Need some Pro Advice...

[CowboySS]

Been scouring the forums and can't seem to find a solid answer or option to my problemo. I live in Indy and it seems like from October until Spring rolls around it is either too cold or to humid/wet to lay down epoxy floors. I have done a few myself back when I lived in good ol' Oklahoma, but it was hot and dry.....not the case here.

Welp, now I have a couple people wanting me to do their floors and some other prospects on the horizon. What do you professional guys do during the winter months when it's cold and wet all the time?!?!

I was thinking of setting up a heater overnight to bring up the temp and tossing in a dehumidifier to rip some of the moisture out of the air, followed with a water based kit so I wouldn't have to worry as much about ventilation.

Am I on the right track?!?!

 

[6768rogues]

I would use heat and some fans. The heat will bring up the air temperature, but you will have a hard time getting the concrete to warm up without fans. The fans will also help get rid of humidity. When you warm the air, its relative humidity will naturally drop.
I would not use a heater that puts lots of moisture in the air, such as a salamander. You would probably end up with more moisture than you started with.

 

[Vicious_Cycle]

If I hired you to do my floor and you used the water based stuff, I wouldn't be happy.

 

[CowboySS]

Yeah, that was the other thing....obviously solvent based is what the pros seem to use. But to ventilate properly you would think it would be letting the cold, moisture laden air pour back in....

 

[SC-Eric]

Hi Cowboy,

The best thing to do is use a combination of heat and low temerature cure products. Dehumidification can't hurt but may not be necessary with the right products.

Regular painters may use solvent based... but... the pros use 100% solids technology.

So, use 100% solids materials... you can probably get away with materials that cure at 40f although you could choose to but materials that cure at even lower temperatures. The lower temperature materials will be more expensive and will have short working lives.

In general, waterbased products are weaker, prone to yellowing, more porous, need higher cure temps (many need >60f), low adhesion, and low durability. Waterbased products are for homeowners with limited DIY experience.

 

[CowboySS]

Wolverine,

Thanks for the info! I was hoping you would drop in and lend some helpful advice.

 

[g17jimmy]

Eric really seems to be the 'go-to' guy for the floor coverings. I'm working with him on my garage and will be posting the results here on the board. So far the Wolverine product has been easy to apply. I'll post more on the product after I have had a chance to see the performance.

 

[g17jimmy]

Here's the thread with my garage pics:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11919&showall=1

 

[CowboySS]

After trolling around on these boards for a bit I noticed that also.WC

I checked out the site and was wondering how the overall cost compares to some of the other major suppliers. Both of the jobs I am preparing to do are for custom home builders who are offering to line up more jobs for me if everything goes well. Obviously if I am going to make this side-work or even a possible venture I want to ensure that I use something that will hold up extremely well. Eric, if you could PM me some basic cost outlines that would be wonderful.

g17jimmy...your project looks killer!