Epoxy for 2yr old Floor

[tns11]

I've been researching for a few weeks now, and I've narrowed my choices to epoxy-coat and wolverine. Wolverine seems to be a little more expensive, but a lot thicker and it has a top coat. Epoxy-coat goes down a lot faster, 1 coat I think, but has no top coat. Is a top coat absolutely necessary? My garage will be used for small projects, oil changes, etc. what is a good thickness for an everyday garage floor?

As far as prep work, I think its pretty similar for both products. My concrete has a sealer so I am in the process of grinding it now. Is an acid etch required if I'm grinding? I looking to make a purchase within the next few weeks. Any help advise is greatly appreciated.

 

[wildcat12]

where are you located ? maybe I can help

 

[tns11]

I live near Raleigh, NC.

 

[accord driver]

A lot of people on here seem to have had good results with the Rustoleum Professional kits. Have you considered that? Just curious, I'm thinking about going that route now as my garage will be used for similar uses as yours.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Prep work is similar. Although we usually don't advertise this, for obvious reasons, one of the benefits of BondTite 1101 when used as a primer is that it flat out sticks where other coatings fail. So it has a wider window of tolerance for areas that haven't been prepped to the nth degree.

I don't have the urls, but there are a couple of threads on this forum where a couple of clients didn't even prep their floor, like an area under some cabinets that weren't moved before application, but some BondTite spilled over onto the completely unprepared area, and layer when they went to remove the BondTite it wouldn't come off. It was eventually removed, but it also lifted the concrete, still attached. The stuff just sticks.

A clear coat isn't essential, but... If you're using flakes, then you really should seal them in. They're made of vinyl and no where near as abrasion resistant as a good clear coat, so over time they may wear down and look nasty. Also, when you spread the flakes some sit on top of the epoxy, while other sink down a little, those little pockets really catch the dirt.

If you use a clear coat it's pretty easy to freshen up the floor after a few years of wear, you just need to go over the heavy traffic areas and any little dings. However if you want to freshen up the body coat it will be far more difficult to blend the new and old colors -- it will look blotchy.

The right clear coat will also slow down any possible color shift in the underlying epoxy due to UV exposure.

As far as depth we spec around 22 mils: 5 mils for the primer coat of BondTite 1101, 12 mils for the body coat of LiquaTile 1184, and if you're using more BondTite for the clear coat it should be 5 mils, if you're opting for an EnduraShield 2254 clear coat (UV resistance, harder, more clear) that's 4 mils thick.

If you're doing a good grind then there's no need for an acid etch.

 

[wildcat12]

how big is it ?, maybe I would be interested in coming up and doing it. You guys (non professionals) end up paying so much for the products that I could probably do the job for you for maybe close to the same price as the materials alone

 

[tns11]

I have looked into the Rustoleum a little. I have a friend who put down the rustoleum, but it is now lifting in a couple of spots. He says he should have prepped a little more. I also think he bought his kit at Lowe's, don't know if they sell the professional grade stuff there. I think I've pretty much made my mind up, but I still need a few more questions answered.

As far as the clear, will the EnduraShield or BondTite yellow over time? You say UV resistant, but to what degree. I don't have any windows in the garage, but I do have the door up when I'm working. What's the life of the BondTite Vs the EndurShield?

And wildcat thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna tackle this one, believe it or not, with my daughter.

 

[AlphaGarage]

All epoxies will color shift over time, even if locked away in a light proof box on the darkside of the moon. Although absent UV light the shift will take quite a bit longer.

EnduraShield (a urethane) by itself is out door stable - that is you can expose it to full sunlight and it will not yellow. However... any epoxy it's coating will still yellow over time, although it will be at a much slower pace.

EnduraShield is more durable than BondTite, it's harder and more transparent.

 

[wildcat12]

that (commercial)sherwin williams store just south of ncsu can help you out

 

[tns11]

What do they have? Armorseal? Have you had good results with it?

 

[wildcat12]

yes, all paint companies have the same chemistry, the important is that they can give you professional advise. That big Ford dealership in Cary (Crossroads Ford?)did their indoor showroom a few yeras ago 60 something thousand sq. ft. check that out. Johnny Klein is the guy at NCSU that I did his garage out around Clayton if you want to look him up, he is in the maintance dept over there

 

[tns11]

24x24......is the size

 

[AlphaGarage]

All paint companies DO NOT use the sme chemistry - not even close! Even within one company there can be several different variations for just an epoxy.

Wolverine Coatings has dozens and dozens of formulations for epoxies alone, not to mention urethanes etc.

The Wolverine epoxy we generally recommend for DIY floor application, LiquaTile 1184, has as one of its ingredients ceramic content, which give it flexibility to increase its shock absorption, which means less damage when items are dropped on the coating. That's not a cheap component, which is why few epoxies have it. Instead they mix in stuff like Benzyl Alcohol, Nonylphenol, or other liquid fillers. Some even add just plain water. These fillers usually add no benefits and most evaporate into thin air.

Epoxies can contain vastly different ingredients and will result in vastly different floor systems.

 

[nate379]

Very true.

I didn't feel comfortable spending ~$1000 for your epoxy when I was told I couldn't weld on it and they when I further questioned it, I was simply ignored.
Also shipping it to Alaska would have broke the bank too.

 

[tns11]

What kind of scratch are we talking if I want to do a Wolverine Floor?

 

[AlphaGarage]

Depending on floor size and the products you spec and their package size it's as low as about $1.20 per sqft.

 

[AmericanEpoxyFloors]

Top Coat vs No Top Coat:

There is a lot of science (search tribology) around friction and wear, including the wear of coatings. Generally, the 'harder' a coating is the faster it will wear and scratch. Most top coats are a bit 'softer' (Young's Modulus is one of the real measurements, if you want to search on it) than the coats they cover. This 'softness' keeps them from scratching and scuffing while the 'harder' working coat does most of the hard work of the coating.

Using a coating as the color/work layer and the topcoat is similar to what Maaco does for car paint - its basically a one coat system. The one coat system looks good at first, is cheaper, and overall doesn't last as long. Your car is painted at the manufacturer or at the body shop with multiple coats of paint that do different things, including a clear top coat that resists UV damage as well as scratching, scuffing, and coining.

If you skip the top coat on your garage floor, you will probably regret it in a year or so when you see wear marks from your car tires, trash can wheels, and what not.