Recommendations needed for 3200 sq ft shop floor

[jtillery]

I just purchased a 3200 sq ft building, the sales closes in 2 weeks. It was built in 1950 and used to be a machine shop. There is a layer of dirt/grease 1/8" thick over the entire floor. Before I move anything in, I plan on sweeping it up good, then power washing it with concrete cleaner / acid to get it as clean as possible. I will also have to fill in quite a few spots. I would like to put some type of coating/covering down to make it look nicer and keep it easier to clean. What do you recommend?

The shop will mainly be used for working on cars/motorcycles and storage. I do very little welding. I am tight on cash from the purchase of the building, but I would really like to do the floor before I move in. The cheaper the better but I want something that would hold up reasonably well or be easy to repair if it got damaged.

I will post of some pics of the place as soon as I get possession of it.

Thanks

 

[slim53]

I had the same problem but on a smaller scale. After trying numerous avenues (even pressure washing) I purchased Wolverine's degreaser and oil eating Microbes. Their degreaser covers about 250 sq ft/gal. I needed to clean about 1000 sq ft so I got a 5 gal jug that ran about $75 from Fred at Alpha Garage (member here). After degreasing and rinsing, I put down some of the microbes. Use this stuff wisely as it's pretty spendy ($75/gal). Check out my post to catch the results.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24424

It looks like I'll need to do a second coat of the microbes, but the floor should be good after that. From what I've read, putting acid down seems to hurt coatings in the long run. Other guys have good luck just pressure washing the **** out of their floors for 13 hours on a 2 stall. I chose the microbes because I had other things to do on the garage. Good luck and post some pics please.

Slim

 

[thegarageguy]

The cheaper the better but I want something that would hold up

There is no cheap way out my freind. Unfortunately going budget will end up costing you more in the long run. Invest a little more now and save future aggrevation and headaches.

 

[WolverineCoatings]

Talk to Fred at AlphaGarage... We have a pretty kickin' degreaser (OrganiClean 935) and then some microbes that actually eat oil and grease. Fred will get you squared away...

 

[nissan_crawler]

Other guys have good luck just pressure washing the **** out of their floors for 13 hours on a 2 stall.

That would be me. There's no way in hell I would do what I did to 3200 sq ft. You would find me dangling at the end of the pressure washer hose wrapped around the trusses. 8 days of pressure washing isn't close to feasible.

I would say wolverine's stuff is the way to go for that much area.

Wolverine, is there any reason (other than the line that would show) that somebody with an area that size that didn't want to pay for all of it could do something like 10 ft of coating around all the walls so things could be set in place, then do the center later?

Perhaps that's a good option here, if you're not concerned about a showroom quality floor with nothing showing.

 

['the epoxy floor guy']

Grease ALWAYS *****. The other solutions offered her sound like your best shot.

As to the 'savin on the front end' part of your question, Here is my Opinion.

#1 Spend the majority of your budget on PREP and CLEANING of your floor. ANYTHING you do will depend on that.

#2 If funds are limited I would purchase a GOOD Epoxy Primer, or Penetrating SEALER. Putting down a GOOD seal coat will make the installation of a GREAT floor later MUCH EASIER. If you only have to remove the dirt ABOVE the seal coat, THAT EASY. Removing the grime from all those holes and Voids is what takes the most time. You can purchase a GREAT epoxy primer for ~ $.22/sf. ($704) You can EVEN tint the primer to look 99% like the finished product, you could even broadcast chips into this coat. 3200 sf you could use about 50# of chips ($159) to get a sparse chip pattern. You can get a good sealer coat for around $.08/sf ($256).

#3 Then when funds come available you can 'open' the sealer or primer with a chemical bond agent or a quick over with a sand paper. Then you can install ANY epoxy flooring you want. EVEN if you have some spots that peel up or ware off you can easily fix ONLY those areas before you put on the final coat.

