flooring for not so faint at heart

[sierradmax]

I have a rather large garage with a floor coverage of 36x30. I poured the concrete floor myself in the middle of a hot summer day and she set up on me pretty quickly. Needless to say, my floor looks no where near any of the floors I have seen on this forum and its not very "broomable". Furthermore, from time to time, I do some fabricating....Welding, cutting steel, jacking up cars etc. So my question is, what would be the best flooring situation for me?

[REFLEXX]

Quit jacking, welding and cutting! Roll out a nice rug and make it a living room! :lol:


Seriously. I'm about to decide myself. I'm leaning toward www.epoxy-coat.com or www.u-coat-it.com products. OR another industrial 100% solids, non-water based, highly volatile, dangerous-fumed epoxy.

The good stuff is always the bad stuff!

Nothing will stand up to weld splatter or big chunks of plasma drool. But someone hear said that the U-coat-it stuff did well. Just take precautions, throw down a $20 Harbor Freight welding blanket!

REFLEXX :thumbup:

[krooser]

www.concrete-floor-coatings.com If you want your floor to be smooth and tuff, you'll have to use 100% epoxy AND quartz chips imbedded into the final coat. This will hold up to ANYTHING! Harvey@Durall will tell you that it's beyond the average guy to install...it's not EZ...but it can be done. Not cheap...but it's the answer...

[Luckydevil]

I sent them a price quote request, I'm curious how much that Durapoxy runs per foot. Looks like top notch stuff.

[lip277]

If it is the surface texture of your floor that is not what you wanted it to be - I'd consider polishing it. Take a look HERE (http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/polishing/) for some basics. For a garage, you don't need to go 'all the way' I'd imagine. I know of some auto repair shops that have gone this route in lieu of the epoxy coatings and the like.

Just a thought....

[krooser]

www.concrete-floor-coatings.com If you want your floor to be smooth and tuff, you'll have to use 100% epoxy AND quartz chips imbedded into the final coat. This will hold up to ANYTHING! Harvey@Durall will tell you that it's beyond the average guy to install...it's not EZ...but it can be done. Not cheap...but it's the answer...

The 40% solids stuff was $49.00/gallon...Durapoxy is SUPPOSED to be three times the price...dunno...I would have used Durall products but it was just easier to deal locally once I found I could buy it near home...

[rustech]

If I understand correctly...You will have to float the floor with a Moppe (I forget the spelling) patch material. It is a thin polymer based cement that will smooth out all the large imperfections in a mispoured slab. You mix it up in a couple five gallon buckets, pour it out, it'll run like water, and leave a very level and smooth surface. This will leave you in a proper condition for the epoxy covering. Sanding and polishing will only leave you with a wavy floor. Good luck.

[SteveL]

Be careful of any of the self leveling materials as your floor, if built to code, has to have a pretty serious slope to it and the leveling material will just run out the door on to the driveway. I have a freind that tried that once!!!!! :lol_hitti

There are floor patch products that can be troweled on or you could rent a large floor grinder to smooth it out, but that would be almost as much work as it was to pour it! I would probably go with a 100% solids coating like the Epoxy-Coat and plan on a couple of coats. That should get rid of a lot of the imperfections but not all of them.

Keep us posted on you progress!