Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

As a first time builder I am wondering what kind of drop cloth material I should be looking for to use on my garage floor. I have never used epoxy before. Will it eat through regular plastic tarp material?


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RE: Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

Epoxy does not eat through plastic.

I use polyethylene drop cloths that you find in the paint section of DIY stores. As long as the cloth stays smooth, the epoxy peels right off. Once the surface gets all scuffed up by you stepping on it, epoxy will stick to it.

A large roll of 6 mm will last for a multi-year building project.

Have fun,

Laszlo

 

RE: Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

   I use cardboard on the floor. The boxes your CLC kit comes in are heavy duty and work great.

Joel

RE: Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

Polyethylene sheeting (visqueen by one common name) is quite slippery when walked upon as it's coated with wax at the factory to keep it from sticking to itself when rolled up & stored. The wax keeps epoxy from sticking too but adds to the hazard potential from slipping & falling.

Corrugated cardboard is safer in that respect but be careful to tape down edges & seams to reduce any potential toe-catchers.

My suggestion is to look for what's commonly called red rosin paper, sold in 3' wide by (usually) 150'+ long rolls to be used between subfloor and traditional hardwood flooring. Some outlets will have 6' wide rolls.

At $.02 - $.05 / sq. ft. rosin paper is half the price or less of plastic sheet.

RE: Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

   "Polyethylene sheeting (visqueen by one common name) is ... coated with wax at the factory"

Source?

-if this is true, a wax contamination epidemic would have been going on since day 1 of plastic use. Every house painter, body shop, or "kiwi-preg" fiber laminator just retro-actively ruined their project...

Please, be careful with those facts!

RE: Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

If you doubt what I posted, find a piece of black cotton cloth, then rub it across an area of recently-unrolled poly sheet.

That white stuff that comes off on the cloth is wax, not polyethylene.

Some brands may not have as much, or a formulation that resists being abraded or transfer, the thinner stuff sold specifically for disposable drop cloths for example.

Even without any wax, polyethylene underfoot presents a slip-hazard whether there's any dust (wood or otherwise) or moisture present or not.

I added my post based on my experiences with the stuff (having slipped on it more than once when it'd been used by others to cover flooring in workplace projects). My intent merely to suggest an alternative material for the intended use that presents less of a hazard.

RE: Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

   I go to the carpet store and ask them if I can have some used carpet in the dumpster, then lay it down in the yard and power wash it. Lay plastic down under the carpet so it wont stick to your garage concrete. Some carpets smell bad, avoid it. It will not stick to your shoes like plastic will. You can wipe your shoes off on it and not track all your mess around. Then when finished with your build, return it to the dumpster.

RE: Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

+1 for rosin paper. 

The majority of your "drippage" should occur at the permiter of the project- with a little care you can line the boat's footprint with plastic for a belt and suspenders approach, without worry of slipping on plastic. 

Good luck,

Patrick

RE: Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

   My garage floor was bare randomly stained  broom finish concrete. I just let it drop and hit it with a floor scraper later.  Most of it popped right up.

RE: Does epoxy affect drop cloth? Are there drop cloth materials to avoid?

   I also used the flooring paper successfully over a laminate floor but also put down pieces of plastic for extra drippy work. For my most recent build, which was over a concrete floor, I purchased a bunch of old comforters at the thrift store.They were a nice buffer for dropped items and I used them to drag around large items that I didn't wish to lift. They do bunch up under foot but are not slippery.  I covered all of my working surfaces with 6 ml plastic; necessary where they would come in direct contact with epoxy. Epoxy peeled right off of it. I gave it a wipe with denatured alcohol before I used it to remove the dust. Didn't seem to have any issues with contamination.

 

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