A peeling epoxy floor is one of the most common calls we get from facility managers. The good news: peeling almost always has a clear cause, and once you know it, the fix is straightforward. Here are the six usual reasons epoxy lets go of concrete.
1. No grinding or blasting
Epoxy needs a rough, open surface to grip. Smooth troweled concrete, or a slab that was only acid-washed or swept, does not give it enough profile. This is the single most common cause of failure. Proper diamond grinding or shot blasting fixes it.
2. Moisture coming up through the slab
Concrete on grade can push moisture vapour upward. Under a sealed coating, that pressure lifts the epoxy and creates bubbles and blisters. Moisture testing before installation, and a moisture-mitigating primer where needed, prevents it.
3. Contamination
Oil, grease, old sealers, curing compounds and cleaning residue all block the bond. Garages, plants and kitchens often need contaminated concrete ground deeper or cleaned before coating.
4. Coating over an old, failing coating
New epoxy is only as strong as whatever it sits on. Rolling a fresh coat over a delaminating floor means the new coat fails with the old one. Bond tests show whether to recoat or remove.
5. The wrong system for the traffic
A thin, single-coat product in a forklift lane or a hot-tire area wears through or lifts quickly. Heavier traffic needs a thicker system and a tougher topcoat.
6. Poor mixing, temperature or cure
Resins must be mixed in the right ratio and installed within the manufacturer's temperature and humidity limits. Cold slabs in an Ontario winter, or traffic before full cure, cause soft spots and failure.
How to fix a peeling floor
Small, isolated failures can be cut out and patched. Widespread peeling usually means removing the coating, preparing the slab properly and installing a system specified for the traffic. Either way, the cause needs to be identified first, or it will happen again.
Have a floor that is failing?
Hardbond diagnoses failed coatings and repairs or replaces them across Toronto and the GTA. Book a free site assessment and we will tell you why it failed and what it takes to fix it.
