floor for a working garage

[gcan]

I am in process of building a detached garage and am trying to choose between epoxy or a sealer on the floor. I'm not trying to make the floor look like a showroom but rather want it to be easy to clean after spills and working, but do not want it to be slippery. Years ago I had a patio that had a sealer and everytime it got damp was like ice, I ended up covering it up.

Have sealers changed?

I like the look of epoxy but am afraid it may not hold up to a creeper, floor jacks, or jack stands.

Any recommendations?

 

[Jimmy Pet]

Watching this thread.
There are a few others (myself included) who have posted this question here. I am in the middle of building a 1200 sq ft attached garage and currently looking for flooring options. Heavy duty (not pretty) flooring options.

Not alot of info on plain sealed concrete,,,, lots of info on epoxy floors.

I want the same thing you posted, a sealed, easy to mop, easy to roll on shop floor that I dont have to worry about chipping, dropping stuff on, etc.

My brother has a beautiful professionally done epoxy floor.
They did a very nice job on that floor.
I dropped a caliper bracket from lift height onto the floor and it took a big dinger out of the paint and the concrete. I felt terrible about it.
I never want to be in my garage and "worry" about my floor.

Good luck in your search, I'll be watching this thread
Cheers
jimmy p

 

[bmwpower]

Do the epoxy and don't worry about it. If in several years it gets too damaged, rough up the surface and lay down another gallon or two.

I, too, was afraid of getting it stained and chipped. That fear faded over time.

The way I look at it, if it's good enough for a factory setting, it's good enough for me.

 

[BoCRon]

If you are starting from a new floor than an epoxy is the way to go. I wanted an epoxy in my garage, but the floor had so many oil/gas spills (among other things) that the prep was going to be way too much work and I couldn't be 100% sure I would get it perfect. I did, however, put epoxy on our kennel floor (about 1800 sf) and love it. We used www.originalcolorchips.com and have been very pleased. Plus the company was very helpful when we called with questions regarding application.
Annette

 

[hotrod66paul]

I would think if you droped something heavy enough to chip a piece of concrete out of the surface it wouldn't matter if it was epoxy or just sealed.Both would require some repair. My self , I plan on the epoxy covering this spring but everyone has a different idea of the look they are looking for in their own garage. Some are happy to have a floor in their garage were others must have it color matched to the rest of the place and a lot are happy with something in-between. The only person it has to please is you.

 

[RAYJAY]

do what I did on my floor, been using it for years. used it in our parrot breeding rooms which we pressured washed weekly (the breeding barn is now my garage) yes it does wear after time, but it easy to re coat. I can re do my floor in about 2hr's I myself would not use anything else

Jeff

pictures of floor below

Solid Color Concrete Stain
A durable, water repellent, solid color stain designed to help protect and enhance both exterior and interior, vertical and horizontal concrete surfaces. This Siliconized Acrylic formula was created with high-performance, 100% acrylic resins, that form a strong long-lasting, opaque film on properly prepared surfaces.


Tintable Bases
- White Base No. 800 - MSDS
- Deep Base No. 830 - MSDS

CAUTION: Stained surfaces may become slippery when wet. Use caution when walking on surface when moisture is present. Apply in sections so wet material does not have to be walked on during application. Use BEHR NO. 970 NON-SKID FLOOR FINISH ADDITIVE to help prevent slipping.

Where To Use

* Exterior or interior properly prepared walls, basements, patios, sidewalks, driveways*, garage floors*, pool/cool decks**, tennis courts, cement blocks, pillars and brick. Not for use on surfaces subject to hydrostatic pressure. To test for hydrostatic pressure, randomly tape 12" x 12" sheets of clear plastic to the floor; if moisture forms underneath the plastic within 24 hours, hydrostatic pressure exists and this product should not be used.

*Driveways and Garage Floors - The composition of concrete varies; therefore, the lack of proper surface preparation and/or over application can lead to automobile tires lifting the product from the surface. Following all precautionary statements does not eliminate the possibility of maintenance re-coating due to "hot tire pick-up."


and here is pictures

will post later my server is down

 

[gcan]

Thank you for the recommendation but after reading this I don't think I will be using this Behr product

*Driveways and Garage Floors - The composition of concrete varies; therefore, the lack of proper surface preparation and/or over application can lead to automobile tires lifting the product from the surface. Following all precautionary statements does not eliminate the possibility of maintenance re-coating due to "hot tire pick-up."

