Progress - Coating done!

[Oldbroncogarage]

Finally got moving again. Spent a LOT of time prepping the floor for the coating. Lots of pressure washing, acid washing, and pressure washing again. Got all the dirt gone....today we coated the floor. I used Ironite Eurathane Epoxy....you can check it out at this link: http://www.ironitecoatings.com/

Very easy to apply. One coat of primer which was the hardest part due to the prep of the concrete which made it porous and really **** up the primer coat. Followed by 2 coats of the epoxy itself. I like this stuff as it's water soluable for easy clean and has a long working life. Pics of the floor so far attached. It has a nice blue grey color which is their stock mix, thought I had toyed with having them mix a specialty color like Ford Diamond Blue but figured this will look good, is easy to get more of if needed, and will be easy to find bolts and misc. dropped stuff on. Next is 2 coats of Clearcoat epoxy and she'll be done. Then, once Jason finishes off my doors it's time to start moving junk out there!!

 

[dawg]

nice job!!!!!

 

[Oldbroncogarage]

Thanks - will repost pics once the clearcoat is on

 

[Oldbroncogarage]

Warning: DO NOT buy Ironite products!

I'm really sorry to say my experience with Ironite has turned out to be most unsatisfactory. See pics, this stuff takes tire marks like nobody's business - it also has very poor mechanical resistance. I'm also attaching emails back and forth with Brian, their sales contact, that basically indicate that they do not stand behind their product worth a darn. Buyer beware I guess, but after having invested >$1000, two full weekends for prep and apply (along with help from my 7 month pregnant wife!) only to have this stuff fail to perform as advertised. Then to get the responses I have from them I guess I'm a bit PO'd!

Oh, and apparently Brian's email ([email protected]) is "full and not taking new emails"....


Below is my email traffic with Ironite:

----------------------------------------------------

From: Lebowitz Joseph
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 10:36 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Brian,
So you are telling me to go buy someone else’s coating? That surprises me in that when we talked originally and based on your web site advertisement Ironite is superior to other coatings. Too, I imply from this that you do not intend to stand behind your product with any sort of warranty nor refund any of the investment I have made?

I must say Brian that this is most unsatisfactory and I would ask you to reconsider this stance. I would like a refund of my investment based on the fact that the coating is not at all performing as advertised (see pictures attached) and that I will have to go put additional money into recovering the floor.

If there really nothing more you plan to do to address this issue please let me know so I can pursue other options of remediation.

Regards,
Joe



________________________________________
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 6:58 AM
To: Lebowitz Joseph
Subject: Re: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Hi Joe:

Sorry for the delay returning your message... We have been having troulbe with the tolling manufacture that blend for us... They are taking all emulsion belnding out of the facility and only blending dry compounds... I am trying to replace with another company, but having little success.. At this time we are unable to produce any products.. I would recommend using a local provider such as sherwin williams, thay have some industrial floor materials... Just use any waterborne material for recoating.


Best Regards,

Brian
-----Original Message-----
From: Lebowitz Joseph [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 1, 2008 11:18 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Brian, I?ve not heard back from you on this?can you please answer my question on how to do the re-coat? Also, I?m wondering if you can do any better on the discount as a warranty of the original material?$59/gal still is a bit high considering I?ll have to do a lot of work to do the recoating that should not have been needed in the first place.

Regards,
Joe

________________________________________
From: Lebowitz Joseph
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 7:43 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Thanks Brian ? you recommend another app over the clearcoat even? What prep work would I need to do prior the re-coat? Do you think the high gloss Ultra-Flex would be less prone to pick up tire marks? I?m getting marking even from cold tires?.

Joe Lebowitz

________________________________________
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 7:59 PM
To: Lebowitz Joseph
Subject: Re: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Joe:

sorry for not responding quicker... I would recommend applicated another coating over the existing floor. Just a high gloss version of the Ultra-Flex... Apply @ 150-200 sq. ft. per gal.. You can applicate right over the existing coating... I can discount the product @ $ 59.00 gal. for you.

Brian Schindler
-----Original Message-----
From: Lebowitz Joseph
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 03:30 PM
To: [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]
Subject: RE: Issues with my Garage floor coating
Brian,
Still have not heard back from you on this?.please respond with your ideas on what we can do to resolve the issues I?m having with the Ironite coating.

Regards,
Joe Lebowitz

________________________________________
From: Lebowitz Joseph
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 10:51 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Hi Brian,
Well it?s been a couple of months now since I put down the Ironite on my home workshop and I am sorry to say I?m disappointed. The floor looked great after coating?we put down a primer coat, 2 coats of the Ironite Ultra-Flex, and then one coating of Clear. I followed all instructions to the T as to floor prep, the coatings themselves, and the clearcoat plus dry times and thought I was set. However, I?ve found that the coating really isn?t holding up well at all. It?s taking tire marks from even cold tires (I have an automotive rotisserie with rubber wheels that mark the floor!), scrapes and scratches easily, and overall wears poorly. I also have problems with marks from weld spatter from overhead (I have an auto lift so do most chassis welding about 6? from the floor). Your literature noted resistance to spatter from table height so I guess I expected some marking but not much, what I see is more than what I?d expected for sure. Too, when cutting metal if I leave any filings or small bits of metal on the floor for any time at all and they rust it seems this too sticks to the floor and cannot be removed.

