Cleaning my garage floor

[vibenation]

Okay, been a while since my last post, and had lots of other projects to keep me busy but time for another one, and this one I need some help with.

Long story short, for some reason the people that built the home I purchased decided to go directly stick on slab in the detached garage, i.e. they pored a slab, and then built the walls directly on the slab. Combine this with the grade of the lot going SLIGHTLY towards the garage, and you can imagine the hassles I have had. Two french drains have gone in, siding has come off and metal has been installed and sealed with roofing tar, and my garage finally does not flood when it rains anymore! Woohoo!

Now that this is solved, on to phase 2-10000 of getting this shop sorted properly. Obviously, since sealing the place up I have some VERY dirty concrete from a few years of muddy water trickling in. I have broomed, scrubbed, mopped, etc but I still can't get the floor where I want it. If they had built it with a few layers of block under the walls and on top of the slab, I would fire up the pressure washer and get the job done but now I need an alternate strategy to clean the floors. I really don't want to go spraying the hose or the pressure washer inside, the water will just soak into the studs, and plywood, so i need another plan. I have not yet insulated and finished the wall so it is just studs and external plywood.

Plans? Scrubbing machine I could rent, etc? Collective wisdom on how to get a surface I can be happy with besides a full blown epoxy job including letting someone do all the prep work and cleaning the floor in the process?

Thanks!

Joe

 

[Jsf721]

Joe,

I can help you with this issue. I am in the cleaning product distribution business so I can lend some expertise. First, you will need to get a good wet dry vacuum, bucket and wringer, mop stick, a few mops, and a floor machine with a brush (Stratogrit would be best). You can rent these at Home depot or a local Janitorial Supply Store. If you let me know where you are located perhaps I can help through my trade association. I own a janitoral supply distributor in LI, NY.

I would use a hydrogen peroxide cleaner becasue it is effective and safe. Mix it 10:1 (12 oz per gallon for heavy Duty cleaning and 20:1 for light duty cleaning) Work in small sections and mop on a very wet section 5'x5'. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then go over with a floor machine. DONT LET IT DRY. Re introduce more water to keep it thin so you can pick up with a wet vacuum. If you have never run a floor machine let me know, I dont want you tossed on you ****. I can discribe but nothing beats experience. With the floor machine, scrub (move machine) slowly north and south and then east and west. Wet vac up the slurry and repeat until your down to the clean slab. Move around the whole area until you have completed the floor. To prevent the splatter take a section of base cove and make it into a ring by securing the edges with a bolt or HD stapler. make is slightly bigger than the diameter of the machine. This will contain the cleaner and save you from cleaing the walls.

If you have a very large area and have some extra $ rent and automatic scrubber and that is like a bucket, wet vac and floor machine all wrapped up into one unit.

Where are you located? If I can help you further just let me know what I can do and I will try my best to help out.

Okay, been a while since my last post, and had lots of other projects to keep me busy but time for another one, and this one I need some help with.

Long story short, for some reason the people that built the home I purchased decided to go directly stick on slab in the detached garage, i.e. they pored a slab, and then built the walls directly on the slab. Combine this with the grade of the lot going SLIGHTLY towards the garage, and you can imagine the hassles I have had. Two french drains have gone in, siding has come off and metal has been installed and sealed with roofing tar, and my garage finally does not flood when it rains anymore! Woohoo!

Now that this is solved, on to phase 2-10000 of getting this shop sorted properly. Obviously, since sealing the place up I have some VERY dirty concrete from a few years of muddy water trickling in. I have broomed, scrubbed, mopped, etc but I still can't get the floor where I want it. If they had built it with a few layers of block under the walls and on top of the slab, I would fire up the pressure washer and get the job done but now I need an alternate strategy to clean the floors. I really don't want to go spraying the hose or the pressure washer inside, the water will just soak into the studs, and plywood, so i need another plan. I have not yet insulated and finished the wall so it is just studs and external plywood.

Plans? Scrubbing machine I could rent, etc? Collective wisdom on how to get a surface I can be happy with besides a full blown epoxy job including letting someone do all the prep work and cleaning the floor in the process?

Thanks!

Joe

 

[vibenation]

I am located not too far from Charlotesville Virginia.

