Time to stop thinking and execute, another epoxy floor

[Docklobster]

Well one can think and debate what to do for months but its time to stop day dreaming and start the execution phase. I decided to go with the
Wolverine coating for the floor and here is my general plan starting out, which will undoubtedly get modified as things progress:

Phase 1 (Stem walls):
I plan to use the stem walls as an accent trim since my walls are about 4" high with a 2/3" shelf. Originally I was going to epoxy here but needed to save some $$$ and epoxy might be overkill, plus I had some white chalkiness where water could come through from the sprinklers on the other side (which I already adjusted to prevent). I plan to use a waterproofing paint - SW shercrete these only come in white so I will then put a second coat of black acrylic type industrial paint for my final coat. These will come after scrubbing and pressure washing the stem wall. I decided to pass on the grinding and acid as the stem wall is fairly rough and pourus. I am going to do the stem wall prior to drywall since cutting in and cleaning will be a lot easier without the drywall up.

Phase 2 (floor prep) after drywall is done:
I have about 400sq/ft, the floor is 30 years old and has a multitude of small stains and grease marks but the concrete itself is in pretty good shape, after testing some areas with a degreaser and pressure wash it helped but was overall pretty ineffective. I decided I am going to rent the floor grinder and give that a good go, maybe touch up any areas with the hand grinder, depending on how that looks I hope not to need to do acid afterwards.

Phase 3 (epoxy floor):

Hopefully the prep will go smoothly - standard practice for applying the wolverine system will be done here. I decided on a carolina blue for the base coat with a decent amount of flakes in white,black,cocoa brown, and navy to accent the remaining stuff that will go in the garage - I am very curious to see how the color combination turns out as I went out on a limb with the carolina blue for the base. Going with the endurashield as the top coat. I am also going to go ahead and coat the black stem wall with the endurashield to bring everything together and get a nice matching finish - hopefully the week between finishing the stem wall and the time it will take to get to the endurashield won't be an issue??


After that Its all about making my wife happy by getting all the garage stuff out of the living/dining rooms and returning the house to normal...oh yeah and I get to put in new workbenches and cool garage stuff

Pics to follow

Stem wall:

Bondtite - went well but soaked in a little extra in a few areas and thinned out.

Now for the hard part - incorporating the fish design - this was tricky and so was walking on the epoxy to do this - I think they will turn out ok after I scrape and level off the glitter - during the curing phase:

The flakes spread ok, but I had a few spots I got carried away - once everything is in the garage I doubt it will be noticable except to me:

More to follow with my lessons learned - endurashield tomorrow.


Thanks,

 

[AlphaGarage]

If the concern is about applying the latex paint on the stem walls, and then a week passing before you can over coat with the EnduraShield - no problem at all. A week, a month, two months - no problem as long as it stays clean.

Time is an issue when it comes to over coating a layer of epoxy, you want to put down subsequent coats within 24 hours.

If you over coat past that window, it's not the end of the world, you just need to take a few extra steps.

 

[drsifu]

looking forward to the pics.

i'm in the same boat, trying to plan and plan and plan. i should just pull the trigger. only thing left to decide is if i should rent or buy a hand grinder. looking at the bosch 1773ak.

 

[SUPERCOAT]

I'm having a hard time getting their website to work... If you haven't purchased the product yet, though, you really should check out SUPERCOAT (http://www.supercoat.us) . This is the 'real deal' in epoxy coatings!

 

[Bojans]

Is this cool? A new guy coming in and trying to switch a members mind mid project to his stuff? Any thoughts I would have had about using supercoat are gone now...

 

[scottalbi]

Is this cool? A new guy coming in and trying to switch a members mind mid project to his stuff? Any thoughts I would have had about using supercoat are gone now...

Nope, I don't think so. Not good etiquette. Not buying it. Flush it.

 

[AlphaGarage]

I'll admit it - we're a bit behind with our website.

The part that's giving us headaches is our material estimator. Unlike a lot of other systems we don't have a one size fits all package - there are a few reasons for that. First is that not every floor projects starts with the same set of conditions, and not everyone is going to use the finished floor for the same type of work, so clearly their are going to be different types of products that are best suited for individual projects.

