Welders: Which floor covering have you had good results with?

gotta56forme · Oct 31, 2007

I recently finished building my new garage. In the spring, when the temps are warmer, I want to put down a floor coating or covering. I plan to get and use a welder in the future.

What floor coverings have you had reasonable results with as it relates to weld spatter?

Or, what have you used, with good results, to protect your floor from weld spatter?

Thanks in advance,

Scott

PAToyota · Oct 31, 2007

Years ago - when I built the shop - I went with epoxy. What a mess! Burn marks everywhere even with laying down welding blankets. For a "working garage" I'd just use a penetrating sealer of some sort. At some point I'm going to strip the epoxy off and do just that.

Namocsid · Oct 31, 2007

Polished Concrete.

thegarageguy · Oct 31, 2007

You might want to concider a modular floor.

two2fastforu · Nov 1, 2007

What is a modular floor?

jskco · Nov 1, 2007

There are lots of good garage flooring options on the market. Modular flooring usually refers to garage floor tile like Swisstrax or Daytona. Better Life Technology (http://www.bltllc.com) also has a very good garage floor covering available. We have all of these products as well as free samples available at http://www.garagefloor.com

If it was my floor I would use Swisstrax or BLT.

Justin Krauss
GarageFloor.com

thegarageguy · Nov 1, 2007

stay away from any rolled out g-floor type products. They trap moister in your slab and cause detirioration(sp?). Think about a welcome mat in your front step, anytime you pick it up it wet or damp underneath. Thats no good, especially for a garage.

PAToyota · Nov 1, 2007

thegarageguy said:
You might want to concider a modular floor.

jskco said:
There are lots of good garage flooring options on the market. Modular flooring usually refers to garage floor tile like Swisstrax or Daytona.

If it was my floor I would use Swisstrax or BLT.

No way in HE** would I weld with any of that covering the floor! Just asking for a fire!

MXtras · Nov 1, 2007

Roll out floor coverings for a welding area? I don't think that's such a good recommendation.

I vote for polished concrete.

Scott

boiler7904 · Nov 1, 2007

Another vote for polished concrete. I'd also say to have the contractor stop one step before they typically do (i.e. 4 steps instead of 5). It will leave more of a matte finish that won't reflect the flash of the arc as much but gives you all of the advantages of polished concrete. It's also not as slippery when liquids are spilled.

zeebad1 · Nov 2, 2007

Years ago I knew a guy that dismantled steel buildings, and would re-assemble them elsewhere. At one time, he tore out a large quantity of 1 1/4" thick plate from a floor of an old factory. It was in a welding area. Supposedly it had some stainless steel properties.

His thoughts were to use it for flooring in welding areas. You could weld lugs & tie-downs right to it, and cut them off when finished.

I guess my thoughts are if I ever build a shop, I would consider something like this. Maybe just a 15' X 20' section.

Has anyone else ever seen or heard of this?

enginerd · Nov 2, 2007

You could also put anchors in the concrete and make fixtures that bolt in for projects.

If you are tig welding though, there should not be many sparks, just the rare super hot metal part falling on the floor.

If you plasma cut you should be careful though, but usually the sparks are not bad.

Big problem would be with acetylene torching and mig welding.

Franz© · Nov 2, 2007

My personal preference runs to an attractive plush, although in a pinch I will weld over a **** carpet.
Granted it's a tad hard to run a creeper on carpet, but a good thick pile is so comfy under my Bierkenstock welding sandals.

THIS THREAD IS A JOKE, ISN'T IT?

jskco · Nov 2, 2007

I read the original post pretty quick as I was passing through.... I read the "Which floor covering have you had good results with?"

Another thought for spot application

http://www.jnkproducts.com/antifatigue-commercial-447.htm

As to roll-out floors.... According to BLT

Standard Product (Floor Covering)
• General purpose, fire retardant, flexible PVC formulated for good oil resistance.

• Material meets all safety regulations per Federal Vehicle Safety Standard No. 302.

• Material meets GM 9070P flammability test DNI (Does Not Ignite) denotes that
material does not support combustion during or after ignition.

• Material meets Ford specification BO 116-03 (interior vehicle applications)

Material: Vinyl
Burn Resistance: Cigarette and solder burn resistance
Asbestos-Free: Product shall contain no Asbestos
Lead-Free: Product shall contain no Lead
Typical Properties (.075) ASTM Method
Specific Gravity, (+/-0.02) 1.30 D-792
Hardness, Shore A (+/-3) 81 D-2240
Tensile,PSI 2450 D-412
Elongation, % 375 D-412
100% Modulus,PSI 1200 D-412
Brittle Point, C -35 D-746
Oxygen Index, % 23 D-2863
Tensil Retention, % 94.6 UL 1581
Elongation Retention, % 88.2 UL 1581
Oil Testing: On 7 Days in IRM 902 Oil @ 60 C, 0.075

Welders: Which floor covering have you had good results with?

gotta56forme

Well-known member

PAToyota

Well-known member

Namocsid

Well-known member

thegarageguy

Well-known member

two2fastforu

Member

jskco

Well-known member

thegarageguy

Well-known member

PAToyota

Well-known member

MXtras

Well-known member

boiler7904

Well-known member

zeebad1

Well-known member

enginerd

Well-known member

Franz©

Banned

jskco

Well-known member