With professional epoxy floor construction units, you may be very familiar with the image of small circles that look like pinholes appearing on the surface of the newly constructed epoxy floor. This phenomenon is known as the “exhaust” phenomenon. Air release is a phenomenon that occurs when air is trapped, air from the concrete mouth is released causing blistering, bubbles, and pinholes on the floor surface. This phenomenon can reduce the aesthetics of the floor, but does not affect the quality of the coating.

Causes of outgassing

Outgassing occurs during the application of epoxy coatings, specifically during the curing process. Possible causes of bubble formation in epoxy floors:

-The floor surface has not been properly cleaned, specifically, there is grease remaining on the floor surface when applying epoxy paint. During construction, the floor temperature will increase, epoxy chemically interacts with these solutions leading to the formation of pinholes on the floor surface.

– Changes in temperature or humidity during epoxy curing, these catalysts can lead to the formation of bubbles in the epoxy layer, and release to the surface.

– Excessive use of solvents during application. The solvent will cause excessive evaporation which will cause bubbles to appear on the surface.

– The mixing speed of the mixture too fast can also lead to bubbles appearing in the mixture.
– The quality of the epoxy

How to treat bubbles in epoxy floors

During primer application: detect bubbles during primer application, use roller to remove bubbles. This also helps to minimize the formation of bubbles in the later stages of the application process.

After application of primer: if bubbles are identified after application of the primer, it is best to repaint. This ensures that the final coat will not be affected.

After several coats have been applied: best practice is to sand the area where bubbles appear before applying the finish.

After the finish has been applied and the epoxy is still wet: use heat to release bubbles from the surface of the floor.