Questions regarding sealing new garage floor - Densifier or other?

[mjweimer]

I have recently completed a 30' x 40' garage and I would like to "seal" the floors before moving toolboxes and workbenches into the space.

As I have read through threads on this forum, I think a concrete densifier and sealer would suit my needs.

The garage will be a working garage (lots of car projects) and my goal is to prevent the occasional oil/coolant/etc spills from immediately staining the floor before they can be (quickly) wiped up.

Info-

The floor was poured Jan. 29th and did not have a curing agent or other sealer applied at that time.

There is a heavy vapor barrier under the slab and over the stone fill.

The finish is smooth but not a super hard "burned in" finish.

Mud and dry wall dust have been ground into the floor during construction and will need cleaned before applying a product.

Questions-

Suggestions to remove the dust/mud build up on the floor? At this point I am planning to use Simple Green, a scrub brush and a mop.

I would like to fill the saw cuts with an appropriate product. Does this need done prior to applying a densifier/sealer?

Can a densifier/sealer be applied in steps - ex. half of the garage at a time stopping at a saw cut?

Recommendations for a good densifier/sealer product and application tips?


Pictures -

I have attached a couple of pictures to show the surface as is before cleaning. One of the pics shows water soaking into the floor - proving no sealer was placed on the surface during cure.


Any tips, tricks and suggestions are appreciated. Weather permitting, I would like to get the floor finished within the next couple of weeks.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

You have the cleaning part right.
Densifier is a treatment, leaves no visible sign of it's presence.
It will make your good concrete "denser" at the surface.

A topical sealer will provide a better barrier to spills and it will give you a nice sheen, gloss or matte.

Using them both is not necessary but can be done.

 

[mjweimer]

LegacyIndustrial - Thank you for the reply and the clarification.

It seems that what I am looking for is a good high performing sealer. Something that will last for years in a working environment and preferably a matte finish.

From what I have read so far it seems that an Acrylic sealer is not what I am after but that is where I get a little fuzzy. Is a Siliconized product the answer or are there other options?



So how does one know that a densifier would be beneficial for their floor?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Densifiers are primarily used to facilitate a faster easier concrete polishing process.
They do stop dusting and make the surface more abrasion resistant.
Really good if you planned to do nothing else to the floor.

As soon as you apply a sealer or epoxy they become the sacrificial layer , rendering the densifier unneeded .

Also, we have a hybrid acrylic that outlasts most others and does well against most garage chemicals. HD6600. Have received favorable reviews on it since released.

 

[cbracer]

If you want just a densifier use V-Seal 101, identical to Bio Vee Seal.

http://www.vseal.com/concrete_seale...n=com_virtuemart&Itemid=13&vmcchk=1&Itemid=13

 

[mjweimer]

Legacy Industrial - PM Sent

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Good talking to you Matt.

 

[brachus12]

Don't keep us in suspense! What was decided upon? I have a similar situation and am leaning towards a densifier/sealer.

 

[mjweimer]

Well, I decided to go with the Legacy HD6600 hybrid acrylic floor sealer.

It seems that this is a good compromise. Much better than a "raw" unsealed floor and not the extreme of an epoxy system. I also like that it can be easily repaired if there is an issue.

Hopefully I will receive everything by the end of the week and will be able to report back with results early next week.

 

[nsblue]

Can the Legacy HD6600 sealer be used over VCT tiles?

 

[bullnerd]

Well, I decided to go with the Legacy HD6600 hybrid acrylic floor sealer.

It seems that this is a good compromise. Much better than a "raw" unsealed floor and not the extreme of an epoxy system. I also like that it can be easily repaired if there is an issue.

Hopefully I will receive everything by the end of the week and will be able to report back with results early next week.

Looking forward to your report.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Can the Legacy HD6600 sealer be used over VCT tiles?

Never attempted.

 

[mjweimer]

A little later than I hoped, but as promised I have attached a couple of pictures of the finished product.

As expected, cleaning and prepping the floor took a long time. I ended up using a medium strength solution of Simple Green and a stiff short-bristled nylon brush to do the dirty work and then used clean water and a mop to clean up the residue.

It was amazing how much dirt, concrete dust and drywall dust were in the buckets each time I emptied them.

The HD 6600 was easy to apply, I used a 12" wide - 3/8" nap Purdy roller. I decided to try a paint tray meant for 24" rollers instead of a standard size tray which ended up being a good idea. The extra room meant less re-fill's and helped prevent any accidental dripping.

I also need to mention that my floor only needed about 3.5 gallons for two coats. This stuff goes a long way on a floor with a smooth finish.


The Matte finish looks great and I hope the coating wears as well as it looks. Now I get the joy of filling +250' of saw-cuts with backer rod and Sika-Flex.

 

[Theo911]

Wow that looks great I can't believe the color change to the surface it looks like you stained it first! Is that just due to the drywall and cement dust cleanup and sealer that brings out the cement's natural color? Job well done.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Excellent job.
Send me a pm with your name, address and shirt size.

 

[mjweimer]

Theo911 - Cleaning the floor did restore some of the natural concrete color since there was a lot of fine drywall dust from the wall finishing and cement dust from the saw cutting process.

However, the sealer did make the color deeper and bring out variegated look that is normal in a smooth finished floor. Remember this is the Matte finish, I imagine that the Gloss finish would really "pop" (but not my taste).

Wow that looks great I can't believe the color change to the surface it looks like you stained it first! Is that just due to the drywall and cement dust cleanup and sealer that brings out the cement's natural color? Job well done.

