I LOVE THIS THREAD. Before you get pissed off about that, let me explain. I gave away, at below cost, multiple jobs on the forum to get feedback so we could get the best set of instructions possible for our customers.
I've been in this business for over a decade. The reviews I received on this product and the personal experiences I have had with this product inspired more confidence than I have ever had in a coating. The way the manufacturer has worked with us, and forum members behind the scenes to make sure this product is as perfect as possible is honestly unbelievable. The sales to problems ratio is unprecedented and I have never once had them take the you screwed up so screw you approach to dealing with issues.
In the last couple of months there have absolutely been some application issues that have come up. Is that the products fault. Nope. Is the product perfect Nope. Have we changed our instructions multiple times. Absolutely.
Can Rust Bullet Be Installed to create a beautiful floor? I have 100's of pictures that say it can. Did I overestimate how easy it was to get there. It would appear so.
The majority of our projects have in fact been installed using short straight strokes and back-rolling. It is highly effective when done properly. We switched to the W pattern and really went out of our way to highlight it in the video because it forces people to work in smaller sections -- not to mention as someone else said its just a generally accepted principle of painting. While we have had several people with roller marks of late, it is an incredibly small percentage of our projects, but its an issue I want to address as best I can via education. Just yesterday I added this to my instructions:
I asked the other day about a big red sticker. I was not kidding or being sarcastic.
Other Things That Have Come Up
It was brought to our attention that apparently Gorillas have been imported by a certain shipping company and they play catch with our pails. A forum member sent me pictures and we got a couple back. I started packaging all 5's personally and found a method that worked (knock on wood). It was taking me 6 minutes per pail. We had a package company come from Denver and they got us a machine that does it better.
Solvent Bubbles
Using round numbers, 30% of a 5 gallon pail of Rust Bullet is solvent. That is why it stinks. We have coverage's ranging from 300SF - 400 SF per gallon depending on concrete condition and the product being used. More is not better. If you get a thick spot on your floor the solvent can't get out. Its trapped. The surface is cured, it tried to get out and it produces a texture that we can reproduce easily. It was just very simply put on to thick. The average guy is not to sit there and measure wet film, so we try to explain how to get the correct coverage. When we see two or three people have the same issue we update our instructions.
We've also made other changes... Like we shortened our recoat time because just telling people if the humidity was over 70% the product cured faster, was not enough. SO we shortened it for everyone.
So why do I love this thread? At the end of the day, my job is to take product, get it to your door and teach you how to put it down right. That's why I introduced this product the way I did. We needed feedback on the instructions. This thread gives me more ideas on how to make an outstanding product easier to apply for the average Joe.
I keep going back and making it better. I don't think I will ever write a set of instructions that will be 100% foolproof (figure of speech people) but I take stuff to heart, point stuff out to the manufacturer and we work together to get as specific and detailed as we can be.
I made a mistake lowering the price of the product. What I should have done was kept the price where it is and include the correct rollers. I am working the manufacturer to determine which is the absolute best cover to use and then I will figure out how to deal with that -- either raise the price, or sell it and tell you where to get it locally.
So at the end of the day here is the deal. If you have a problem with you floor and you think its my fault, the manufacturers fault or the fault of poor instructions, send me a PM and lets get it fixed.
If you have a floor where you made an honest mistake and want help fixing it I will sell you the product at my cost.
If you feel like it was a combination of things, I will get you replacement product at 50% off.
I am not obligating the manufacturer to any of this. I'm saying regardless of where they stand I will do this. My only caveat is I will PRINT and send the most current instructions and you need to follow them. (This applies to orders installed prior to the date of this post and expires the end of next week )
The difference between my company and buying from a big box store is I have a vested interest in your success and will do everything in my power to get you there. Here is the latest update to our instructions. If you think something should be added, let me know.
http://www.garageflooringllc.com/wp...st-Bullet-over-Concrete-for-Garage-Floors.pdf
This page also has some great tips:
http://www.rustbullet.com/rust-bullet-for-concrete
I have had the manufacturer read this post. They are going to add the following sentence to their concrete page: Roller marks/brush strokes may be visible on the surface of the completed application depending on the surface, the applicator or application method and equipment. These marks will not affect the performance of the coating. Adding a decorative flake and/or a nonskid material to the project may decrease and/or eliminate the visibility of these marks.
They also asked that we point out that regardless of these aesthetic imperfections do not affect the incredible protection Rust Bullet provides to the concrete.
