Fabrication Garage Flooring

[SWT Racing]

Hey fellas,

I've been looking around and searching around for months on what type of flooring I want for my garage and cannot arrive at a choice. This is a working garage, and I don't want to worry about hurting a typical epoxy type floor. I want (or would like) something that keeps the concrete sealed from general stains and keeps the dust down. I like the look of a concrete floor without a colored epoxy. Glossiness does not really matter.

My floor currently is fairly smooth, and only two years old. The only vehicle parked in the garage is my racecar. However, at any given time, I might be MIG welding, TIG welding, plasma cutting, flame cutting, putting the racecar on jackstands, sliding jacks across the floor. I have some equipment with metal feet that may occasionally be moved around. I also may have some spills from brakleen, brake fluid, MEK, BLO, lacquer thinner, and especially acetone. I don't mind if the floor needs to be "resealed" from time to time, but I really do not want to deal with chipping.

I was thinking of something more like a sealer or densifier. I believe Wolverine offers AcryliSeal 3501 which seems like someting that would fit my needs, but I wanted some other opinions.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

We have a variety of densifiers and sealers.
I will warn you that any acrylic will perish if any of these: MEK, BLO, lacquer thinner, and especially acetone hit it.

If you want a topical sealer and want to fend off those nasties you will need urethane at a minimum.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Andrew, for the reasons you listed and the possibilty of it coming out wrong/not curing properly I used a simple sealer on mine when I poured the new floor. That sealer has been ate off by Brakleen and gas.
I dind't want to spend a grand only to have a burn mark or drag mark (scrape)across leaving bare concrete showing. I just try to clean up the mess as soon as I can. Newspaper soaks up fluids quite fast and a mopping with hot water/Simple Green does help to keep it clean.

 

[dittle fart around]

12 inch square linoleum tiles like those used in retail stores are pretty cheap and easy to install if you damage some just as easy to replace. You'd have a floor that would be east to clean up after work.

 

[SWT Racing]

Thanks fellas. I am quick to clean up spills, and if I do have to get really nasty cleaning something, I'll put a piece of cardboard down in the driveway an hose it off with brakleen.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

In that case the world is your oyster.
Hd-6414 is a good topical sealer with little prep, (2) thin coats.
or if you want no sheen, consider a densifier HD-7939.
Link:http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/de...8.html?zenid=f2f7b594113be175179be52630fb499e

 

[SWT Racing]

In that case the world is your oyster.
Hd-6414 is a good topical sealer with little prep, (2) thin coats.
or if you want no sheen, consider a densifier HD-7939.
Link:http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/de...8.html?zenid=f2f7b594113be175179be52630fb499e

Thanks Scotty. Would this work with something like your HD821 Crack Sealant to full the expansion joints?

 

[HotShoe]

I went the poor man's route and used the solvent based H&C stain you can find at Home Depot or Sherwin Williams. I beat the hell out of my floor and I didn't want to drop a grand + on it when I could put that towards a Bridgeport.

So far the stain holds up just fine. It cleans up easy and can be touched up in minutes if you really do a number on it or leave a spill too long. I recently dragged a press across it and made some marks that I just rolled over in five minutes and it looked like new again.

If I had a really nice floor that was new I would look into the product that Legacy has that is used in Old Navy stores. I like the raw concrete look and it seems to penetrate to the point that it doesn't have a film the slag would mark.

 

[jonese]

I'm in the same boat as you are. New floor, not really looking for anything fancy or too expensive. Just something that won't let fluids soak into the floor.

HotShoe-I'd really like some more info on the route you went.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I would seal then go over the joints with our HD-100 sealant.
This product makes it very easy to have excellent looking joints with a little color.
Link: http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/hd100-superflex-urethane-sealant-p-280.html

 

[weegaz22]

I really liked the marbled stain effect fastback has in his floor in the "no fuss floors" thread a few threads down, a classy look for not much extra investment.

 

[HotShoe]

I'm in the same boat as you are. New floor, not really looking for anything fancy or too expensive. Just something that won't let fluids soak into the floor.

HotShoe-I'd really like some more info on the route you went.

No problem. Couldn't be easier actually.

I'm renting 1,000 square feet so the idea of spending the cash on the floor didn't appeal to me. I spend alot of time at racetracks and I've noticed the paddocks and pits are always painted/sealed with simple color sealers/paint. I personally like the look of the occasional tire mark and all the character it gives the surface. I decided if simple sealer/paint was good enough for F1 it would work for me.

