As the weather starts warming up, floor coatings can start to become difficult to work with and apply. As a professional flooring applicator it is important to become aware of the potential problems that can arise, and more importantly how you can fix them! Problems can start to occur in hot weather above 25 degrees Celsius.
Here are some simple tips to follow during this warmer weather period.
Always apply coatings at the temperature recommended on the product data sheet. Polycure’s datasheets provide references to minimum and maximum temperatures a floor finish can be successfully applied in. Coating outside of the temperature parameters can result in the coating becoming troublesome and unworkable for the applicator, and can lead to costly expense to repair the floor.
In hot conditions, high temperature floors will cause the coating to skin and result in bubbling. This is due to the coating surface drying and air being trapped in the coating. Adding Wet Edge Extender will improve flow and levelling and reduce the risk of bubbling.
Wet Edge Extender can be used when very high/low temperature and/or humidity and/or dry windy atmospheric conditions are present. Wet Edge Extender 3320 is also used where a large floor area is to be coated requiring maximum wet edge time.
As a rule, if the floor is too hot to touch or walk on with socks, it is too hot to coat. Wait for the temperature to cool down. Sunlight from windows will heat timber floors faster than the air temperature within the room.
Draughts from doorways, windows and any open areas will cause the coating to dry quickly resulting in bubbling. To reduce these issues only apply coatings in areas that are not affected by draughts or seal opening and gaps with tape.
For more information on applying coatings in hot weather, click on Polycure’s technical bulletins below: