All About the Proper Floor Epoxy Application

​There a lot of does and don’ts when it comes to getting the perfect epoxy floor coating. We’re breaking down the facts and the fiction with the popular floor covering for your home, garage, or business. These floor coverings are made up of a hardening agent as well as a resin for the color. Make sure to do your epoxy floor covering correctly the first time so you won’t need to do it over again. Epoxy floor paint is a specific classification that most people are not extremely familiar with like they are with normal everyday paint. A popular look these days is to have epoxy with color flakes you can see in any cool auto garage.
 
Our first stop is the garage where epoxies are a well-known staple. Aliphatic 100% solid epoxy are the kind we firmly recommend for getting the longest lasting and best look. The closer to 100% you get for any epoxy the more that will stay behind and the less that will evaporate. Primers and topcoats vary from this rule and can have less of a percentage to serve their proper and desired function. Don’t stress about this too much. The right epoxy applier will know what the best epoxy is for your floor. Stay away from the cost cutting epoxies like Cycloaliphatic that will save you money but will also get worn down and yellow more easily.
 
When working with color flakes it’s best to have a thicker epoxy that will work will in smaller areas that are not recommended for most commercial application. Get some of the armor granite or military epoxies that are viscous and thick. Making sure the floor is adequately prepared before applying epoxy is a very important first step. You don’t want to just throw epoxy on a grimy floor. That ends with serious regret and garbage stuck in your floor it’s practically impossible to get out. Besides cleaning you will want to use a primer, just likely any paint job to prepare the floor’s surface for the epoxy to sit on top of it. Be wary of any epoxy that claims to be able to be a primer, topcoat, and epoxy all in one. This is simply marketing and advertising hype. They are made to be correctly be applied separately and in order.
 
Priming a floor can make up for years of wear and tear that may have been done to a garage floor. Freshen these age lines on your garage floor from salt or basic wear with a primer. In addition to healing your floor primer will extend the distance and life of your epoxy by not allowing for as much absorption of the epoxy into the floor. Consult us before your epoxy job to come up with a game plan for the right application.
 
Pay special attention to the pot life of your epoxy. This is how long any epoxy takes to dry. Usually measured at the time for it to dry at 70 degrees, you’ll want to stick to a pot life of an hour to make sure you have a quality epoxy. Swing by Armor Garage to see all kinds of floor epoxy that we work with.