Exposed aggregate - go away

[dontlifttoshift]

The showroom at the shop is exposed aggregate, not mine, but looks just like this.

I hate it in every way. Can't sweep it. Can't clean up a spill. Can't find that 10-32 nut you dropped. Can't roll anything across it.....I could go for pages.

So it seems there are two methods, grind it smooth or cover it up. It's just a tick under 1,800 sq ft sooooo cost is definitely a factor.

Grinding, polishing, and sealing looks awesome but I am pretty sure I can't afford that. It seems that leveling and epoxy may be near the same cost. What about plastic tiles directly over this surface?

What say the flooring experts?

 

[Tony_G]

If cost is a factor, I would say that plastic tiles are out of the question. They are an expensive flooring option. If you can do the job by yourself, I would consider porcelain tile, obviously, it would depend on how cheap you can get the porcelain.

I think your floor looks great, though, I would definitely consider grinding it smooth.

In any case, I'm sure the flooring experts will get back to you in no time. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

[TommyK]

That is typically an exterior treatment.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

I poured most of my back yard sidewalks with exposed pea gravel finishes, so I am biased here, I like the look... . I would grind it down smooth and seal...

I did the porcelain trip on my last garage that I ground down and laid porcelain on it. Before we sold the house a year later, I wished I had just sealed the grind job. I made the mistake of using grout that was not dark enough. When one actually uses a garage as a garage, things spill that do not come out of grout easy. All JMO

 

[dontlifttoshift]

If cost is a factor, I would say that plastic tiles are out of the question. They are an expensive flooring option. If you can do the job by yourself, I would consider porcelain tile, obviously, it would depend on how cheap you can get the porcelain.

I think your floor looks great, though, I would definitely consider grinding it smooth.

Porcelin has crossed my mind but you really can't lay it over something this rough, right? If I need to grind to lay tile, may as well grind a bit more and be done. I am thinking that will require more than a rental machine to get this smooth enough to seal. Also concerned about the aggregate just breaking loose when grinding.

That is typically an exterior treatment.

Exactly. It looks terrible indoors.

I poured most of my back yard sidewalks with exposed pea gravel finishes, so I am biased here, I like the look... . I would grind it down smooth and seal...

I did the porcelain trip on my last garage that I ground down and laid porcelain on it. Before we sold the house a year later, I wished I had just sealed the grind job. I made the mistake of using grout that was not dark enough. When one actually uses a garage as a garage, things spill that do not come out of grout easy. All JMO

See above, love the idea of grind and seal. Any idea on cost of a grind, polish, and seal would be for 1800 sq/ft indoors?

This space isn't really a garage. It's the customer entrance into the shop, parts showroom, and there is usually a car or two in there.

Worth noting, this floor is 20 years old and nothing has been done to it since it was first poured and sealed.

 

[Garage Flooring]

What about the appearance? Are you ok with the looks? If the looks don't bother you, you could prep it, do a clear epoxy followed by a polyaspartic or polyurea. The reason I would start with epoxy is you get a better mil thickness.

The prep is going to be the fun part. I'd be tempted to shot-blast it.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi,
Grinding aggregate is almost impossible unless you have a large industrial grinder and special tooling. We don't recommend attempting it. A clear 100% solids epoxy system will help a lot (it won't fix it completely) but because of the. Irregularity you will get low coverage and therefor high cost per sq foot. Email us directly, not PM for a quote and GJ discount..

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Not a fan of pouring clear epoxy over a floor like this. Google concrete polishing in your area and get some quotes. Not all stones are terrible to grind down. Good luck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rsanter]

I don't see why you could not lay tile over that floor, the mastic material will fill the voids as well as stick the tile down

I forget what it's called but for a while people were putting this really rough tiny gravel product down in their houses. It troweled on like a plaster and it looked decent but was rough as hell on the bare feet and hard to sweep. Then they started putting a clear epoxy over it to fill the stuff in. Made it easier on the feet and easier to sweep. Might want to look into that.

How about using a self leveling epoxy compound? Like would be used to fill a low area

Bob