Wolverine, Durall, Epoxy Coat conundrum

[GarageEnvy]

Alright, I could kick my own *** for starting another "which one to buy" thread but I've read through more flooring threads than I care to count and I'm still undecided. From what I've read I should be looking for a solvent based 100% solids epoxy. That lead me to Durall, Epoxy-Coat and Wolverine. The Wolverine experience is well documented on here and the only complaint seems to be price. I've also read quite a bit about Epoxy-Coat on here. Durall seems to be a good option but I know little about it. Are there other options for 100% solvent based epoxies? Is my conclusion that this is the best type of epoxy correct? Is there any advantage to one over the other?
Fred & Christina feel free to give me your pitch. Durall users I'd like to hear from you as well.

Oh and I forgot to mention Devoe. It looks like they've got a 100% solids, solvent based solution as well. Any experience with this product is welcome too.

 

[Ovidiu]

I used Wolverine a couple years ago when the price was about double what it is now. I have no regrets, would do it again.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

If I was a consumer on this site, I would not buy from anyone other than Christine and Fred.

Why??

They will both hold your hand and guarantee the products they sell.

It's 100% solids, no solvents.

If you has solvents it couldn't be 100% solids.
Does that make sense?

 

[jsraaf]

It's 100% solids, no solvents.

If you has solvents it couldn't be 100% solids.
Does that make sense?

Scotty,

Would it be fair in your opinion to say that while 100% solids would be the ultimate in terms of coating thickness, durability & other factors.... for the average person -- those who aren't dragging heavy equipment around, welding, or have a light duty garage -- that something less than 100% solids would be adequate? Or put another way, what criteria would dictate that someone would need 100% or when could something less be sufficient?

By "something less than 100% solids" I'm referring to products like Quikrete, Devoe, Epoxymaster or Supercoat.

I ask because I, like others I'm guessing, wrestle a bit with the cost vs. benefit aspect.

Thanks.

 

[WkndWarr72]

Scotty,

Would it be fair in your opinion to say that while 100% solids would be the ultimate in terms of coating thickness, durability & other factors.... for the average person -- those who aren't dragging heavy equipment around, welding, or have a light duty garage -- that something less than 100% solids would be adequate? Or put another way, what criteria would dictate that someone would need 100% or when could something less be sufficient?

By "something less than 100% solids" I'm referring to products like Quikrete, Devoe, Epoxymaster or Supercoat.

I ask because I, like others I'm guessing, wrestle a bit with the cost vs. benefit aspect.

Thanks.

I have just gone through the same thing you are going through. Months of reading just making myself more confused on which product. At first, I was going to buy wolverine - the price was making me think twice about it. I started searching kijiji and craigslist and found someone selling some - I did research the name brand, but I was really only concerned about it being 100% solids. I got enough to put 2 good and heavy coats on the ~350 sq ft garage. After all the reading I did, I also decided to buy a urethane topcoat to protect the floor from yellowing, as my garage does get some sun exposure.
I was about to buy the urethane from one manufacturer's website, when I did some further searching only to find out that they have a seperate site that they sell their overstock on at cheaper rates. For their system, the cost would have been about 1/4 of what wolverine charges, and as long as you're not abusing the floor, am sure it will last.
http://www.epoxysuperstore.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=58_32_34&products_id=211

Seems like you can even buy it cheaper on Ebay. http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=ga...r+epoxy&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

From what I read, the weight of the epoxy is something to take note of - heavier = better. The Urethane I'm buying for example weighs about 19 lbs per gallon, while some cheaper brands weigh much less.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Epoxy is a broad term. It means many things to many people.
I'll try to make this easy.

Thin-Mils: used as primers or sometimes top-coats, low solids, low viscosity, easy to roll, not much build, won't hide anything.

High Build(high solids) : used as a build, color-coat or binder. This is a viscous product.
You use this product to hide imperfections. Because of the solids content, it won't allow you to roll it out thin.

