EpoxyGuard not drying

[SCutchins]

We did my 3-car garage Sunday with EpoxyGuard from CostCo. It says not to use below 50 degrees, its in the 60s during the day but for a couple of days it was in the 40s at night so I ran a heater set at 68 for the first two nights.

Five days later now and the floor is still very sticky. I walk on it and I can hear a sucking sound as it tries to pull my shoes off of me. After two days I had to wheel the motorcycles back in the garage due to rain, and now there are marks where rubber stuck to the floor.

I mixed for at least 3 minutes like the instructions said (even used a kitchen timer to make sure I went long enough), the floor was pressure washed, prepped with their solution, and it dried for a day and a half before applying the epoxy.

Right now the doors are open with the sun shining on the floors as much as possible, maybe that will help some. Unfortunately only in the early morning does sun shine in.

I can still push with my finger nail and am able to put little indentations in the floor, not deep but kind of on the surface. After 4 days it sure seems like it should be hard by now.

Has anyone had this happen, where the floors just don't seem to dry?

 

[AlphaGarage]

We did my 3-car garage Sunday with EpoxyGuard from CostCo. It says not to use below 50 degrees, its in the 60s during the day but for a couple of days it was in the 40s at night so I ran a heater set at 68 for the first two nights.

Five days later now and the floor is still very sticky. I walk on it and I can hear a sucking sound as it tries to pull my shoes off of me. After two days I had to wheel the motorcycles back in the garage due to rain, and now there are marks where rubber stuck to the floor.

I mixed for at least 3 minutes like the instructions said (even used a kitchen timer to make sure I went long enough), the floor was pressure washed, prepped with their solution, and it dried for a day and a half before applying the epoxy.

Right now the doors are open with the sun shining on the floors as much as possible, maybe that will help some. Unfortunately only in the early morning does sun shine in.

I can still push with my finger nail and am able to put little indentations in the floor, not deep but kind of on the surface. After 4 days it sure seems like it should be hard by now.

Has anyone had this happen, where the floors just don't seem to dry?

Not even tack free yet? That's a long time. What did they say when you called them?

 

[roger55]

I'd rent a portable diesel/fuel oil heater and get that floor warmed up.

 

[JD in DFW]

Hate to say it...but you get what you pay for....

Alot has to do with proper prep...Acid is not the method in my opinion. Also the chemistry is everything....buy cheap mass produced epoxies and the chances for floor failure are so much greater.

The idea of a heater for a few days may help. I do hope it turns out alright for you. Hate to hear about anyone putting in days of work on a floor and then have major issues with it. I get 4-5 calls a month from DIY guys that did their own floor with some over the counter epoxy or "industrial coating" they purchased from one of the big box stores or local paint shop. In most cases prep is the problem, and have seen a few where they just got a bad batch of the product. Have also seen my fair share of floor failures with store bought coatings that were peeling up and bubbling with in a year of the application.
I don't fix them....

Again good luck to you, I would call the manufacture and have plenty of pics. I'm sure they will send you more product, but I sure would not apply over your current coating...more trouble down the road.

 

[roger55]

It could be a bad batch but I think the problem is temperature.

I got the same product from Costco and it worked just fine.

EpoxyCoat/EpoxyGuard is a decent 100% solids product.

 

[sberry]

Let it harden, sometimes it happens. I dont recall what we used in my office but it was slow, took about a week, the cooler the slower.

 

[Jaguar Fan]

We did my 3-car garage Sunday with EpoxyGuard from CostCo.

I think Costco sells two different products: one you can pick up in any retail warehouse, and the other you only get via their online "www.costco.com" website. The in-store product is water based.

Which did you buy?

 

['the epoxy floor guy']

Do you still have the box?

Is there a Mfg date on it? There is a 'shelf life' to epoxies. If it is too old it will not work properly.

Also Some epoxies (I don't know about costco) need a 'burn in' time. That is when you mix it up you must wait ~ 30 mins with the product in the bucket to jump start the chemical reaction.

 

[SCutchins]

Well, I spoke too fast about the floor drying and being done.

This weekend was a foggy and rainy one and my floors, which "seemed" to have been dry for over a week, suddenly got sticky again. Damnit!!

Now its dry out, and once again my floors feel dry, but I know that the next time it rains or is really humid that they will absorb moisture and become a mess once again.

I have already contacted the manufacturer and also CostCo. Last time I spoke with the manufacturer they said that it seems like I either need to grind it off and reapply or possibly they can send me a clear coat to go over it. I would be willing to entertain the idea of a clear, although it seems to me like this is a "putting lipstick on a pig" fix. The floor itself seems dry, but it seems like the top thin coating absorbs water, so maybe if I hose it down and give it a scrub then the clear coat may work.

Whatever happens I will definitely post, but for now consider me an incredibly unhappy customer.