How to Protect Epoxy Floor from Jack Stands

[thundercow]

I have an epoxy floor in my car, and I continue to build it into my special man-cave. I am getting back into cars and want to start working on cars in my garage. But I can imagine jackstands and jacks will be murder on the epoxy floor.

Anyone ever tackled this problem? There must me pads or something. Any really tough rubber will do.

 

[thegarageguy]

Whenever we know that the clients home garage will be used as a "working" garage or if it's an actual work shop, we recommend double broadcast 3/16 inch quartz floor or a 1/4 inch urethane cement quartz floor. These floors are able to take more abuse than the thin film chip floors. They aren't kryptonite but are heavy duty and stronger than any other flooring system out there.

For a chip floor though, Does anyone make jacks with solid rubber wheels and jack stands with pvc or poly coatings to resist gouging?

 

[Dave88LX]

I am going to be building little 1/4" plywood bases with a little ridge around the outside for my jack stands. The bottoms of my jacks are too scraped up and nicked, I don't believe that with a Dodge diesel 2500 sitting with the front axle on them, that no damage would occur...not going to take chances.

 

[nate379]

Hmmmmm..... reason I didn't spend $4000 on a epoxy job. The epoxy is to protect the floor, so protecting the protection?
That'd be like putting a bed mat over a spray in bed liner for a truck bed.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Nate, are you sure you are in the right thread ? Could you edit that post for positive content, and if you did, would there be anything left ? BTW, anyone who is paying 4000 for a garage floor in this economy is helping the recovery, as well as his fellow man. Not a bad thing.

I myself would cut 1/4 inch luan squares, and maybe a strip for the jack. I have heard of people gluing bicycle inner tube shoes to jack wheels, but I myself have never done it. You can get a lot of squares out of one sheet of luan. A lifetime supply, as it were.

 

[Zrexxer]

I have an epoxy floor in my car, and I continue to build it into my special man-cave.

Man some of these guys go all out but you're the first one I've seen with an epoxy floor in his car!

 

[Ramblur]

My floor is a broadcast system,but in over 10 years all I use for jackstands
and such is some commercial carpet scraps leftover from building and cut up into appropriate size squares. Works good,cost nothing,and last forever...

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

All I did was dip the bottom of the legs into the liquid vinyl that is used for tool handles. Don't even have an epoxy floor (yet) but hated the stands when they slip around on the slick concrete floor. They stay put now and the re-dipping needs to be done every 6 or 9 months.

 

[87GN]

I used some scrap 3/4" plywood cut to 12" squares for each of my jackstands.

Mark

 

[ripsnortMN]

Reasons why epoxy wont be in my garage.

 

[Keep]

I am going to be building little 1/4" plywood bases with a little ridge around the outside for my jack stands. The bottoms of my jacks are too scraped up and nicked, I don't believe that with a Dodge diesel 2500 sitting with the front axle on them, that no damage would occur...not going to take chances.

That much weight will probably push right through your 1/4 plywood. Grab some old carpet, works as well and won't split when you put alot of weight on it.

I just use the stands on the floor as is, not like I am dragging them all over with weight on them, so far so good.

 

[Dave88LX]

I could try that as well. I don't know why people are knocking putting down epoxy. When I can wipe up spills with a paper towel and be on my way in a minute, versus having to **** it up out of the concrete...yeaaaaaaah.

To me, it's not a big deal to toss something under the jack stand to protect my investment. Does it need it? Probably not.

I've had my truck on little jack stands on the floor without a problem. Don't worry, it didn't go through my epoxy, the floor is still there. But you must realize that is a LOT of weight on such a tiny area. HIGH PSI.

 

[ironroad 9c1]

Yup I use stands on mine all the time, no probs at all.

 

[rsanter]

for the jacks, you can get some small tire tubes and slip them over the wheels. use contact adheasive to be sure they stay in place

for the stands, cut some pieces of rubber padding or use some of the 12x2 vynal tiles under them

bob

 

[nate379]

Well to begin with, the pro done floors are tough as nails and I doubt that something like a floor jack or stands would mess it up.
The shop I used to work at had a nice epoxy floor and we beat that **** out of it with trucks with tire chains, forklifts dragging pallets all over, etc and it still looked great after close to 10 years.

