Advice on garage floor

[tim829]

Advice on garage floor and filling damaged contraction joints

I've been doing a lot of reading on the internet and I need some advice on what to do on our garage floor. Our initial plan was just to seal the floor, nothing fancy. However, the contraction joints really bother me. I was initially going to leave them but the contractor that did the job cut them too early and a lot of the edges look horrible, even a couple small chunks missing (see pictures). However it was hard to complain after the fact because it was a friend that did it at a heavily discounted rate. So anyway, now I'm looking at filling the joints before doing anything else but I don't want to sink a lot of money into it. The wife really wants the natural concrete look but I don't know if that's the best option after filling the joints because I'm sure the filler will make a mess and it would probably be better to paint or epoxy afterwards. Any thoughts on which route I should take? I'm really not looking for a fancy epoxy floor, just something to clean it up and seal it.

Thanks!

 

[FJ4FUN]

If it were my garage....

1) I would diamond grind the entire floor.
2) Repair the damaged edges with Wolverine Coatings' TrowelEase 1162.
3) Prime with BondTite 1101.
4) Apply a nice thick coat of LiquaTile 1143 CFLC ( personally I like either Silver Gray or Dusk Blue ).
5) Fill the cuts with SikaFlex self leveling sealant or our IntegraFlex 1921.

6)


If it were my garage....

 

[u2slow]

I procrastinated doing anything to the concrete... then quickly found that my shop usage is too 'extreme' for any surface coating to last. Scrapes, divots, burns, and oil stains are the norm. Glad I'm not freaking out over the $$$$ coating I damaged.

EDIT: I did fill the seam against the stem wall with a polyurethane caulking. That could work for your control joints.

 

[pioneer1]

If it hasn't been sealed yet I would look at a Stain. And repair the joint damage then fill the joints after the stain. Shouldn't be to expensive and it would look fantastic.

 

[tim829]

If it were my garage....

1) I would diamond grind the entire floor.
2) Repair the damaged edges with Wolverine Coatings' TrowelEase 1162.
3) Prime with BondTite 1101.
4) Apply a nice thick coat of LiquaTile 1143 CFLC ( personally I like either Silver Gray or Dusk Blue ).
5) Fill the cuts with SikaFlex self leveling sealant or our IntegraFlex 1921.

6)


If it were my garage....

Thanks for the recommendations but I think this is a little more than I'm wanting to do!

 

[tim829]

If it hasn't been sealed yet I would look at a Stain. And repair the joint damage then fill the joints after the stain. Shouldn't be to expensive and it would look fantastic.

What would you use to fill the joints? I was hoping whatever I used would also handle the repairs on the edges. I guess it would have to be something hard though that I could sand down.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

What would you use to fill the joints? I was hoping whatever I used would also handle the repairs on the edges. I guess it would have to be something hard though that I could sand down.

Here you go: https://www.legacyindustrial.net/pr...atings/xtreme-set-100-crack-joint-filler.html

 

[tim829]

I should note that this isn't actually a garage, it's more of a outdoor living area where we'll have stuff including a kitchen. It won't have vehicles or any heavy equipment in it so I don't need a top of the line finish for the floor or anything. I'm really leaning more towards some type of floor paint rather than a epoxy.

So the main question is what can I do with the cracks that will also knock out the damage in one step where I can sand it down then paint over it for a seamless look?

 

[tim829]

Here you go:

Thanks for the link! Can I use a backer with this so I use less filler? I'm assuming this dries hard where I can sand it down then paint over?

 

[pioneer1]

What would you use to fill the joints? I was hoping whatever I used would also handle the repairs on the edges. I guess it would have to be something hard though that I could sand down.

Definitely talk with 1 of the vendors here, i am sure you could do something that would break the bank. And I bet if you showed your wife some of the stain options she would love it.

I wouldn't paint, you run the risk of it lifting under the tires.

Here's a great website https://allgaragefloors.com/?s=stain. And Shea is a member here.

Check this thread out https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=444955

 

[tim829]

Definitely talk with 1 of the vendors here, i am sure you could do something that would break the bank. And I bet if you showed your wife some of the stain options she would love it.

