why do anything with the floor?

[mustangmccance]

I really like my garage, the way it is coming along. lot of work left to do on it of course. If I ever finish I may have to move and start a new one :lol anyway I have started to think about what if anything I want to do to my floor. I have two issues. first my garage is big. anything I do is going to be expensive and just cosmetic reasons don't seem to be enough to divert those funds from other projects.

so convince me guys. what are the benefits of specific floor coverings.

on the first garage I built I stained it and added that shark grit surfacing and it looked good and was easier to clean up stains so this is one reason. but give me some other benefits to help me decide what I want to do.

thanks in advance.



and please forgive the title of the thread I figured that might get a few people who really believe there floor covering is an asset to look and respond to my questions. thanks again.

 

[Shocker]

For me, easier to clean, the Racedeck provides a softer and warmer feel when I am laying on it, and it looks great!

When I finally was able to build my shop, I told myself I would have a nice floor. No stains, no powdering, and great looks. It was mandatory for me.

I installed the Racedeck GarageDeck product over the top of some inexpensive laminate floor underlayment and I couldn't be happier with the results.

 

[porphyre]

Epoxy - ease of cleanup. Oil and water bead on epoxy like water on a freshly detailed Ferrari. If the water is dirty and evaporates, you can literally wipe the dirt up with a fingertip.

Oil won't penetrate. I had a leak in a container and didn't know it. Oil had been slowly puddling underneath it for approx 3 weeks. The oil still beaded perfectly. I cleaned up with two paper towels and a shot of Simple Green (with another towel, so make that 3 towels) to get the residue.

Oh and it's shiny. Garage seems brighter now.

 

[Tim M]

Euco Diamond Hard Densifier. Almost zero prep, works great on smooth troweled surface as well as broom finish. 1-2 hours for application. Done. Still looks like concrete.
I paid $12.60 a gallon. 3-5 gallons per 1000 sq ft depending on porosity. No more dusting and spills wipe right up if you get to them right away.

Lot's of good info on this thread:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38470

Tim

 

[rsanter]

oils do not soak in and it sweeps up easier

hey it looks good too

I have some of the same feelings, but I painted my floor because of the ease of cleanup. I did noit want the big expense as well so I just bought a few cans of the basic garage floor paint from the hardware store.
it does not look as nice but it cleans up easy. if I scratch it (and I have) I just clean area and the touch it up, no problem

bob

 

[mustangmccance]

Euco Diamond Hard Densifier. Almost zero prep, works great on smooth troweled surface as well as broom finish. 1-2 hours for application. Done. Still looks like concrete.
I paid $12.60 a gallon. 3-5 gallons per 1000 sq ft depending on porosity. No more dusting and spills wipe right up if you get to them right away.

Lot's of good info on this thread:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38470

Tim

thanks. good thread I read through most of it and the sticky at the top of this page and I am learning a lot. I appreciate the input. I am learning how to navigate this site but I guess I am a bit slow, and as my sig says patience is not one of my virtues. thanks again.

 

[MR P BODY]

I did my floor in gray epoxy... makes it brighter in there for working, easy clean up
and it just looks good... I put my race logo on the floor and cleared over it... this
will most likely be my last shop so I did it the way I always wanted it(except for
the size... too small... 1080 sq ft)

 

[Jaguar Fan]

Euco Diamond Hard Densifier. Almost zero prep, works great on smooth troweled surface as well as broom finish. 1-2 hours for application. Done. Still looks like concrete.
I paid $12.60 a gallon. 3-5 gallons per 1000 sq ft depending on porosity. No more dusting and spills wipe right up if you get to them right away.

Lot's of good info on this thread:
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38470

Tim

Hi Tim,

How long ago did you do the surface? Can you post some pics?

 

[Hammerdown]

An epoxy floor coating with a high gloss top coat- IMHO- Epoxy will seal the floor and make it very easy to clean. You don't have to scrub it like concrete, since most the oils and such won't soak in and will sit on the surface and can be wiped away. Mop it down, rinse it off and squeegee away any excess water. The color choices can really bring a room alive and tie the whole area together. I usually use an accent stripe along the wall that compliments the floor color. The high gloss finish has a "wet" look and really reflects a lot of light. Heads and tails above a bare concrete floor.

 

[Hammerdown]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the best reason for epoxy versus bare concrete- you won't need kitty litter for clean up anymore!

 

[427HISS]

I really like the "Swisstrax" tile flooring system, especially their "Ribtrax" if your garage/shop is a work area, not just for show. It's 16" square and 3/4" thick, so it's tough. The space between the ribs allows snow, mud & water to go down to the concrete floor. Being 3/4" thick, you'll never have standing water that high so your feet are dry. If you do,... you have a lot of problems, like a FLOOD !

If you need to clean, just use a garden hose or power washer to wash it all out.

It looks great, with the two apposing rib angle's, it looks like a checkered flag.

Preparation,... broom your floor and lay down your tiles. Very easy.

I can get a discount so, if you're interested, send me an email or pm.

http://www.swisstrax.com/

Thanks.

 

[Tim M]

I did the upper slab(Euco Diamond Hard) a few weeks ago. A few days ago some ****** fluid sat overnight on it. Wiped right up. Can't tell were it was. Also, we've gotten a ton of rain in the last few days and at least in the beginning the water was beading right up.

This past weekend I did the lower slab. I did not use any water to break it up in the end, but the temp was around 50 F. It did not "clean" up as smooth as the upper. I would recommend at least a little water mist in the end.

Pics? It looks just like it did before, plain concrete. Obviously a good epoxy job looks a lot better, but for me cost and time just wasn't worth it right now. And in a few years if I am sick of the clean concrete look I will just grind the Euco off and epoxy. I would have had to grind the slab for epoxy prep anyway since it was tightly troweled.

I will be posting pics of my whole project soon.

Hi Tim,

How long ago did you do the surface? Can you post some pics?

 

[BerBer5985]

I go back and forth on this so much. I own a flooring store and I'm having a hard time selecting a good product that will stand up and I keep leaning towards leftover VCT in the back. I have like over 1000 sq ft of leftover VCT in the warehouse of mixed colors and I'm tempted to put this down because it's essentially free and I figure if it ever gets damaged, I'll pop a new tile in its place. The problem is, in a working garage, there are so many different types of damages that can occur whether it be oil or some other harsh chemical or heat from welding. Sometimes I think it might not be worth the trouble of even installing VCT because when I weld in there, it's gonna burn the tile anyway. Owning a flooring business makes a little bias in that I'd love to put some really nice flooring in there, like porcelain or something, but for a working garage, I just know it'll get ruined at some point.

 

[ket-tek]

For me the reasons to do some sort of coating is easy cleanup/stain resistance and to eliminate the dusting. The third thing would be the great looks.

 

[scbird94]

My favorite part of an epoxy floor is the fact that i almost never use a creeper anymore (for quick jobs)- floor stays clean so when i pull a car in i can roll around in my church clothes if i wanted and stay clean. Even when my bare concrete was "clean" still left dirt all over you

 

[Dan_inthewind]

I painted mine because I like a clean garage and I like to piant. My jobs can be a lawnmower one day and a dresser refinish the next. Dust is never a problem with a painted floor. Vacumn it and good to go!