When to coat stemwall

[Tomwall]

I have read many posts on epoxycoating garage floors on this forum. I am planning on doing my garage. My question is when should I coat the stem wall? Before I do the floor or at the same time. The stemwall is just 4x6 inches. The problem with doing it the same time is I am afraid that I wont be able to spread the flecks evenly as I see that it is difficult to apply flecks to a vertical surface. If I do it first it will add some time to the project and I will have to mix small amounts of epoxy which may lead to waste and me not having enough material to finish the job. Does anyone have experience with this problem? I am planning on doing a primer, color coat, medium fleck coverage, and clear. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jaysen]

i'll be following this thread... im curious myself. My concerns are like yours, not having enough epoxy, although I need 600sq ft to cover and purchased 720, I think its still coming close...

 

[SUPERCOAT]

I typically coat 4-6 linear feet of the stemwall, then the floor in front of it, and flake the entire area. If you choose to do the stemwalls first, take a leaf blower and blow the 'unstuck' flakes out before you roll the floor.

 

[AlphaGarage]

When in doubt - do the stem walls separately. Without flakes a small wall can be coated as you do the larger floor, and with practice it's also possible to apply flakes evenly to both at the same time, but flaking even small walls can be tricky. Beside just getting the density right sometimes an equal challenge is to not get too much flake on the floor right in front of the wall. If you've done a few it gets pretty easy, but first time out it might be a bit much, it's not that big a deal to separate the two planes and focus on one at a time.

If you're careful there isn't that much waste. You'll be working with a smaller mixing container and most likely with a smaller brush or roller cover. So there will be some waste, but not much more than doing it all at once. If it's a major concern just order a extra small kit of the base color coat - you should be okay with doing the prime and clear in one whack.

If you do whip up a small batch, don't let the mix stay in a small mixing container, the confined area will cause it to heat up more than usual, which can really accelerate the pot life to a matter of minutes. After it's mixed, decant it to a roller pan or similar large container.

Most probs happen when people take short cuts or rush things.

 

[Tomwall]

Thanks for the advice. I am starting to lean towards doing it all at once. Will the stem wall dry faster than the floor? I was planning on flaking the whole floor after the material was spread. It is a 720 sq ft. floor. Would it be better to do a small area and then flake it and then move to the next area? What about hairline cracks? I have a few that showed up soon after the floor was poured. They are about the thickness of 2-3 sheets of paper. I have been told that I can use acrylic painters caulk. My concern with this is about adhesion. The caulk obviously won't be very strong, but should prevent the epoxy from wicking into the crack. If I just leave them would the epoxy just fill them and self level or will I be left with an indent where the hairline cracks are.