Floor planning for my new garage.

[rsnip988]

I have finally decided on laying a VCT floor then covering with clear epoxy/Polyurethane with High Solid Concentration... 25'x30'

I read the article on All Garage Floors on this very question and plan to use their advice. Basically
1-glue tile,
2-let cure,
3-sand down gently with 60-80 grit sandpaper (so as not to blend the colors together)
4-vacuum and mop with alcohol to prep for coating
5-squeegee a "grout coat" of epoxy/Polyurethane clear to fill in gaps between the tiles
6-put on top layer of epoxy/Polyurethane and let cure
7-admire my beautiful new floor and post pics for GJ members to admire/criticize (as suits their desire)

Some had advised using Epoxy then PU as the top coating, isn't this a little overkill. For my extremely limited budget, would it be OK to just do 2 layers of PU over the grout coat instead of adding in the Epoxy layer (which will just amber over time, i have several windows).
Also speaking of limited budget, what direction should I turn to for the PU that will give me nice looking lasting results, but not kill my wallet?
I've looked at the SW PU that's available since I can get 30% off of my order through them... http://protective.sherwin-williams.com/detail.jsp?A=sku-27142:product-7070 I guess Clear Part A & B would be the one's I'd use from there?

Any experience with these? I know there are several members here who advertise/advise using their epoxy products here... I'm sure some of you offer a clear PU I could use for this application? Please advise what you would use... If you want to PM what and how much of what you recommend, or post on here if you want!

All advice is appreciated...

My other problem is deciding which color scheme I like best...

[/URL][/IMG]
or

[/URL][/IMG]

I am more partial to the Red (probably my combustible nature), but all of my friends I have asked have said the blue would be better looking... The lift I'm installing will be blue and my 55 Chevy will be the original "Skyline Blue" when I get it restored. I have always liked the white black and red with silver/stainless accents and I know it's a personal preference, but I've also got to think about the resale potential, if more people like blue it seems as if it would sell better... **disclaimer, all of the lines were straight and to scale before i screenshot and saved the file to upload it...**

 

[mygarageone]

I like it either way looks great. Gives me ideas for my garage .

 

[Corsair4360]

If you garage is mostly show then the checkerboard patterns are very showy and fun. If you work alot in the garage / shop then the pattern will drive you nuts. When you drop a little screw good luck finding it. Been there done that, not doing that again.

 

[rsnip988]

I like it either way looks great. Gives me ideas for my garage .

Thanks!

If you garage is mostly show then the checkerboard patterns are very showy and fun. If you work alot in the garage / shop then the pattern will drive you nuts. When you drop a little screw good luck finding it. Been there done that, not doing that again.

Well, there's the rub... I want it to be for both. Most of the heavy work such as welding, engine/****** repair and paint will be done out in the 3rd bay(seperate section) on the bare concrete.
Finding dropped screws couldn't be any harder than dropping them out in the driveway covered in debris surely?

 

[txturbo]

Thanks!



Well, there's the rub... I want it to be for both. Most of the heavy work such as welding, engine/****** repair and paint will be done out in the 3rd bay(seperate section) on the bare concrete.
Finding dropped screws couldn't be any harder than dropping them out in the driveway covered in debris surely?

I agree that its tuff to find dropped stuff. I worked in a shop with tile floor.It may be a little better if you aren't trying to make a living working on it and have more time and patience to hunt for stuff. In my experience, finding stuff on a multicolored tile floor meant either laying on the floor and looking across it to find an object sticking up or grabbing a dust mop and going over the whole area to find it. Just standing there and looking down very rarely found anything. I've also noticed the same problem with the gray painted floor with the colored flakes in it.

 

[mygarageone]

Thanks!



Well, there's the rub... I want it to be for both. Most of the heavy work such as welding, engine/****** repair and paint will be done out in the 3rd bay(seperate section) on the bare concrete.
Finding dropped screws couldn't be any harder than dropping them out in the driveway covered in debris surely?

It's just a difficult to find a small screw , bolt etc a aged or sealed concrete floor
Ask me how I know .

 

[rsnip988]

Ah... Sometimes I can't find screws and bolts I drop now, I just grab my rolling magnetic sweeper and go over the nearby area until I hear a "click" then pick it up!

Anyone have any input on the Polyurethane / epoxy covering type or usage in this case?

 

[Gerald O]

Never heard of epoxy being used over VCT before. You might get some outgassing of the tile adhesive solvents for a while after setting the tile. If you epoxy over it right away that would trap the gasses and could possibly cause bubbles.

 

[bullnerd]

Blue, red makes me angry.

I like the light grey/dark grey ones you see here once in a while. Same effect, but not so mesmerizing.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Warning from the field...we have had customers attempt to coat over VCT and it has reacted and caused the tiles to curl. Normally VCT does not get coated, so make sure to test samples prior to coating. If you do decide to do this, make sure to use nothing with solvents as this could cause the problem to get worse.

We had a large commercial job over 5,000 sq ft that the floor got ruined when the customer put epoxy on their VCT (not ours) so they had to rip up the entire floor and put a brand new epoxy system down. Enormous costs and problematic for the owner.

Our advice is to leave the VCT the way it is, clean and wax it like it is designed to be, or only use a coating that the VCT manufacturer recommends.