Painting floors in cold conditions

Essential refurbishment cannot be avoided during the colder months. Putting temporary heaters in place is often of little use, especially in areas that are exposed to the cold, such as loading bays and warehouses with roller shutter doors. The heaters warm the air but not the floor, which is usually around 5-8°C lower than the air temperature. If a paint requires 10-15°C to dry the floor will be too cold for the project to be a success.

Read on to find out what can go wrong, and how you can do it right.

What can go wrong

• Water based epoxy resins release water as part of the curing process. In cold conditions the water cannot evaporate, so the floor won’t dry.
• Water based epoxy resins will bloom if they are part cured and glossy finishes turn matt in colder areas, leaving a patchy finish.
• 100% solids epoxy resins will only part cure. They may lose residual tack and the floor might appear dry but will not have chemically cured.
• Part cured epoxy resins will not bond correctly and can peel off or stick to tyres when the floor is put back to use.
• Part cured epoxy will pick up scratches, stains and tyre marks.
• Part cured epoxy has very little chemical or even water resistance and can stain or water mark if a spillage is not removed immediately.

Getting it right

100% solids epoxy

It has been possible for some years to modify a 100% solids epoxy to cope with temperatures down to 5°C. See our formulas below:

• Epoxicote™ High Build Cold Cure and Anti Slip – A one-coat industrial strength coating for use at 5°C.
• Chemi-Coat® Cold Cure – A chemical resistant coating that cures at 5°C.
• Safety Grip® Cold Cure – A slip resistant coating that cures as low as 0°C.

Polyaspartic

Watco has pioneered the use of polyaspartic resins in Europe. This is a new type of paint technology which has many benefits - one of them being the ability to dry at minus 10°C. In the Watco Specialist range we have high performance paints which do just that.

The polyaspartic resins are two-part products. The base resin and activator are mixed together at the point of use to begin the curing process. See our formulas below:

• Cold Set Coating - A high performance coating that can be applied at minus 10°C
• Safety Coat Cold Cure - Makes slippery floors safe during winter months
• Protecta Coat - A clear protective coating for painted or bare concrete floors, also available in an anti slip finish