Epoxy is easy...anyone can do it...'cept me?

[flybefree]

Pasted this in from my build...If I had the money I would have hired a pro, but that is not an option for us.

Ok, I have been working overtime on getting the shop ready the last month or so. I have spent most of my time on the floor and it is has been an adventure. Right up front, I am doing this DIY and as an adult I have to expect that even with some experience (this is not the first epoxy I have done, but first clear on stain) there will be a learning curve and I have to be willing to take a little risk. So I am not complaining about the work I have had to put in to get things right. The pros would have got it right the first time, but for the savings I realized with my own sweat I am willing to cut myself some slack.
So. Stain went down last fall, then it got cold and I wanted to wait for better weather to continue. This meant I had to clean the floor twice. After my first experience cleaning with a cheap pressure washer I went out and bought a decent pressure washer at Home Depot…
View media item 18538The new pressure washer made quick work of the "recleaning" of the shop floor. I rinsed once, washed three times with floor cleaner, rinsed and let dry. Love that pressure washer.

View media item 18540
After I let the floor dry I applied the two-part epoxy base from Legacy Industrial. The weather was cool (60ish) and the humidity was high but below the 90% range so we went ahead and started painting.
View media item 18542
With my Dad helping and me mixing it only took about an hour to do the entire floor with the 18 inch roller...that thing rocks. Then, right before sundown we got a thunderstorm that dropped 2 inches or rain in an hour...it was a flipping deluge my men. Since we were near the limits of temp/humidity for curing the epoxy I went to be very nervous. I woke up, went out side and saw this:
View media item 18546
and this:
View media item 18547and this:
View media item 18545
The epoxy was not only ugly, it was soft and uneven. I was sick to my stomach after all the work and prep I had put into this project. I was seriously bummed. I called Scotty at Legacy Industrial and he said be patient, it will probably all work out, just give it some time...so I closed the shop up and went back home to KY and did not touch it for two weeks.

 

[flybefree]

After two weeks of curing the floor looked much better, almost pretty good except for about four areas with white spots that looked like "Salt" had been dropped in the Epoxy. Scotty said to just sand it off and reapply some epoxy. Since I had some extra from the first application I sanded off all the white spots:

IMG]http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=1275&pictureid=18549[/IMG]

View media item 18548
Then I scuffed the entire floor with my homemade scuffing block:

View media item 18550
Then I mopped the entire floor with denatured alcohol to clean up the dust:

View media item 18551
This was Easter weekend and it was in the fifties in Ohio with low humidity so I collected all the space heaters on the farm to ensure the curing process would not get boogered up this time as Dad once again helped paint:

View media item 18552
I didn't take any pictures of the second coat of epoxy, but it looked really good once it had cured...and my hopes soared...this was going to be smooth sailing from here on out!

 

[flybefree]

View media item 18558
The Urethane is very thin, like water, and it was hard to put down a nice thin coat. It is very glossy and like any high gloss paint it takes much more skill to make perfect than a more satin finishing product. It took about 2 hours to put down the Urethane and there were some places where the product just didn't "stick" to the floor and instead beaded up:
View media item 18560
My Dad noticed this happening, and we went back and tried to roll out some of the beading, but it just pulled right back up into the prexisting beads as soon as we walked away. Luckily, this only happened on less than a 20% basis...but still, my heart sank a little.

But overall, man it looked good:
View media item 18559
Scotty at Legacy said I can sand out those beaded areas and reapply, I have extra product and I will try that fix next weekend. He said there was probably some contamination of some sort. I will report back on my fixing...but overall:

-Looks good, not perfect, but I really wanted a unique and inexpensive way to protect and "spiff up" my pad...I think I will get that. Now that I have the technique down the results can really be good.
- DIY comes with risks. Scotty at Legacy is very responsive and if it wasn't Easter Sunday I would have called him and prevented the "beading" issue. Having a real person you can speak with is important.
- The real test will be longevity, but for the price (Stain, Epoxy, Urethane) of about a $1 a square foot I could afford this and I could not afford to put down that much race deck or professionally applied epoxy.
- Clear over stain is a great look, but less forgiving than a solid epoxy...the curing issues would be less sensitive I think with a solid.

