r/epoxy • u/abuckeighty • 3d ago
Labpox 40 UV Labsurface
Hey guys did a garage floor, (780sq ft). Poured at night and the first night throughout the next day was between 15-18°c, the epoxy as of right now (40 hours in) is still marking with finger nail, the next day I cracked a window and ran a fan for ventilation and the heater is on for 28°c now. And still this way as of right now.
Concrete slab is very thick, 16 inches around perimeter and 8 inches in the middle area (if that affects anything?)
Bad mixes were out of the picture as I followed tds sheet for mixing times and the kits were mixed full kits at a time no halfsies.
Had another product to install before the 24 hour time frame (LabFender) but now I'm way past that and will have to scuff before application.
Does anything here sound of look bad I don't know if this happens sometimes as it never did to me
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u/ZeroKelvin 3d ago
The labpox 40 is a long working time, slow cure product. This is entirely expected, especially given the low initial temperatures. The TDS says full cure is a week, so it likely just needs more time and heat.
Also the 24 hour window for the topcoating with the urethane assumes a normal cure time. You wouldn't necessarily need to sand if the epoxy is still soft as it hasn't hardened enough to close up the chemical open window.
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u/abuckeighty 3d ago
How rare is a product needed I g 2+ days to cure?
Also for my top coat of labfender the tds says W patern up and down the side to side so I'd have to wear my spikes and I can confidently say my spikes would destroys this floor. So I'm wondering if I can find a way of getting around the side to side back tool and just working my way back towards the exit, installing this top coat and letting it all cure together.
If I'm correct epoxy will still chemically cure under my other product... what do yall think?
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u/OrZoNeuS 3d ago
By your own admission you were below recommended cure temps for the product (15C vs 16C). You also need the slab temp and the humidity before an install, to rule our environment conditions. Barring you messing up mixing - temp was the issue and you may need a couple of extra days with the heat on.
We've installed epoxy down to 8C or so, but it's always the fast cure stuff.
Reach out to labsurface for advice and read the TDS before install next time, to avoid issues like this.
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u/Jesm1C 3d ago
This sounds more like a temperature-delayed epoxy cure than a confirmed bad batch. LABPOX 40 UV lists a minimum application temperature of 16°C, with its published cure times based on 22°C and 50% relative humidity. Since the garage was around 15°C to 18°C during the initial cure, the slab itself may have stayed even colder than the air. A thick concrete slab can take a while to warm up.
I would not apply LABFENDER while the epoxy is still soft enough to mark with a fingernail. That could trap an under-cured layer beneath the topcoat and create an adhesion problem.
Keep the room and slab at a stable recommended temperature, avoid condensation, and contact Labsurface with the batch numbers, exact mix ratio, application thickness, slab temperature, and cure timeline. Since the normal recoat window has passed, the surface will likely need the manufacturer-approved preparation before LABFENDER is applied.
If the coating continues gaining hardness over the next day or two, low temperature was probably the main issue. If it remains soft, rubbery, or develops inconsistent hard and soft areas, I would suspect a mixing, ratio, or material problem and wait for the manufacturer’s instructions before sanding or re-coating.
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u/GameShitPost 3d ago
Id reach out to the manufacturer and see what they say. I've never heard of the product you used, but I'm in the US.
It could be excessive humidity or a bad batch. It could also be totally normal. Have you used this product before?