expansion joints?

[vegas123]

I am getting ready to expoxy the floor , on the expansion joints, is there anything out there to fill the joints that would be ok to put down only 24 hours prior to doing the expoxy? any answers asap would be great,!!!!! I was wanting to use the sikafle self leveling sealant all the sealants say 3-5 days to cure

 

[Ruddy]

your right on the Sikaflex. I epoxy'd over the first section after 24 hours and it bubbled. Another section after 3 days and it was good.

 

[iceman536]

Link to somewhere online you can buy Sikaflex?

 

[garagedude]

Vegas,

A number of thoughts come to mind with regards to your filling the expansion joints - I have a few additional questions and I'll throw in some comments along the way below, hope it helps...FYI, I own a garage enhancement company and we lay a lot of flooring throughout our market in the Portland Metro area.

1. Are these zip stripped "cracks" or are they cut or radius trowled expansion joints? (If they are zip strips under the top surface of the concrete when it was originally poured to create uniform cracks, then yes, I would fill these. If they are not zip strips, then I would recommend against filling.) Visit our website and/or call me and we can discuss further and I will point you to various vendor options for the best solution for your application. My company http://www.garagethemes.com uses 3 primary products, all of which crack fill within 15 minutes to overnight depending on the fill product used.

2. Talk to your epoxy coatings mfr and see what they recommend - they may already have exactly what you need - my primary coatings mfr provides two of the three products we use.

 

[DHCrocks]

you can get silkaflex at home depot they have it near the quickrete section.

it's good stuff, but it does take a few days to cure. after 1 day it's still a bit tacky but setup. it really does self level it's amazing, it's comes out thick but it'll self level. After you apply it go back and check on it every 15-20 minutes for a couple of hours because any subsurface cracks will be slowly filled and you will need to go back and fill in the dimples in the caulk. if you can get it it before it skins over then you won't even know where it was, it'll just blend in, but if you wait too long then you'll see the seam where the two applications meet. This stuff is tenacious and will stick to everything, wear gloves cause you won't get if off your skin for days. Also try not to drip it on the surrounding concrete, again you wont get it off. Last thing, have good ventalation the fumes are very strong.

 

[vegas123]

Yeah Ruddy,
I seen your pics and for a sec I thought yes he went over it the next day, but when I was looking at your joints that you did it on, out expansion joints are probably about 1/2 ro 1/4 of the size so do you think that would matter in letting it get dry taking 24 hours and keeping a fan in the garage, it is supposed to be 80 deg all weekend long
thanks for the quick responses to everyone

 

[Ruddy]

you probably have already gone forward on this, but it would seem logical that something much thinner would cure more quickly. At least for a one stage, air dried product.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

One hour cure, easy to use with no mess!!

http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/joint-sealant-cartridge-style-p-14.html

 

[twbauer]

I used the epoxy patch from Durall before putting down my floor. I ended up filling all the joints with white play sand up to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch below the surface of the floor (basting brush worked very well to get the right depth). Then I used an athletic water bottle (ya know the one with the pull up top) to squeeze the epoxy into the expansion joints... worked like a charm. The patch crack is thick epoxy, and it hardened overnight. I also filled 2 holes that I dug out of the middle of my floor that were eating away... they just kept getting bigger. In the end they were probably 2x4 inches and maybe an inch deep... filled them right up level. WORKED FANTASTIC!!! Since it's epoxy, there was no issue putting the epoxy floor coating right over the top of the patch fill.

 

[Ch3No2]

I used a product called Ardex Feather Finish and epoxied the next day

 

[twbauer]

Wow.. nice job Ch3No2... I should have taken more time on mine as you did. With the sheen of the clear on top, I can see my joints (depending what angle I'm looking at the floor from). Can you see your joints after the top coats?

 

[Ch3No2]

Not noticeable at all to speak of....after removing the tape it had a ridge the thickness of the tape which I disc sanded right off. I did this right before I moved in and when the neighbors saw me sanding a garage floor they had to come and see what the heck is the new guy doing.
Since the concrete was 4 years old the expansion joints had already done their job and allowed the slab to crack down in the joint....2 years later and still no "re-cracking" thru the filler.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

ONE HOUR CURE: http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/joint-sealant-cartridge-style-p-14.html
ONE DAY CURE: http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/crack-sealant-gel-style-p-16.html