I am going to use Legacy products again, I have more concrete to take care of on the apron areas. Concrete is so expensive I can't just let it sit out there unprotected.

View media item 18554
And that is what I have been up to the last few weeks in the shop.

Shaun
View media item 18557

 

[philip_g]

I think it looks really nice!
Let me borrow a corner of that hangar to build an RV7 in

Looks like a lot of work, but I'm just jealous of the hangar space.

 

[dcs Inc]

RV7 as in light sport aircraft?

Hey for a diy the project looks good. It's great to hear you had good support. I made that my mission when taking over a distributorship for Elite Crete systems. I even set my phone by my bed when I know one of my installers are doing an all nighter installing product. I tell them not to call me to shoot the bull but do call if they have a question. You won't believe how much that is appreciated. I have been on the other side of the rope and it would have saved my bacon several times if I had the ability to get an answer right away if I should turn left instead of right on an install. Kudos Scotty! gene

OH, Shaun, what airport are you parked at? I fly a light sport and will drop by sometime. gene

 

[philip_g]

sort of, I suppose. though they generally don't qualify as a LSA, the rv12 does/can

 

[dcs Inc]

I'm an old ultralight pilot (can't afford a "real" plane). I was an instructor until the FAA stuck their nose into it and I don't have the time to put up with their ********. Did the N number and am registered as an instructor. I fly a 2 axis weight shift trike on steroids. 80 horse 4 stroke rotax 2 seater. Cheap fly. I fly to sun n fun and Oshkosh every year..... when I have time. Any way, it's nice to see folks on here that share my passion. I'd love to have an RV.
gene, Slow and low.....

 

[philip_g]

oh, I work for them.

 

[dcs Inc]

So........ Your the guy I need to talk to when I need a really good deal on a kit????

 

[flybefree]

Thanks for the comments gents, my strip is not yet open for business, I will plant the grass after we harvest the soybeans this fall...near Columbus OH. My dream is to build in this hangar, a biplane!
Shaun

 

[philip_g]

So........ Your the guy I need to talk to when I need a really good deal on a kit????

no, for the people you don't like.

 

[flybefree]

Oh, right now we keep our plane at KEKX, we are in a shared corporate hangar with an epoxy floor!

Shaun

 

[digdug18]

I wouldn't worry about your epoxy woes, I've seen people have problems no matter what they did to their floors. Its the reason I'm not planning on doing my floor, helped my buddy and we started by acid etching the whole surface to clean all the **** off, sort of worked...

Looks good though.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Hey Flybefree, have you let the little guy blast around the new floor with his pedal tractor yet? lol We want to see a video of him tearing around, doing spin-outs, donuts, and four-wheel drifts. Got to break in that floor sometime and who better to do it than your 'hanger rat'! heh-heh

\\\ ///​

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Shaun:
First, I want to commend you for taking on this project. You had a very large space and attempted a project that most would either not do or farm out to a pro.

Secondly, I believe the PH was off in the areas that you had some issue with (first Coat)and this is always a potential issue if the acid stain is not completely neutralized.

Lastly, I think your floor looks really nice and we appreciate your business.

PS: Let me know your shirt size and your dad's too. We'll send down some Pro-Installer long sleeve shirts for both of you.

 

[flybefree]

Scotty,

Thanks, I think it looks really good and I am quite proud of what we did...in fact I am going to do the same floor coating in my office...I figure now I know how to do this I should try it one more time. I will DOUBLE neutralize this time.

I really appreciate the support from you and your team. My Dad wears a MED and I am an XL.

Shaun

 

[flybefree]

Ompha...pedal tractor will be released onto the floor after I clear up the beading issue!

Shaun

 

[jtuds]

WOW that floor looks incredible.

Good to hear about the great customer service too....good stuff!

 

[bcradio]

How long does a typical epoxy floor coating last?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Depends on maintenance, type of traffic, type of system, prep, etc...
If done right with quality materials and basic use and good maintenace, it can last 20+ years. Of course, an epoxy floor can always be freshened up with a new topcoat, much easier than starting with raw concrete.