I wouldn't paint, you run the risk of it lifting under the tires.

Here's a great website https://allgaragefloors.com/?s=stain. And Shea is a member here.

Check this thread out https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=444955

I'll check it out. I will note though that there won't be any vehicles on the floor, just foot traffic.

Thanks

 

[T VETTE]

I would not paint as then no going back if an issue, unless you sand blast it all off some day.

 

[Dneel81]

x2 on the legacy extreme 100 filler. Stupid easy and looks good.

 

[BigGarage]

Thanks for the recommendations but I think this is a little more than I'm wanting to do!

I degreased the floor in my garage, acid etched it, primed it and painted it. It's a little work scrubbing with a brush and using a hose to wash it all off but it came out nicely.

I think I did it 6-7 years ago and it's held up well. One of the biggest benefits of painting the floor is that moisture does not come up in the Summer. It's noticeably drier in humid weather.

Dennis

 

[tim829]

I degreased the floor in my garage, acid etched it, primed it and painted it. It's a little work scrubbing with a brush and using a hose to wash it all off but it came out nicely.

I think I did it 6-7 years ago and it's held up well. One of the biggest benefits of painting the floor is that moisture does not come up in the Summer. It's noticeably drier in humid weather.

Dennis

Well since the concrete is new I shouldn’t have to do a couple of the steps you did. Should be as easy as fill, sand, then paint. Do you remember what paint you used?

Also, depending on what it looks like after filling the joints and sanding, I might just put a sealer over the top of the concrete and not even paint it since neither of us mind the natural concrete look.

Thanks

 

[Jking24]

Look into covertec u140 that's the route i went. Haven't applied it yet

 

[BigGarage]

I degreased the floor in my garage, acid etched it, primed it and painted it. It's a little work scrubbing with a brush and using a hose to wash it all off but it came out nicely.

I think I did it 6-7 years ago and it's held up well. One of the biggest benefits of painting the floor is that moisture does not come up in the Summer. It's noticeably drier in humid weather.

Dennis

Do you remember what paint you used?

Thanks

I still have a 1/2 gallon of it left. It's Behr Gloss Enamel Porch & Patio Floor Paint. It's 100% acrylic latex for easy cleanup. I spent a little more for the blue as the 5 gallon buckets were only available in gray. I think I bought 6 gallon cans for my floor.

If you like the natural concrete look then you will be saving a step and a few bucks. Good luck.

Dennis

 

[Armorpoxy]

We would recommend using a coat of our clear SPGX one part Polyurea and then filling the joints with a color matche Polyurea caulk. Trying to fix the edges is tough.

Don’t fix the joints first as when the slabs move it could create cracks in your coating since coatings are not flexible

Check out RS-88 caulk online it comes in over 50 colors and the mfgr will send out free sample chips to match your concrete exactly.

 

[tim829]

Here you go: https://www.legacyindustrial.net/pr...atings/xtreme-set-100-crack-joint-filler.html

What works best for grinding/sanding legacy extreme 100 filler down?

 

[tim829]

Here you go: https://www.legacyindustrial.net/pr...atings/xtreme-set-100-crack-joint-filler.html

I'm looking at purchasing some of this soon. I had a couple more questions about the product though first.

How does this product work with stain if I'm going for more of a natural concrete look?

Would the gray color or natural be better for matching the natural concrete look?

The Lowe's in town doesn't have silica sand, can I use any fine dry sound for this?

 

[SolarColumbia]

I'm looking at purchasing some of this soon. I had a couple more questions about the product though first.

How does this product work with stain if I'm going for more of a natural concrete look?

Would the gray color or natural be better for matching the natural concrete look?

The Lowe's in town doesn't have silica sand, can I use any fine dry sound for this?

It won't take stain so repairs will show but maybe get it in gray and use gray stain to make them less noticeable. You can use any clean, dry sand for filler and grind or sand it after about 20 minutes. Don't mix more than a few ounces at a time in a plastic squirt bottle as it cures fast!