Epoxy floor coatings are a great way to create a beautiful and durable finish on any concrete floor. A coating can prevent your garage floor from getting stained and make the floor much easier to clean. You commonly find floor coatings used in commercial buildings. This is because they can withstand heavy foot traffic without getting scuffed and scratched and can be used to create a non-slip surface as well.
While floor coatings have many uses, it’s important that they are applied at the right time. The reason why the time of the year you apply the floor coating matters is that both high and low temperatures can make the application process more difficult. Temperature and humidity level can also negatively affect the way that the finished product looks after the coating has cured.
When Is the Best Time to Apply Floor Coatings?
Epoxy and elastomeric floor coatings can theoretically be applied at any time of the year. However, it depends in large part on location and whether the floor being coated is inside or outdoors. For indoor floors, another factor that can play a major role is whether the building is fully climate controlled.
In Phoenix and other hotter climates, you’re often best to have the floor coating applied sometime between late October and early April. This is especially true if you’re coating a patio or other concrete floor located outside. If you’re coating a floor indoors, you may be able to do it any time of the year. However, it again depends on whether the building has sufficient air conditioning and doesn’t get overly hot during the summer.
How Temperature Affects Working Time and Curing Time
Manufacturers generally recommend that epoxy and other floor coatings should only be applied when the temperature is between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. There are some coatings that can still be applied in temperatures as low as 25-35 degrees or as high as 100 degrees, but it depends on the specific product. One important thing to note is that it isn’t just the temperature of the air that matters. You also want to make sure that the concrete itself isn’t too hot or too cold.
When applying epoxy, elastomeric polyurethane and other types of floor coatings, you want to make sure that the coating flows smoothly so that it can easily be spread out evenly. Low and high temperatures both affect the viscosity of the mixture and how well it flows. Floor coatings have a lower viscosity in higher temperatures, which means the mixture flows better. This makes it easier to evenly apply the coating.
The problem is that the coating will start curing and hardening much faster, which reduces how much time you have to apply it. If it’s too hot, it can lead to the professionals struggling to evenly apply the coating across the entire floor before it hardens. This is why, in the Phoenix area, you definitely don’t ever want to apply floor coatings outside or in a building without proper air conditioning during the summer. If you attempted to, the coating would end up curing and setting up faster than you could ever keep up with.
Cold temperatures can be just as big of an issue when applying floor coatings. Floor coatings have a higher viscosity at cold temperatures, which means the mixture can be quite thick and difficult to apply evenly. The plus side is that the experts will have a much longer time to work with the coating before it starts to cure and begins hardening. That means they won’t need to be in as much of a rush and can take their time to ensure everything is applied evenly across the entire floor. The downside is that cold temperatures will result in the coating taking much more time to fully cure.
You always want to apply at least two coats when using an epoxy floor coating. After the first coat is applied, you then need to wait overnight to allow the coating to harden before applying the second coat. In cold temperatures, you may need to wait for two days before the second coating can be applied. That means the job will end up taking more time, and you’ll have to wait for longer before you can again walk on the floor.
Cold temperatures are especially problematic if applying the coating in a garage, warehouse or anywhere else that the floor will be driven on. After applying the final coat, it’s always best to wait a minimum of three days before driving on it. In cold temperatures, you may need to wait for a week or more before you can drive on the floor without risking damaging the coating.
The Impact of Temperature on How the Floor Coating Looks
Another issue with temperature is that it can affect how easily the pros can level out the coating and how the finished product looks. Cold temperatures can sometimes make it almost impossible for the technicians to fully level the coating across the floor since it doesn’t spread out and settle properly. As a result, you may end up with the finished product looking noticeably uneven. A similar issue is that the mixture can be so thick in low temperatures that you’ll end up with visible brush or roller marks in the coating. Applying the coating when it’s too hot can end up with the floor being uneven simply because the workers will have much less time to level and smooth it all out.
How Humidity Can Affect Floor Coating Application
It’s always best to apply a floor coating when the relative humidity is fairly low. This is one reason why you often don’t want to apply floor coatings in the winter in certain places. The issue in this regard is that relative humidity is often higher in the winter because cold air can’t hold as much moisture. If the actual or absolute humidity remains constant, the relativity humidity increases the colder the air temperature gets.
Applying a floor coating, when the relative humidity level is higher, can lead to moisture condensing and settling on the floor before the coating cures. This can result in the coating looking somewhat dull and not having the bright, shiny finish it should. Moisture can also create other defects in the surface of the coating that make the finished product not look nearly as nice and clean as it should.
The fact that humidity can affect how the finished coating looks is why most experts recommend waiting at least 24 hours after a rainstorm before applying the coating. It’s also a good idea to monitor the weather forecast and wait for an open window when no rain is predicted. That way, you can ensure that the necessary coats can be applied back to back without the humidity suddenly being higher and potentially decreasing the appearance of the finished product.
Your Trusted Floor Coating Professionals
Valley Concrete Coatings & Polishing is a family-owned company that has been serving home and business owners in Phoenix and the surrounding areas for the past 20 years. We offer a wide selection of floor coatings including standard and metallic epoxy coatings in a range of different colors. We can also help if you want to apply a polyaspartic coating for your commercial property or if you’re looking for concrete polishing, concrete staining or cool decking installation. To schedule a consultation and learn all about your different floor coating options, contact us today.