What you put down depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Buy cheap epoxy and you will eventually get screwed.
It all comes down to quality control and cheap epoxies have less than the good stuff.

When you have to scrape off 10 or 15 gallons of epoxy from a floor with a razor scraper and xylene, you'll think about how much you really saved.

Hope this helps.

 

[v7guy]

I personally bought some wolverine coating, it's been sitting in my basement for the last 9 months waiting for me to use it. I'll finally be grinding the floor and spreading the eopxy in the next couple of weeks.
Fred was great to deal with... despite there being some delays in the shipment. I was nervous about the $$$ and got pretty paranoid/assertive in my communications with him and the extra week it took to take delivery.
He was very professional, answered all my questions frankly and has been in general a standup guy.
I haven't even coated my floor, but between my communications with him and the many many recommendations on this board I feel very comfortable in my purchase and would recommend him if for no other reason than customer service.
Given all the positive feedback on the board I can only assume the product is great.

 

[eddy]

Alright, I could kick my own *** for starting another "which one to buy" thread but I've read through more flooring threads than I care to count and I'm still undecided. From what I've read I should be looking for a solvent based 100% solids epoxy. That lead me to Durall, Epoxy-Coat and Wolverine. The Wolverine experience is well documented on here and the only complaint seems to be price. I've also read quite a bit about Epoxy-Coat on here. Durall seems to be a good option but I know little about it. Are there other options for 100% solvent based epoxies? Is my conclusion that this is the best type of epoxy correct? Is there any advantage to one over the other?
Fred & Christina feel free to give me your pitch. Durall users I'd like to hear from you as well.

Oh and I forgot to mention Devoe. It looks like they've got a 100% solids, solvent based solution as well. Any experience with this product is welcome too.

Don't kick yourself... if you only knew how many are in the same position...

 

[GarageEnvy]

Don't chisel it in stone yet but I think I'm going with Wolverine and here's why. I've yet to see anything or hear anything negative about the product outside of cost. I know me and I'm realistically not going to take the time to empty out this shop every couple of years to re-do this. Whatever bumps dings and scrapes it gets will be lived with so for me it's better to pay more up front. Based on what I saw at Epoxy Coat I would need 3 full kits and a half-kit and that's about $1,800 plus shipping. Dura Poxy is about $2,500 plus shipping which puts it on par pricewise with Wolverine. Between the two I prefer Wolverine based on customer support. So basically it has become a two choice race. The Epoxy-Coat kit is more complete with the supplies needed and it's cheaper. I've come to the conclusion that both are top quality products so it's like choosing between the Lexus and Mercedes. I do have a call into Fred about availability because some of the products were not available in the quantity I needed when I tried to order online. If there's a big delay or some unexpected costs I'll be switching over to Epoxy-Coat.

 

[rugerlady]

Hey GE,
I sent you a PM, you would get bulk pricing for your job, and I do not charge shipping for GJ members.

 

[Redshift]

I, too, am in the same boat. Been trying to get a reply from Fred at AlphaGarage but he wrote me back about a week ago saying he was on the road and would get back to me. So far I have not heard back. My concrete is now 30 days old and I am about ready to coat and move things in as soon as it's cured. My front runners are Epoxy-Coat and Wolverine at this point. I just wish I could figure it out! Either seems to be a lot better than anything you could buy at a local big box store.

I'll be watching closely!

 

[Will67]

FYI...fred with alpha garage is out n about will not be back till September 8th? According to who ever answered phone....after I called 5 or so times on Friday

 

[Redshift]

FYI...fred with alpha garage is out n about will not be back till September 8th? According to who ever answered phone....after I called 5 or so times on Friday

Wow, that's a long time to go without customer service...maybe I'll go with Epoxy-Coat. Reading all about it now.

 

[haugy]

I have Wolverine and am afraid I cannot endorse them.

