How is Everyone's Epoxy Floor Holding up with Use

[duwem]

Considering a 4 step epoxy floor on my shed once complete. I have some surface finish issues (Freeze pops) with the slab I want covered up.

I have heard horror stories about people getting chips out of the floor with something as simple as a jackstand with a car on it.

Also see big chunks lifting where stuff gets dropped.

My shop wont be a museum, I will be using it.

One advantage is its brand new concrete with no stains, so might hold up better than when applied to aged concrete?

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi, how many square feet is this shed? Have you considered tiles like our solid PVC www.supratile.com? Easy and failure proof.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Grind it, prime it, roll it and forget it! If done properly it will last a really long time.


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[duwem]

I'm asking for opinions from people that own garages, not people that sell/install the product.

Thanks,

 

[bdamico]

lots of threads on long term epoxy use

 

[gtr1999]

We used an epoxy with grit for a cnc shop floor to provide wet floor traction and maintain looks. It is now 16 years old and looks the same but it is very slippery when wet. I am looking to do another 3-5 sq ft area but won't be using this.

 

[C2 Turbo]

Grind it, prime it, roll it and forget it! If done properly it will last a really long time.


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Exactly ^ what we did and been almost 10 months without any issue... not even a scratch.

 

[J king]

Mine is shot. It lasted several years. It doesn't like weld and torch spatter and overspray. It stayed put tho.. a few impact breaks and a long scratch from a piece of **** stuck under a floor jack wheel when I was moving a car..needs redone now
My garage is a garage..not a showroom

 

[tcianci]

My (Stonhard) epoxy floor is going on 17 years old. Sure it's got burn marks and scratches, but I have beat the living **** out of it, floor jacks, stands, straightening things with a hammer that it took a telephone pole to bend, I pull the truck right in after driving, no hot tire pick up ever. I'm actually considering roughing it up and putting another coat on for aesthetics but I'm hoping it will be as durable as what's there.
This floor was installed over a 20+ year old slab that had already seen it's share of grease, oil, antifreeze, brake fluid and paint. I just power washed it, acid etched it, primed and then topcoated it. No regrets.

 

[frank001]

Mine has held up well:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=284998&highlight=frank001

 

[retfr8flyr]

Mine is almost as good as when I first finished it. It has been over 3 years now and I use it for everything, woodworking in one bay and working on my Mustang in another bay. I have dragged floor jacks across it, jack stands and all my heavy woodworking machines are on roller bases and I move them around all the time.

Here is a pic of when I just finished the floor.





Here is a recent pic of the woodworking bay.







You can see the floor looks about the same. If you do things correctly, Grind, prime, base with heavy flakes and clear coat with poly urethane, the floor with hold up well.

 

[Ch3No2]

One word!....PREP!
Grind it so the epoxy wants to stick!

 

[tinmanwpk]

My Armorpoxy has held up well for its 9 months. I live in Florida and I bring my car in from its 30 mile daily drive home with hot tires - no problem there. I have dropped heavy metal items from 8 feet up and I Chipped it, albeit small and minor. Put on plenty of non-slip top coat, these get slippery. I applied mine over a 6 month aged Slab. Preparing the Slab correctly is important.

 

[jwvess00]

Hi there!

Dad and I both like ours. Dad's has been down since I think 2011. Mine went on in 2014. Oil wipes right up. We've both spilled lacquer thinner on the epoxy, and it wipes right up with no damage. I have had no problems at all with jacks or jack stands.

Two things -- use a quality product (Legacy on my floor). Second, on my floor, since the previous owner had used the shop a lot and I wasn't sure of the floor's condition, I primed mine first (Legacy sells primer as well). I think that really helped a lot. Honestly I'd prime new concrete as well.

Oh, a third thing -- We did Dad's with a standard 9" roller. We did mine with an 18" roller. Definitely get an 18" roller (and a helper to mix / pour while you roll).

