FAQs

Where to Use Enviroshield 

EnviroShield’s superior adhesion qualities allow it to be used in many residential, commercial, educational, industrial and governmental applications.

In the home, EnviroShield can control mold from the attic to the basement – and in between: floor joists; wall studs; sheetrock; ductwork; cement, cement block and concrete; metal (not stainless steel; around windows and doors; sole plates and attic sills.

Commercial applications:

Commercial customers have used EnviroShield to coat enclosed and underground parking areas; storage facilities; showers; car washes; warehouses; and more.

Governmental and educational managers are just starting to discover EnviroShield and already EnviroShield can be found in government facilities in Massachusetts, Texas, Arizona and Maine.

Where NOT to use EnviroShield – on stainless steel, under water and in exterior applications where UV rays can chalk the coating surface. We can provide an anti-microbial final coat for exterior applications primed with EnviroShield.

Estimating Coverage

Estimating the amount of coating material required, any coating material is part science and part art. Depending on the job, you can experience 300 to 600 square feet per mixed gallon of EnviroShield Coating.

Figure you’ll get closer to 600 sq ft per gallon if the surface is smooth, and the coating you desire is light – such as in an attic, behind sheetrock or as a primer coat.

Then again if you are painting rough cement block and desire a hard, solid, glossy finish 300 square feet per gallon will be more realistic. If you roll or brush over a rough surface, a lot of material can be used, so be careful to spread the product well.

Remember – water is mixed with the resin and catalyst to produce the final product. The usual mixture is 3 parts water to 4 parts resin and 1 part catalyst. The amount of water can be adjusted to suit the job. A little more water if you a brushing or rolling a rough surface, or making a primer. A little less water can be used if a hard, high gloss, finish look is desired. For those new to EnviroShield, please give us a call and we’ll offer some advice for your job.

Warehoused and Custom Colors

We warehouse EnviroShield in three colors:

    • light grey;
    • white; and
    • clear.

EnviroShield can be ordered in any color – please just provide a paint chip.

Please work into your project plans that special order colors can take an extra week to prepare.

Finishes

EnviroShield is available in three finishes.Gloss, Satin and Matte.

All three finishes have the same anti-microbial properties.

Color Matching

Like with all other coatings and anything else colored in batches like fabric and window shades; there can be color differences between batches or runs. If you order in small units, it is possible that the cans may come from different production batches. Also pigments can settle to the bottom of the cans and with thick epoxies that are harder to mix you might get color differences just because you didn’t’ re-mix’ the epoxy’s pigments in the cans equally well.

If a perfect color match is essential, then blend your different cans of pigmented EnviroShield (Component 1) together to help maintain constant color. When 1/2 through a can of pigmented epoxy (Component 1) open the Component 1 of the next can and begin blending the two together so that the shift from Component 1 in unit 1 to Component 1 in unit 2 is gradual.

Surface Preparation

Surface preparation is often a judgment call based upon the location, condition and history of the existing surface; waxes, sealers, spills, dissolved salts, are all possible problems awaiting discovery. Old commercial kitchens, factories and garage floors should cause you the most concern:

Cement will usually present the biggest prep challenge. A ‘water-drop’ test can help you to determine how bad the surface is contaminated: water beads on surfaces contaminated with sealers, curing compounds, oil, and grease. This is not always a conclusive test, but it is a good rule-of-thumb test.

Before applying EnviroShield the surface should be clear of:

  1. Surface dirt: it’s usually best to power-wash with a strong detergent;
  2. Cracked and peeling paint: Test old coatings for lifting. If lifting occurs remove old coating. Otherwise scuff sand glossy areas and aged coatings, wax from previous coatings or contaminants;
  3. Grease and oil: Floors that have been subjected to long term oil and grease must be aggressively scrubbed with a grease dissolving compounds available at most hardware stores. Trisodium phosphate (TSP) has been used by painters for years and years as a heavy duty degreaser and all purpose cleaner. We recommend separate detergent and trisodium phosphate cleanings of cement surfaces. Trisodium phosphate (TSP), available at most hardware stores in white powder form, is a cleaning agent, stain remover and degreaser, commonly used to prepare surfaces for painting. It can also be called trisodium orthophosphate. It is a highly water-soluble ionic salt. Trisodium phosphate dissolved in water has an alakline pH.

Mixing TSP

TSP is a very strong cleaner at the dilutions normally used, which vary from 1/2 cup TSP to 2 gal. warm water for “heavy duty cleaning” to 1 cup TSP to 3 quarts warm water for “ridiculously heavy duty cleaning” (source The Savogran Company). Read the manufacturer’s mixing ratios, as they may vary.

Precautions and Warnings

TSP is a strong base and can cause severe eye damage and can burn unprotected skin.
Wear suitable clothing and eye protection. Keep away from skin and out of gloves.

Any foliage near where TSP is to be used should be soaked with plain water prior to the application of TSP, and rinsed down afterward. Be sure to read and follow all warnings on the product’s packaging.

Surface salts and other contaminants: Without getting into expensive commercial salt removal processes, the best salt remover is water. Lots of water and then wet vac. Sanding the surface with a palm sander or floor buffer will loosen salt crystal that can be vacuumed away. Finally, heavy salt contamination may be curable by water-blasting the surface with a salt-removing agent. Finally wet vac the surface, sucking away the water, dust, and dissolved salts. Several brands of salt removal agents can be found at most marine and boat shops.

