EnviroTex Lite epoxy interacts with plastic bags or glossy paper products

Discussion in 'Chemistry' started by ichinlin, May 29, 2015.

  1. ichinlin Registered Member

    Messages:
    6
    Hi,

    I painted my laminate kitchen countertop and flooded it with EnviroTex Lite (epoxy) last December. It was about 60F at that time. The epoxy seemed to have cured (hardened) after a few days. However, even after 6 months later, when we put plastic bags on it, the ink of the plastic bags would stick to it (the ink dyes the transparent epoxy). And glossy paper products (such as junk mail) also stick on it and when we try to remove the glossy paper products from the countertop, they would leave a residue (paper itself with ink) on the epoxy. The residue cannot be removed without scrubbing. Does that mean the epoxy did not cure properly and that is why it interacts with the plastic bags and paper products? Is the epoxy toxic to human and pets in this situation? Since it's the kitchen countertop and we prepare food on it everyday, I'm really concerned. Should I have my whole countertop replaced? Please help! Thank you!
     
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  3. Bells Staff Member

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    I would suggest contacting the company you bought the product from and asking them. It is strange that after 6 months, it is still sticking to things.
     
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  5. Bells Staff Member

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    24,270
    A quick look at the website you linked had this under the troubleshooting for after it has been applied:

    Soft / Sticky Spots:
    These spots are the result of unmixed Envirotex Lite that has been scraped from the mixing container. Cure: All soft, sticky material must be removed! Use a paint scraper or chisel, then wipe area clean with solvent and lint free cloth. Use the two container mix method and repour entire area. Prevention: Pay closer attention to scraping sides and bottom of mixing container while mixing. For a thorough mix, double mix in two containers. Never scrape out last few drops.



    Soft Tacky Surface:
    Is a result of improper measurements of resin and hardener. Cure: All soft, tacky material must be removed! A paint scraper works well for this, then clean area with solvent and lint free cloth. Repour with properly measured and double mixed Envirotex Lite. Prevention: Do not guess at the proper ratio or just empty the two bottles into your mixing container. Use a proper measuring device and measure equal portions of resin and hardener.


    http://eti-usa.com/envirotex-lite/professional-tips/


    It is possible that you might have to remove it and start again.

    Personally I would give them a call and ask them about the product you used and if they have any suggestions.
     
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  7. ichinlin Registered Member

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    Thank you for your suggestions. Yes I have filled out the contact us form on their website. The epoxy on countertop is not soft/sticky or tacky. It has hardened and it's not tacky to the touch at all. It does not stick to things other than plastic bags or glossy paper products that are left on it for a few hours. I used the epoxy immediately after purchasing it from Michael's and Amazon so I don't think it expired (I purchased several bottles of it) and we followed the instruction to a T...
     
  8. ichinlin Registered Member

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    6
    The company said the epoxy did not cure properly but they would not say if it is toxic at this point. Can someone help answer this question? Thank you.
     
  9. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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    54,036
    I wouldn't use epoxy for any food contact surfaces. Technically, epoxy is still curing months after it appears to be hardened, like concrete. Even years later, it's still forming new molecular bonds. I suppose there's a point when the bonding and the degrading by time and UV light achieve a balance. Note that epoxy can never be perfectly measured out or mixed, there will always be some free molecules unable to join with others, so it's probably some of this free unbonded matrix that's reacting with new materials.
     
  10. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    23,198
    I don't know if toxic to eat or not, but had a sad experience with common epoxy once.
    I did volunteer work in a Rhesus monkey lab. Made at APL/JHU some tiny titanium Bowler Hat shaped electrodes the top of which when inverted and placed in a same diameter bur hole in the skull touched the Dura ("skin" of the brain) so we could get essentially "artifact free" EEG data.

