apply, spread flakes, etc. Just wondering if I do it in sections, how do you control the flakes so they only get on the epoxy that you applied and not the bare concrete floor. i dont think i would would want to roll epoxy over a few "overspray" flakes and i wouldnt want to sweep/blow those flakes out of the way and possibly put streaks in the epoxy i just applied. or am i overthinking this? haha

Well if you're over thinking it then I am too Jason! I hope to do mine this weekend and I'm wondering the same thing.

 

[pauls_workshop]

You could use some big pieces of cardboard all along the edge you are trying to protect, raised up above the floor a few inches. Put it on top of some 2x4 wood or similar so it is above the floor and won't touch the floor, but close to the floor so chips won't get under the cardboard. Maybe 4-5" from the edge. Then do the flakes on that section. Move the cardboard, mix your new batch, spread it. When you roll it, roll over that 4" from the edge again to keep it wet there. No chips on it, so not a problem. Then backroll, place your next set of cardboard over the edge, do your chips on that section. etc. - paul

 

[arrowhead]

I have saw cuts in 10' sections so there are three 20x10 sections. I'm thinking I might tape off at the saw cut, roll, flake and then pull tape. Then I'll have a starting point I can cut in with a brush, roll, flake and so on.

 

[munkey]

thanks. i think i will mix each batch separately and do 1/3 of the garage at a time. apply eopxy, spread 1/3 of the flakes, then mix the 2nd batch, apply, spread flakes, etc. Just wondering if I do it in sections, how do you control the flakes so they only get on the epoxy that you applied and not the bare concrete floor. i dont think i would would want to roll epoxy over a few "overspray" flakes and i wouldnt want to sweep/blow those flakes out of the way and possibly put streaks in the epoxy i just applied. or am i overthinking this? haha

I think you might be overthinking it. At least the last time I did it, rolling over a few "overspray" flakes didn't cause any trouble. The end result is going to be the same: flakes more or less randomly distributed throughout the coating. Whether there are a few that might be "more buried" or not is not going to be evident, especially if your epoxy is still fresh enough to be in the self-leveling state. When it comes times to spread flakes on the 2nd area, you'll probably "overspray" some of them back onto the first area also (which is almost certainly going to still be tacky enough to grab them), and that will compensate for any density difference.

The more important consideration is to continue the meticulous task of scattering chips upwards to rain down even when it gets boring. Avoid the temptation to start throwing some of them downwards in areas that seem thin because once you get an ugly "clump", the only real fix is to "counter-clump" the entire rest of the floor so that it blends in.

 

[doordoor]

Has anyone ever used a leaf blower on low to lightly blow off any paint chip on the concret slab either onto the just epoxyed floor or out the garage door?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Be careful of leaky oil and/or gas. Most pros will use an electric model to be safe.