Installing a 100% solids epoxy floor coating is not difficult. Most installation failures are preventable and result from skipping basic preparation, making assumptions, or rushing the work.
This guide supplements the individual Product Data Sheets (PDS) and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) by sharing practical installation procedures developed through decades of field experience.
Many of these recommendations were learned while solving real-world installation problems. Others came from mistakes—sometimes our own, sometimes those of experienced contractors, and sometimes from helping customers recover from installations that did not go as planned.
Our hope is simple: learn from our experience rather than your own mistakes.
1. Read Before You Begin
Before opening a single container, read the product labels, Product Data Sheets, Safety Data Sheets, surface preparation instructions, project specifications, and the technical resources referenced throughout this guide.
Never assume that because you have installed epoxy before, every epoxy system installs the same way.
Different products have different mixing ratios, pot lives, coverage rates, cure schedules, recoat windows, and application techniques.
If anything appears unclear, contradictory, or incomplete—stop before mixing.
When in doubt, ask questions.
2. Verify the System
Every installer is responsible for determining that the selected system is appropriate for the intended application.
Experience should never become a reason to rush when working with an unfamiliar product.
Practice is not embarrassing.
Experimenting on the customer’s floor is.
3. Think Through the Entire Job
Before mixing anything, mentally install the entire project.
Ask yourself:
- What have I forgotten?
- What could go wrong?
- Where will I start?
- Where will I finish?
- Where is my exit?
- What happens if I must stop?
- How will I protect the floor while it cures?
This is also the step where you may discover something unique about your project that is not covered in this guide or elsewhere. Every job is different. If something does not seem to fit the guidance you have read, stop and ask before proceeding.
I have found that a few minutes spent mentally installing the entire project often prevents hours of correcting mistakes later.
4. Prepare the Work Area
Protect everything that should not receive epoxy.
5. Gather Everything
Order your materials well in advance of your scheduled installation.
Freight delays, shipping damage, weather, and other unforeseen circumstances can affect any shipment.
Allow enough time for your materials to arrive, inspect them carefully, verify that everything you ordered has been received, and resolve any shipping issues before your scheduled installation date.
Waiting until the last minute can turn an otherwise well-planned project into unnecessary chaos.
Have every tool and supply ready before opening the first container.
6. Protect Yourself
Read the SDS.
Wear appropriate personal protective equipment.
At a minimum, use safety glasses with side shields and latex, nitrile, or vinyl gloves.
Clean epoxy from your skin promptly.
Dispose of epoxy waste properly.
7. Organize the Materials
Verify that every product ordered has been delivered before starting the job.
Store materials at moderate temperatures.
Avoid prolonged hot storage.
Avoid freezing temperatures.
8. Mix Correctly
Premix Part A.
Premix Part B.
Use separate paddles or stir sticks.
Never contaminate one component with the other.
Always pour Part B into Part A.
Take your time measuring.
Epoxy cannot compensate for inaccurate proportions.
Use clean buckets.
Mix with a proper drill mixer.
Mix for at least three minutes.
Scrape the sides.
Scrape the bottom.
Scrape every bit of material from both original containers.
If you are ever uncertain whether a batch was mixed correctly—do not use it.
Mix another batch.
9. Don’t Talk to the Mixer
Once mixing begins—
Don’t talk to the mixer.
The person mixing the epoxy, not the drill mixer.
Mixing requires concentration.
Even a brief interruption can cause the installer to lose track of time or miss a critical step.
It is better to apologize afterward for being rude than to apologize later for an improperly mixed batch of epoxy.
Questions can wait.
The batch cannot.
10. Respect Pot Life
Experienced installers leave themselves a comfortable safety margin.
Mix only what can be comfortably installed within approximately the first half of the published pot life.
This provides time to handle the unexpected and helps prevent application after the epoxy has begun to thicken.
Reduce the batch size even further in warmer conditions.
11. Batch Size Matters
Large batches generate heat more rapidly while they are still in the mixing pail. As a result, they have a shorter working life, or pot life, than smaller batches.
When learning a new product, always begin with small batches.
Increase batch size only after experience proves you can comfortably handle more.
If a batch becomes larger than you can comfortably use, divide it into multiple containers or roller pans.
Reducing the mass reduces heat buildup and extends working time.
12. Temperature Matters
Three temperatures affect epoxy:
- Substrate temperature.
- Material temperature.
- Air temperature.
The substrate usually has the greatest effect on cure.
Material temperature is next.
Air temperature generally has the least effect.
Temperatures below 50°F require special procedures.
When in doubt—ask.
13. Applying the Coating
Most Epoxy.com 100% solids floor coatings are applied at approximately 160–200 square feet per gallon per coat unless otherwise specified.
When using anti-skid aggregate, measure by volume, never by weight.
A typical loading is 8–16 fluid ounces (by volume) per mixed gallon.
For many applications, approximately 12 fluid ounces in each of two coats produces a uniform texture that closely resembles a fine broadcast floor while remaining practical to clean.
Use roller pans.
Keep the aggregate suspended.
Use roller pan liners.
Never use foam applicators.
14. If the Job Must Stop
Whenever possible, stop at a masked line.
Remove the tape before the epoxy hardens.
If the interruption will be extended, contact Technical Support before proceeding.
15. Protect the Installation
The job is not finished when the last roller stroke is complete.
Fresh epoxy has no way of defending itself from curious people, rolling carts, forklifts, wet shoes, water, dust, or debris.
Once the coating is down, protecting it becomes part of the installation.
Whenever practical, use physical barriers.
16. Professionalism
Experience should make you more careful—not less.
One of the surprising things about experience is that it usually makes you slower at the beginning of a job, not faster.
Experienced installers have learned that a few extra minutes of preparation can prevent days of expensive repairs.
Asking questions is not a sign of insecurity.
It is a sign of professionalism.
Installers who ask thoughtful questions before they begin typically have few to no questions after the floor has cured.
They read.
They verify.
They build mock-ups.
They ask questions.
They think ahead.
Final Thoughts
Most epoxy failures are preventable.
Read the resources referenced in this guide.
Think ahead.
Prepare thoroughly.
Measure accurately.
Mix carefully.
Protect the installation.
Learn continuously.
Ask questions.
Above all—
Especially
when in doubt, ask questions.
Continue to Part 2
Now that you understand the planning, preparation, and best practices that help prevent problems, continue with the complete step-by-step installation procedure for Epoxy.com 100% solids epoxy floor coatings.
