Epoxy Paint Product Recommendations

[mxgo]

Hi I am new to the forum and hopefully somebody can help with my problem:

I plan to cover my garage floor with an epoxy product. The floor has already been prepared, with pressure washing, simple green for oil spots (they still show), and sanded. The concrete floor is about 12 years old, no cracks, and one small gouge that requires filling. The area of the garage is 440 sq. ft, which includes cabinets, hot water heater stand, and furnace/AC.

I live in California, therefore the VOC restrictions for the paint product. No rainy weather and temperate ranges, when the epoxy will be applied, from 65 to 95 degrees. The paint coats will applied in the morning.

However, both the hot water heater and furnace/AC (for the house, not the garage) are in the garage. I was told by one epoxy paint company rep. that the hot water pilot light should be off until the paint cures, about 7 to 10 days and there would be no problem with electrical appliances. I understand that because of liability, the rep had be extra careful. The AC is required during the day. The garage door has to be closed at night and the garage has three 12" by 6" vents. I can remove some of the glass windows (18" by 10") from the garage door for additional ventilation. Then how about dust?

Can some body (especially a company tech. rep.) recommend a product that does not require the hot water heater pilot light to be turned off for so long a period? Also, can you please recommend an anti-skid product and top coat. I am a "do it yourself" type. I do not care for the flake treatment. Later, I plan to use 18" by 18" Race-Deck tiles as a car pad (probably about 15' by 6') with the ramp edges all around the pad.

How long should the pilot light on the hot water heater be off for the recommended product? Also, how about electrical appliances such as my AC, lights, and etc, should they be off? How about odor, when does it dissipates, since the garage has to be closed at night?

I have painted cars with lacquer paint (in another house), when it was legal in California, and I do not remember such restrictive time frames for the hot water heater pilot light.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Our epoxies have no solvents, no water additives either, so pilot lights are no problem. We recommend that you have some ventilation while applying the epoxies, but other than that furnace and water heater pilots present no trouble.

I suggest you leave them on so you can enjoy a nice warm shower after applying the coatings.

There is a slight odor during the application - it smells of young, extremely attractive, easy to clean and very durable floors in your choice of colors.

 

[mxgo]

Fred: Repeating myself: The floor has already been prepared, with pressure washing, simple green for oil spots (they still show), and sanded. Did a moisture test for 48 hours; no moisture under duct taped garage bag material. No paint or coating on the concrete floor; no beading of water. The concrete floor is about 12 years old, no cracks, and three small gouges (largest is 2" diameter and about 1/3 inch deep) that requires filling. The area of the garage is 440 sq. ft, which includes cabinets, hot water heater stand, and furnace/AC.

No rainy weather and temperate ranges, when the epoxy will be applied, from 65 to 95 degrees. The paint coats will applied in the morning.

Both the hot water heater and furnace/AC (for the house, not the garage) are in the garage. As per your answer in the garage journal forum, there will no problem with the hot water pilot light being on. Also, as you stated, there will be no problem with electrical appliances. The garage door will be closed at night and the garage has three 12" by 6" vents. If required, I can remove some of the glass windows (18" by 10") from the garage door for additional ventilation.

As for color, I am looking at sand beige (2009 color chart) or that "moody granite" you mentioned in the Wolverine Coating forum. Before I request a quote, please direct me to a web site where I view the "moody granite" color and application instructions (min and max time between coats). Furthermore, I prefer to use an anti-skid additive, instead of the flakes.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

mxgo,

ANY 100% solids epoxy will do what you need. They give off 0 VOC's (or very close to it...) and do not have a problem with pilot lights or other flame sources.

Wolverine is a good product but there are lots of other options you can look into by searching this site for "100% solids". Get several quotes with the different systems and what they recommend (primer, base and topcoat) as well as anti slip additives and color chips (if desired). You might still wind up giving Fred an order but you will be much more informed and feel a lot better about laying out your hard earned cash for your new floor.

 

[AlphaGarage]

To see a few samples of flake densities, look here.

I've just uploaded our instructions to a sharing site - it seems to work. Instructions If that doesn't work drop me a PM and I can email it out.

On one level "ANY 100% solids epoxy will do.." works. But it's a bit like saying "ANY car will do..." There are hundreds of different epoxy formulations, Wolverine alone has over 1,000. Companies don't invest in research and put up with the hassle of manufacturing, stocking, marketing, and distributing variations of epoxy because they get points for a fat catalog.

There's no doubt that applying your own coating takes time and money - true you can save a whole lot over having a pro do the job - but none the less it's an involved task. To me that means you want to do it once, so consistency is key.

And some products receive consistently good reviews while others don't. Do a bit of searching in this forum alone, there are a few epoxies that come up fairly frequently because they've failed. Those same ones will also pop up on posts where people report good results, not too consistent.

 

[thegarageguy]

Any high solids epoxy will do. You may find a local distributor, maybe a mason supply or certain hardware stores who sell "industrial", not commercial grade. Choose your poison and you'll be fine.

 

[SUPERCOAT]

SUPERCOAT is a waterborne product, which is not flammable, either. Plus, you get the benefit of a 'breathable' coating with superior adhesion.