I've welded in my shop and the floor pretty much survived intact. I have scratched mine but that was from dragging heavy metal things across the floor, which is asking a lot of the coating -- I probably would have scuffed up uncoated concrete. I've had some cracks telegraph up from the slab through the epoxy, but again I think that's reasonable. Whoever poured my floor didn't do a good job (shop built by a previous owner). Dad's floor was poured properly by a professional concrete crew, and it looks as good today as it did in 2011.

I have touched mine up. Legacy sold a small kit to me for touch-up, and it worked great, so even if you damage it you can fix it. Why did I have to touch it up? I used construction adhesive to attach a 2x4 to the coated floor where I was building a dividing wall and had to remove part of that 2x4. It took a lot of hammer work to budge that 2x4 at all. With careful work busting up the 2x4 I was able to cut/trim the remaining wood from the epoxy and got away with only damaging a spot the size of a quarter. It's tough stuff!

I sort-of wish I had put the clear coat down in the auto shop side, mostly for peace of mind (it is supposed to add even more chemical resistance) though it's not been a problem as it is with just the epoxy primer and color coat. I can always scuff the floor and recoat with color and clear if I want.

I did not add any grit and it is slippery. I don't mind as much in the auto shop side but I wish I had added grit to the wood shop floor. Wood dust and a smooth epoxy floor make for a really slippery combination.

 

[chaosracing]

Depends on the product. We used Rustoleum epoxy shield on my dads floor about 5 or 6 years ago. His slab was 30 years old at the time. We used the purple colored simple green to clean up oil spots. Pressure washed the whole thing, acid etched and pressure washed again. Put two coats of color down then the chips. It has seen hot tires, snow/road dirt, oil, gas, other chemicals, jacks and jack stands. Besides the rust stains from the old snowblower, it still looks great.
That was the old Rustoleum product in 1 gal cans. The newer stuff (in a bag), stay away from. I helped a friend of mine do his garage and it looks like ****. His slab was 3 years old at the time (done last year). We ground the floor, pressure washed, acid etched, pressure washed then coated. Some areas look great, others look to thin. 2 Coats were applied with chips, then a clear with clear sand put in it. Its not slick at all, but still looks crappy. They changed the product.

I also second using 18" rollers. Worth the added expense. And long extension poles.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Hi there!

Dad and I both like ours. Dad's has been down since I think 2011. Mine went on in 2014. Oil wipes right up. We've both spilled lacquer thinner on the epoxy, and it wipes right up with no damage. I have had no problems at all with jacks or jack stands.

Two things -- use a quality product (Legacy on my floor). Second, on my floor, since the previous owner had used the shop a lot and I wasn't sure of the floor's condition, I primed mine first (Legacy sells primer as well). I think that really helped a lot. Honestly I'd prime new concrete as well.

Oh, a third thing -- We did Dad's with a standard 9" roller. We did mine with an 18" roller. Definitely get an 18" roller (and a helper to mix / pour while you roll).

I've welded in my shop and the floor pretty much survived intact. I have scratched mine but that was from dragging heavy metal things across the floor, which is asking a lot of the coating -- I probably would have scuffed up uncoated concrete. I've had some cracks telegraph up from the slab through the epoxy, but again I think that's reasonable. Whoever poured my floor didn't do a good job (shop built by a previous owner). Dad's floor was poured properly by a professional concrete crew, and it looks as good today as it did in 2011.

I have touched mine up. Legacy sold a small kit to me for touch-up, and it worked great, so even if you damage it you can fix it. Why did I have to touch it up? I used construction adhesive to attach a 2x4 to the coated floor where I was building a dividing wall and had to remove part of that 2x4. It took a lot of hammer work to budge that 2x4 at all. With careful work busting up the 2x4 I was able to cut/trim the remaining wood from the epoxy and got away with only damaging a spot the size of a quarter. It's tough stuff!

