Epoxy Floor ?

[soonergto]

Hey everyone, ive been lurking on here for quite some time just admiring everyones garage's. But the time has come for my own. After years of renting, my wife and I just bought our first house.

I am doing an epoxy floor coating in the 2 car garage, and I just had a quick question about adding a clear coat.

Do I apply the first color coat and let it dry completely, then apply the clear or what? I have been searching for days and can't find a difinitive answer.

Thanks!

 

[AlphaGarage]

Different products have different application instructions, there is no one answer.

With Wolverine Coatings we spec a 3 coating system, primer, body, and clear coat. Some products don't have a separate primer, some omit the clear coat, others have neither.

Wolverine Coatings are in some extremely harsh environments, as well as small shops and residential garages, basements, patios etc. Th body coat and clear coat may vary depending on location specifics, but for the vast majority the primer coat is BondTite 1101. The stuff just sticks to concrete like there's no tomorrow.

 

[flooringchemist]

To achieve the maximum adhesion between coats, you should apply the succeeding coat when then first is tacky. This means that all the solvent or water has evaporated and the coating is sticky to the touch but will not come off on your finger when you touch it.

 

[Hammerdown]

I would definitely check the maufactures recommendation for apply the coatings, as it will vary by product. I don't want to start anything, but it was always my understanding that in most instances you want to wait until the coating is "tack-free" before applying another coat over it. If it is still "tacky", the solvents/medium have not evaporated completely and if another coat is applied, it may "alligator" or wrinkle due to the trapped solvents. Some products may want this to help create a chemical bond, but I would check the particluar product to see. Just my $. 02. :0

 

[AlphaGarage]

Definitely check with the distributor!

There are some product that are extremely sensitive to timing and even the amount of material applied. If the conditions aren't met, it's possible to end up with a huge, and costly, mess!

 

[MonsterCoatings]

My suggestions is to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. they are there for a reason. Like stated before different coatings/brands/systems have very specific instructions.

You need to honor the chemists specifications like re-coat windows which specify Min and Max times between coats (check you temp range also, often times are longer when temps are lower than 70F). Often if you start a project on one weekend and plan to finish next weekend after installing the primer only you may need to re-prime the whole thing.