Epoxy Application Tools: Squeegees, Gauge Rakes, Rollers and a Nap Chart
One set of tools puts the material down at the right quantity, and another turns it into a film. Which is which, what the specs on each one mean, and what seven published data sheets actually say about the roller.
Squeegees and gauge rakes put the material down in roughly the right quantity; rollers turn it into an even film; spiked rollers and spiked shoes deal with air and let you work in the wet coat. The size of each one, the notch on the squeegee and the nap on the roller, comes from the data sheet for the product you are applying. The chart below shows why: 7 published sheets do not agree.
Two jobs, two sets of tools
Getting a coating onto a floor happens in two stages, and each has its own tools. First the material is distributed: poured out and pulled across the floor so that roughly the right amount lands on each part of it. Then it is finished: rolled into an even film, worked into the texture of the concrete, and left alone. The base coat guide covers how the two stages fit together on the floor, and back-rolling covers the finishing pass itself. This page is about the tools.
Squeegees: flat or notched
A floor squeegee is a wide rubber blade on a pole. A flat blade pushes material across the floor and leaves a thin layer behind it. A notched blade has teeth cut along its edge, and the material that passes through the notches is what stays on the floor, so the notch size has a lot to do with how much is left.
Data sheets say which to use, and often the notch size. Among the sheets in the chart below, one says to use a flat or notched squeegee depending on the dry film thickness required; another calls for an 8 mil V-notched blade on its flake base coat, a 15 to 20 mil one for moisture primer, and a flat blade for the seal coat and topcoat; a polyaspartic sheet calls for a 1/16 inch notched squeegee over quartz or chip floors.
- Blade material. One of the sheets names the rubber: EPDM. A blade worn round at the edge will not leave what the notch says
- Width. A wider blade covers more floor per pull and is harder to keep flat. One polyaspartic sheet recommends squeegees and rollers 18 to 24 inches wide
- Check the result, not the notch. The notch is a starting point. Measure the area the first kit actually covers, and the film thickness calculator tells you what that spread rate builds, wet and dry
Gauge rakes
A gauge rake is a spreading tool set to a depth. It leaves roughly that depth of material behind it, and the material then levels under its own weight. That makes it a tool for thicker, flowing systems, which is where the self-leveling epoxy page describes it, not for a thin roll coat that has to be pulled out to a film. The depth to set and the quantity per area both come from the product's data sheet, and the coverage is checked the same way as with a squeegee.
Spiked rollers and spiked shoes
A spiked roller is walked through wet, thicker material to let trapped air out while it can still flow back together. Use one where the product calls for it, which is what the pinholes page says too. Spiked shoes let the applicator stand in the wet coat: two of the sheets in the chart tell the person back rolling to wear them, and one lists spiked shoes or soccer cleats for broadcasting flake into the base coat.
