Jotafloor Filler Data Sheet

[Ottavia Delamar]

Thatbeing said, not all epoxy coatings are created equal. You could be using water-based epoxy or solvent-borne epoxy (the stuff that smells quite strong), and you could have a higher or lower percentage of solids. The technical data sheets determine factors like dry times, reapplication times, and other basic rules and guidelines.

While it takes seven days for epoxy to cure, your floor may be dry enough to walk on after 12 hours or so and ready for light use after 24 hours. Be cautious, however, as these timeframes are not applicable to all situations. The colder and less humid an environment, the longer the process.

Finally, if the work is occurring outdoors, the weather forecast and conditions for the time surrounding your planned work needs to be calculated. Your floors require consecutive days of fine weather to dry. If rain is predicted or other conditions are adverse, be patient. Your applicator will provide guidance.

Depending on the epoxy product you are using, you can speed up the epoxy drying time by creating a humid environment, warm environment, or as mentioned with some products, a free flowing ventilated environment.

There are also epoxy products that dry ridiculously fast. They are expensive and sometimes require significant labour numbers to accurately control the application process. These fast-drying epoxies are engineered for areas that need to be open for traffic fast; cold areas like fridges; commercial kitchens; and businesses that cannot close without suffering financial loss.

Most epoxies are made from two components: Part A (resin) and Part B (hardener). These two components need to cross link with each other and the concrete in order to bond to its potential. When the concrete quality has been compromised, combined with the use of a fast-drying product, the result will not be good. Within months, the coating can tear off and need to be re-done.

Moisture is a key culprit that we want out of the slab before an epoxy coating is laid. Slabs may have excess moisture for several reasons, and a moisture vapour treatment or barrier can be applied to counteract it. These prevent moisture from rising within the slab and can withstand huge amounts of water pressure.

If your concrete slab has a coating that completely seals the surface, the water pressure (also called hydrostatic pressure) can build up and rip through epoxy. Investing in moisture treatment can be crucial. In reality, moisture issues represent less than 5% of our work and there are waterproofing specialists that are sometimes required. This is a separate field of expertise, but there are visual signs that we can identify as problematic.

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