Another reason is that the products come in varying size packaging. Our epoxys are generally 2 component products with a portion ratio of 2:1, so they're packaged in in units of 3, as in 3 quarts, 3 gallons, 15 gallons etc. On the other hand some of our urethanes are 1:4, so they're in totals divisable by 5. 5 cups - 5 quarts, etc.

And then there's pricing. For some of the epoxies a 3 quart lkit is priced the same as a gallon costs in a 3 gallon kit. So in a situation where the floor size calls for 9 quarts, it's better to just order a 3 gallon kit for the customer - my cost is the same, they pay the same, so they get an extra 3 quarts worth of coating for no additional costs. More is better, so they win - it's a draw for me - it does cost Wolverine an extra 3 quarts, but I think they can handle it.

Speaking of costs - although not offering one size packaging and developing the estimator both cost us potential profits, we realize that a floor improvement project can be a significant expense for the home owner, but by making sure that no one is buying more than they need we try to make sure when all factors are considered - real costs - real performance - etc., we strive to offer the best value for the consumer.

Anyway - some of these calculations are straight forward math, but some are a bit more subjective and have some discretionary allowances- especially if there are pressing budget issues. For example - strictly by the numbers a job may call for 2 kits of a product, but if that means an extra charge of $75, depending on the end use etc., it might be better all around to go just a tad under spec. and suggest they put that money into cabinets or such.

Add features like flake selection and shipping surcharges for odd size packaging (3 gallon kits have one pail and one can, the pails are sent without a box so they're charged extra) and it's taken a bit longer than expected - sorry about that.

At any rate even though the site is a few days out (in my dreams) we're always available by phone - 877-333-GARAGE (4272) and email. Ready to assist with this project, and looking forward to another successful Wolverine floor!

btw - here's a shot of the estimator 1st page...

 

[Docklobster]

So on the bike ride to work this morning I was thinking....

Since I also build custom fishing rods I thought I would use a few carboard type cutouts with toothpics to mask parts of the floor when I put down the deco flakes after the color coat - creating in effect a shadow of the fish cutout...

any thoughts has anyone had any experience along these lines???

 

[SUPERCOAT]

Is this cool? A new guy coming in and trying to switch a members mind mid project to his stuff? Any thoughts I would have had about using supercoat are gone now...

I'm sorry... I thought this was a "discussion". That's what the "reply" button is for, right?

Unlike some of the posters here who appear to be employees of various manufacturers, I am being 100% upfront about who I represent. And, yes, I feel that we make a very good coating. And, yes, if another visitor to this site is debating which product to use, I would like for him to take a look at ours.

Is there really something wrong with that?

 

[AlphaGarage]

So on the bike ride to work this morning I was thinking....

Since I also build custom fishing rods I thought I would use a few carboard type cutouts with toothpics to mask parts of the floor when I put down the deco flakes after the color coat - creating in effect a shadow of the fish cutout...

any thoughts has anyone had any experience along these lines???

Sounds very interesting! So you're thinking of keeping the stencils elevated off of the still wet epoxy with toothpicks? There certainly is no technical reason why that wouldn't work.

Key would be to be sure you complete everything within the epoxy's pot life, which usually isn't a problem. If you test everything out before hand and well prepped, and work in smaller areas that usual this should be no problem.

Clearly you'll need spike shoes, and be sure to do a few dry runs through the flake spreading process using the shoes so you can feel for everything.

I'd also consider using some of the metallic like glitter flakes to add a bit of shimmering sparkle. I'm real interested to see what you do with this, so we'll toss is some IllumiFlakes no charge if you'd like.

What colors are you thinking of using? Blue LiquaTile with a few shade of blue flakes?

And also keep a small bit of the EnduraShield in its unmixed state for later use. One of the largest fishing rod manufacturers uses it on all its poles as the final clear coat!

For the record - Alpha Garage is not a subsidiary of Wolverine Coatings, however we are proud to be their exclusive distributor to the residential and small business markets. They're a fantastic company to be affiliated with, they are innovative, sharp, honest, and ethical. They have a few products in the pipeline that will be very popular. If there are any issues with a project, be it technical or business related, we can count on them to help us and the consumer get satisfactory results.

