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Showerthought: We used a new fast-cure epoxy on a warehouse floor joint and it failed in 48 hours.
Had a job in Phoenix last week. Joint was prepped right, temperature was fine. The spec sheet said full cure in 24 hours for forklift traffic. We let it sit for 36 to be safe. By day two, the epoxy was soft and peeling up under the wheels. Now I'm hearing some guys swear by it and others say it's junk. Has anyone else run into problems with these new 'rapid' floor products?
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barbara_wright997mo ago
Honestly, it might be the humidity, not the heat. Those spec sheets always talk about air temp, but if there was any moisture in the slab or the air, it can mess with the chemical cure. I've seen a "fast" sealant stay tacky for days because the concrete was sweating and nobody caught it. The product could be fine in a bone-dry lab but a total fail on a real job site.
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lee6277mo ago
Nah, you're giving the product too much credit. If it can't handle real world humidity, it's a bad product. Full stop. Those lab tests are supposed to prove it works in different conditions. If the sheet says it cures fast, it should cure fast. Blaming the site is just letting the maker off the hook. They know concrete sweats. They should make a sealant that deals with it. Otherwise they're selling junk and making excuses.
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iris_jones896mo ago
Reminds me of a job where @barbara_wright99's point about slab moisture was dead on.
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