Use the tools/floor as normal and don't fret over scuffing up something put down to protect the slab!

Face it, if you want to keep the garage looking like showroom, you can't expect to turn wrenches in it and it looking nice forever.

I'm glad you can stimulate the economy with $4000 floors, but if I did that I'd be eating cabbage soup and Ramen for the next 3 or 4 years. I don't appreciate you talking down to me because of my income.

Nate, are you sure you are in the right thread ? Could you edit that post for positive content, and if you did, would there be anything left ? BTW, anyone who is paying 4000 for a garage floor in this economy is helping the recovery, as well as his fellow man. Not a bad thing.

 

[d33pt]

i use jackstands on mine all the time with no issues. i drag them around too. it's a floor, i'm not going out of my way to protect it. the only time i messed up the floor was when i pulled an atv jack and forgot the stabilizer screws were down. put a couple of nice gouges. rest of the floor looks new after 2 years of use.

 

[Falcon67]

I can see where there's a really nice floor that you'd want to protect it. I have a regular grey epoxy floor and just put the stands right on it. I haven't noted any maring of the floor. I just spent all day Saturday welding together a steel machine stand, some of the welding right off the floor - no problems or special scars.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

Well to begin with, the pro done floors are tough as nails and I doubt that something like a floor jack or stands would mess it up.
The shop I used to work at had a nice epoxy floor and we beat that **** out of it with trucks with tire chains, forklifts dragging pallets all over, etc and it still looked great after close to 10 years.

Use the tools/floor as normal and don't fret over scuffing up something put down to protect the slab!

Face it, if you want to keep the garage looking like showroom, you can't expect to turn wrenches in it and it looking nice forever.

I'm glad you can stimulate the economy with $4000 floors, but if I did that I'd be eating cabbage soup and Ramen for the next 3 or 4 years. I don't appreciate you talking down to me because of my income.

No need to talk down to anyone Nate, at any income. Prehaps I misread your original post, but it seemed a little off to me. FWIW, I have worked hard almost every day for the last 30 + years. I don't begrudge anyone anything nice that they have worked hard for, and I don't draw a line between working garages and toy barns.

I built my own walls, poured my own slab, and yes, even painted the floor, no epoxy. If someone wants a 4000.00 floor, it doesn't make me any less of a person because I don't. Nor does it make me any better of a person because I do my own work or build my own cars. People who don't do everything for themselves pay my bills, and I use that money to by food that I didn't grow myself, from a grocer who is kind enough to stock it for me.

Maybe someday that farmer would like to park a nicely restore Farmall on a really nice floor. If he does, and he comes here for help, I'm not going to tell him he shouldn't want it.

Feel free to PM me if you still feel I have wronged you.

 

[car99r]

I have never had any problems with jackstands or jacks on mine.

I do have one spot where I put a vinyl decal under the clear coat. A friend had a cushman in the air on a jack and decide to twist the jack around with the weight on it. That did tear the clear and vinyl.

As far as just lifting stuff and the weight, NO PROBLEMS!

 

[79stang514]

Just take some scrap steel plate and weld it to the bottom of your jackstands. You'll never have to worry again. The bottom plate is built right into my stands, and it's 3/16" plate, but once I finish my floor, all of my other jackstands will have a bottom plate as well.

 

[darrenalex]

hi there...

It's not so much that it's not good but more of a matter of changing habits. I have several small sheets of wood and aluminum that I use under the jackstands ans floorjack. No problems other that remembering to use them. I have an impression from a jackstand in a couple of tiles. I'll replace them in my free time. Epoxy is good but it seems that wet tires pick it up over time. I went to the single part water based for my last house so I could touch it up from time to time.The racedeck has been in my garage for about a year and a half - still going strong. I'm sure Jim will report similar results.