40x40 inside, 20x40 carport

[imma_stocker]

Looking for recommendations, reviews, advice and discounts.

Auto shop at home. Lots of various chemicals with moderate fabrication. Virgin slab poured 60 days ago so fully cured.

Metal building 40x40 spray foamed. Attached 20x40 carport.

I've had sealed concrete, smooth epoxy, and heavily textured epoxy shops before. Not a fan of smooth epoxy due to major slip hazard. Sealed took a lot of damage and staining over time but no slipping. Textured epoxy was already damaged and I certainly didn't help.

Concerns:
Slip hazard
Durable to LOTS of chemicals
Durable to impact, scraping, wear, and temperature cycles (mostly heat)
Durable for fabrication sparks and slag
Visibility to find those rouge hardware once they hit the floor


Cost is a factor. Bunch of friends have recommended everything from leaving concrete raw to laying carpet. I'm looking for advice on specific materials for inside vs outside. Outside less important. Inside I've even considered doing epoxy half where the lift will be then just sealing the other half.

All advice greatly appreciated!

I'm in Texas. Frost and salts are not an issue.

 

[Shea]

Looking for recommendations, reviews, advice and discounts.

Auto shop at home. Lots of various chemicals with moderate fabrication. Virgin slab poured 60 days ago so fully cured.

Metal building 40x40 spray foamed. Attached 20x40 carport.

I've had sealed concrete, smooth epoxy, and heavily textured epoxy shops before. Not a fan of smooth epoxy due to major slip hazard. Sealed took a lot of damage and staining over time but no slipping. Textured epoxy was already damaged and I certainly didn't help.

Concerns:
Slip hazard
Durable to LOTS of chemicals
Durable to impact, scraping, wear, and temperature cycles (mostly heat)
Durable for fabrication sparks and slag
Visibility to find those rouge hardware once they hit the floor


Cost is a factor. Bunch of friends have recommended everything from leaving concrete raw to laying carpet. I'm looking for advice on specific materials for inside vs outside. Outside less important. Inside I've even considered doing epoxy half where the lift will be then just sealing the other half.

All advice greatly appreciated!

I'm in Texas. Frost and salts are not an issue.

Based on your concerns list, you will need to make a compromise somewhere. No sealer or coating is going to do all of those things well. My recommendation would be a two step combo that involves applying a densifier first, followed 5-7 days later with an oil-repelling sealer. Penetrating sealers such as these will not flake, scratch, or peel since they are non-film-forming. The protection is right at the sub-surface. This combination provides the best protection for sealed concrete, but it is not stain-proof. It's still important to clean messes that can stain in a reasonable amount of time. They retain the same slip resistance as untreated concrete.

There are two brands available that members of the GJ have used and report great results with. They are GhostShield and Concrete Sealers USA. I've posted an article below for each that explains how they work, why they work well, and other considerations. They also include links where you can purchase them.

Is GhostShield the Best Oil Repelling Garage Floor Sealer? | All Garage Floors

We review GhostShield Siloxa-Tec 8505 & 8510. Learn why this is an excellent concrete sealer for resisting oil & oil stains on your garage floor and driveway.

allgaragefloors.com

Why PS100 is a Superior Oil Resistant Garage Floor Sealer | All Garage Floors

We review PS100 Fluorinated Oil Repelling Sealer. It may be the best garage floor concrete sealer for resisting oil stains for the garage and driveway.

allgaragefloors.com

A quality coating will provide the best protection against chemicals and general spills, but it will not tolerate heavy impacts, dragging steel across the surface, or hot welding slag. The closest to accomplishing that would be a product by Legacy Industrial called HellFire. It will require mixing an anti-slip media into the final coat to obtain a decent amount of wet slip resistance. You can read about it below.

Is HellFire® the Ideal Coating for your Busy Workshop or Garage?

HellFire® Concrete Coating… Seriously, who wouldn’t be interested in learning more about a coating for workshops and garage floors with a name like that? So, when Legacy Industrial offered to send a sample for us to review, we couldn’t resist. What we soon discovered is that HellFire® is a floor...

allgaragefloors.com

 

[imma_stocker]

I'll read through the articles provided and try to make my compromises. That's exactly the sort of info I was looking for to narrow down the thousands of options.

How long do sealers last? Should I plan on redoing the whole thing every X years or do I need to redo high traffic areas?

My old shops with epoxy were damaged by previous tenants and I always thought it would be a much larger chore to fix vs worn out sealer.

 

[Shea]

I'll read through the articles provided and try to make my compromises. That's exactly the sort of info I was looking for to narrow down the thousands of options.

How long do sealers last? Should I plan on redoing the whole thing every X years or do I need to redo high traffic areas?

My old shops with epoxy were damaged by previous tenants and I always thought it would be a much larger chore to fix vs worn out sealer.

If you apply a densifier and then an oil-repelling sealer, you would only need to reapply the oil-repelling sealer once every 10 years.

 

[imma_stocker]

Went through my compromises and settled on Concrete Sealers USA combo of PS103 and PS100. Should be delivered today. Big thanks to Shea for the info!

While waiting for that product I went down a rabbit hole regarding painting spray foam insulation. Something about fire and foam caught my attention so I hit some leftover pieces with my propane torch. Immediately started charring and smoking like a marshmallow then quickly went out once flame was removed. DC315 product looks super tough but WOW the price and inconsistent info regarding coverage per gallon. Is this something to be concerned about?

I am not using drywall. With 12' ceiling height and 16' eave I plan on running used (free) metal panels 8' up in welding/fabrication areas. Rest of the walls same 8' up using combination of plywood and metal panels for hanging shelves and overall protection. Will this suffice? I know sparks fly but I'm usually looking at my work while throwing them. Should I add metal panel height to welding fab area? Will any paint be okay?

Thanks in advance

 

[Armorpoxy]

Take a look at our our Coval Spray down Concrete Coating. Inexpensive, super durable, and highly resistant to almost everything.