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Epoxy Putty
How to Reduce Cost When Using 100%-solids Epoxy
There are many epoxy products available for coating concrete floors. Choosing the proper one depends on what you are trying to accomplish and what you are willing to pay. Often you need to fill holes to smooth out your floor. Sometimes you need to apply a coating that will not disrupt your employees or neighbors during application. You may be concerned about friction and want as thick a membrane as possible. If your solution turns out to be a 100%-solids epoxy, you will want to apply it as efficiently as possible to help limit your expense and maximize the quality of the result.
Here are some tips that will help protect your budget when applying 100%-solids epoxy products.
1. If you have high spots on the floor, grind them down before starting the application. Thick epoxy products are good at filling in areas but when your imperfection is above the surface it costs more to bring the rest of your floor up to that level. A drip of concrete on the surface of your floor can be quickly ground down with a masonry wheel and grinder. Cut off bolt-tops so they are flush with the floor. If there are nails or screws in your concrete, don't pull them out as you often end up pulling up some of the concrete that you will then need to fill. Cut whatever you can so it is flush with the floor. If you find fields of shallow holes on the floor, it is best to use a diamond-grinding wheel to grind down so they are not as deep.
- Don't let your liquid flooring material leak away. Cracks are often bottomless and when you pour liquid in them, it can run out the bottom of the floor after a few hours. The trick is to clog up those cracks before coating. Most cracks can be quickly brought to level with some grout and a gloved hand. A putty knife can also be used to shave them to level after the cracks are filled. Use some 100%-solids epoxy and color quartz or sand to make a peanut butter mixture and fill any larger cup-like holes to level before applying the topcoat. This will avoid the effects of surface tension that often leave shallow reseals over the tops of holes as they fill in.
- Catalyzed epoxies tend to get more viscous during the catalyzation process. This means your coverage per gallon drops each minute the mixture remains in the can or pail. If you mix each gallon as you need it, your coverage per gallon can be as much as 30% more than is gotten from product that is nearing catalyzation in the container.
- Choose the applicator to match your needs. A short nap or foam roller cover can function like a squeegee to fill holes while a long nap roller reaches into the holes to create an even coat. If you want to fill holes, use a short nap and if your goal is to reduce application time put an even amount of epoxy over the whole floor and use a little longer nap.
- Perform all filling and leveling on your first coat. Your second coat will take more material to level waves or irregularities from the first coat. Try to get a perfect job with your first coat and the second coat will have a good chance of fixing any problems without using a lot of material.
- Screen your floor before the second coat. A 60-grit sanding screen on a rotary scrubber will help shave your floor flat and reduce your need to use material to even out thick and thin spots in the first coat.
If you follow these few tips, you can maximize your floor's performance while saving a lot of material and cost.
About the Author
Durall Industial Flooring, has over 40 years of flow coated flooring experience. With over 500 specialty chemical products Durall Industial Flooring, provides 24/7 service hand help. Free cost analysis for each flooring project is available at www.concrete-floor-coatings.com
How do I get the smell of epoxy off my hands?
I was working with an epoxy putty in ceramics and it smelled absolutely disgusting. Now I can't get the smell off my hands and it's making me sick!
Strange as it may seem, just rubbing your hands on anything stainless steel (the edge of your sink if you have a stainless steel one) will remove an awful lot of smells of all sorts from your hands - onions in particular.
Otherwise, try a little dry mustard which is also good for onions.
Lemon's also good as already suggested.
Quickwood Epoxy Putty