After thorough thinking, gaining enough courage, and collecting the proper resources, you finally decide to embrace the installation of an industrial floor coating. Now what?

To get the most out of your investment, you must start with your endeavor’s core – the installation process. Among the concrete floor coating choices available on the market, epoxy floor coatings have gained considerable popularity for their durability, appealing finish, and low maintenance level. When epoxy floor coatings get installed correctly, they can last and endure the test of time. But, like any other floor coating type, if applied inappropriately, epoxy coatings can cause some serious drawbacks on your concrete flooring .

It is necessary to know why they fail in the first place to prevent epoxy floor coating failures. The following are the common reasons why epoxy coatings fail:

An epoxy coating kit from any epoxy supplier or big retail establishments will usually tell the DIY user to wash the floor clean or etch it with muriatic acid. However, cleaning alone is not enough. Although a reasonable method for concrete surface preparation , cleaning, and acid etching the surface does not always work.

On surfaces with pores that are open and accessible enough to allow the acid to react and eliminate the thin cement paste on top, called laitance, acid etching is a viable choice. However, on concrete surfaces that are not porous, oil-stained, painted, or exposed to contaminants such as wax, tire shine, or other maintenance lubricants, acid etching will do no good.

Epoxy coatings do not adhere to smooth or unprepared surfaces. Even if your concrete slab has a textured surface due to being rough still does not signify the concrete surface will accept the epoxy coating. It is required that ALL concrete surfaces must undergo surface preparation using a concrete refinishing machine , such as concrete floor grinders and polishers BEFORE the application of an epoxy coating.

An epoxy coating peels from floors due to several underlying factors. The most frequent reason is improper epoxy preparation or improper epoxy application by applying epoxy under extreme temperature conditions – either too hot or too cold. The surface must be polished and free of oil, grease, debris, and other foreign objects or contaminants for appropriate concrete preparation. Or else, the epoxy will pull away from the floor as curing starts, producing “pinholes” or “fisheyes,” which are round holes in the finish.

Additionally, to debunk the common misconception, epoxy does not adhere to a smooth surface. Even brand new concrete floors still need to undergo surface preparation. Although acid etching may work for some concrete, the best method is grinding the concrete to prepare it for epoxy.

Another issue that often results in epoxy coating failure is contaminated concrete. Contaminants like fatty acids, silicone, siloxane, and acrylics can penetrate deep enough to impact future applications’ adhesive abilities, even if the concrete gets prepared correctly. Occasionally, you will need to use heavy shot blasting (CSP-4 or greater) to address this issue, or you may opt to cut or replace the heavily contaminated concrete areas.

An adhesive strength that surpasses the concrete’s pull strength is a characteristic that represents a good epoxy coating. Some epoxy coating kits fail here as they could just be an epoxy-fortified latex paint that contains too many fillers. Although these kits make epoxy significantly cheaper, these kits do not contain good bond strength applications that are able to withstand constant wear and tear, so using an industrial-grade epoxy coating is highly recommended.

Another characteristic of a suitable epoxy coating is that it “wets out” the surface prepared concrete, soaking all open pores and surface impurities created by the surface preparation process. Materials that set too fast may be too thick to penetrate the pores or dwindle significantly during curing, making it impossible to thoroughly wet out the concrete.

This issue is most prevalent among new companies who use the most recent, state-of-the-art, 1-day coatings. New installers overlook the fact that these materials set too fast to even penetrate the concrete, resulting in premature coating failures, especially in places with hot, humid weather.

Conducting an epoxy coatings installation on an excessively humid day can adversely affect the bond strength between layers of epoxy coatings or the inter-coat adhesion. Too much humidity will almost certainly result in delamination, cloudiness, and premature and improper curing. Installers must always take into account the existing weather conditions before proceeding with the installation of a coating.

