Preparing wooden floors for epoxy flooring

Contrary to popular belief, wooden floors can also be covered with an epoxy coating or with poured epoxy flooring. Follow the steps below to make a wood floor that is suitable for epoxy coating. In addition, it is also possible to apply an epoxy screed to a wooden floor. However, this is not immediately the case.

Follow the steps below to make a wooden floor that is suitable for epoxy coating or for pouring an epoxy screed.

For this job you will need:

• Epoxy primer for dry surfaces (250 grams per square metre)
• Vachtrollers + rollerhouder
• Underlayment board 12, 15 or 18 mm thick
• Sandpaper or sanding discs (for your sander)
• Scales

Additional supplies if you want to waterproof the floor:

• Stewathix
• Glass fabric 200 gr/m²
• Universal epoxy resin with rapid harden (250 grams per square metre)
• Velour rollers
• Disc roller 10 x 100 mm (bleed roller)
• Acetone and bucket for cleaning the bleed roller

Step 1. Repair the floor if necessary

Rotten planks and beams must first be repaired or replaced. This happens quite often when a bathroom is replaced. Old bathrooms can leak, causing wood rot. So check the beams and planks carefully.

Stap 2. Apply underlayment 

Screw a 12 mm thick sheet of underlayment onto the planks. Use a screw every 15 cm for this. Stagger the seams as much as possible. Leave the underlayment approx. 0.5 cm free at the edges if the floor is in a damp room. Then apply a second layer of underlayment, staggering the seams at least 30 cm from the underlay. Screw these plates again every 15 cm.

Alternatively, the plank floor can sometimes also be removed. Then screw 2 underlayment plates of 15 mm or 18 mm thickness onto the beams.

Step 3. Apply epoxy floor primer to the underlayment

A layer of epoxy floor primer for dry surfaces can now be applied to the underlayment. Add the hardener to the base component and mix very well to a homogeneous mixture. Also frequently scrape the bottom and walls of the mixing cup or bucket to prevent mixing errors. Apply the primer with a fleece roller. Count on approximately 250 gr/m2 consumption.                                                                         

Do you want to turn the floor into a waterproof container for the bathroom, for example? Then also apply primer to the bottom 10 cm of the walls.

Now let the primer harden. At room temperature, 20 hours is sufficient. Curing takes longer at lower temperatures.

Step 4. Sand the primer 

The underlayment will now feel rough. The wood fiber is somewhat swollen, which makes the surface rough. Sand the floor with 120 grit sandpaper until it is smooth. With a 150 mm rotary sander this will take approximately 2 minutes per square meter. If 70-80% of the surface is dull, it has been sanded sufficiently.

The floor is now ready to be coated with epoxy floor coating or to be provided with an epoxy cast floor. If you want to finish the whole thing without a skirting board, it is now time to fill the seam between the floor and wall with Tec 7 adhesive sealant.

Step 5. Round the edges

If you want to provide the floor with an extra waterproof layer that also runs up the wall, you now need to fill the edges with a mixture of epoxy and the filler Stewathix. This rounds off the sharp corners so that the glass fabric can make the bend from floor to wall without difficulty.

Now mix universal epoxy with fast hardener in the correct mixing ratio using a scale. You need approximately 150 grams of epoxy per meter of edge. Add Stewathix to turn the epoxy resin into a paste.

Work this paste in the corner between the wall and the floor and finish it neatly with a rounded stirrer, an old spoon or something similar. Remove excess epoxy with a putty knife. Allow this mixture to harden for at least 14 to 20 hours before proceeding.

Step 6. Apply glass tissue

Now cut glass fabric 200 gr/m² roughly to size on the floor. Make sure that the glass fabric is neatly laid out. To laminate the glass fabric, you can use universal epoxy. For large surfaces of more than 10 square meters it is advisable to use an epoxy with a slow hardener due to the processing time. For smaller surfaces, an epoxy with fast hardener is sufficient. During laminating, it is advisable to prepare epoxy several times to ensure sufficient processing time. 

Pour some epoxy mixture onto the glass fabric and spread it with a velour roller. Then apply some more epoxy to another spot. Impregnate all the glass fabric with epoxy in this way. The epoxy can be applied to the walls with a velor roller. Immediately after impregnation, thoroughly deaerate the glass fabric with a bleed roller. Roll it over the glass fabric with some force to remove air bubbles. Place a new layer of glass fabric flush against the previous layer and impregnate again with resin. Finish the entire floor and the edges in this way.

Step 7. Curing and follow-up

Allow the epoxy to harden at room temperature for approximately 20 to 24 hours. Curing takes longer at lower temperatures. After the epoxy has hardened, go over the glass fabric with sandpaper to smooth down any raised fibers or to sand an overlapping piece of glass fabric flat.

The floor is now ready to finish with an epoxy floor coating or cast floor. You can also provide the floor with tiles. Use a cement-based tile adhesive if you want to glue these tiles.