Patching Vinyl Ester Floors With Novolac

July 28, 2016

A customer writes:

“We have a dairy processing and packaging facility that was built circa 1994.  At the time of construction we chose to install a flooring system which was vinyl ester based with fiberglass mat.  The floor has held up quite well in areas where it had a good bond.  The failures we have seen are in areas that covered either an expansion joint or control joint in the concrete.  In these areas the flooring has delaminated from the concrete.  Where possible we have made a clean cut through the flooring to an area where we had a good bond and left the concrete exposed.  Other failure areas are around floor drains.  We have made repairs with quick curing epoxies in the past but these don’t seem to bond well to the existing vinyl ester flooring. 

“Having a manufacturing facility with only one down day limits our ability to make substantive repairs.  During a search for low or no VOC  flooring systems I you folks.”

I have personally made many thousands of square feet of floor repairs that sounds exactly like the issues and conditions that you are describing.

Here is what I did to permanently resolve the issue, at least in the patched areas.

  1. Cut back the edges of the delaminated areas back to a point where the vinyl ester is well attached.
  2. Prep the concrete under the failed area and the edges of the old material – epoxy.com/surfaceprep.aspx.
  3. Prime with Epoxy.com Product #12 – epoxy.com/12.aspx
  4. Install a trowel coat of Epoxy.com Product #630 – epoxy.com/633.aspx and
    1. Epoxy Mortar Blend aggregate #82 Mortar Blend Aggregate
    2. Allow to cure hard to the touch and cool.
  5. Glaze with a neat coat of Epoxy.com Product #633 with optional Anti-skid – http://epoxy.com/non-skid-additive-polycarbonate-aggregate.aspx

Please email your additional questions to norm@epoxy.com or visit http://www.epoxy.com .


What is Most Versatile Epoxy?

August 18, 2015

My company has many different products and systems. I often get asked, “What is the best epoxy?” I need details about the

Clear Chemical Resistant Epoxy #15 over Stained concrete

Clear Chemical Resistant Epoxy #15 over Stained concrete

job to answer that question. The best epoxy is the one that is right for the specific job. That is where our company’s motto “The Right Product for the Right Job” came from. This is the driving force of our company and our technical support department. This has been our driving force for 35 years.

Perhaps the real question is, “What is the most versatile epoxy?” That is an easier question to answer. It is Epoxy.com Product #15 – www.epoxy.com/15.aspx. When I was an epoxy installer I always had Product #15 Clear Chemical Resistant Epoxy Resin on my jobsite.

Advantages

  • Clear Chemical Resistant
  • Can be applied as thin as 5/1000 inch or less and as thick as 1/32 (without Filler) or more
  • Can be applied as an aggregate filled system at a thickness of 12 inches or more.
  • Excellent wetting properties
  • Good temperature resistance
  • Low Viscosity
  • Non-shrink
  • Slower than other clear epoxies to oxidize outdoor in direct sunlight
  • Strong and durable
  • Virtually non-yellowing indoors

Uses

  • Acid Stain Concrete Floor Sealer
  • Base Coving Material for seamless flooring (when mixed with fumed silica and silica sand)
  • Clear coating over most porous materials
  • Chemical resistant primer
  • Chemical resistant mortar when mixed with silica sand
  • Chemical resistant top coating
  • Clear epoxy sealer for concrete
  • Clear epoxy sealer for wood, and other porous materials
  • Counter top coating
  • Epoxy quartz flooring
  • Pothole repair in concrete (when mixed with silica sand)
  • Sealing of stone that has been previously epoxied together (aka epoxy-rock, stone carpet etc.)
  • Surface sealing concrete cracks and joints (when mixed with fumed silica thickener)
  • Use with fiberglass or Kevlar to make strong composite members
  • Waterproof wood joint sealer (when mixed with fumed silica thickener)
  • Wood bonding as neat material or mixed with fumed silica thickener
  • Wood Floor Coating

Product #15 – www.epoxy.com/15.aspx – is a great product to have around for any number of emergency situations. Please address your questions to Epoxy.com Technical Support at 352-533-2167 or email me at norm@epoxy.com.