-- Other thoughts==> IF you do around the edges one time and want to do the inside later, just keep this in mind. 99% of the time the color will not match EXACTLY the same. It will most likely be OBVIOUS where the splice is. SO if you Pre plan to use an accent stripe or a Different color in those areas you can avoid the color mismatch.

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

I recommend a product called "Drive up",they sell it at Murray's auto parts, i think for around $7 a gallon,you pour it onto the surface and let sit overnight then in the morning just hose it down.Works fantastic!!

 

[jtillery]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Looks like closing may be pushed back a week or two on the building, but I should have access by the end of November. From the suggestions and further research, I am going to sweep/vacuum the floor to get as much dirt up as possible, then powerwash it using a cleaner/degreaser and see what it looks like. Once I get that done, I will asses the floor and try to figure out what to do from there. I have a feeling some microbes are in my future.

I was considering using a good amount of VCT, I may still do that in some areas, but after further research I think I should stick to a good 2 part epoxy. Like others have said, there likely is not a cheap route, so I will have to find a way to come up with the cash to get it done before I move in.

 

['the epoxy floor guy']

I have doing some research on your 'grease and oil' problem and have come across a good solution that has worked to 'soak' up the grease and oil without a HUGE expense.

Purchase some PORTLAND CEMENT.

Use your power washer / degreaser as best you can. Then when COMPLETELY DRY apply a liberal layer of portland cement over these areas and let them sit on it for at least a few hours. Sweep up and inspect the area. Repeat as needed. The oil and grease should "wick" up into the portland and make the floor ready for a coating.

Good luck.

 

[jtillery]

I finally have an update. I closed on the shop last week, it took alot longer than we anticipated since we were waiting on the city.

The previous owner left a bunch of junk but we are getting close to having it cleared out, we have hauled over 8000 pounds of junk and scrap metal out so far. Hopefully I will be able to start power washing the walls and floors this weekend.

For the most part the floor is in much better condition then I remembered. It all had a very thick layer of dirt, but isn't greasy underneath. I swept up (2) 55 gallon drums of dirt from the place. The building was built in 2 sections, the newer section will be my main shop area. The newer concrete looks to be in very good condition, no major stains and nice and smooth, but there is a couple settling cracks, there was only 1 relief joint cut down the middle of the 40'x50' area. The older concrete has some grease stains and a few potholes, they used to park large sewer vac trucks on it. I will be using the area for an office, bathroom, paint booth and trailer storage area so the floor finish isn't as critical there.

Here are some pictures:
Front Area

Main Shop Area

Worst Area

After Sweeping

 

[Kevin54]

There are companies out there that do concree scrubbing. Also there is an item that goes on the end of a powerwasher to scrub concrete. But you need a large powerwasher. I don't know exactly what it is called at the moment, but it puts you in mind of a lawnmower deck with a rotating water wand underneath. Your local rental place may have it. I know that when I bought my powerwasher I was looking at them.

 

[6768rogues]

Not environmentally friendly, but you can dump a bunch of old car batteries on the floor and let the acid do the work. Use plenty of ventilation and don't cause any sparks.

 

[Fuller]

I would ignore the car battery advice...OK?

The floor doesn't look that bad. Do a moisture test and diamond grind it. Most of the time that will remove enough of the contaminated surface to apply whatever coating or tile you might consider.

That building looks like a wreck but I'll bet you could do great things with it. I love old industrial spaces like that.

Good luck.

 

[jtillery]

The building definitely needs some work, but structurally it is very solid. It will be worth the work, I had been looking for a building for a couple years when I found this one. It has great potential, it is 2 miles from my home and it has other buildings on the property to produce rental income.

We basically gutted the place, we should be finished with all the cleanup this week. We are redoing the bathroom, and will start framing/insulating/drywalling all the walls/ceiling in the shop next week.

