ALRIGHT! Finally done with this project, now just have to wait for the top coat of BondTite to dry. What a weekend.
I apologize in advance if this post is all over, I'm doing my best to keep my thoughts grouped fairly close together. I'll go re-read and edit it after.
I have to say, this floor looks incredible. I was a bit nervous about how it would stick to the problem areas that I was having (oil soaked spots), but even with just the primer layer of BondTite down, walking on it with spiked shoes, it "seemed" like it will be sticking pretty well. Time will tell with that, but, I'm pretty confident at this point that it will be fine.
I think that the floor section came out GREAT, however, my 2-4" vertical cinder block area left a bit to be desired, however, this is more my fault than the product's fault. The cinder block was the most time consuming part of the whole process. The floor itself went down FAST.
Here are the mistakes that I made, and the problems that I had. I do not bring this up as a knock against Wolverine, epoxy flooring, or anything like that. I'm simply putting this out there to help along the next person, to not make the same mistakes that I made, and help their project go smoother.
I did the math to figure out how much BondTite I would need for my first coat on the cinder block. It did not seem like very much, and it went on very thin, I mean, barely glazed the surface of the blocks. I was nervous that I would not have enough to do the floor, so I did not want to mix up another batch. In hindsight, I should have made a bigger batch to begin with, and reall slathered it on there, to help fill in the porous blocks. You will have PLENTY of BondTite to push around on the floor, even though it doesn't seem like it when you first pour it out. I had quite a bit to push around and distribute with the squeegee, even after I had completely coated the section I was working on. So, if you've got porous cinder block, make some extra, and fill it good.
Because I put down a crappy base of BondTite (still talking about the cinder block edge), it soaked up the LiquaTile (grey epoxy) like a sponge. For this step, Fred sent me this white powdery weird snowy substance to mix into the LiquaTile to help thicken it up, and stick to vertical surfaces without running. I only used this on the vertical surface, when I really should have just mixed a larger batch, and used it on both the vertical AND top 2" surface, because of how much the top soaked in. Perhaps with a more liberal base of BondTite, the LiquaTile would not have soaked in so much, and it would have been a non-issue. So, one or the other, maybe both. It's pretty apparent in the finished product, where LiquaTile got smushed up against the wall when I was working it around the floor, the solid 1" high line going around the outside edge. I did my best to throw more flake at that to make it blend in.
My least favorite part about this was applying a bead of IntegraFlex around the edge, where the floor meets the vertical block. Forget about trying to use a spatula, spoon, contoured plastic, putty knife, or anything with this stuff. We tried a few different methods before just accepting the fact that our hands were going to be covered in the stuff. It starts out with the consistency of about peanut butter, and lasts for quite a bit that way. When the pot life is near it's end, it's got more the consistency of Silly Putty. At that point it was difficult to manage, and I decided to make a new batch instead. For this corner bead, I was scooping it with my forefinger, smearing it into the corner tight, then using various fingers to smooth it out on the horizontal/vertical surface, then running my thumb in the corner to give it a nice contour. Not fun stuff to play with, and hell getting out of my hair (don't ask me how it got in there), and off my hands. Be sure to have MEK and Goo Gone on hand before playing with this stuff!!!
Now, this IntegraFlex is supposed to be self-leveling, but it did not really work that way for me in the cracks I had in my floor. Per Fred's suggestion, I built it up very slightly above the surface of the crack and feathered it off a little towards the edges. It did not flatten down though, it stayed kind of bumpy as I had applied it. It was also a fresh batch, not the old "Silly Putty" like stuff. My guess is that it was perhaps too cold for it to properly self-level? I'm not sure what the working temperature is of this stuff.
To apply the flake to the horizontal surface of the block, I found it easiest to get a ~18" x 1' piece of cardboard, hold it against the top corner of the block at a steep angle, and then drop the flake on the cardboard from about a foot or so up, and let it bounce off and randomly land on the surface. For the vertical surface, since it was only 2-4" tall, it was a pain in the ***. Best solution I found was to just lay a trail of flake along the floor, about 8-10" away from the wall, get down on my hands and knees, and just blow them against the wall, to get them to randomly stick. Too hard to control any other way (at least for me).
Another big mistake that I made, was NOT burning off the exposed surface hairs protruding from the fiber-reinforced concrete. I didn't really notice them but in a couple spots that I had really worked over, but once I poured that first batch of BondTite, they started appearing EVERYWHERE, and of course hardened sticking up. This made it difficult to get a smooth mirrored beautiful finish of LiquaTile, because of all the little bumps. Once I threw down the flakes, and sealed it up with the final coat of BondTite, I don't think they're too noticeable. But, I still would go back and burn them off if I could. On the bright side, think of them as a "free anti-slip coating".
The last thing I would have done is dealt with my cracks much, much sooner. Originally, I did not plan to fill the cracks in, because I didn't think they were too big. Then I said if I'm spending this much money on a floor, I should do it right. I have a couple narrow cracks that still showed up through everything, perhaps I did not pour enough LiquaTile into them? I did my best to cover them in flake, and soak them with the final coat of BondTite though. Hindsight: Would have gone back in advance, ground out my cracks, primed them with LiquaTile, and filled them with IntegraFlex, as a whole separate project from the actual coating. Like I said, this was my fault, since it was a last-minute decision on my part. I really don't think they will even be visible, unless you are looking for them.
Post too long...cont'd next post.
I have had my epoxy sitting here since May I believe. I started prepping in the fall of LAST year. Just been busy with rotations to Iraq, and life in general. Finally getting it down though.
I should go into work like that on Tuesday.
