Epoxy install - What went wrong?

[sharpie_101]

I am in the middle of a coating job and wonder if you could chime in with what could have gone wrong that caused this to happen. This is the epoxy after two coats of primer on a freshly and thoroughly cleaned floor. The weather was in the 70s and it was dry.



Before starting, floor ground:



I sanded a few of them to check whether it was bubbles, but they are solid epoxy. At first I thought it could be from the roller, but I am not sure.

I ground the floor again on a couple of sections and reapplied using a different roller just in case with same results.

Given that it has been more than 24hrs since the install, I know I have to sand the surface so as much as I am concerned, it is what it is. I really want to avoid this from happening again when applying the clear top coat. Maybe use a spike roller?

Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[FJ4FUN]

Based on the photo it appears to be bubbles as a result of outgassing but you stated that is not the case. If they are indeed lumps of solids then it is either an incomplete mix or defective product or a combination of the two. Are there similar lumps in the mix bucket remainders?

More info about what we are looking at might help. Is the photo of the second primer coat? If so, why two coats? Was it because you ground the 1st coat in a couple of places? What type of primer? 100% solids? Aqueous? Either way, I doubt this is a roller election issue.

 

[sharpie_101]

I cannot for sure say its not due to outgassing as I do not know what that looks like. I thought if it was outgassing when I sanded I would have found air, am I correct? This roughness is solid and it appeared all over the place but in certain areas it is more pronounced.

We did mix it for 3 minutes per the instructions using a timer. The mixer was run at low rpms as I had read about the possibility of introducing air into the mix. We then poured and spread with squeegee and then backrolled.

Its a two part high build solid epoxy. I really do not want to name the company as I would like to think chances are that I messed up somewhere along the process. I have all the specs, let me know if there is anything specific that you want to see. One of the cans of hardeners had a very distinct smell.

The first picture is the epoxy coating, underneath that there are two coats of primer.

 

[Shea]

Were the contents in each part-A and part-B first stirred to remove settled deposits before pouring them into the mix bucket?

 

[FJ4FUN]

Did the primer coats exhibit any bubbles, pin holes or was the concrete completely encapsulated?

 

[sharpie_101]

Replying to Shea as I forgot to quote:

No, we did not do that. I never even thought of doing that.
Part B was extremely clear and thin, almost alcohol like.

 

[sharpie_101]

Did the primer coats exhibit any bubbles, pin holes or was the concrete completely encapsulated?

I dont think so, but the first coat showed areas were it cured differently. It had a different sheen on certain sections if that makes sense. The primer was a polyurea and had a part A and B as well.

We had quite a bit of primer left and therefore decided to do a second coat. After the second coat it looked more uniform. The two coats of primer were applied within the specified timeframe.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Ah.... the 'bubble gods'....they do visit occasionally even to highly skilled professional installers.

How long after the coating was applied did the bubbles appear? Did they appear after first or 2nd coat of primer? If 2nd coat, you may have applied it too soon before the first coat cured, hence the outgassing.

 

[Dakotadadv8]

I completed a recent DIY job and if there are bubbles during the spread went over it with propane heat to get rid of the bubbles, followed the instructions to the T from manufacturer. Spent a lot of time prepping the floor, purchased quality product (stay away from big box store). So far so good 2 years now, time will tell. Good instructions from the manufacturer.