Rollers: cover, core and nap
A roller cover has three properties that matter on a floor coating, and data sheets name all three:
- Shedding. Sheets ask for covers that are shed-resistant, non-shedding or lint-free, because fibers left in the film stay in the floor
- Solvent resistance and the core. Several sheets ask for a solvent resistant cover or a phenolic core, so the cover holds together in the material
- Nap. How long the fibers are. A longer nap holds more material and lays a thicker, more textured film; a shorter one lays it thinner and smoother
Roller nap chart: what 7 published data sheets specify
| Product | Roller the sheet specifies | Spreading tool | Type and sheet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sikafloor epoxy coating systemSika Canada | “brush or 19 mm (3/4 in) nap roller” | “using a flat squeegee, subsequently back-roll” | Epoxy primer and wear coatEpoxy Coating Application Guide, edition 03.2021 |
| Smith’s Epoxy VCB46PSmith Paint Products | “Non-Shed, Solvent Resistant 3/8" Nap” | “8 mil V-notched squeegee; 15 to 20 mil squeegee for MVT priming” | Waterborne epoxy, flake base coatProduct Data Sheet, 07232024 |
| APF Epoxy 400APF (ICP Group) | “solvent resistant 3/8-inch nap roller cover” | “with a squeegee. An applicator wearing spiked shoes will back roll” | 100% solids epoxy, primer or coatingProduct Data Sheet, 07.14.24 |
| RokRez ProSimiron | “3/8" shed-resistant woven roller cover with phenolic core” | “Flat or notched rubber squeegee (depending upon DFT required)” | High-build epoxyProduct Data Sheet, edition 4/2016 |
| PolyKoat 85Walttools | “3/8" synthetic nap, phenolic core roller, or a lambs wool cover” | “1/16" notched squeegee over media floors (quartz or chips)” | Polyaspartic, clearData sheet (no revision printed) |
| APF Polyurethane 100APF (ICP Group) | “solvent resistant 3/8-inch nap roller cover” | “with a brush or roller, back roll” | Aliphatic polyurethane topcoatProduct Data Sheet, 10.31.25 |
| Terroxy 2K Urethane Top CoatTerrazzo & Marble Supply Companies | “non-shedding 3/16" to 1/4" nap roller or shorter. Larger nap rollers may cause bubbles” | “using a squeegee and backroll” | Water-based aliphatic polyurethane topcoatProduct Data Sheet, revision 12/2022 |
Down the side: the product, linked to its published data sheet, and its maker. In each row: the roller and the spreading tool in the sheet's own words, shortened but not reworded (a range printed with a dash is written with “to”), and the product type and the sheet edition that was read. Sheets read on November 12, 2026. Manufacturers revise their sheets, so the one for the product in your hand is the one that counts. The products were chosen to cover the common coating types, not ranked or recommended.
What the chart shows
Most of these sheets ask for a 3/8 inch nap. But the primer guide asks for a 3/4 inch nap, and the water-based urethane topcoat asks for 3/16 to 1/4 inch or shorter and warns that a larger nap may cause bubbles in the film. Those two are the reason this page does not give a nap for a coating type: the right cover belongs to the product, and the sheet is the only place that says what it is. The data sheet guide covers where to find it, and roller and lap marks covers what the wrong one looks like on a finished floor.
Treat covers and blades as consumables
A roller cover that has started to shed, a cover that has partly cured, or a squeegee blade worn round at the edge all lay the material down unevenly, and the floor shows it. Price them into the job as consumables rather than trying to make one last, which is what pricing consumables and PPE covers. Keep spares of everything on site: a cover that fails halfway through a section cannot wait for a trip to the supplier.
What this guide does not cover
- Technique. How to pour, spread and roll a coat is the base coat guide
- Mixing. Paddles, drill speed and batch size are how to mix epoxy properly
- Prep equipment. Grinders and edge tools are the other equipment guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What nap roller should I use for epoxy?
The one the data sheet for your product specifies. Many sheets for floor epoxies and topcoats call for a 3/8 inch, shed-resistant, solvent resistant cover, but not all of them: of the seven sheets in the chart on this page, one primer guide specifies a 3/4 inch nap and one water-based urethane topcoat says 3/16 to 1/4 inch or shorter, and warns that a larger nap may cause bubbles.
Should I use a flat or a notched squeegee?
Whichever the data sheet calls for at the thickness you are building. One sheet in the chart on this page says to choose flat or notched depending on the dry film thickness required; another calls for a V-notched blade on the base coat and a flat squeegee for the thin seal coat and topcoat. The notch size is on the sheet, and the spread rate you actually achieve is what to check on the first section.
What is a gauge rake for?
Spreading thicker, flowing material to a set depth. The rake is set to a depth and leaves roughly that depth of material behind it, which then levels under its own weight. It is a tool for self-leveling and high-build systems, not for thin roll coats.
Do I need spiked shoes?
If anyone has to walk on the wet coat, yes. Several data sheets tell the applicator to wear spiked shoes to back roll the wet material or to broadcast into it. The spikes let you stand in the coat while it is still wet enough to work.