Marbled Epoxy Over Concrete

Video

Summary

The video starts with some prep work done before the epoxy will be poured.

In this video, they patch a crack in the concrete slab. The crack is fixed with a concrete floor patch epoxy gel. They mix it right on the floor beside the crack and then scrape it in with a paint scraper. This patch epoxy has about an hour working time. The creator recommends smearing out the mixed epoxy rather than lumping it since epoxy cures faster in thicker piles.

After 3-5 hours, the cracks are fixed and the patch is cured. The creator then grounds the concrete smooth. In this video, they are finishing a small space that's only about 10' by 10' and for that they used a 7" hand grinder. Finishing the whole area only took 18 minutes.

After grinding, the floors are swept and vacuumed to remove all dust and particles. The creator emphasises this since when brushing the epoxy around, any debris will degrade the quality of the finished floor.

The next step is applying a moisture seal epoxy primer. They used a black primer which the creator says looks great under an epoxy with metallic tones, which is what they plan on using. Similar to the patch epoxy, the creator notes that its best to pour out the epoxy rather than pouring part, spreading, then pouring more as you go. The larger volume will cure faster and reduce your working time.

Within 24 hours, the floor epoxy should be applied. If the primer is added over 24hrs earlier, then it should be sanded to make sure the epoxy will bond securely.

For the flooring epoxy, the creator is mixing multiple colors. A base color is applied across the floor, with that fluid base a few different colors stripes are spread around the room. This is then brushed out with a squeegee. The colors are applied in a few layers: the base, an accent, and then a second accent. The first accent is close to the base color. This material is generally spread throughout the flooring. The depth of this accent naturally varies and the differing depths provide color variation when it blends with the bottom coat. The second accent is white. He uses much less of this accent and its poured in stripes that are merely widened with the squeegee.

After applying the base and accents, the creator mists the floor with rubbing alcohol. This evaporates quickly, but before it evaporates, it causes the different layers of epoxy to mix in a way that leaves spotting. This spotting adds variation to the finish and gives it a stone like appearance. One can lightly squeegee on top of the alcohol, this will make the spots oval and give a different appearance. For this floor, they misted, squeegeed and then misted a bit more. That probably helps blend the lines between squeegeed sections and sections that were not squeegeed.

Finally, a top coat is applied. This top coat has a slight texture so that the floor will be a non-slip surface. Its especially important in a wet area like the bathroom floor they are doing.

Before they apply the top coat, they are giving it a quick and light sanding with 100 grit paper. They are doing this because their previous coat was poured over 24 hours earlier and they need to make sure to roughen the surface so that the top coat will bond securely. The dust is cleaned with cloth and rubbing alcohol.

The top coat is mixed and after its been stirred thoroughly, the non-slip grip, which is a granular material, is added and then the mix is stirred again.

The top coat is applied with a roller. They brush it two directions to help ensure an even coating. After they finish, some alcohol is sprayed on the surface. This helps pop any bubbles in the epoxy to yield a flawless finish.