Improper mixing, such that the products don’t get mixed at proper ratios and partitions, or products that don’t get combined for the right amount of time intended for mixing, will not cure the epoxy coatings properly. Moreover, many layers are sensitive to the amount of air present during the mixing procedure.

Another signifier that you are doing something wrong in the mixing process is when the color of your epoxy floor coating is uneven. This inconsistent color may be attributable to factors, such as improper mixing of the epoxy, oil, grease, or other contaminants, and color variations in the batches of the coating kits. Additionally, ultraviolet light can also be a factor for this color variation. Allowing one set of coating kits to sit under the sun but not the next can cause the two to vary in color.

Usually, purchasing epoxy floor coating kits could result in you not having enough material for the designated project. This is usually due to the installer of the epoxy coatings being inexperienced in the field. For instance, stretching the epoxy coating material so it completely cover the designated surface area to ensure the coatings covers it completely is not the smartest choice, as it will likely result in the epoxy coating being too thin or not hard enough.

Applying epoxy floor coatings can indeed be tricky, but there are ways to go around it and avoid the occurrence of the same problems. Mainly, you must ensure that the surface or concrete gets correctly prepared. Make sure to consider environmental conditions before proceeding with the floor coating installation. You also have to mix the epoxy appropriately to avoid discoloration and air bubbles.

Now you know the basics just in case you plan on taking on this business venture for one of your spaces. If you intend to do the job yourself, please consider all the possible outcomes before attempting an epoxy coatings application. You could save yourself serious money by carefully doing things yourself, or you could run into a wealth of problems along the road and end up spending more money. To guarantee that you are doing things properly and to ensure the quality of products and services, consider reaching out to the experts at Xtreme Polishing Systems Supply today!

Concrete is something that literally exists all around us, shaping the world we live in around the clock. Primarily engineered for toughness, concrete has maintained a high global demand in major economic developments for centuries. Concrete reassures us with a complete sense of structure, stability, and overall safety we are able to continue improving the vital ways of living to meet our highest expectations for complex living.

Concrete delivers exceptional durability, requires low maintenance, and offers beautiful style finishes, and has been long dominating our economy, not to mention the industries that were created because of it like concrete flooring. The experts at  Xtreme Polishing Systems  understand that every concrete surface will variate in properties, therefore must be treated accordingly. Your plan of action for restoring concrete is circumstantial to each individual surface, without comparing it to another. That is why we are here. Our pros will assist by guiding you in the right direction based on your precise project elements, such as its current surroundings, your personal design expectations, and helping you understand the difference in surface textures and design finishes.

Xtreme Polishing Systems  is dedicated to flooring industries around the world, especially those seeking a trustworthy and affordable supplier. Our collection is innovative and diverse because our product line is simply like no other. We specialize in the manufacturing and distribution of  equipment, materials, tooling, and supplies  designed specifically for concrete flooring, including polished concrete (e.g. refining), epoxy coatings (e.g. resurfacing), and decorative concrete (e.g. architectural) surface finishes. Our team of trusted field experts and industry professionals have trained with our products accordingly for many years so they can deliver the fundamental guidance, consumer goods, and customer service necessary for preparing and executing a concrete finish.

Questions? Give us a call directly at  (877) 958-5732  and speak to a pro today regarding our concrete products. If you have questions specifically tailored to the topic  ‘What are the Primary Reasons for an Epoxy Coating Failure?‘  please reach out for assistance. Visit our website  www.shopxps.com  today and browse through our extensive and diverse selection of concrete products, equipment, tooling, and materials. Whether you’re a  general contractor  (e.g. flooring, concrete, masonry, home improvement, renovation)  small business ,  new  or  existing business ,  do-it-yourselfer  (e.g. craftsman, artisan, tradesman, handyman), or simply just a  residential  or  commercial property owner  looking to improve their personal spaces,  Xtreme Polishing Systems  has impressive product choices, as well as a sophisticated team of knowledgeable experts committed to assisting you every step of the way, from start to finish.