Problems with my Epoxy Coat lifting.

[flypa38]

Let me first start by saying that I'm very impressed with the product and extremely satisfied with the customer service. Pretty sure the problem is with my concrete but could be my application as well.
The problem is that areas of epoxy are peeling and chipping away. Mostly high foot traffic areas but also some areas that don't get much use. The bare floor under the lifted areas looks sandy and the pieces of epoxy that peeled up are very thin.
My question is how can I repair my floor. Epoxy Coat was nice enough to send me a patch kit last year but I haven't had time to do anything with it yet.
Any advice is appreciated!

 

[packpride85]

Did you do a moisture test on the concrete before you put down the epoxy coat?

 

[mnavillus]

can you send a few pics?

 

[benwah]

What method of surface preparation did you do before applying your epoxy?

 

[flypa38]

Yes. I did a vapor test and it was ok. I'll try to get some pics in the morning. As far as prep I followed the instructions. It was a bare concrete floor so I didn't grind or anything, but if I recall correctly I thoroughly cleaned, acid etched, rinsed very well and swept it real well after the water dried.
It seems like the areas that got a thicker coat are holding up really nicely and my guess is that I spread the coating too thin in the problem areas while trying to quickly apply it by myself before it cured.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Flypa: Did you apply a penetrating primer or just Epoxy-Coat straight to the floor?

 

[flypa38]

No primer........didn't realize I needed it. Probably would have been a good idea. You know what they say about hindsight!

 

[hangfirew8]

Floor should be damp not dry when epoxy is put down.

-HF

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Hang: that is a sure fire way to get a bubbly floor.


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[flypa38]

Here are the pictures. Also noticed today that on all the larger flakes there is a sandy substance on the bottom. I suspect that's the concrete coming apart.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

You may have some slight weakness in your floor. You mentioned the sandy substance. This could be weak sandy concrete.

A proper grind likely would have prevented this from happening.

You can grind it all off and start from scratch. That epoxy looks like it was put down thin. I will bet it comes off pretty easy with a diamabrush coating removal tool.


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[retfr8flyr]

Listen to Scotty. The only real cure for that floor is to grind it all off, that will also prepare the concrete for good primer adhesion. Put down a good primer, main coat with however much flakes you want and then cover it with a good clear polyurethane top coat. Your floor will look great for many years, without any tire pull up.

I put my floor down 2 years ago and it has had my woodworking machines dragged all over it on this side



and on the other side, I have used jack stands and dragged floor jacks and car parts all over it. The floor still looks like it did when I put it down.

 

[flypa38]

Dang......figures. I was hoping to hear that I could fix it but had a feeling that was gonna be the concensus. It's gonna be a while till I have time to redo it. Am I wasting my time trying to patch it in the meantime with the kit they sent me?
Retfr8flyr that looks awesome! That's the finish I was hoping for! If you don't mind me asking, can you tell me a little about your username? I'm a mechanic and pilot and your username looks pretty aviation related!

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

If it gets you through to plan b, there is nothing wrong with it.
May want to do a little hand-grinding in that area prior to applying it.

 

[hangfirew8]

Hang: that is a sure fire way to get a bubbly floor.


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Depends on the product.

Maybe it is not true of this brand, but the first one I tried, a single part water based epoxy (forget the brand name right now), a lightly damp floor was required to get penetration and therefor adhesion.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

My apologies, I thought you were referring to Epoxy-Coat which is 100% solids and will react poorly with any type of moisture. You are correct. Many WB products are tolerant of moisture and a damp floor may even be encouraged.

 

[retfr8flyr]

Dang......figures. I was hoping to hear that I could fix it but had a feeling that was gonna be the concensus. It's gonna be a while till I have time to redo it. Am I wasting my time trying to patch it in the meantime with the kit they sent me?
Retfr8flyr that looks awesome! That's the finish I was hoping for! If you don't mind me asking, can you tell me a little about your username? I'm a mechanic and pilot and your username looks pretty aviation related!

Thanks for the compliment on the floor. I did a complete garage makeover when I did my floor and there is a thread here on it. I had never done anything like an epoxy floor before but with all the help I received from the forum and some great products, I got it done. It was a lot of work for an old man but well worth the results.

As to my username, I flew overnight express freight for Airborne express, until I retired in 2005. I used fr8flyr as a handle for years and then changed it to retfr8flyr when I retired.

 

[flypa38]

I'm pretty much limited to hoping a touch up works for now. At least for a few years, until both my kids are in gradeschool.
Retfr8flyr, nice to hear from another airplane guy! My first solo was in a Piper Tomahawk (PA38-112)...that's where my username came from. I went to college flight school and got my commercial, instrument, and multi then enlisted in the Air Force about a week before I was to take my CFI checkride. I then promptly failed the hearing test for my flight physical and wound up being a KC-135 crew chief in the ANG. That was pretty fun so I went to A&P school and now I'm an overnight mechanic for a large regional airline.