Thank you for the advice, I appreciate the response and look forward to knocking this out next weekend. I don't have a good mop/bucket or a decent wet vac so it sounds like the all in one unit might be the best option assuming I can find one locally I don't mind laying out a little more coin to rent it.

Have a recommendation on types of brands / models to look for in a rental?

Unfortunately Home Depot is quite far away, and my local Lowes does not have that big of a rental selection so if you can recommend a Janitorial Supply place near Charlotesville that might rent good machines I would appreciate it. When you say a Hydrogen Peroxide cleaner do you mean diluted straight from the bottle Peroxide or an actual floor cleaner that has Peroxide in it?

Thanks for your help!

Joe

 

[Jsf721]

How large is the area you need to clean?

I am located not too far from Charlotesville Virginia.

Thank you for the advice, I appreciate the response and look forward to knocking this out next weekend. I don't have a good mop/bucket or a decent wet vac so it sounds like the all in one unit might be the best option assuming I can find one locally I don't mind laying out a little more coin to rent it.

Have a recommendation on types of brands / models to look for in a rental?

Unfortunately Home Depot is quite far away, and my local Lowes does not have that big of a rental selection so if you can recommend a Janitorial Supply place near Charlotesville that might rent good machines I would appreciate it. When you say a Hydrogen Peroxide cleaner do you mean diluted straight from the bottle Peroxide or an actual floor cleaner that has Peroxide in it?

Thanks for your help!

Joe

 

[tncatadjuster]

I don't see the problem with using the pressure washer and then letting it dry out. Is there some reason it would could not get slightly wet for the duration of the cleaning job? Wood should dry fine in just a day or two. Hard to beat a pressure washer for cleaning concrete.

 

[Jsf721]

For whatever reason the OP said he did not want to wet the wood. I believe the slope of the floor was an issue. I have no expertise but I can tell you frm personal experience that my house was flooded and we opend up the walls (removed sheet rock and insulation) and it took 3 weeks to dry out to where the moisture meter reading was under 15%. I had 2-4 feet in the house feet in the house.

I don't see the problem with using the pressure washer and then letting it dry out. Is there some reason it would could not get slightly wet for the duration of the cleaning job? Wood should dry fine in just a day or two. Hard to beat a pressure washer for cleaning concrete.

 

[Jsf721]

I don't know them but here is a link to a local Janitorial Supply to you. You can google others and check prices. MultiClean 007 is a good hydrogen peroxide cleaner at a fair price if you can find it locally as is Core Products Hydroxy. If I can help you any more let me know. The pressure washer if you could use one might spped up the process and eliminate the need for all the rental equipment and chemicals? Just throwing it out there.

I am located not too far from Charlotesville Virginia.

Thank you for the advice, I appreciate the response and look forward to knocking this out next weekend. I don't have a good mop/bucket or a decent wet vac so it sounds like the all in one unit might be the best option assuming I can find one locally I don't mind laying out a little more coin to rent it.

Have a recommendation on types of brands / models to look for in a rental?

Unfortunately Home Depot is quite far away, and my local Lowes does not have that big of a rental selection so if you can recommend a Janitorial Supply place near Charlotesville that might rent good machines I would appreciate it. When you say a Hydrogen Peroxide cleaner do you mean diluted straight from the bottle Peroxide or an actual floor cleaner that has Peroxide in it?

Thanks for your help!

Joe

 

[vibenation]

Thanks for all the tips.

I forget the exact dimensions, and in what directions, but either way the space is just a hair under 25x25.

I hesitate to get the walls wet for a few reasons, one, I am a bit gunshy after spending mucho dinero to finally seal out the rain. As far as I know the space has been leaking since being constructed in 2006 (I bought it early last year). No serious signs of water damage to the wall sill boards, but they are bolted down directly to the slab, nothing under them (which ***** btw) but they do show lots of water staining.

I scrubbed them with a wire brush to get off most of the dirt, and went around tap-taping with a hammer and they are sound but needless to say I am not a fan of wet floors in my Garage. Besides that the actual wall sheething is osb, and that ***** up more water and is already stained on the bottom few inches as well.

Also, my pressure washer is winterized, and likely to be quite a few months until until I get a few hot days in a row. Ironically enough this weekend I am off to Snowy Colorado for some fun in the snow. Next weekend however, might be time for some floor scrubbing.

 

[sopocave]

What about covering the walls with a cheap plastic drop cloth?