Surface Preparation – Pedestrian & Vehicle Grade
Watco GripMaster may be applied to concrete, stone, smooth metal, asphalt and wood. New concrete surfaces should be at least 1 month old, new asphalt at least 3 months old. Surfaces should be clean and dry. Remove loose and friable material using a wire brush or scarifying machine for larger areas. Sweep or vacuum to remove debris. Grease and oil patches should be removed mechanically or using
Watco Bio D or similar degreasant. Damaged concrete surfaces can be patch repaired using
Watco Concrex.
Watco GripMaster can be applied over existing paint but the paint must be well bonded to the substrate. Remove all poorly bonded paint and abrade any glossy well bonded paint to provide a key. Metal surfaces should be clean and dry. Galvanised metal should be primed with
Watco Galvaprime or similar. Watco GripMaster is not suitable for aluminium or stainless steel. Do not apply to profiled metal surfaces such as chequer plate or any metal which flexes in service. Wood should be sanded to provide a clean, dry surface.
On new unpainted timber we recommend sealing the underside and edges with varnish (i.e. all surfaces except the surface to be coated with Watco GripMaster) to seal against damp. Asphalt and tarmac should be hosed down and allowed to dry. A wet vacuum may be useful to remove the cleaning water from the textured surface. Remove any grease or oil using
Watco Bio D. Any ‘fatty’ bitumen build up on the surface should be removed mechanically.
Masking
Measure an area of 2.5m² when using vehicle Grade or 5m² when using pedestrian Grade. Use masking tape to mark the area where a neat line is required.
Mixing
The epoxy resin and hardener are in ‘twin-pack’ tins. Separate the two tins by aligning the side seams and pulling apart. Empty the contents of the small tin into the larger tin, scraping around the inside of the tin to ensure all the contents are removed. Thoroughly mix the components for at least 2 or 3 minutes using a ‘wide bladed’ tool - a piece of wooden batten or flat bladed spatula is ideal. The mixed components must be used immediately. If left in the tin, the tin will become hot and the product quickly becomes unusable. Do not mix in the aggregate. The useable working life of the mixed components is 20 minutes maximum at 20ºC. This will reduce in warmer working conditions or if the mixed components are left in the tin.
Important Please ensure that the mixed components are applied within approximately 20 minutes of mixing. Temperatures above 20ºC may reduce this working time. Please ensure that only as much of the area is covered with the mixed components as can be reached to broadcast the aggregate. If access around the working area is restricted, the mixed components should be applied in stages to allow for application of the aggregate.
Application – Vehicle Grade
Epoxy Resin Binder
Pour the mixed components onto the prepared surface and spread over the 2.5m² area with a notched trowel. A paint brush may be used to produce a neat edge.
Aggregate
Immediately after applying the mixed components, broadcast the aggregate by hand as evenly as possible over the wet surface. Bed the aggregate into the resin using a trowel. After a few minutes the mixed component may ‘bleed through’ patches of aggregate either where the mixed component was applied more thickly or the aggregate more sparingly. Apply more aggregate to these patches. Excess aggregate should be swept away once the coating has fully cured.
Application – Pedestrian Grade
Epoxy Resin Binder
Pour the mixed components into a roller tray. Apply liberally to the prepared surface using a medium or long pile roller (not foam). Do not exceed the area of 5m². A paint brush may be used to produce a neat edge.
Aggregate
Immediately after applying the mixed components, broadcast the aggregate by hand as evenly as possible over the wet surface. Bed the aggregate into the resin using a trowel. After a few minutes the mixed component may ‘bleed through’ patches of aggregate either where the mixed component was applied more thickly or the aggregate more sparingly. Apply more aggregate to these patches. Excess aggregate should be swept away once the coating has fully cured.
