We understand you have a lot of questions specific to your project. Here is a list of Frequently Asked Questions we are asked all the time and hope to save you time and clear up some basic concerns you may have:
Are all solid epoxies created equal?
* No. Manufacturers can cheapen them with things like Benzyl Alcohol, Nonylphenol, or other liquid fillers. Even if they don’t add useless fillers, they may not be adding the quality ingredients that help make the application easier, or make the coatings perform better.
For example: LiquaTile 1184 contains ceramic content, which due to its high cost is not added to most epoxies. Wolverine Coatings even goes one step further by designing the ceramic content to not just stay in suspension as the epoxy cures, but to have the epoxy molecules cross link to each other, essentially forming an internal trampoline. That enhances LiquaTile 1184’s strength while still maintaining a level of flexibility; those two properties greatly increase the ability to absorb impact without chipping either the epoxy or the substrate.
How do I test to see if spots or stains will prevent Alpha Garage products from bonding?
* Clean and rinse the area free of dust, dirt and debris with fresh water. While rinsing the area, perform the “water test”. Gently rinse the entire area with water and look for evidence of water beading, filming, or otherwise not absorbing into the cement. You should see the cement darken evenly as the water absorbs into it. If any areas appear to be repelling or otherwise impeding the absorption of water further cleaning or treatment is necessary prior to application.
Are your products environmentally friendly?
* Most of our products are non toxic, environmentally green, and contain little or no TAPs (Toxic Air Pollutants) or HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutants). They can be shipped by common carrier and most are approved for use in all 50
states. Please read all product instructions, labels, and use warnings.
Can Alpha Garage products be shipped outside the continental United States?
* Alpha Garage can be shipped outside the United States, however except for Canadian shipments foreign shipping
arrangements are the sole responsibility of the customer. Alpha Garage will ship your order directly to your freight forwarder within the continental United States. Upon delivery, all further arrangements are coordinated between the customer and freight forwarder. Normal shipping charges will apply. Check with local laws for regulations and/or restrictions before transporting.
Do you have a return policy?
* Yes, you may return unopened containers of chemicals and coatings within 30 days of delivery, there will be a 20%
restocking fee and you are responsible for all shipping and handling fees. Once the container seal is broken we can not accept any coating returns. Custom color blends of flakes and coatings are not returnable.
Other items may be returned within 30 days provided they are in unused condition and in their original packaging. Refunds may take up to 30 days to be processed. All returns must be preauthorized. No exceptions.
How can I tell if a product is really 100% solids?
* Some products that claim to be 100% solids clearly are not when you look at the MSDS. Companies must report organic solvents on the MSDS. Organic solvents are volatile and are not solids. So any coatings with something like Acetone, Xylene, Toluene, and Cyclohexane, are NOT 100% solids.
You will find many products out there that are advertised as 100% solids that contain these chemicals in the MSDS. Any additions of volatiles into a coating disqualify it from being 100% solids.
How do I know how much product to buy?
* Once you’ve determined how many square feet you need covered we recommend that you use our website’s Material Estimator to determine your project needs. Additionally most of the product descriptions offer suggested coverage guidelines. If you have questions or concerns about special needs or non standard applications, please contact us directly or submit a support ticket and we’ll be more than happy to assist you with your project.
How will my Alpha Garage items ship?
* On most orders we ship with Fedex Ground. For larger orders, or orders that require a palette, we may ship truck freight. Usually we look at the freight option when the shipment is over 200 pounds. Freight orders require someone to be at the delivery address to receive and sign for the shipment. Freight shipments can also have lower costs if they’re delivered to a local freight depot, where they can be picked up by the customer.
What are the specific limitations of liability?
* The limitations of liability shall be those established by the manufacturer. Please note in no case shall our liability exceed the purchase price allocable to the products or part thereof, which give rise to the claim. Review our complete warranty for more information.
What if I have general questions?
* Our easy to use resource section offers free tools that will provide answers to many common questions. You can also submit a ticket by going to our support section.
What if I have product related questions?
* Please review our instruction manual. Additionally most our coating and preparation materials have Technical Data
Bulletins (TDB), Product Information Bulletins (PIB) or Material Safety Data Sheets which contain additional product information. These can be found in our resource section.
What is the best way to remove oil and grease from the floor prior to coating?
* We offer OrganiClean 935, a higher concentrated, effective, all around degreaser and cleaner. First try it dilute with water, 1 part OrganiClean to 5 parts water, increase the amount of OrganiClaen until it starts to clean the stains. We also have solutions for extremely stubborn oil stains, please contact us for further information.
Remember that you do not need to completely eliminate the stain, the epoxy will cover it, you just need to be sure the epoxy can penetrate the concrete. To determine if your floor is penetrable, perform the water absorption test: Spray the floor with water and watch for areas in which the water does not soak into the substrate, but beads on the surface. These areas will need to be degreased until the water is readily absorbed by the substrate.
Why do I need an epoxy floor?
* From the second they’re poured even the best concrete floors deteriorate with the top exposed surface reverting back to the ingredients that make up concrete, (sand, gravel and cement), this deterioration produces concrete dust, which is difficult to clean.
Additionally an unprotected floor is subject to typical wear and tear, and even worse if you do any kind of work on the floor. Dropped and dragged tools and parts can cause divots, scratches, and even cracks. All of which look unsightly and can trap dirt.
Also, spilled fluids can stain and even damage concrete. A quality floor coating, like Wolverine epoxies, will help prevent staining and makes it easy to clean up any spills.
An epoxy coated floor will seal and protect the concrete from elements that would damage an uncoated floor. The very smooth surface also makes the floor incredibly easy to clean. Besides that your coated floor will just look
fantastic!
A light colored coating will also brighten up the entire area and provide for a more productive environment.
Considering the low cost of a do it yourself floor improvement project – this is probably the least expensive
way to add comfortable and attractive living space to your house. Space you can enjoy now, and that will add value at resale time.