 

[arrowhead]

mjweimer,

Sounds like the same situation I have - newly poured floor, lots of vintage car work (leaky fluids), more concerned with durability than appearence, etc. This might be what I'm looking for also. Thanks for the write up!

 

[Edger]

Congratulations on your cleaning, done that many times, slow, but it works if you put in the effort. Good job.

 

[expert_samurai]

Can non-skid additives be used with HD6600?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Yes, the Legacy Industrial Soft-Skid works really well.
Most use the extra-fine version with HD6600.
Link: http://legacyindustrial.net/cart/soft-skid-antiskid-additive-p-126.html

Mix 1/5th container per gallon of sealer. Mix into sealer and immediately apply.

 

[OrneryDuck]

Looks awesome and may be just what I'm after for my garage!

How does the HD6600 fair in regards to extended sunlight exposure? I really only concerned with the area just inside the doors, but it'd be a bummer to find them heavily discolored due to working with the garage opens.

 

[wesman]

that is exactly what i have been looking for. I have new construction and have been looking at options for the 3 car garage flooring. i thought i wanted it epoxy, but after reading hundreds of reviews I decided against it. your flooring looks awsome and its solid concrete! where can i get this product in Houston?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Looks awesome and may be just what I'm after for my garage!

How does the HD6600 fair in regards to extended sunlight exposure? I really only concerned with the area just inside the doors, but it'd be a bummer to find them heavily discolored due to working with the garage opens.

Will not yellow.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

that is exactly what i have been looking for. I have new construction and have been looking at options for the 3 car garage flooring. i thought i wanted it epoxy, but after reading hundreds of reviews I decided against it. your flooring looks awsome and its solid concrete! where can i get this product in Houston?

Wes, we ship direct to Houston.

We are proving this material to a large aircraft/defense company in Dallas ths week. Hope to have some pics when done.

 

[OrneryDuck]

Will not yellow.

Awesome! I'll be giving you a ring tomorrow with hopes to apply by Saturday.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Don't delay. Week before a holiday is VERY busy!!

 

[thomaskept]

I think you can use xtremeharddensifier, It is mostly used to give concrete flooring shining it give more shining to your floor and you can easily clean by scrubbers, pub and moz.

 

[J Persons]

Just finished my 1600 SF garage floor yesterday, applied two coats of HD6600. The first coat took about me 3 ½ hours to apply and the second coat went on in about 1½ hours, using a 12" roller. The first coat was mostly absorbed by the concrete and the second went on much quicker. I bought the 5 gallon size, and still have about a gallon left. The floor feels completely different, rubber soled shoes will squeak, sort of like when you walk on a basket ball court wearing sneakers. I don't know how it will react if wet, but the floor seems to have more friction when walking on it compared to the untreated floor.

 

[jski67]

J Persons, do you have any pics?

I'm very interested in this too. Has anyone applied the gloss version and have any pictures?

 

[J Persons]

J Persons, do you have any pics?

I'm very interested in this too. Has anyone applied the gloss version and have any pictures?

This is gloss. I don't have the lights turned on yet so I opened the roll up doors to show the gloss. The floor didn't turn out as dark as some others I've seen, but I like the natural look of the concrete better anyway. It will defiantly be a breeze to clean up now that the floor sealed.

 

[dieselgarage]

What is the prep on a new slab prior to Legacy HD6600 sealer.

 

[jski67]

Looks great!!! Thanks for the pic.

Did you use anti-skid? If not, how slick does it feel?

 

[J Persons]

Looks great!!! Thanks for the pic.

Did you use anti-skid? If not, how slick does it feel?

For prep, I swept it at least half a dozen times, spot scrubbed it with 409 cleaner and a scrub brush, washed it with plain water twice, then went over it with my power washer using a grease remover solvent. Then washed it again, squeegeed it dry, then let it dry for two days.

I didn't use any anti skid, I reminds me of walking across a gym floor with rubber soled shoes, it will make your shoes squeak. It's very smooth, but not slick. It may get slick if wet, but when it's dry it is very anti-skid.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Very nice J.
Send me a PM with your name/address and we will get a shirt to you.

 

[wesman]

Scotty,

any pictures of the large aircraft/defense company in Dallas done this week?

 

[bbbad2dabone]

Scotty, I just completed polishing a 3500 SF area of concrete in my shop. The contactor used a densifier and sealer so he said, but things soak in and stain it quickly. He told me to use Mop & Glo on top. I've done this but not sure this is the best solution. Can Legacy HD6600 sealer be used over the mop & glow or will I need to buff it all off?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Scotty, I just completed polishing a 3500 SF area of concrete in my shop. The contactor used a densifier and sealer so he said, but things soak in and stain it quickly. He told me to use Mop & Glo on top. I've done this but not sure this is the best solution. Can Legacy HD6600 sealer be used over the mop & glow or will I need to buff it all off?

Our Hd40 sealant/ guard is designed for this.
Remove all products off and apply following the directions.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Scotty,

any pictures of the large aircraft/defense company in Dallas done this week?

Job is on hold. If I get picks I will post them for sure.

 

[LB62]

I have the same new green 27'x39' floor and want to use the HD6600. I have a question on do I Wait 28 days before using the HD6600? Also I have fiber in my concreat how do I get it off the top?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Roll Tide!

Burn the fibers with a rosebud torch or similar.
Green concrete is ok for this sealer.

Always two coats minimum.