Repairing Floors with Epoxy Mortar Resin

August 8, 2014
epoxy-Deck-after-2

Epoxy Patching Mortar #10 for patching. Coated with Urethane Decking System #495.

Epoxy.com Product #10 is a versatile resin for use in epoxy floor patching. Product #10 comes in standard cure, fast cure and cold cure. It can be used with 3 different aggregates: self leveling, mortar blend, and broadcast aggregate. Product #10 is available in 15 colors plus black and white making a total of 17 colors available. Custom colors are available at a small additional cost.

The Epoxy Cures

Normal Cure at 77 degrees F. has a pot-life (the usable time after mixing) of about 30-40 minutes. It hardens to the touch in about 10-12 hours. Normal Cure should never be used below 50 degrees F.

Fast Cure at 77 degrees has a pot life about 15-20 minutes. It hardens to the touch in about 5-6 hours. At 50 degrees F the Fast Cure hardens to the touch in 10-12 hours. In other words the Fast Cure at 50 degrees will cure as fast as normal cure at 77 degrees F.

Cold Cure at 77 degrees F. has a pot-life of about 8-10 minutes. It sets hard to the touch in about 2.5 to 3 hours. At 50 degrees F the cold cure will typically cure in 5-6 hours. It is able to cure at temperatures as low as 35°F.

The Aggregates

The aggregates come separately from the Product #10 resin and hardener. That allows you to be able to use a unit of resin with multiple aggregates making the system even more versatile.

Mortar Blend Aggregate Product #82 is the work horse of floor patching. You can get up to 50 lbs or more of Product #82 into a mixed gallon of #10 epoxy mortar. This is ideal for deep patching.

Self Leveling Filler Aggregate Product #78 is used for self leveling applications, typically in thicknesses of 1/16 inch plus or minus. This is ideal where a thinner flat overlay is required. A typical use would be where a floor needs to be leveled. Another typical use would be for a “scratch coat” which is where you are trying to cover large amounts of chips and divots in the floor.

Broadcast Aggregate Product #77 is broadcast into wet #10 in order to produce an anti-skid surface. It can be broadcast into a neat coat (just the resin and hardener mix without the aggregate) of #10 or into the Mortar Blend Aggregate or Self Leveling filler systems above.

In addition to being able to mix the #10 with the fillers above, you can also mix it with Product #71 Fumed Silica to make a paste for cracks and other small imperfections.

 

In summary the Epoxy Mortar Resin Product #10 is a versatile epoxy mortar system available in many colors, several cures and different fillers for different purposes. This makes Product #10 an important part of your floor repair tool chest.

 

Additional Information:

Product #10 Lo-Mod Epoxy Adhesive and Mortar Epoxy Binder is a 100% solids epoxy has a low modulus of elasticity (flexibility) and is Low Viscosity. An adhesive used as a binder for epoxy mortar systems in patching and grouting applications, as a seal coat for non-skid surfaces outside, and as a primer to insure high bond strength for coatings and patches.

System #495 Elastomeric Polyurethane Traffic Membrane System– is an Elastomeric Urethane Membrane System, that is liquid applied. System #495 Elastomeric Polyurethane Traffic Membrane System is seamless, elastomeric (flexible), and UV. Thee qualities make it an excellent choice for outside applications in direct sun and weather, where water tightness, durability, and excellent appearance is required. Its elastomeric properties will allow horizontal movements up to 1/8 inch without breaking. System #495 Elastomeric Polyurethane Traffic Membrane System has excellent abrasion and chemical resistance. The surface of System #495 Elastomeric Polyurethane Traffic Membrane System can be varied to achieve the required anti-skid and decorative look.