 

[Redshift]

I have Wolverine and am afraid I cannot endorse them.

Perhaps you can provide details on why not?

 

[haugy]

Perhaps you can provide details on why not?

I'm still dealing with this nightmare. I'll be putting up a very large and long post with pictures when it's all said and done. I'm in the repair stages.

 

[Azmotorhead]

FWIW I'm doing my third garage floor with Hydropox#2 from Tricom Coatings.
It's very easy to apply,durability is excellent and 2 4:1 kits was less than $300.
This coating has withstood alot of heavy maintenance and welding abuse.

SIde note I never put any color chips down after roll out. When you drop a small item on a floor with specks in it,it"s hard to find the item

 

[54FordPanel]

I put down Epoxy-Coat, and I highly recommend it.

 

[Redshift]

I put down Epoxy-Coat, and I highly recommend it.

Details? Why do you love it? What sort of setup do you have and what do you do on your floor? How long has it been down? Etc.

 

[timdhawk]

I put down Epoxy-Coat, and I highly recommend it.

DITTO!!!!!!

Details? Why do you love it? What sort of setup do you have and what do you do on your floor? How long has it been down? Etc.

see my post here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73487

 

[Redshift]

DITTO!!!!!!



see my post here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=73487

I read it - your floor looks great. I've seen excellent reviews on both Wolverine and Epoxy-Coat so it's difficult to decide, but of course price may help that.

The issue mostly is how they hold up over time. Everyone seems happy upon first application, but how do they hold up over 5, 10, 15 years?

 

[rugerlady]

The issue mostly is how they hold up over time. Everyone seems happy upon first application, but how do they hold up over 5, 10, 15 years?

Our floor should last at least the years you stated. We are also used by NASA, all branches of the armed services, Chrysler, GM and major sporting arenas.
You can look at our install companies website (www.performancefloor.com)for some our bigger jobs, the Epoxy-Coat that I sell is virtually the same product. Obviously your not going to need a 1/4" cap on your garage floor, but you get the idea.

Let me know if you need references from someone that has had the product down for a while.

 

[54FordPanel]

Details? Why do you love it? What sort of setup do you have and what do you do on your floor? How long has it been down? Etc.

I liked dealing with the Epoxy-Coat people. It's not often somebody who's selling something tries to talk you out of buying another product from them, but they insisted I did not need to buy an additional clear coat from them. I got free shipping for being a GJ member. They answered all my questions.
And I have to say, some of the "vendors" on this site got very old for me. I appreciated the Epoxy-Coat peoples attitude and approach.

I manually diamond ground (grinded?) my old floor with a 7" grinder, and it's 900 sq ft. I also acid etched it. The floor went down good, and it looks great. No issues.

At first, I thought I wasted $600 on just a pretty looking floor, but after working on it, I am so glad I did it. Spills, including paint, just wipe right up. It's great.
Only thing that messes it up so far is welding splatter.

I've even been seen moping it, for crying out loud. My next floor will be Epoxy-Coat too.

 

[AlphaGarage]

Half of us is still on the road, with spotty internet, although it should be better for a day or two. But we're still here taking care of business, responses just will be a bit slower than usual.

 

[Redshift]

Half of us is still on the road, with spotty internet, although it should be better for a day or two. But we're still here taking care of business, responses just will be a bit slower than usual.

Here's hoping that whichever half is "taking care of business" can respond to my query from almost 2 weeks ago shortly LOL

 

[Will67]

Ok I was out in field today so I have not checked work e.mail...but I did send a request for quote a week ago to alpha garage. I really want to place an order and begin my floor project.

 

[thowle]

and I do not charge shipping for GJ members.

lol, wish I knew that before I ordered my EpoxyCoat the other day...

 

[Redshift]

Thanks for getting back to me Fred. We've taken our discussion to email so between Epoxy-Coat and AlphaGarage I should have my decision made by the weekend and get stuff ordered!