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Before You Open the Can — Read This First

After 30 years of Durabak 18 installations, I can tell you that most project problems don't happen during application. They happen in the first five minutes — before the roller ever touches the surface. Here's exactly how to set up your project for success from the very start.

What You'll Need

• Durabak 18 — quart or gallon depending on your project size
• A good wooden mixing stick
• A black permanent marker
• A roll of green or blue painter's tape
• Duct tape (about 20 strips, each 2" long — tear these off before you start)
• Xylene — quart or gallon
• White painter's rags
• Disposable gloves
• A 4-inch roller (NOT a 9-inch — more on this below) 
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Step 1: Inspect the Can Before You Do Anything Else

When your Durabak 18 arrives, the first thing to do is inspect the can carefully:

• Check for shipping damage — look for dents or deformation around the lid
• Shake the can — you should hear and feel liquid inside. If the lid loosened during shipping, the xylene can escape and the material will have cured solid. A can that doesn't slosh is a can that can't be used.

Do not open the can yet. Finish reading this guide first.

Step 2: Mark Your Can Lid — This Saves You Every Time

Here's a pro tip most people skip and regret later. Almost every can gets slightly bent during shipping — it's no longer perfectly round. If you put the lid back on in the wrong position, you won't get a good seal and your xylene will escape.

Here's the fix: Take your black permanent marker and draw a Y shape on the top of the lid, then extend the three legs down over the sides of the can. Label the legs 1, 2, 3 on the lid and the same numbers on the can body below each leg. Now you always know exactly how to realign the lid for the best possible seal.

Step 3: Understand How the Can Is Sealed

Durabak 18 cans use three layers of protection to keep xylene in the can:

1. The lid itself is designed to create a pressure seal
2. A sealing material is applied to the rim of the lid for a second seal
3. Clips on the rim keep the lid on if the box is dropped or crushed during shipping

Even with all three, xylene can still escape if the can is mishandled. This is why proper lid care during your project is critical.

Step 4: Use a 4-Inch Roller — Not a 9-Inch

For projects using 1 to 4 gallons, do not use a 9-inch roller. Here's why: a 9-inch roller requires a roller pan, and the moment Durabak 18 sits in an open pan, the xylene starts leaving the material fast. You'll lose too much product and the material will thicken before you're done.

Instead, use a 4-inch roller and dip it directly into the can. Less exposure, less waste, better control.

Step 5: Prep Your Tape Strips Before Opening the Can

Every project has an "oops" moment — something that makes you need to put the lid back on mid-job. Prepare for it before it happens:

• Tear off about 20 strips of duct tape, each about 2" long, and stick them somewhere accessible before you open the can
• When you take the lid off, immediately lay tape strips around the rim of the can to keep it clean while you work
• When you need to reseal: pull the tape off, wipe the rim and lid clean with a xylene-dampened rag, align your numbers, and close the can
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Critical warning: If there is any Durabak 18 on the rim or lid when you close the can, it will bond the lid permanently. You'll have to cut the bottom of the can out to access the rest of your material. Clean the rim every single time before closing. Use your gloves, painter rags, and xyllene to clean your can rim and lid.

Store a resealed can in a cool, shaded place — turned upside down. Never leave it in the sun. Heat accelerates the cure and you'll lose your material.

Step 6: Understanding Xylene and Pot Life

This is the most important chemistry fact about Durabak 18: xylene is what keeps the material liquid. Durabak 18 is a chemically cross-linked polyurethane, and xylene inhibits the curing reaction. Once the xylene leaves the material — through evaporation or regulation-driven reduction — the material starts to cure.

Historically, Durabak 18 was manufactured with about 2% xylene in the can, giving approximately 2 hours of pot life. Due to current regulations on xylene content, you will likely need to add xylene as soon as you open the can and possibly again during the project. Always have xylene on hand before you start.

Step 7: How to Open and Mix the Can

This step is where people make expensive mistakes. Follow this exactly:

1. Put your gloves on before opening the can
2. Open the can and look at the surface — you'll likely see an oil layer floating on top of the material
3. install the green or blue tape on can rim
4. Before mixing materal
5. Do not use an electric mixer. An electric mixer whips air into the material and drives xylene out fast. Use your wooden stick only.
6. Mix gentally
7. Gently stir the oil on top into the material — do not spill it over the rim. That oil is part of the formula. If it spills onto the outside of the can, the material's quality and performance will be affected.
8. Add xylene gradually as you mix. You're looking for a consistency like thicker latex paint — fluid enough to roll smoothly but not watery.
9. Once the top is incorporated, push your paddle all the way to the bottom of the can and mix in any pigment that has settled there. Full, thorough mixing from bottom to top is essential for consistent color and performance.

You're Ready to Apply

With your surface prepped (see our Surface Prep Guide), your can properly mixed, your tape strips ready, and your 4-inch roller in hand — you're set up for a professional result.

The difference between a Durabak job that lasts 20 years and one that fails in 2 is almost always in the setup. Take these steps seriously and the coating will take care of the rest.

Questions about your specific project? Contact us — we've been doing this for 30 years and we've seen every situation imaginable.