Speading epoxy using squeegee only - No roller, any issues?

[The Bramptonian]

Question from a newbee -

My garage floor that I am try to put epoxy on is very uneven and not exactly flat. When I wash the garage floor, there are several very shallow puddles on the floor. No amount of grinding could make it level enough to avoid puddles.

My question is - If I do not roll the epoxy but instead just use a squeegee to spread it, would this end up leveling a floor little bit? I was hoping more epoxy would flow in and stay where puddles form. May be since epoxy is self leveling, gravity will help in self-leveling.

I am worried that if I lay epoxy too thick at those spots where puddles form, the epoxy may fail? Is this possible?

What are the risks of using only squeegee and not using roller?

Thanks a lot! Any suggestions? Advise? Comments?

 

[pauls_workshop]

Hi Bramp, this is a very bad idea. You need to use a roller to evenly spread out the epoxy after first using a squeegee to get it out on the floor. A squeegee alone won't spread evenly enough to look decent at all. The sqeegee is just to get it out on the floor fast. The roller makes it look nice and even. Also, you can't really "fill" low spots well with one coat of epoxy. You can do this, but you need to do it spread out over 2 or 3 coats just in those areas, each one building up the height a little more, drying, then accumulating height. If you try to just lay it on really thick in spots in just one coat, the roller or squeegee will end up pulling it right out of that area as it goes by. I don't know of a way to do this other than multiple coats allowed to each dry before the next coat. That is easily achievable however if you are patient. - Paul

 

[The Bramptonian]

Thanks Paul! Glad you told me that. I almost made up my mind to use only a squeegee. Incidentally, I am planning to put down multiple coats so this would probably work out as you say. Will post pictures when done. Thanks again!

Hi Bramp, this is a very bad idea. You need to use a roller to evenly spread out the epoxy after first using a squeegee to get it out on the floor. A squeegee alone won't spread evenly enough to look decent at all. The sqeegee is just to get it out on the floor fast. The roller makes it look nice and even. Also, you can't really "fill" low spots well with one coat of epoxy. You can do this, but you need to do it spread out over 2 or 3 coats just in those areas, each one building up the height a little more, drying, then accumulating height. If you try to just lay it on really thick in spots in just one coat, the roller or squeegee will end up pulling it right out of that area as it goes by. I don't know of a way to do this other than multiple coats allowed to each dry before the next coat. That is easily achievable however if you are patient. - Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

Bramp, a squeegee might be OK just on those low spots without rolling after, all depending on how well you can spread a consistent coat with a squeegee and how large those low spots are. For instance, I used a 24" wide squeegee to spread out my epoxy. If I had a low spot less than 24" wide, I probably could have used this across the two high ends of the low spot and fill in there. Come back later after dry, repeat as necessary till fairly flat. But if your low spot was say 40" wide, then this would not work well at all with the squeegee. You could get part way there, but would need a couple layers to really get it flat. But just be sure to plan your final coat with the roller forwards and then a backroll 90 degrees to it. Final coats have to use rollers, not just a squeegee. I don't know if you could really do any of them with just a squeegee but in theory it could work. I think you could only roll once though on low spots and not backroll there. That would leave more epoxy in the low spot to self level. This might make it two passes instead of 3 or 4 to fill in the low spot well enough. Some thoughts. Good luck! - Paul

 

[retfr8flyr]

I'm no expert but I was told be people who are, that the best way to fill low spots like that is to mix up a small batch of epoxy with contractors sand and level out just the low spots. Let that set up and then do the whole floor.

 

[pauls_workshop]

I'm no expert but I was told be people who are, that the best way to fill low spots like that is to mix up a small batch of epoxy with contractors sand and level out just the low spots. Let that set up and then do the whole floor.

Agreed, that is the 2 or 3 coat idea I had, just with sand added. You can add white silica sand about 4 to 1 epoxy to save on the epoxy for the filler. But I would let it fully dry first. You don't want to walk in it with spike shoes not fully dry or it will pull some up and you would have sand all over the place where you don't want it. - Paul

 

[The Bramptonian]

Paul, I like the idea of using sand. The only problem is knowing precisely where the low areas are. The trouble is the puddle spots are only visible when the floor is freshly washed and there is water collected in low spots making those puddles apparent. I dread to think if guessed incorrectly and applied sand to wrong area creating more problems.

The safest I think would be to do multiple coats without sand. As it is now, due to high vapor emission rate of about 10-13 lbs/1000 Sq./24 hrs at different spots, I am using two coats of moisture vapor barrier at total 18 mils thickness. On top, two coats of epoxy and two coats of urethane top coat. Yeah, I know this is ****** expensive preposition but I have my mind set on epoxy and nothing would change it. Obviously, I am not the smartest investor but what the heck. Garage is my den.

So, I do think I will have ample of opportunity with 6 coats to level out the floor a little bit if not a lot. I am going to be using 30 inch serrated squeegee on coat 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 and a non-serrated 30 inch squeegee for the first coat. I will pull the first coat very tight (hence non-serrated squeegee) that will prime the surface and allow me lot of liquid to spread using serrated squeegee in subsequent coats as less would soak in the concrete.

Or may be in one of the later coats, I will skip roller and use squeegee. Safest would be to not skip the roller, and that's probably what I will end up doing. Thanks.

Agreed, that is the 2 or 3 coat idea I had, just with sand added. You can add white silica sand about 4 to 1 epoxy to save on the epoxy for the filler. But I would let it fully dry first. You don't want to walk in it with spike shoes not fully dry or it will pull some up and you would have sand all over the place where you don't want it. - Paul