 

[RAYJAY]

Thank you for the recommendation but after reading this I don't think I will be using this Behr product

*Driveways and Garage Floors - The composition of concrete varies; therefore, the lack of proper surface preparation and/or over application can lead to automobile tires lifting the product from the surface. Following all precautionary statements does not eliminate the possibility of maintenance re-coating due to "hot tire pick-up."

I only once had the stain pull up when I over coated it,

if you think about it any type of paint will do this if

A the lack of proper surface preparation


B over application

iif you don't prep and paint it right its going to peel... also even if it does to do a maintenance re-coating is like cleaning the floor its that easy


Jeff

 

[RAYJAY]

ok here is the pictures server is back up


this is a before picture and yes thats from tire chains on my plow truck.

epoxy would be a lot harder to touch up

and the after 2hr prep to finish forthe main area of a 34 x 48 floor

 

[Hawk231]

Anyone ever tried this stuff?

http://www.moxie-intl.com/MAIN-PRODUCTS-PAGE.htm

I was looking to see how it handles heat (welding splatter) but didn't find that info.

Too late for me anyway... My garage floor has 2 part 100% solids epoxy paint on it. There are already chips in the paint but it doesn't bother me. I love being able to go out with a bucket of warm soapy water and make it all new again.

 

[DynoDave]

ok here is the pictures server is back up


this is a before picture and yes thats from tire chains on my plow truck.

epoxy would be a lot harder to touch up

and the after 2hr prep to finish forthe main area of a 34 x 48 floor

That looks pretty nice, RAYJAY. Since I plan on doing some heavier repairs and welding, maybe this would be a better answer for me Vs. epoxy. Certainly gives me something to think about.

I doesn't appear to have much gloss to it. Does it clean up easily? Is it as slippery as epoxy when wet? Did you use their non-skid floor additive?

 

[RAYJAY]

finish is a semi gloss I was my trucks ansd car in garage all the time and its not slippery at all, if you get a oil on it yes it can get a little slippery, the floor get abused all the time welding grinding car jacks rolling all the time, even jack stands if I did this with epoxy, it wold look like hell right now

Jeff

 

[DynoDave]

Hmmm...I'm liking this idea more and more. How long did that first application last you?

 

[katit]

Do the epoxy and don't worry about it. If in several years it gets too damaged, rough up the surface and lay down another gallon or two.

How do you rough up surface for complete repaint? Do you mean remove previous paint?! I have epoxy floor and it holds up pretty good, but I overestimated it capabilities at beginning. If you drop ratchet at 6ft - it will make a dent on a floor for sure. I have about a dozen of those dents already. Thinking about repairing them now. I have industrial concrete patch (epoxy) that I used for cracks and I think about using it to patch those places. Different color though..

I, too, was afraid of getting it stained and chipped. That fear faded over time.

Just like with cars. You put few dings on it when it's new - and then don't worry about it.

 

[jaredwb]

Look into polished concrete. It looks great, is tough, reflects light, can be dyed to nearly any color, easy to clean, and no worries of not properly prepping an old worn/ stained floor.

 

[gcan]

can the concrete be "polished" and stained after it has been poured?

My slab has been down about a month now so I am considering just sealing it.
I'm not looking to create a show place just easy clean up and something on it so it won't be stained all over in case I ever sell the house.

How long do I have to wait to put a sealer on it?

 

[bmwpower]

How do you rough up surface for complete repaint? Do you mean remove previous paint?! I have epoxy floor and it holds up pretty good, but I overestimated it capabilities at beginning. If you drop ratchet at 6ft - it will make a dent on a floor for sure. I have about a dozen of those dents already. Thinking about repairing them now. I have industrial concrete patch (epoxy) that I used for cracks and I think about using it to patch those places. Different color though..

You take some course sandpaper on an orbital sander, either walk-behind for big jobs or a palm unit for small jobs, and scuff up the surface - don't remove it all. Scuffing the surface will help the new layer of epoxy to adhere to the old layer. Clean off the dust and lay down the new epoxy.

This is what factories and dealerships do all the time. Epoxy is not indestructible. It's meant to be a resurfaced from time to time. That's why it's so important to have a good solid base layer - it makes laying down new epoxy easy.

 

[neblinc]

After putting down my Epoxy-Coat, and having the shop completely empty, I thought wow this is like a showroom floor!
But after moving stuff in and out, construction, working on stuff, the floor is not looking like it's previous glory
Sooooo, I keep telling myself, it's only a shop, built to work on stuff. And the floor will continue to get abused. But it is a dream to cleanup, and my visitors can't tell where the bad spots are, they jusy ooohhh & aaahhhh at the floor.
After all it's only a shop floor, not a showroom floor.


