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How-To Guide
Our step-by-step guide to removing epoxy, urethane, mastic, old paint, and stubborn adhesives from concrete, wood, tile, and masonry floors. No methylene chloride, no caustics.
What You'll Need
The floor is slippery until the residue is fully cleaned up. Wear butyl gloves (not latex), safety glasses, and spiked shoes or rubber boots. Use an OSHA/NIOSH respirator in confined or poorly vented areas. Do not use if pregnant. Start at the bottom of any slope and work uphill, keep pets and children out of the room, and dispose of waste per local regulations.
Step-by-Step
Clear the room completely and tape off baseboards and thresholds with plastic. Test a small inconspicuous area first to confirm suitability and dwell time on your floor. Remove loose, flaking coating with a scraper or wire brush, confirm the room is between 40F and 90F, and shake the container to restore uniformity.
⏱ 30-45 minutesLay down about 1/8 inch of gel with a brush, soft nylon broom, spiked roller, or soft-edge squeegee. Wear spiked shoes or rubber boots, and on stairs or inclines start at the bottom and work uphill so you never step into fresh product.
⏱ 20-40 minutesThin coats dry out before the reaction finishes. Cover less area at full thickness rather than more area thin.
Give it 2 to 4 hours minimum, overnight for best results. Epoxy and thick urethane need slightly longer than overnight. Check with a scraper periodically and do not scrape too early. If the gel starts drying, re-wet it with another light coat. Never let it dry completely into the substrate.
⏱ 2-4 hrs to overnightThe longer it dwells, the easier the removal. An overnight dwell beats a rushed 2-hour pass on almost every coating.
Lift the softened coating and spent gel together with flat scrapers or a shovel. It should come off as a thick, wet mass. Push it into piles, bag it, and dispose of the waste per local regulations.
⏱ 30-60 minutesThe floor is slippery until the residue is fully cleaned up. Keep the boots on and treat the work zone like a wet deck.
A thin residual film always remains after scraping. Apply Finishing Cleaner diluted 1:1 with water for standard cleanup, or full strength for heavy residue, then rinse with clean water. Do not skip this step. Let the floor dry fully before any new flooring, sealer, or coating goes down.
⏱ 20-40 minutesGood to Know
Go thicker, not wider. A full 1/8 inch film on a smaller zone beats a thin wash across the whole floor. The gel needs body to work through multiple layers.
Dwell overnight when you can. Minimum is 2 to 4 hours, but overnight gives the best results, and heavy coatings like epoxy need slightly longer with re-wetting as needed.
Work from the bottom up. On stairs and sloped floors, start low and work uphill in spiked shoes or rubber boots so you never step into fresh product.
Don't mix or dilute the product. It is formulated to be used as-is. Diluting it stalls the chemistry and wastes the pail.
Don't let it dry into the substrate. If the gel starts drying before the coating lifts, re-wet with a light second coat to keep the reaction alive.
Don't use it outdoors or on plastic, PVC, rubber, or drywall. The formula is built for interior use. Contact Specco technical service at 630-257-5060 for exterior options.
Concrete, wood, tile, VCT, linoleum, brick, stone, masonry, and metal floors. It is not compatible with plastic, PVC, rubber, or drywall.
Minimum 2 to 4 hours for standard paint and varnish. Overnight for best results. Epoxy and heavy urethane need slightly longer than overnight. If the gel starts drying, re-wet with a light coat.
No. It dissolves coatings without attacking the substrate. Always test a small inconspicuous area first to confirm suitability on your specific floor.
No. The residual film blocks adhesion for new coatings. Finishing Cleaner neutralizes the surface so the next product bonds correctly. Rinse with clean water and let the floor dry fully before refinishing.
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