Water flow: Fix leaks and make structural repairs. EnviroShield breathes and is water-based; as such surface-prep is far easier for EnviroShield coatings than surface-prep for water intolerant products. EnviroShield will handle water vapor transfers (WVT) of 12 lbs per square inch and since it is water-based you won’t need to thoroughly dry surfaces before application.

EnviroShield cannot be applied under water. Salts and minerals can be difficult to remove because they are not visible. Unlike dirt and grease contamination, salt contamination doesn’t effect the final performance of the product, but it does effect its application.It’s best to spray a light coat of EnviroShield coating, if salt contamination is expected. Then a second heavier coat can be sprayed or rolled. If you roll EnviroShield on a salt contaminated surface, the roller may foul: the roller will get heavy and slick with the resins that will build or coagulate on the roller so that the fibers will sink beneath the piled up product.

The coated surface will look wet but it won’t ‘hold’ the color. If this happens, the best next step is to throw the roller away and start over with a fresh roller. Rather than waste the remaining product while you ‘de-salt’ the contaminated area, significantly dilute the remaining EnviroShield by adding as much water as mixed product remaining. In other words, if 3 inches of product remains in a bucket then add three more inches of water and try to quickly spread the product as a real thin ‘primer’. If you can get it down wait until it dries to the touch then apply another coat of EnviroShield which will now stick without fouling the roller … and you won’t need to further decontaminate the surface.

Remember: If you suspect salt or mineral contamination. then it’s best to spray on EnviroShield.

Mixing Instructions

Always mix 4 parts of resin (Component 1) and 1 part the catalyst (Component 2)

Add 3 parts water for the standard mix

Less water, if you desire a thicker coat;

More water – up to 5 parts – for a thin primer.

  1. Measure out the amount of Component 1 (usually the colored product) required;
  2. Measure the amount of Component 2 (catalyst) required;
  3. Thoroughly mix components 1 and 2 with a drill mixer;
  4. Add Water and thoroughly mix again.
  5. Wait 10 to 20 minutes for induction … the warmer the day, the shorter the induction time – 10 minutes is the induction that works best for most applications. Induction time before using promotes proper hardening and consistent color.. ;
  6. Mix again.

Mixing too fast can leave air bubbles in the epoxy. No matter how well you mix, you will never be able to mix the materials on the side of the container and where the bottom and side of the container meet (the seem). If you try to get every last drop out of your mixing container, the last little bit will be these unmixed product. Scraping unmixed product from the seam may result in spots where the epoxy coating will never harden.

EnviroShield has an induction time, i.e. After induction mix the product then use.

Shelf Life

Once you mix the resin (Component 1) and the catalyst (Component 2) a chemical reaction begins.

The epoxy in the mix container will stay ‘spreadable’ for approximately two hours.

When your batch of epoxy ‘kicks’ and the product start to harden, there is nothing you can do with it: you cannot add water.

Ideally your batch sizes should be small enough so that you use the batch up before the product ‘kicks.’

Your shelf life will be determined by several factors:

      • the ambient temperature;
      • the amount of EnviroShield mixed;
      • the amount of water added;
      • even the shape of the container.

Warmer temperatures and larger amounts of epoxy will shorten pot life. In warm weather conditions, an ice water bath will keep the product cooler and extend pot life.

Never mix more epoxy than you can apply within 2 hours in 70 degree temperature. Mix less in warmer temperatures.

If spraying EnviroShield, immediately pump water thru the spray system after emptying the system of EnviroShield. Remember EnviroShield does not ‘dry’ it cures through a chemical reaction, so storing mixed EnviroShield in a closed system is NOT an option.

Damaged Shipment

Upon delivery, if you discover damage, note that you received damaged goods, dings, whatever on the carrier’s paperwork / electronic device.

NOTE: You can refuse or keep the damaged product.

Sometimes the boxes don’t really looked damaged, maybe just a little crinkle in the corner that would indicate the box was probably dropped. It is up to the person signing for the shipment to inspect the shipment for damages and note it on the shippers documentation. Sometimes the damages are internal – the box didn’t appear damaged but the product inside is. That is where just a little (even tiny sometimes) crinkle on the box could actually be much more of a problem inside. It is most important to inspect the shipment carefully before the carrier leaves as they often don’t like to honor internal damage claims discovered AFTER the carrier leaves.

Regardless of when the damage is discovered, even if you did not sign for it as damaged, call the carrier right away to let them know the shipment was damaged. Save the boxes to show the freight carrier when they come to inspect the damage. If there is damage, the shipper will file a claim against the carrier and re-ship the product.

All carriers (truck lines anyway – LTL loads) seem to have about the same incidence rate of damages. FedEx Ground shipments are more problematic than FedEx freight shipments because each box is moved separately rather than shipped on pallets. We generally ship FedEx Ground on orders of about five boxes or less, because freight lines have a minimum flat rate of approximately $105.00 – even for 1 gallon.

We insure all FedEx Ground shipments over $100.00 for lost packages only.