Overall I think you can tell I?m not impressed and am at a bit of a loss what to do. I do have a little bit of the product left over but really don?t like the idea of having to sand and recoat as it seems I?d have to be doing that a lot to account for all the imperfections after only a few months use?in fact I?d likely have to recoat the entire 1553 square feet of space to make it look decent again.

Let me know your thoughts on what I should do, I have a lot invested in the shop and in the floor coating as you know and really hate having it look the way it does. I?d be happy to send you pictures if needed?

Thanks
Joe Lebowitz

 

[XR80David]

Re: Warning: DO NOT buy Ironite products!

I'm really sorry to say my experience with Ironite has turned out to be most unsatisfactory. See pics, this stuff takes tire marks like nobody's business - it also has very poor mechanical resistance. I'm also attaching emails back and forth with Brian, their sales contact, that basically indicate that they do not stand behind their product worth a darn. Buyer beware I guess, but after having invested >$1000, two full weekends for prep and apply (along with help from my 7 month pregnant wife!) only to have this stuff fail to perform as advertised. Then to get the responses I have from them I guess I'm a bit PO'd!

Oh, and apparently Brian's email ([email protected]) is "full and not taking new emails"....


Below is my email traffic with Ironite:










Ouch that stuff is no good.
----------------------------------------------------

From: Lebowitz Joseph
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 10:36 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Brian,
So you are telling me to go buy someone else’s coating? That surprises me in that when we talked originally and based on your web site advertisement Ironite is superior to other coatings. Too, I imply from this that you do not intend to stand behind your product with any sort of warranty nor refund any of the investment I have made?

I must say Brian that this is most unsatisfactory and I would ask you to reconsider this stance. I would like a refund of my investment based on the fact that the coating is not at all performing as advertised (see pictures attached) and that I will have to go put additional money into recovering the floor.

If there really nothing more you plan to do to address this issue please let me know so I can pursue other options of remediation.

Regards,
Joe



________________________________________
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 6:58 AM
To: Lebowitz Joseph
Subject: Re: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Hi Joe:

Sorry for the delay returning your message... We have been having troulbe with the tolling manufacture that blend for us... They are taking all emulsion belnding out of the facility and only blending dry compounds... I am trying to replace with another company, but having little success.. At this time we are unable to produce any products.. I would recommend using a local provider such as sherwin williams, thay have some industrial floor materials... Just use any waterborne material for recoating.


Best Regards,

Brian
-----Original Message-----
From: Lebowitz Joseph [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 1, 2008 11:18 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Brian, I?ve not heard back from you on this?can you please answer my question on how to do the re-coat? Also, I?m wondering if you can do any better on the discount as a warranty of the original material?$59/gal still is a bit high considering I?ll have to do a lot of work to do the recoating that should not have been needed in the first place.

Regards,
Joe

________________________________________
From: Lebowitz Joseph
Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 7:43 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Thanks Brian ? you recommend another app over the clearcoat even? What prep work would I need to do prior the re-coat? Do you think the high gloss Ultra-Flex would be less prone to pick up tire marks? I?m getting marking even from cold tires?.

Joe Lebowitz

________________________________________
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 7:59 PM
To: Lebowitz Joseph
Subject: Re: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Joe:

sorry for not responding quicker... I would recommend applicated another coating over the existing floor. Just a high gloss version of the Ultra-Flex... Apply @ 150-200 sq. ft. per gal.. You can applicate right over the existing coating... I can discount the product @ $ 59.00 gal. for you.

Brian Schindler
-----Original Message-----
From: Lebowitz Joseph
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 03:30 PM
To: [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]
Subject: RE: Issues with my Garage floor coating
Brian,
Still have not heard back from you on this?.please respond with your ideas on what we can do to resolve the issues I?m having with the Ironite coating.

Regards,
Joe Lebowitz

________________________________________
From: Lebowitz Joseph
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 10:51 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Issues with my Garage floor coating

Hi Brian,
Well it?s been a couple of months now since I put down the Ironite on my home workshop and I am sorry to say I?m disappointed. The floor looked great after coating?we put down a primer coat, 2 coats of the Ironite Ultra-Flex, and then one coating of Clear. I followed all instructions to the T as to floor prep, the coatings themselves, and the clearcoat plus dry times and thought I was set. However, I?ve found that the coating really isn?t holding up well at all. It?s taking tire marks from even cold tires (I have an automotive rotisserie with rubber wheels that mark the floor!), scrapes and scratches easily, and overall wears poorly. I also have problems with marks from weld spatter from overhead (I have an auto lift so do most chassis welding about 6? from the floor). Your literature noted resistance to spatter from table height so I guess I expected some marking but not much, what I see is more than what I?d expected for sure. Too, when cutting metal if I leave any filings or small bits of metal on the floor for any time at all and they rust it seems this too sticks to the floor and cannot be removed.

