Series 22 colorant formulation from Ferro Corporation is said to prevent float and flocculation of pigments, increasing uniformity of coloration achieved using "4800 Epoxy Colorseal" from Versatile Building Products. Versatile Building Products Inc. (VBP) manufactures treatment and repair products for cement, concrete and stone floors. These range from epoxy and polyurethane coating systems for commercial and residential applications to stains, sealers, mortar and substrate repair materials.

Versatile Building Products Inc. (VBP) manufactures treatment and repair products for cement, concrete and stone floors. These range from epoxy and polyurethane coating systems for commercial and residential applications to stains, sealers, mortar and substrate repair materials. Many of these durable products are offered in colors and special effects such as faux granite.

One such product is the company's 4800 Epoxy Colorseal, a chemical- and abrasion-resistant topcoat for concrete floors specifically formulated to reduce or eliminate color variations associated with epoxy coatings. These variations, explains Mark Glendrange, VBP's technical director, are due to the "float and flocculation" of pigments that occurs in the coating following application, until the point of cure.

Float occurs when pigments, which are lighter than other additives in a blend, rise to the surface of the resin, while flocculation is caused by the tendency of pigments to agglomerate. Both float and flocculation, and the color variations they cause, increase over time in activated, uncured resin, so the first portions of a batch applied to a concrete floor undergo color changes many times greater than the portions applied last.

The company overcame float and flocculation problems by switching from in-house processing of dry pigments to purchasing newly developed "Series 22" epoxy color dispersions from Ferro Corporation. According to Glendrange, the formulation exhibits significantly greater pigment stability, eliminating the patchy appearance of coatings associated with conventional liquid and paste dispersions.

VBP previously purchased pigments and additives, ground them to size, and blended them with the epoxy topcoat. Glendrange says the process was time-consuming and difficult. Among the problems encountered was the time it took to grind pigments and additives to the right particle size, a process that's challenging since some pigments are much larger or have greater densities than others. Titanium dioxide (white), for example, is thousands of times larger than carbon (black), with which it is blended to produce one of the three shades of gray VBP supplies in the 4800 Epoxy Colorseal line. Differences in particle size and density can also cause minute metering errors that affect color quality.

The total cost of grinding and dispersing of pigments in a blend was considerable. "Capitalizing equipment for dispersion of pigment can be prohibitive," Glendrange says. "There are also expenses associated with the safe handling of pigments and additives, especially in dust containment, downtime required for material changeover and equipment cleaning, and the use and disposal of regulated chemicals like solvents for cleaning."

"We decided it made more sense to source colorants for the 4800 Epoxy Colorseal line that were already sized and dispersed in a carrier," he notes, "and Ferro offered considerable expertise in this area."

The colorant is comprised of pigments that are broken down into individual particles and wet-out in suspension, preventing re-agglomeration while increasing opacity of the original pigment by 50% to 80%.

The carrier resin is a proprietary, highly stable, 100%-solids, bisphenol A epoxy resin that is reactive with all epoxy formulations. VBP orders four base colors from which it custom blends the 10 colors in the topcoat line: white, black, yellow, blue, green, red, umber, and three shades of gray. The company maintains an inventory of standard colors, and does custom color for an extra charge. Technicians weigh the colorants with a gram scale and produce batches of up to 150 gallons, which are usually supplied in 1.5-gallon pails.

"Colorseal topcoat is typically applied with a brush, roller or squeegee in thicknesses of 4 to 10 mils. The high pigment loadings and stability of the colorant improves handling and application of the topcoat, which increases the quality and value of our product," says Glendrange.

"Some epoxy coatings are not user-friendly. That's one thing VBP has done much to change. A company can make the best coating in the world, but if a contractor can't work with it, it's worthless."

For more information contact Versatile Building Products Inc., 20420 South Susana Rd., Carson, CA 90810; phone 800/535.3325; www.garagecoatings.com; or Ferro Corp., 54 Kellogg Ct., Edison, NJ 08817-2509; phone 800/882.1456 x 2835; www.ferro.com.