Epoxy Floor Off Gassing

In reality it s not that neat.

Epoxy floor off gassing. Picking a concrete floor coating. Take care and keep smiling. In most cases the bubbles are caused by air getting trapped during the mechanical mixing of the resin and hardener. Epoxy is a two part sealer where each part in theory comes to a complete chemical reaction with the other.

Concrete by nature is porous full of tiny holes. Some urethane coatings meet the leed standards for voc off gassing. It s likely to offgas even if it claims 0 voc. The drying occurs as the liquid part of the paint evaporates releasing toxic fumes into the air as it becomes gas.

Out gassing from a concrete surface is a result of temperature increases causing air and moisture vapor to be emitted from the slab. The odor of the paint persists until evaporation is complete and the paint is fully dried which can take as long as one to two weeks. Just for a quick review out gassing is the term used to describe the stuff that s slowly given off by a floor or coating film. People researching concrete floor coatings often wonder whether they should use an epoxy or urethane coating for their concrete floor.

Use a primer system on all porous concrete. Spike rollers can be used if bubbles appear but may not completely remove them. Bubbles aren t caused by gas but by air caught in the product through mixing and application or from the passing of air through the slab underneath. Although not all.

Eventually it should come to a complete cure. Outgassing is most commonly an issue in epoxy coatings creating small pinhead sized bubbled that can appear sporadically over the floor and which can even form small craters. Follow directions for mixing and using primer. The most common cause of this is called outgassing outgassing is a natural process that occurs when trapped air or gasses from the concrete are released and creates blisters craters bubbles or pinholes in epoxy floors.

From the moment epoxy paint is introduced to air it begins to dry. These peel and stick adhesives have relatively low voc off gassing. Some types of flooring can be installed through mechanical means such as staples nails or tongue and groove mechanisms often called floating flooring these fasteners eliminate the need to use any chemicals. Pin holes bubbles or fish eyes in resinous flooring is never acceptable.

It s not unusual to see bubbles rising in a freshly applied epoxy coat. Epoxy floor coating problem solving guide page 10 prevention.