Our Simple Guide For How To Apply An Quartz Epoxy Floor System
Bring your concrete floor to the next level with a quartz epoxy floor system! We’ve mastered the quartz epoxy floor coating installation process.
Using decorative quartz with epoxy or similar resin will create a very durable, highly attractive surface in many locations. It is a multi-step process, and it can vary a bit from installer to installer, but the end results are worth it. WT Quartz flooring is a seamless decorative resin flooring system consisting of clear or colored, 100% solids Epoxy HP or Polyaspartic 85 into which you broadcast a graded, colored, quartz. The final floor can be left with mild, moderate, or no texture depending on the needs of the environment.
Resource Before You Start: Use our epoxy quartz floor system designer to create your own unique design, build a custom material bundle and more! We also have calculators to determine how much product you need.
Products referenced in this resource:
Recommended Tools:
- Epoxy Glide Roller Cover 1/4″ Nap (9 Inch) (18 Inch)
- Wooster Pro/Doo-Z Roller Cover – 3/8″ Nap
- Wooster 18″ Pro/Doo-Z Roller Cover – 1/2″ Nap, with End Caps
- Bon Tool Floor Scraper
- Adjustable Roller Handle – 18″
- Squeegee 1/8″ Notch, Red Rubber (18 Inch) (24 Inch) (30 Inch)
- Kraft Steel Smoother with Handle
- Helix Mixer (1 Gallon) (5 Gallon)
- Putty Knife / Blade (For Cleaning)
Step 1: Prepare The Concrete For The Quartz Epoxy Floor System
This is the most critical step as with most decorative concrete projects. All substrates must be properly prepared. They must be clean and free from any contaminants that may inhibit the adhesion of the resins. Concrete must be cured for a minimum of 30 days and be free of any internal moisture. The slab should be profiled to a minimum CSP-2 from grinding or shot blasting. This means “pretty rough”. You want the surface to be like 60 or 80 grit sandpaper. This gives the resin something to grab onto. It is imperative that all dust is thoroughly vacuumed after prep.
All larger cracks and defects should be filled and profiled to match the main surface. The simplest way to do this is to widen the crack opening with something called a crack chase blade. This will smooth the edges of the crack making it easier to fill. Filling the crack is the easiest by first filling it much of the way with coarse sand to about ¼ inch from the top and then pouring small batches of your flooring material over the sand to fill the crack. Some settling will occur so you can add more after a short period of time. The goal is to get as close to the top as you can without overflowing. Overflow build-up can show on your final floor.
If you overflow, use a putty knife or blade to scrape off and spread the excess. Being slightly low is okay as that should fill with your base coat to present an even floor. When it comes to controlling joints, you have a choice to make. Some people are good at seeing the joints on the floor. Some prefer them filled. You can follow the previous procedure to fill them if you choose. Even if you are allowing them to remain, you will want to check for the ones that have opened up down below and still partially fill the split down below so you do not lose too much base material when you get started doing your base coat. An easy way to manage this is to use some caulk backer rods from a local big box store. It comes in rolls of about 20 feet, and you simply press it tightly into the joint opening, sealing up the crack below.
Pro Tip: Keep your resin material stored in a room that is 70 degrees or less. Material that is left in a heated space, such as in your car, in the sun, in your garage, etc, can decrease your working time significantly.
Step 2: Apply A Primer/Base Coat Of 100% Solids Epoxy HP or Polyaspartic 85.
Apply a primer/base coat of 100% solids Epoxy HP or Polyaspartic 85. This can be clear or tinted depending on your application. If the prepared floor is extremely porous or shows much surface defect, you should consider applying a pure primer coat before your initial broadcast coat. This will ensure maximum adhesion to the prepared substrate. Priming will also help to seal air in the concrete to prevent outgassing in the finished surface. Mix separately both A and B parts of the resins material to ensure to separation has occurred. Make sure material has been brought to room temperature as well. For application, mix 2 parts A with 1 part B by volume with a low sped mixer for three minutes. Mix only an amount of material that can be spread in 30 minutes. Once mixed, immediately begin pouring the material onto the floor in long usable ribbons.
IMPORTANT: If using Epoxy HP, do not let mixed material sit in the mixing container longer than 10 minutes or it may begin to get very hot, gel, and need to be thrown out. With Polyaspartic you can make batches that you are able to get dispersed in 15-20 minutes. Spread the material with a notched squeegee (1/8 inch at most) until all is even and then backroll with a proper roller (¼ inch Easy Glide) to remove any squeegee lines. When back rolling you should let the roller do the work. You should avoid putting pressure on the roller which will move material around too much. For this base coat, you want coverage of approximately 175 sq ft per gallon. Make sure you do this and the following step while wearing spiked sandals. Walking through wet resin with shoes will create a huge mess.
Step 3: Broadcast The Quartz
Broadcast the quartz to refusal (cover everything) at a rate of .5 lb per sq ft. This is done as it sounds. You will throw handfuls of the quartz onto the surface until the surface is covered. Quartz is heavy and will stay where it hits the floor so it is best not to “drop” the handfuls, rather make sure they are thrown so it will spread in the air somewhat before it hits the floor. You will need to revisit areas of the floor that may have been deeper with the resin coat. The quartz will sink and push the resin upward. These areas will look wet and shiny. You will need to walk the floor several times looking for the areas and applying more quartz as needed. The floor should look dry when complete. Let floor it for 4-12 hrs. Using a heavy-duty shop vac you can begin the vacuum the floor. There will be a large amount of quartz. The quartz is clean and can be saved if you are using a clean vac. Make sure you thoroughly get into the corners and wall edges since that is the heaviest build. If after it is vacuumed clean and you find areas that look sparse, you can easily do a quick correction. Mix up a small batch of Polyaspartic 85 apply it thinly to the surface with a small roller and broadcast additional quartz onto the surface until it looks proper. You can vacuum the area off in two hours and proceed to the topcoat step.
Step 4: Second Application Of Quartz (Optional)
If wanting an extra heavy-duty floor, you may simply repeat Step 3 on top of the first broadcast. You can re-use the recovered quartz from part one along with half the original amount used. This will give a floor of 1/8 to 3/16 thick when complete.
Step 5: Apply A Protective Topcoat
Using a high-quality topcoat will lock the quartz into place reduce porosity and provide a semi-smooth, easy to clean finish. Mix up the proper amount of Polyaspartic 85 and ribbon out on the floor. If looking to retain the heavy traction the quartz will provide, spread the material with a flat squeegee to get a thinner coating. Keep good pressure on the squeegee blade and move material around until thoroughly spread. Using a 3/8 nap roller, backroll the material until even and free from any marks. For a thicker topcoat that will reduce the quartz profile, spread the material with a notched squeegee then backroll.
Walk on the floor only using spiked sandals. The floor can be walked on in 4 hrs. Avoid any heavy furniture for 3-7 days.