I rented the diamond grinder from Home Depot and spent a day grinding the floor down. It had years of who knows what on it including VCT residue. After I was done I simply blew out the dust several times and applied H&C solvent based concrete sealer in gull gray.

http://www.hcconcrete.com/products/solid-color-stains/solvent-based-sealer/index.jsp

I just rolled it on per the instructions and did two coats. EZPZ. The only downside is to wear a respirator and have open ventilation because of the very, very strong xylene odor. I waited a day between coats and applied them perpendicular to each other.

It's not indestructible nor will it repel brake fluid, etc. That's a non issue for me because I wipe things up right away. I weld, hammer, plasma cut, torch, you name it and I don't worry about marring my $$$$$ floor. If I get an area that gets messed up somehow I just touch roll the spot and it looks brand new. Water beads right up on it yet isn't isn't slippery. It has a flat finish so you don't have to spend hours perfecting every crack and dimple. If anything I think it gives the floor more of a track look. I will add that the darker grays show less dirt.

I'm in the process of painting some stripes and a logo on it now but the minute I'm done I'll get some shots. I've used H&C before in a collector's garage and had no issues other than an occasional tire mark but it is so easy to touch up it doesn't matter. No matter what anyone says I've seen even the most expensive epoxy floors get tire marks.

 

[RTcat]

I'm in the same boat as you are. New floor, not really looking for anything fancy or too expensive. Just something that won't let fluids soak into the floor.

HotShoe-I'd really like some more info on the route you went.

Add me in that boat. Coming up on 5 weeks with my new concrete and trying to decide what road to go down...epoxy or something simplier.

No problem. Couldn't be easier actually.

I'm renting 1,000 square feet so the idea of spending the cash on the floor didn't appeal to me. I spend alot of time at racetracks and I've noticed the paddocks and pits are always painted/sealed with simple color sealers/paint. I personally like the look of the occasional tire mark and all the character it gives the surface. I decided if simple sealer/paint was good enough for F1 it would work for me.

I rented the diamond grinder from Home Depot and spent a day grinding the floor down. It had years of who knows what on it including VCT residue. After I was done I simply blew out the dust several times and applied H&C solvent based concrete sealer in gull gray.

http://www.hcconcrete.com/products/solid-color-stains/solvent-based-sealer/index.jsp

I just rolled it on per the instructions and did two coats. EZPZ. The only downside is to wear a respirator and have open ventilation because of the very, very strong xylene odor. I waited a day between coats and applied them perpendicular to each other.

It's not indestructible nor will it repel brake fluid, etc. That's a non issue for me because I wipe things up right away. I weld, hammer, plasma cut, torch, you name it and I don't worry about marring my $$$$$ floor. If I get an area that gets messed up somehow I just touch roll the spot and it looks brand new. Water beads right up on it yet isn't isn't slippery. It has a flat finish so you don't have to spend hours perfecting every crack and dimple. If anything I think it gives the floor more of a track look. I will add that the darker grays show less dirt.

I'm in the process of painting some stripes and a logo on it now but the minute I'm done I'll get some shots. I've used H&C before in a collector's garage and had no issues other than an occasional tire mark but it is so easy to touch up it doesn't matter. No matter what anyone says I've seen even the most expensive epoxy floors get tire marks.

Thanks for the info. Just curoius, could you put some type of clear coating on top of this H&C product to make it more resistent to brake fluid / gas / etc?

 

[HotShoe]

Thanks for the info. Just curoius, could you put some type of clear coating on top of this H&C product to make it more resistent to brake fluid / gas / etc?

They sell a clear gloss sealer that you can use as a topcoat but it is also xylene based so it wouldn't be impervious the brake fluid, gas. I would recommend epoxy if you want a glossy, finished surface. Although I would warn you that I've seen plenty of oil stains on epoxy floors. Nothing is perfect.

I'd also take in to consideration that if you want to epoxy down the road you might not be able to do so without diamond grinding and etching again. Make sure because once it's down that's it.

 

[SWT Racing]

In that case the world is your oyster.
Hd-6414 is a good topical sealer with little prep, (2) thin coats.
or if you want no sheen, consider a densifier HD-7939.
Link:http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/de...8.html?zenid=f2f7b594113be175179be52630fb499e

Thanks for the help Scotty. A couple more questions:

Does the HD-6414 harden the concrete as does the HD-7939?

Can either one of these ever be topcoated with anything in the future?

Thanks,