Randy

 

[63Chevy]

After putting down my Epoxy-Coat, and having the shop completely empty, I thought wow this is like a showroom floor!
But after moving stuff in and out, construction, working on stuff, the floor is not looking like it's previous glory
Sooooo, I keep telling myself, it's only a shop, built to work on stuff. And the floor will continue to get abused. But it is a dream to cleanup, and my visitors can't tell where the bad spots are, they jusy ooohhh & aaahhhh at the floor.
After all it's only a shop floor, not a showroom floor.


Randy

New member. But I have already re-countless posts! haha

I never thought about slipping. This would be pretty important. How does both the epoxy and the stain both compare slipping wise to a normal concrete floor with water on it?

Also, to the guy using the stain. Is this similar to the stain you would use say on your sidewalk or driveway for home improvement? Thanks all.

 

[neblinc]

I did not use any of the "sand" that was supplied with my kits.
The floor IS slick when wet, but not like ice. Would be just like the "Caution Wet Floor" at the grocery store, yes you could fall on your *** if you are not careful.

Randy

 

[the dude]

For a working floor, my concrete guy has convinced me to go with the 50% double boiled linseed oil and 50% kerosene mixture, applied with a deck sprayer.

He claims that the kerosene is a carrier for the linseed oil to penetrate the concrete. Once penetrated the linseed oil will cross link with the O2 in the air and provide great stain resistance to oils and water. I have looked at two floors with this and like what I saw.

I couldn't find much info on the net about it though...

 

[twostory]

That is probably work, but man will that mixture stink. Your garage will smell like a fuel dump for quite a while. Hope you have good ventilation.

Not trying to stop you, but if you do this, let us know. I have a bare concrete floor that I may epoxy, or may do something else. I have not decided yet...

 

[1320stang]

Dude, I wonder if you could use something like mineral spirits instead of kerosene?

I like this idea if'n I ever get around to building a shop. I plan on having the floor slick troweled, but I don't want it all oil stained.

 

[the dude]

yup, it's going to stink.

Here's the funny thing. I am an industrial paint rep for PPG up in Canada. I sell some of the best epoxies in the world that are not available to the public because of VOC regs and hazardous material handling and I would not use any of them on a concrete floor. It just won't last in our climate with my trucks. They're too heavy and we have too much salt and temp changes.

The southern states have it good with their year round nice weather. It's so much easier on things.

 

[gcan]

my fence guy had me mix 50% linseed and 50% diesel to spray my cedar split rail fence. Turned out great and will not grey but it did smell for a while

 

[jaredwb]

yes, almost any slab can be polished and it will hold up better and look better than any coating or sealer. It will cost more than paint or sealers, but less than some coatings or tiles.

 

[5wndwcpe]

For a working floor, my concrete guy has convinced me to go with the 50% double boiled linseed oil and 50% kerosene mixture, applied with a deck sprayer.

He claims that the kerosene is a carrier for the linseed oil to penetrate the concrete. Once penetrated the linseed oil will cross link with the O2 in the air and provide great stain resistance to oils and water. I have looked at two floors with this and like what I saw.

I couldn't find much info on the net about it though...

Well Brad, it's been a few months - how did this work out ?

 

[cyberslider]

I bought the kit sold at Costco made by H & C Products Group, better known as shield-crete. It has a part A (epoxy base) & part B (activator). It seemed to go down pretty well. I needed 5 kits to do 1000 sq ft. Each kit covers 200-250 sq ft.

I am having some regrets for not researching more and discovering that the waterbased epoxy is somewhat inferior to the petroleum based product. I will have to be a little more careful in how I treat it.

After saying all that, I have what I have. I now want to put down a clear glaze coat over the top of my epoxy floor (paint chips applied in epoxy). I purchased the same brand Shield-Crete acrlic clear glaze from Sherwin Williams but have not yet installed it. It is $50 per gallon and covers 400 sq ft. If I use this I will most likely put on two coats.

Before I do it I wanted to see if anyone had recommendations for a superior product that would protect my floor better than the clear glaze I have purchased. I will need to add the non-slip material to my glaze coat since I chose not to in the epoxy base.

Look forward to any helpful suggestions!

 

[e-tek]

can the concrete be "polished" and stained after it has been poured?

My slab has been down about a month now so I am considering just sealing it.
I'm not looking to create a show place just easy clean up and something on it so it won't be stained all over in case I ever sell the house.

How long do I have to wait to put a sealer on it?

I was told NOT to seal/paint the floor for about 6 months - until it's completely dry!! Not sure I'd do it after just a month, but may depend on where you live.