Floor coating for messy race car shop

[ssanto]

Howdy!

I've got a 3 car garage used for my race car and other miscellaneous projects. I did a DIY Rustoleum EpoxyShield job 4 years ago and it's looking pretty terrible. I'll see professional race shops on TV and I'm in awe at how pristine their floors are. I'm on the fence about redoing it... I don't want to spend the time/money if it's going to end up looking awful again in a few years. It's functional right now, I can mop it with ammonia/etc. and it'll be "clean" but it's all stained up.

Here's how I abuse my floor - paint overspray, lacquer thinner and dirty rags to clean oil spills, brake cleaner to clean parts, drips from fiberglass resin that I hastily clean up with a rag and leaves a big messy smudge all over, rusty water from radiator that dries and leaves rust spots, etc.

I'm curious is if there is a floor product that makes it easy to clean up these stains when they happen. I find that the lacquer thinner works well to dissolve whatever is on the surface, but it also dissolves the floor paint (I can see it in my rag when I wipe it). I only did the base layer, I did not do a clear coat. And I don't use any sort of wax. I feel like if I did a clear coat and/or a wax over a new floor, then that surface would be easier to clean up.

Thanks!

 

[drmarkr]

Ballistix is going down in our shop (race cars as well).

 

[Armorpoxy]

We offer a wide variety of costing systems to address this project. Please contact us directly at below so our office can get you options and pricing.

 

[Matty J]

For a messy shop like that, I would look into doing a "grind and seal" or polished concrete.

If you are ok with how your floor looks, but just want it to be easier to clean, you could look into putting down something like RexPro Affinity or Coval, which are both sprayable top coats. Just make sure you follow the directions to the T!

 

[Youngandfree]

Howdy!

I've got a 3 car garage used for my race car and other miscellaneous projects. I did a DIY Rustoleum EpoxyShield job 4 years ago and it's looking pretty terrible. I'll see professional race shops on TV and I'm in awe at how pristine their floors are. I'm on the fence about redoing it... I don't want to spend the time/money if it's going to end up looking awful again in a few years. It's functional right now, I can mop it with ammonia/etc. and it'll be "clean" but it's all stained up.

Here's how I abuse my floor - paint overspray, lacquer thinner and dirty rags to clean oil spills, brake cleaner to clean parts, drips from fiberglass resin that I hastily clean up with a rag and leaves a big messy smudge all over, rusty water from radiator that dries and leaves rust spots, etc.

I'm curious is if there is a floor product that makes it easy to clean up these stains when they happen. I find that the lacquer thinner works well to dissolve whatever is on the surface, but it also dissolves the floor paint (I can see it in my rag when I wipe it). I only did the base layer, I did not do a clear coat. And I don't use any sort of wax. I feel like if I did a clear coat and/or a wax over a new floor, then that surface would be easier to clean up.

Thanks!

Not to derail, but youre the second post I've read today catching up saying that you use ammonia to clean up the messy garage floor. Why? Why aren't you using a degreaser? Of course lacquer thinner will take up the paint that isn't topcoat.

 

[Mike65]

All I did with the floor in my garage/shop is seal the concrete floor with Foundation Armor concrete sealer with a matte finish to protect it from spills.

 

[Crowbarman55]

If your that messey (and there's nothing wrong with that) I would just leave it as is and save the time and money.

 

[jhelle67rt]

All I did with the floor in my garage/shop is seal the concrete floor with Foundation Armor concrete sealer with a matte finish to protect it from spills.

How long ago and how is it holding up?

 

[PhantomEB]

I hate my painted floor. Will be removing it all then polishing it before sealant.

 

[Slowboat]

We offer a wide variety of costing systems to address this project. Please contact us directly at below so our office can get you options and pricing.

I find this type of post a really poor choice. This isn’t a place to advertise, it is a place to help. At least post options or considerations in your message. Cost can be private, but otherwise help folks understand what to use and how to use it.

Otherwise you are going on my banned list, and I hope others do as well.

 

[Rusty Wrench]

Otherwise you are going on my banned list, and I hope others do as well.

Not me.
I think these flooring guys have offered plenty of good advice to forum folks without product pitch. And if they do, it always seems to secondary to the advice given.

 

[Mike65]

How long ago and how is it holding up?

Almost 2 years ago, & it is holding up great. I have spilled oil on it & just wiped it up without staining the floor. I used Foundation Armor SX5000WB clear matte finish.

 

[Earp69]

I stained my floor with concrete camouflage, and then sealed it with ghostshield. I am HARD on my floor, always stripping trucks down to partout, coolant, oil, atf all over it in large quantities. Dragging heavy **** across it. My only complaint is the concrete camo has faded a bit in the high traffic areas, but other than that no stains. I just keep a Mop bucket filled up and try to clean any spills before I'm done for the night. Idc what anybody says, no epoxy is gonna hold up long term to what we do.

 

[Garage Flooring]

If you plan on KEEPING the floor clean, I would consider a 3-coat white All Weather Floors Polyurea system or one of our a full broadcast systems. With the full broadcast I would sand between the flake and the first coat clear, and I might consider going with a solid color of flake if both durability and finding stuff is a concern.

 

[ryanmworkman]

I'll see professional race shops on TV and I'm in awe at how pristine their floors are.

I live in Charlotte, and have done the floors at a few race teams in the area. The big guys will have their floors done every few years, and I've heard Penske for example will have their floors redone every year to keep things looking good, but I don't know if that's true. It also helps to have staff responsible for cleaning and maintaining a professional environment.

If you want a floor that will last, I recommend doing a pigmented urethane topcoat with high wear additive. The additive is a 200+ grit aluminum oxide that adds an orange peel finish to the floor and makes it more of a stain finish, but it SIGNIFICANTLY increases the scratch resistance of the floor. On a normal epoxy/urethane floor, if you try to scratch the floor with a key, you will. If you add high wear additive into your urethane, the floor will file the key down. It's fine grit enough that it doesn't make it any harder to clean, but it makes a tremendous difference in durability. You have to agitate the bucket every few minutes though to assure the additive doesn't sink to the bottom and leave you with an inconsistent finish.