I sort-of wish I had put the clear coat down in the auto shop side, mostly for peace of mind (it is supposed to add even more chemical resistance) though it's not been a problem as it is with just the epoxy primer and color coat. I can always scuff the floor and recoat with color and clear if I want.

I did not add any grit and it is slippery. I don't mind as much in the auto shop side but I wish I had added grit to the wood shop floor. Wood dust and a smooth epoxy floor make for a really slippery combination.

 

[duwem]

I would likely pay someone to do it in my case.

Hows this stuff hold up to say tractors and attachments. if I drop a plow or blade or loader bucket down on it is it going to chip?

 

[TMcCay]

The only chips (3) that I have in my floor of 6 years are from impacts. The first one was unloading the 700 lb steel work bench that I found on Craigslist. One of the legs hit the floor and there was a chip about the size of a coke can. The other 2 are small and I don't remember what was dropped. I don't have a show room but I would do it again.
I used Armorpoxy if I remember correctly. The ONLY thing that I would do different is to add Sharkskin or some other very fine grit to the paint. It is slippery when wet! On the flip side it is so easy to sweep and about once a year I may mop it to remove some of the heavier dirt build up.
Hope this helps.

 

[tinmanwpk]

The only chips (3) that I have in my floor of 6 years are from impacts. The first one was unloading the 700 lb steel work bench that I found on Craigslist. One of the legs hit the floor and there was a chip about the size of a coke can. The other 2 are small and I don't remember what was dropped. I don't have a show room but I would do it again.
I used Armorpoxy if I remember correctly. The ONLY thing that I would do different is to add Sharkskin or some other very fine grit to the paint. It is slippery when wet! On the flip side it is so easy to sweep and about once a year I may mop it to remove some of the heavier dirt build up.
Hope this helps.

I, too, have Armorpoxy. I couldn't have described my situation any better. TMcCay nailed it.

 

[Fueler]

Anyone experienced brake fluid spill that you could not get to fast enough to wipe up?

 

[duwem]

The whole reason I'm considering it is they had some issues with my concrete pour and I have freeze pops in several locations. They are going to fix it their cost. Seems more logical to me to epoxy coat the floor than bust the whole thing out (with rebar, heating tube etc). Just want to make sure its not going to look like **** down the line and I would have been better off without it.

 

[duwem]

The whole reason I'm considering it is they had some issues with my concrete pour and I have freeze pops in several locations. They are going to fix it their cost as they messed up and admit it. Seems more logical to me to epoxy coat the floor than bust the whole thing out (with rebar, heating tube etc). Just want to make sure its not going to look like **** down the line and I would have been better off without it.

 

[Harix]

I'm an auto repair shop with heavy traffic repair daily, cleaned, degreased, poured on brand new concrete, it lasted 6 years before the surface starts to wear off and show the bare concrete in the most heavy area.

 

[chaosracing]

The whole reason I'm considering it is they had some issues with my concrete pour and I have freeze pops in several locations. They are going to fix it their cost as they messed up and admit it. Seems more logical to me to epoxy coat the floor than bust the whole thing out (with rebar, heating tube etc). Just want to make sure its not going to look like **** down the line and I would have been better off without it.

As long as its nothing major and can easily be repaired with epoxy you are ok. What I would have them do is epoxy fill the voids, then grind the whole floor. All the repairs will seemlessly blend in then.The epoxy paint will adhere really good, especially if you still acid etch it. But figure on using more coating than what is called for on the label. Ground concrete will absorb paint like crazy.

If you can, post pictures of the floor.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

The whole reason I'm considering it is they had some issues with my concrete pour and I have freeze pops in several locations. They are going to fix it their cost as they messed up and admit it. Seems more logical to me to epoxy coat the floor than bust the whole thing out (with rebar, heating tube etc). Just want to make sure its not going to look like **** down the line and I would have been better off without it.

Consider a quartz broadcast or a full flake floor for well damaged floors.
They will hold up better than coatings alone as well.

 

[oilslick]

Freeze pops? Is it from power trowel on air entrained crete? What caused it?