Epoxy Floor Coatings

Are their arguments legitimate?

Based on the meager evidence presented, I'd say yes.

Yes their arguments seem legit. An epoxy coating should not fail from one day of flooding.

PSS- I wasn't blaming you......but you have to bear in mind that insurance adjusters are trained to find ways to eliminate or minimize any payouts.

If your people apply the epoxy have them wear golf shoes so they don't leave footie prints.

Not an expert on this topic, but I have had my fair sharer of epoxy floors installed.

Water on top of an epoxy floor should not cause it to fail. What might be at work here, however, is ground moisture penetrating through your slab and causing the floor coating to come loose.

If your slab was not installed with a proper vapor barrier, I could see a flood leading to an increase in the level of moisture content within the soil perhaps being the root cause of the failure - which if it is the case, your insurance company would be correct.

This suggestion may be "off-topic", but I'd suggest that your company grind/mill down what's left of the old epoxy surfacing layers, let the existing concrete dry out, and then spend good money on installing an industrial heavy duty grade "Trap-Rock" concrete slab overlay that'll last. There are several specialty construction companies that do this type of construction. If constructed properly, it will last much much longer than the epoxy floor coating.

May I ask why you think your old epoxy coatings get beat-up so much? Are you running forklifts and other heavy lift/transport equipment with metal wheels, small solid rubber tires or undersized rubber tires? Typical maximum loads transported around the shop floor? How transported (equipment type)? Seems to me that your eqipment is literally grinding the epoxy coating and slab into dust with excessively heavy loads......

Yes, given the information that you've provided regarding the insurance company balking at a replacemnt epoxy coating, I'd say the insurance company is correct in their assertion.

===signed CaptMoosie, PE

Hi Epoxy/Insurance,

My first question: The last epoxy coating was applied onto the conctrete subfloor or already was coated with something? If applied onto concrete, low viscosity diluted epoxy coating most be applied to reinforce substrate before multicoat heavy-duty coating or trowel applied 1/4 or thicker sand filled epoxy compound follows. The coating or compound will cure within 12 hours and resist to water. When concrete is impregnated with epoxy penetrating sealer, it reinforces and makes concrete water insensitive and provides excellent adhesion to the coating system.

In your case, delamination is due to water attack to concrete subfloor underneat of the coating. The flood came from outside or inside? Did the wall/floor contact was coated with epoxy at least 6 inches high to eliminate the possibility of any liquid from the floor passing to underneat of the coating at wall level? Certain cheese manufacturers coat up to 3 feet high for easy cleaning with high-pressure water washing, and the floors is wet with water and some lactic acid all the time during working hours. Lactic acid is attacking many epoxies and concrete. Knowledge protects!

If the coating surface is in good condition, why not inject, only in dry condition, special sand/cement/waterbourne epoxy blend to reinforce subfloor and bond together concrete and existing epoxy coating. Ask local epoxy manufacturers and get answers to questions about the solution to repair the floor and satisfy the insurance.

If epoxy coating is sensitive to water, there is a problem with the coating. If the water penetrated underneat the coating, there is lack of knowledge what to do to coat this particular floor. I don't have any suggestion, no knowledge of the use and spillage of this floor, Gil.