 

[Docklobster]

I was thinking of using some glitter and have some for my epoxy rods - what do you think of using this:

http://www.mudhole.com/Glitter-Kit-9-Colors

Sorry I know the pictures are lagging - my 3 year old broke her arm the other day so the garage project got some distraction, I hope to start the floor next week.

 

[thegarageguy]

I'm sorry... I thought this was a "discussion". That's what the "reply" button is for, right?

Unlike some of the posters here who appear to be employees of various manufacturers, I am being 100% upfront about who I represent. And, yes, I feel that we make a very good coating. And, yes, if another visitor to this site is debating which product to use, I would like for him to take a look at ours.

Is there really something wrong with that?

You gotta understand that Wolverine has been peddling here for a long time. Now Alpha is his new middleman and you are stepping on their turf.

This site has turned into a Wolverine/ Racedeck infomercial. It used to be a time when peddlers would be shunned but somehow, someway, Wolverine and Race Deck have been given a pass.

Peddle away my friend.

 

[eddy]

I would certainly love to see pics once the fish stencil/deco flakes idea is done.

I am a junior member here, and has spent some time on this forum since joining, lots of reading, so I can't say how this forum was when it started, I do see lots of presence by Alphagarage and race deck, but I don't think this is an "infomercial". No one here is obliged to buy a product they don't wish to buy. Simply put, where else can you get as much info for DIY concrete floorings? No where!

 

[Docklobster]

Well I finally got a chance to upload the photos -

The liquidtile was tough with the extra work for the fish design - glad I had a friend to help out!

Endurashield will go on tomorrow right now I am just hoping everything cures ok and evens out when I scrape off the excess flakes around the fish. I think I will have to vacuum the extra glitter out since it is very fine and wants to just stay behind....

 

[drsifu]

looks good. can't wait to check it out tomorrow.

vinh

 

[SUPERCOAT]

You gotta understand that Wolverine has been peddling here for a long time. Now Alpha is his new middleman and you are stepping on their turf.

This site has turned into a Wolverine/ Racedeck infomercial. It used to be a time when peddlers would be shunned but somehow, someway, Wolverine and Race Deck have been given a pass.

Peddle away my friend.

I appreciate the insight and encouragement. Thank you.

 

[v7guy]

Any more pictures?

 

[Docklobster]

A little late but I have been busy with work and trying to finish all the side garage projects:

Here are the completed floor photos:

Close up of floor:

3 fish on floor: you can also see the workbenches and cabinets starting to all come together.

Using the 18" roller was a huge help and having a friend to help with the color layer was key.
I divided into two sections but should have done 3 sections to make the broadcasting and fish deco portion easier.
I used metal spikes on golf shoes which did NOT work well, I nearly fell a few times when broadcasting flakes and it left marks in the floor which I had to roll back over, either don't walk on the floor or use really sharp spikes!
When mixing I think it is best to always pour exact amounts out and then mix in a final container, we would mix 1 batch then used the remaining parts in the original bucket but this can lead to slightly inaccurate measurements.
The floor is very thick, covered all the minor concrete imprefections from my grinding and overall I am extremely happy, not to test the long term durability. The fish project was fun but added a lot of difficulty. The masking for the deco fish with the toothpic cutouts worked great though and the additional illuma flakes really helped set them out (thanks Fred/Alphagarage).

PM me for details.

 

[jgira12]

I'm sorry... I thought this was a "discussion". That's what the "reply" button is for, right?

Unlike some of the posters here who appear to be employees of various manufacturers, I am being 100% upfront about who I represent. And, yes, I feel that we make a very good coating. And, yes, if another visitor to this site is debating which product to use, I would like for him to take a look at ours.

Is there really something wrong with that?

I sure don't mind...bring it on! I've been on the fence for 3 years!!!

 

[thegarageguy]

Is that spray paint you used for the side fin and gills?

 

[Docklobster]

No it is very fine epoxy glitter

 

[rwhite692]

Docklobster, great job, and kudos to you for going with the Carolina blue and your own custom design.

Question for the supercoat guy, the home page on your website says:

SUPERCOAT is a 100% pure epoxy.

Do you mean to say that your system is a 100% solids system?

Thanks,
Rob