As for flooring, I am actually leaning towards RaceDeck or RaceDeck Revolution right now. The cost will be very significant do to the large space to cover, but it seems like it would be worth it. I am also considering epoxy, but I am concerned how well it will turn out given the flooring condition, and my lack of experience with epoxy. I am assuming if I have the epoxy professionally installed and warrantied, then the cost would exceed RaceDeck.

 

[joeslob]

There are companies who prep only, whether it be shot blast or diamond grinding. Might be worth the cost to get professional prep and do the coating yourself. Another option, if you have the head room, would be to lay down approx 4" of concrete and seal it after it's poured. We poured a new floor topping in our warehouse at work, but we had 20' ceilings. 12 hours after it was poured we sprayed down a lithium (I think) based sealer. It's the same system used in new manufacturing plants.

 

[jtillery]

Well, it has been awhile since I have given an update. I have been spending all my free time on the shop. It is taking longer than expected (as usual) but we are making very good progress. All the walls are framed, the electrical will be completed by tomorrow. The HVAC will not be done for another 2 weeks, but we will be starting insulation and drywall by Monday. I am hoping to start moving in by the middle of April.

I went ahead and ordered 2500 sq ft of RaceDeck REVolution. I think it was by far the best choice for my application. I am anxious to get the drywall finished and painted so I can start installing it.

 

[drivinhard]

please post pics when you are finished

 

[AP2TUDE]

I have a feeling that this is going to look bitchin.

What colors did you go with on the RaceDeck?

 

[jtillery]

I have a feeling that this is going to look bitchin.

What colors did you go with on the RaceDeck?

I am looking forward to it, I think it will look real good.

The majority of the shop will be a graphite and alloy checkerboard pattern. I haven't decided if I am going to use single tiles for the pattern or use 4 for each color to make a larger checkerboard. In the lounge area and the bathroom it is going to be solid graphite. There will be a 1 tile wide row of black and 1 tile wide row of blue seperating the solid graphite area with the start of the checkerboard. Also in the main shop area I have one wall that is 60' long where the majority of workbench, tools and equipment will be located. I a going to have a 3' wide strip of black for everything to sit on, and a 1' wide blue stripe before the checker starts.

 

[jtillery]

R&L Carriers showed up with my RaceDeck REVolution on Thursday. I am anxious to put it down, we are probably 3-4 weeks away from installation since we just started hanging drywall.

Here are the colors I am using:

 

[brmorr]

Good choice on the colors. I am going to be using 3 of those 4 in my garage. I am going to use a black outline, a blue outline and then a black and alloy checkerboard. I am not using the revolution, but going with the normal diamond stuff.

Brian

 

[Miata5.0]

My Racedeck REVolution is going down and it is Waaaaay cool. I am only doing 2300 SqFt though

 

[jtillery]

My Racedeck REVolution is going down and it is Waaaaay cool. I am only doing 2300 SqFt though

Your floor is looking very nice. I have been trying to decide if I want to use 1 or 4 tiles for to make the checker. I think the 4 tile checker will look a little better, however there are alot of weird angles in my shop so it will probably make those more noticeable.

 

[Miata5.0]

I thought about single tile checkerboard but disassembling all those tiles for that would have been too time consuming. I also didn't want to get vertigo walking from one side of the shop to the other. My shop is 40 X 60.

It will take time to get the shop cleaned up enough for final pics but I am almost 90% done putting down the tile with trimming two side walls being the last step.

You will feel immediately gratified once you get rolling

 

[jtillery]

My original plan was to put down a decent size section of single tile checker pattern to see if I liked it or thought it was too busy, before proceeding with the rest of the floor. After realizing it was packed in 4 tile squares of each color, I started leaning towards doing a 4 tile checker so I didn't have to take them all apart. I just finished looking through the RaceDeck gallery again and essentially settled in on the 4 tile checker pattern.

 

[jtillery]

It will take time to get the shop cleaned up enough for final pics but I am almost 90% done putting down the tile with trimming two side walls being the last step.

How long did it end up taking to put down? I am looking forward to seeing the pictures of it completely finished.