Overall I think you can tell I?m not impressed and am at a bit of a loss what to do. I do have a little bit of the product left over but really don?t like the idea of having to sand and recoat as it seems I?d have to be doing that a lot to account for all the imperfections after only a few months use?in fact I?d likely have to recoat the entire 1553 square feet of space to make it look decent again.

Let me know your thoughts on what I should do, I have a lot invested in the shop and in the floor coating as you know and really hate having it look the way it does. I?d be happy to send you pictures if needed?

Thanks
Joe Lebowitz

Ouch that stuff is no good!

 

[Mlynch]

this should be interesting to see if that was an isolated incident.

 

[thegarageguy]

Just curious.....was there a coating on your slab before? From the first pic, I see a 3 colors, your failing gray coat, then some beige, then concrete. Am I seeing that wrong?

 

[thundercow]

Well, when we do garages we always put a clearcoat on top. The clearcoat is super glossy, super hard, and repels anything, and tires don't leave marks. I would never leave bare paint, as I would expect this to happen. You might be able to salvage it with a quality clearcoat.

 

[Oldbroncogarage]

Just curious.....was there a coating on your slab before? From the first pic, I see a 3 colors, your failing gray coat, then some beige, then concrete. Am I seeing that wrong?

The concrete was brand new, had aged about 3 months with nothing on it. I power washed and acid washed it very carefully and per the Ironite instructions. Then I did a "primer coat" which per their instructions was a diluted coating of the epoxy followed by 2 coats of the full strength and then a clearcoat on top (yes I followed their directions for cure times to a "T")... The 3 colors you see may be the primer, the base, and the clear coated - not really sure. In person it doesn't look like 3 though....

 

[Oldbroncogarage]

Well, when we do garages we always put a clearcoat on top. The clearcoat is super glossy, super hard, and repels anything, and tires don't leave marks. I would never leave bare paint, as I would expect this to happen. You might be able to salvage it with a quality clearcoat.

I did use their clearcoat as well, it was supposed to do as you say - harden and protect. I can only imagine how it'd be without that on it!

 

[Floorguy]

Hey Oldbroncogarage,

Don here. We talked about your floor at one point. I would be happy to take a peek again and offer suggestions. Sorry it did not work out for you. If you decide to strip it off I could most likely offer some help there.

Shoot me a PM is you would like to talk.

Take Care,

Don

 

[WolverineCoatings]

We should probably be careful not to hihjack this thread...

 

[Floorguy]

We should probably be careful not to hihjack this thread...

What are you talking about?

 

[Mlynch]

We should probably be careful not to hihjack this thread...

Yes, what are you talking about?


Floorguy, apparently it is not okay for you to politely offer your services; however, wolverine can push his products on here whenever he see's fit. Entitlement gotta love it...

 

[WolverineCoatings]

whoops... by the time I read down to the bottom of the posts I was thinking that someone posted the first post about their project and then someone ELSE came to talk about their bad experience... I was thinking that this was two different people. I thought we had begun to highjack the first guys post... who... as I now see... is also the guy talking about his bad experience...

Anyway, my post didn't have anything whatsoever to do with floorguys post...

 

[nissan_crawler]

clearcoat or not, tires shouldn't do that. I have no clearcoat on my floor, and it's been fine for 5 years of heavy abuse, not too mention it's the "dreaded" water-based rustoleum.

 

[Oldbroncogarage]

Hey Oldbroncogarage,

Don here. We talked about your floor at one point. I would be happy to take a peek again and offer suggestions. Sorry it did not work out for you. If you decide to strip it off I could most likely offer some help there.

Shoot me a PM is you would like to talk.

Take Care,

Don

Will do Don, thanks. I do appreciate you coming out last time and talking with me....guess I should've thought harder about NOT doing the shop myself in retrospect but I was/am short on cash (gotta love the price of fuel these days!) so had a go at it myself. Oh well - live learn and try to recover from the mistakes!

Joe

 

[Oldbroncogarage]

clearcoat or not, tires shouldn't do that. I have no clearcoat on my floor, and it's been fine for 5 years of heavy abuse, not too mention it's the "dreaded" water-based rustoleum.

My feeling exactly! Again - what really irks me most is the lack of support from the company when their product clearly has failed to live up to expectations.

Joe

 

[Oldbroncogarage]

whoops... by the time I read down to the bottom of the posts I was thinking that someone posted the first post about their project and then someone ELSE came to talk about their bad experience...

Yeah, I tried to change the title of the original posting but was unable to do that...I wanted to make sure anyone reading the original post where I was pretty satisfied with how the coating went didnt' get mislead. I did post another more explicitly titled posting ("DO NOT BUY IRONITE!!") with a link to this posting.

Anyways, I do appreciate all the postings with advice and experiences - it helps!

Joe