floor coating question "when"

[Cars&Classic]

I am thinking of getting started coating my floor. the question is can I do it now or do I need to wait till spring?

the garage is attached to the house, and it is heated tith its own HVAC system. I keep it at about 72 at all times. but we are getting into cold temps here. live in central indiana, so it could be 15 or 35 next week just never know. does the outside temp matter?
do I have to have the doors open all the way while coating due to fumes? or open them for a few min and close? would like to get started, but figured I would ask someone who has been through the process if I should wait till spring.

 

[joeb1934]

your best bet would be to contact the company of the product you will be using. nobody can answer better than they could.

 

[munkey]

Joeb's answer is certainly the best one, but you might get some help here if you let us know what product(s) you are looking at.

That said, in general, epoxies are going to cure much quicker and be accessible to heavy traffic sooner when applied at a warmer temperature. I can imagine a scenario where a floor remains tacky for a long time and the garage owner would be very nervous not knowing whether there was a real problem (components were mixed incorrectly, bad batch, etc.) or whether the coating was just curing very slowly because of the temperature.

100% solids epoxies (which are more expensive, have a shorter working time, and are generally superior) will almost certainly not have fume issues, but solvent-based epoxy fumes can be VERY potent.

If you plan on adding a clear coat, you'll also want to research whether it is compatible with your temperature situation as well as whether it produces fumes.

When in doubt, my guess is that it is safer to wait for warm (and probably dry) weather unless you are SURE that it is not going to be an issue.

 

[geologist]

My parents and grandparents both coated their garage floors in late June, they did it on a clear weekend and left the garage door partially open to aid in ventilation. One thing to remember is that once you seal over the epoxy, the sealer will yellow in places where the sun shines directly on it for an extended period of time.

 

[Cars&Classic]

I will probably use a high solids epoxy, i really use the shop and need all the durability I can get. the fumes during application were my main concern, but your right the manufacture would know more. i thought the garage being heated would eliminate the cure time problem due to the weather as long as the fumes were not to bad to keep the doors closed.

i know some of the clears yellow from sun, but I thought the more expensive polymer type ones would not yellow????

garage has a lot of sun,
1 double door to the east-one single door to the east- one 6'x6' window to the east- and a 8x8 door to the west on the drive through bay.
indinapolis indiana area?climate

i can wait for spring, just have that itch to get the shop looking good, the build is going a little slower than I thought.

also may use my garage in a TV comercial i am getting ready to do for my real estate biz.

also thought about looking at the rock solid product after seeing there thread, but I am supose to be getting a special deal on another "quality" product. i wouldnt use it or recomend it just because its free. Being a realtor I show my house and garage a lot. already sold 4 lifts this year for greg smith by showing clients my garage! whish i could get a discount or commission from them for that! and bought 2 myself so thats 6.

 

[sooperdave]

You want to consider the temp of the floor as well as the air temp.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

All epoxy will yellow if exposed to UV light, some take longer than others.
You can coat with the window/door ajar and then close once you are done.
Read the data on the product you are using, choose safety first.

If you don't have a heated shop you are looking at a Polyaspartic product from now until Feb/March, depending on where you live.

 

[Cars&Classic]

Scott what was the clear product you recomended to me when we spoke? i get confused on the names, you said it was just as strong but was more resistant to yellowing.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Scott what was the clear product you recomended to me when we spoke? i get confused on the names, you said it was just as strong but was more resistant to yellowing.

HD-344
Link: http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/polyaspartic-clear-coating-15-gal-p-152.html

Excellent protection and you can coat this into the teens with no issue.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Another thing to bear in mind: is the HVAC system common to the shop and the house? If so, the outgassing of many products might not be something you want to be breathing, especially if you have children in the house. In the summer, you can disperse the fumes more easily.

(Disclaimer: I don't know the dangers of the different products' fumes. Just trying to be cautious, since a kid getting cancer truly bites.)

 

[MoonRise]

Another thing to bear in mind: is the HVAC system common to the shop and the house? If so, the outgassing of many products might not be something you want to be breathing, especially if you have children in the house. In the summer, you can disperse the fumes more easily.

(Disclaimer: I don't know the dangers of the different products' fumes. Just trying to be cautious, since a kid getting cancer truly bites.)

Or blowing up your house from flammable solvent vapors !!

note: most (?) epoxies might not have solvent vapors, but they may have various 'other' vapors/smells/etc.

So RTFM first!

 

[dcs Inc]

I've only used 100% solids and never had any smell issues. Once it flashed on me because I didn't get it out of the bucket quick enough and that smelled bad when it got hot. Most epoxies that have a strong smell to them are not 100% solids. gene ec-Indy

 

[munkey]

I will probably use a high solids epoxy, i really use the shop and need all the durability I can get.

Well, the high solids kits I've used (from SW) are very good products and they are forgiving with their long pot lives. But the solvents that the epoxy compounds are suspended/dissolved in are POTENT. Being exposed to them without a proper respirator is suicide, they are that bad. 100% solids products don't use solvents so odor should be a minor issue or nonissue. (But you do have to cope with what is often a very unforgiving working time and a higher price tag.)

 

[dcs Inc]

To be honest with you I've not applied many different manufacture brands of epoxy. I've ground off many and have heard horror stories from the installers I've trained. Elite Crete's epoxy systems are quite forgiving. At least in my eye's they are. I've applied multiple colors of our Reflector Enhancer Metallic additives 45 minutes after placing the main body of epoxy. It will still self level. Now I wouldn't suggest that with our Fast Set epoxies as I normally give that a 30 minute max work time. Of course you gotta give something up to be able to walk on it in 4 hours.

As far as costs.... I haven't a clue on what you guys are paying. I do know the costs of the box store stuff but I wont even compare our products to "paint" which basically what these products are. But hey, they will color a piece of concrete..... for awhile.

One thing you have to consider is the mil thickness. Builders, architects, specifiers require a certain material thickness of our products. A 50% solids will be one half of the thickness once it cures. The fillers used are of course cheaper thus the less costs out the door. The old saying "you get what you pay for" holds so true for epoxy. Comparing the life cycle of "less expensive to premium" epoxies, you're not really saving any money.

Enough of this salesmen speak. I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. gene ec-Indy

www.elitecrete.com
www.elitecreteindiana.com
www.indycrete.com

 

[Cars&Classic]

Thanks Guys!
Jack the shop does have its own independant HVAC system

thanks scott thats the name i was trying to think of.

DCS since you are local maybe I should have you take a look at it. i will give you a call

 

[dcs Inc]

I just noticed you were from here. My bad. I have a showroom on the south side if you would like to stop by. Let me know. We have poly aspartics, novalacs, an urethanes that will take the sun and not yellow on you. Even our UV resistant 100 % solids epoxy will turn on you after awhile. (theres ways around that and we can talk about your options. gene ec-Indy

www.indycrete.com
www.elitecreteindiana.com