Fish Eyes and Epoxy Coating

Every type of flooring comes with a myriad of advantages and disadvantages when compared to other flooring systems. Oftentimes, these traits are quite obvious: some floorings are quieter than others, some are more durable, others are less expensive to install. Where it can become tricky for a business owner is understanding the potential problems that can arise from badly maintained or installed floors. To understand these problems, you need to be able to identify them. One of the main problems that can come up with epoxy resin flooring is fish eyes. Fish eyes look like their eponym: they’re small craters with raised edges and black spots that appear in your epoxy flooring. They’re caused by contamination between the substrate and the flooring; any type of oil or fat between a prepared surface and the flooring itself will cause a fish eye effect. Improper priming of the substrate and improper Surface Preperation can also cause the fish eye effect. Preventing fish eye is a simple matter of being well-organized and cautious when installing epoxy flooring. Any type of lipid-based contaminants can cause fish eye once the epoxy resin flooring has been installed, so be sure to clean off the substrate by mechanical means. Substrate should often be shot lasted or grinded, then degreased properly to remove bond breakers. A clean substrate will lead to much longer lasting and better looking flooring, so care must be taken during this step. Improper priming of the surface, can lead to outgassing during the floor application, which also appear as ‘fish-eyes’. Finally, improper mixing ; either speed or technique, can encapsulate air into the mix and often the bubbles cannot all escape in time. Prevention is worth a pound of cure, but it’s worth knowing what to do if fish eyes do appear. When there are fish eyes on an epoxy flooring, the substrate needs to be cleaned, which means a repair or reinstallation will be needed. The resin needs to be removed, the substrate needs to be properly treated, cleaned, sanded; the whole works! It is ill-advised to simply remove the resin and reinstall it, or to resurface; call a pro, it’s what they do! These defects are one of the many reasons it’s important to find a skilled and specialized industrial flooring contractor. When appropriate care is not taken in the preparation and installation of floors, the results can be both unsightly and dangerous. When your epoxy flooring contractor hasn’t put enough care in to properly clean the substrate, what other corners have they cut? If your previous flooring installer left you with floors full of defects, it’s time to look into someone who will do the job right, the first time.