    Each monkey got four on each side. The spot-welded, varnish insulated, wires came to what was then common IC part called a "DIP" (Dual Inline Plug/ "Package" actually but plugs for us) but it had to be secured to the skull. The DIP protruded thru the skin so we could connect the 8 pen EEG machine to it. I worried about the open path for infections, but skin healed well around the DIP and monkey are very infection resistant - tough.

    The DIPs have two mid line holes and the head of small bolt was milled off flat to leave a disk only small part of mm thick. Those two round disks were inserted in the round part of two "Key hole shaped" holes in monkey's skull then pulled back it to the slot section of the key hole. I feared the monkey might bang his head on top of his cage or even pull the DIP forward into the round hole part of the key holes in its skull, so I put a little expoxy on the bottom of the DIP which would glue the DIP in placed.

    A few months later the DIP was loose - actually hanging out side of his head by the wires. We amnestied him to see what went wrong. There was a neat rectangle exactly the size and shape of the DIP's bottom, totally with out any skull bone. After a little literature search I leaned what I should have used instead of two component epoxy: "dental acrylic" a white powder that is mixed with water and sets up hard in less than half and hour. All other monkeys I did, had their DIPs secured by it and there were no more "DIP came loose" problems.

    We also as part of the Epilepsy prevention research needed some strip electrodes for stimulation of the cerebellum. We knew Platinum would work fine, but there was a minimum order the primate lab could not afford - just feeding nearly 50 Rhesus monkey took more than the funds available so the director, a neurosurgeon at JHU hospital dipped into his own pocket.

    Thus, I invented a project of interest to US Navy that needed many Platinum electrodes. Idea was that there is a vertical gradient in the ocean of the salt concentration (highest at surface). When a sub passes thru this uniform gradient it mixes the levels and perhaps that would be a way for a friendly sub to track covertly an enemy sub. I had no interest in doing this project, and some one else added it to an existing study; but it provided more than enough Pt for my electrodes. I felt good about converting a little of DoD's money into Epilepsy research.

    The long term idea was that most victims of Epilepsy have an "aurora" warning feeling minutes before the seasure. If with our artifice free EEG we could learn the EEG signal associated with that warning, and then stimulate the cerebellum, sort of like a heart pacer, it might be possible abort the seizure.

    I did feel, at first, some guilt about what I did to monkeys, but I eat beef, and there is no moral justification for that. Hell is not even good for your and if all were vegetarians the production of Green House Gases, GHG, would be significantly reduced. By far, Brazil's main release of GHGs, comes from both ends of its cows. Brazil has the world's largest cattle herd, zero net CO2 release sugar cane alcohol power cars and ~85% of its electric power from hydro dams.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 30, 2015
  11. Bells Staff Member

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    24,270
    Thank you Billy.

    And now if you will excuse me, I am going to pour bleach into my eyes and pretend I did not just read what you just posted..
     
  12. ichinlin Registered Member

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    6
    I see. Thank you for letting me know.
     
  13. timojin Valued Senior Member

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    My experience with epoxy tells me , mixing time and ratio of resin to hardness is very important , and you could have an excess of resin.
     
  14. timojin Valued Senior Member

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  15. ichinlin Registered Member

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    I see. Thank you!
     
  16. wellwisher Banned Banned

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    5,160
    What I would do is put another layer on top of the existing material. This time, take more precautions in terms of mixing the catalysis with the resin to make sure it mixes 100%. Your problem sounds like the resin and catalyst was not mixed fully, with traces of slow cure, here and there. The adhesion to plastic sounds like active chemical ends that have not yet cured in the epoxy.

    Epoxies mix better and cure faster if they are warmer. Do the application when it is warm to 70-80 F. You don't want to go too hot or the cure can be so fast it may be hard to work with. The new top layer should cure better and will lock down the bottom layer. In commercial bars, they often do 2-3 layers, so adding another won't harm anything.

    Make sure the surface is clean before beginning.
     
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  17. ichinlin Registered Member

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    Thank you!
     

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