DIY two part basement garage epoxy garage floor paint -Is your surface suitable? Useful links
floor epoxy 101 - floor coatings info
Begin by taking our epoxy floor paint self test - (TWO PART EPOXY TEST) .
See if your surface can have an DIY epoxy floor.
Then explore the floor links pages
(FLOOR LINKS #1) -
(GARAGE FLOOR LINKS SITE #2) .
"Thanks for all your advice, tips & moral support concerning my project. It turned out beautiful. Quality people backing a quality product is the only way to go!" Joe
WATER BASED VS SOLVENT FREE
(OR LOW SOLVENT FLOOR EPOXIES)
WATER BASED (WATERBORNE)
EPOXY FLOOR PAINTS
Water Bond Epoxy (tm)
med.
gray only
* actually contains voc solvents plus water (restricted in some locations)
* slight odor
* very long pot life
* water clean-up
* large coverage per gallon
* good color stability
* very thin coating - will not hide flaws (may highlight them)
* somewhat breathable and some penetration into concrete (good adhesion)
* generally less used than solvent free epoxy floor paints
* can be primer /sealer under other epoxy (non epoxy) floor systems
SOLVENT FREE (or low solvent)
EPOXY FLOOR PAINTS
Industrial Floor Epoxy (tm)
light
gray or beige only
* no solvents or VOC issues (solvent free only)
* generally odorless
* wet thickness equals dry thickness (no shrinking)
* thick coating hides flaws and imperfections
* can trap air bubbles from expanding air in concrete
* shows epoxy yellowing in UV
* coverage about 150 sf per gallon
* creates vapor seal (radon etc)
* can have adhesion issues on damp moisture rich surfaces
* tough and durable
* standard commercial - professional floor solution
* short pot life - working time
* use with colored chips or colored sands
* works with chips
- sands - multi-coat systems
The Benefits of Solvent Free Epoxies
(zero VOC - 100% solids)
(Same for epoxy paints and epoxy floor paints - see differences between)
* A smooth non-porous, cleanable with strong cleaners surface (thus antimicrobial - mold and mildew resistant) and great for children's play rooms, bathrooms, showers etc.). Thus common in garage, shops, labs, trailers, etc.
* Solvent free epoxies little or no odor and no solvents to fill the air (great news for allergy and asthma prone during application)
* Wet thickness equals dry thickness (and it is a thick coating to start with) - so equal in thickness to many coats of 'regular' paint.
* Thick and self leveling it fills and hides small chips, depressions, cracks etc. Fill them during application and they will not reappear when the epoxy cures.
DISADVANTAGES - all solvent free epoxies yellow, especially in sunlight --- they will scratch --- they have a surface bond only so they needs a top notch bonding surface to adhere to --- there are MOISTURE DURING CURE issues -- solvent free epoxies have a short pot life (working time during application) - air escaping from concrete can form bubbles in the thick solvent free epoxy (there are ways around this, but you need to be told of this possible issue).
CONSUMER WARNINGS - *** Some questionable epoxy vendors like to imply that only their solvent free epoxy has these benefits, which is not true. *** Some questionable epoxy vendors will compare their solvent free epoxy to other vendor's water based epoxies and solvent based epoxies. These are unfair comparisons designed to make their products look 'superior.'*** Some questionable vendors will deny their epoxy yellows (water based epoxies have limited yellowing - dark colors don't show yellowing). *** Some vendors will promote 'special epoxies (novolac, cycloaliphatic, flake filled, coal tar, etc.) when they are not necessary for your intended application. *** Some questionable epoxy vendors will 'forget to mention' the potential disadvantages and problems listed above. *** No epoxy vendor can know the condition and suitability of your surface for an epoxy coating, nor can they oversee your surface preparation, and weather/environmental conditions during your DIY epoxy application. So all vendor Warranty documents have a built in escape mechanism and are presented only as marketing tools to get your business. All that an epoxy vendor can actually warranty is that when mixed correctly the product will harden and have the physical properties described in the product data sheet. An honest epoxy vendor will tell you this up-front.
Epoxy
Floor Coatings - Sampler Kits 1) NEW Epoxy Floor/
Deck non slip coating (ROUGH COAT (TM) FLOOR EPOXY) Check out the 8 oz test kit of
Rough Coat (tm) - a tan colored solvent based epoxy floor
coating with non slip grit already mixed in. Standard unit size is
one gallon which covers about 160 sf. Texture is suitable for bare
feet. Use on boat decks, garage floors, shower areas etc.
This product is
featured on the GreatThings4u.com website. 2)
Solvent Free Industrial Floor Epoxy - 48 oz test kit of IFF in
beige or light gray. Tired of the low end stuff sold in mass market
box stores or hard sell epoxy flooring web sites run by a marketing
major and staffed with ex-shoe salesman just interested in your
money? Check out our industrial - commercial (you can buy 15 gallon
units), solvent free, Industrial Floor Epoxy (even the product name
is simple, no frills labeling). Use with or without chips (order
separately - picking colors and percentages), and with or without
clear epoxy or poly intermediate or topcoats. Shop like a
Professional - where you pick and select what you need.
This product is
featured on the
Best Epoxies website.
CLICK HERE
(floor epoxy paint options)
to see these products in our online catalog. Best advice from an
Epoxy PRO on how to avoid a $$$ DIY epoxy floor disaster (you won't learn
this on any other epoxy floor site) If
any of the following apply or might apply to you: 1) no
vapor barrier, or don't know if there is a vapor barrier under your
slab; 2) suspect there might be moisture issues in/on the slab; 3)
suspect the concrete was not 'vibrated down' and contains lots of
air spaces (which can cause bubbles and blisters in the wet epoxy);
4) cannot professionally prep the floor (usually means a shot blast
contractor); 5) any existing coating on the floor is peeling and
lifting; 6) the concrete seems dusty, gritty, weak or crumbling; 7)
you are worried about "hot tire pickup" lifting off your epoxy
floor; 8) you have oil stains on the floor (especially OLD oil
stains)....... If so,
consider putting an inexpensive epoxy primer / sealer (such as
ESP 155 - an
Internet
Favorite epoxy coating - not for sale in California) on the
entire floor or over those potential trouble spots. Then wait a few
weeks or months and see what happens. If everything looks great it
is very likely that a 'fancy' epoxy top coat will be successful and
probably issue free. You might even decide to just keep the sealed
floor and skip the thicker mostly decorative (or at least thicker
and pigmented) epoxy top coat (such as 0% VOC INDUSTRIAL
FLOOR EPOXY). If
problems developed with the thin, nearly clear ESP 155 epoxy sealer,
it is not that big a deal. No worse than having some deck/porch
enamel paint lift and peel. You won't trip over it, it is not so 'in
your face', and you saved big $$$ that you would have spent on the
epoxy, paint chip, top coat. Some existing concrete surfaces are
just not good candidates for an epoxy coating.
QUESTIONS?
email OR call 603 435 7199.
Floor Links
Page. Learn all about epoxy floors.
EPOXY FLOOR EPOXY PAINT LINKS
FIND WATER BOND EPOXY IN CATALOG ***********
FIND IN ONLINE STORE ***********
ASK PROFESSOR E . POXY (help link) ***********
EPOXY FLOOR MASSIVE LINK SITE ***********
FLOOR EPOXY INTRO GUIDE ***********
FIND INDUSTRIAL FLOOR EPOXY IN CATALOG ***********
FIND IN ONLINE STORE ***********
ASK PROFESSOR E . POXY (help link) ***********
EPOXY FLOOR MASSIVE LINK SITE ***********
FLOOR EPOXY INTRO GUIDE ***********
PROGRESSIVE EPOXY POLYMERS, INC (SINCE 1992) ***********
Google Industry Specific Search
Epoxy Flooring
floor related articles, info, master link site CLICK HERE (this link site includes the following links:)
Bio Vee Seal - INTERNAL CONCRETE SEALER ***********
Clear Top Coats -
FLOOR CLEAR
TOP
***********
Epoxy Quartz Floor -
BROADCAST FLOOR
***********
Epoxy Paint Chip Floor -
CHIPS
***********
Epoxy Paint -
SURFACE PREP
***********
Floor Epoxy -
CATALOG PAGE
***********
Best Floor Epoxy -
CLICK
HERE
***********
Acid Etching -
ACID
***********
Epoxy Paint vs. Floor
Epoxy Paint -
EPOXY
PAINTS
***********
Floor Basics/Options -
START HERE
***********
Questions? Call us at 603-435-7199 or:
ASK PROFESSOR E. POXY
***********
Google Industry Specific Search
Epoxy Flooring
need to learn more about epoxies??
--- visit these third party sites ---
(EVERYTHING-EPOXY.INFO --- Intro to basic epoxy resin types)
also visit the EPOXY GURU
"Paul, you have outstanding products. Every product has out performed the highly advertised units I purchased elsewhere for past projects. Thank you." (Dick - email 11/10/13 to Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc. -- epoxyproducts.com -- attn: Paul Oman)
SAFE EPOXY WEB BROWSING - INTERNET EPOXY CONFEDERATION - APPROVED SITE
Progressive Epoxy Polymers, Inc.
