Ghostshield Oil Stains?

[Will H]

I'm currently building a 30x47 barn for automotive hobby use. I've been reading a lot about floor coatings. My first garage came with epoxy and it was great, but I suspect that will cost too much to do this barn. This will be a workshop and not a showroom so I'm ok with the look of bare concrete, but don't want to have stains everywhere. It seems Ghostshield and TS210 are the popular options for what I need, and I'm leaning towards Ghostshield for the weld and scratch resistance. The biggest drawback I've read about Ghostshield is mixed opinions on how well it repels oil/chemical spills, at least if they aren't immediately cleaned up. I haven't seen any photos though - does anyone have any real world experience with it oil staining and can you share a picture of how it looks? A lot of the threads I've read are quite old at this point, so I'm hoping there is some "field data" available?

 

[jkeyser14]

I used ghostshield when my house was built in 2017. I used both the densifier and the water based sealer. It works very well if you get to spills in a reasonable time, but if the oil has a chance to sit for an extended period it will still find a way into the pores of the concrete.

My worst offenders are my kubota tractor which often drips hydraulic fluid from the quad-port quick connect bucket fitting and my chain saws which always leak some bar oil.

Besides that the sealer has worked very well. After 8 years it is finally starting to lose some water repellancy. Water still beads up on the surface initially, but like the oil if it sits for hours it does absorb some into the concrete as evidenced by dark patches. I plan to re-seal it this summer.

 

[Garage Flooring]

All penetrating sealers have the same issue. Eventually oil will soak in. We sell Ghostshield and love it. But if you suspect all stains may get left an Etch & Seal is a much better option

ETCH & SEAL Clear Garage Floor Coating & Sealer Kits

Transform your garage with the clear garage floor coating for a stunning high-gloss finish! Easy to install and incredibly durable, order now!

www.garageflooringllc.com

 

[Will H]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I don't care for the idea of emptying the shop in 8-10 years to reapply a sealer, especially if grinding is involved as I assume Ghostshield would require. I need to do some more reading, but if the top coats like TS210 or the Etch and Seal Justin suggested can be easily patch repaired without emptying my entire shop then that could be a major selling point.

 

[dcg9381]

Looked at polyurea? It's more like epoxy, but costs less, easier to apply. You can get it in solid colors if that's your thing.

I use HD6600-MMA on the drives, it DOES require re-coating, but it costs even less. But it's been great for dealing with the ATF and oil spills from delivery trucks, wipes up like it was spilled on plastic.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Polyurea is easy to repair. Lightly sand , solvent wipe and right over the top

 

[Will H]

My slab was poured yesterday, saw cuts come later today. I'm officially "on the clock" for how long until I can apply a coating.

Am I understanding that a clear Polyurea is the top coat for Etch & Seal, 2/3 coat polyurea, and also epoxy floor systems? The difference being Etch and Seal is clear only, 2/3 coat polyurea is a solid base color with/without flakes, and Epoxy is a thicker/stronger solid base color with/without flakes? So if I'm content with the look of bare concrete the Etch & Seal is sufficient, and if needed can be repaired with the sand/solvent procedure you mentioned?

Followup question, the Etch & Seal vs 2 coat Polyurea isn't a huge price difference. I assume this is because the etch is swapped out for base and flake? Etch is not needed if the concrete is no longer visible? I'm ok with the concrete look but if cost is nearly the same I might go ahead and do the 2 coat poly.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Polyurea is the main component of the etch and seal kit.

I’m not clear on the strength question: Clear polyurea is strong enough to be a stand alone coating. Colored epoxy or polyurea with or without flake needs a clear top coat . Polyurea can be used as an epoxy top coat

The two coat poly system with color and flake does not include any prep. Some will grind some will etch. You will need to add that to the coat. The two coat etch and seal system option still includes the etch.

 

[Will H]

On strength my thinking was that no matter which of the 3 coating systems you use (E&S, Poly, Epoxy), the top "working layer" winds up being the same clear polyurea.

Good to know on the needed add-on for prep with the 2-coat. I see the cost difference now.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Armorpoxy]

A sealer will never work as well as a topical coating like polyurea. While it would cost more something like our SPGX clear one part polyurea would give fantastic protection and not be prone to water or oil drops on the floor.

 

[Will H]

I wound up going with the TS210 and applied it last weekend. It's budget friendly and I can touch up damage as needed without emptying the shop. Application was reasonably easy, although I found using a garden sprayer actually made it harder and took longer. Just rolling it out block by block was easist and quickest for me, about 2 hours per coat. Coverage on my hand troweled floor far exceeded what is posted - I used a gallon or less per coat for 1400 sq ft. I had a little bit left in the 4 gallon bucket when it was all finished. I did a primer plus three coats since it was going on so thin. Trying to apply any heavier just resulted in white streaks and puddles that had to be rolled out. The finish is a nice sheen with enhanced depth and color, and has good traction. It does highlight some of the discoloration and other imperfections in the hand finished surface though. But this is a "workshop not a showroom" so I'm content. One final pointer for future readers - 1/4" nap microfiber rollers were extremely difficult to find locally. You may want to buy them online in advance. I was hoping to use my 18" roller but had to settle for a 9" version from Ace Hardware.

 

[SilverJimmy]

Great conversation here! I’m in the middle of my shop build and am in the process of trying to decide what’s the best coating for my shop floor. My shop will have approximately a 4400 sq ft area that I want to do some kind of sealing/coating on. I’m not overly concerned about oil staining (it’s a shop!) and I will be rolling engine hoists and other equipment with steel casters over it.
I’ll also be doing plasma cutting and welding in the shop and MIG is bad about dingleballs of fire going everywhere. My biggest goal for sealing/coating the concrete is to try to control the dust and dirt that bare concrete seems to create forever. I hate getting down onto bare concrete and coming back up with concrete dust all over whatever touched it. Also while sweeping it always seems to make a dust cloud, I’d like to minimize that too!
I‘ve been looking at the Ghostshield 8510 Densifier and then the Ghostshield sealer, anybody have experience with them and is that product what I need to accomplish my goals?
Thanks!

 

[Shea]

Great conversation here! I’m in the middle of my shop build and am in the process of trying to decide what’s the best coating for my shop floor. My shop will have approximately a 4400 sq ft area that I want to do some kind of sealing/coating on. I’m not overly concerned about oil staining (it’s a shop!) and I will be rolling engine hoists and other equipment with steel casters over it.
I’ll also be doing plasma cutting and welding in the shop and MIG is bad about dingleballs of fire going everywhere. My biggest goal for sealing/coating the concrete is to try to control the dust and dirt that bare concrete seems to create forever. I hate getting down onto bare concrete and coming back up with concrete dust all over whatever touched it. Also while sweeping it always seems to make a dust cloud, I’d like to minimize that too!
I‘ve been looking at the Ghostshield 8510 Densifier and then the Ghostshield sealer, anybody have experience with them and is that product what I need to accomplish my goals?
Thanks!

You should have minimal dusting, if any at all, if your concrete contractor is on the ball with the mix and finishing process. That's where all the dusting issues develop.

GhostShield Lithi-Tek 4500 densifier and GhostShield 8510 oil-repelling sealer would be a good option for your needs. Concrete Sealers USA PS100 oil-repelling sealer is another option.

 

[dcg9381]

I have 2 coats of "clear" polyurea in the shop. Less expensive than epoxy. Everything short of acetone just wipes up. I've never managed to stain it. Only "marks" from welding are from where I was welding on the floor.

You want 2 coats minimum. I roll it on. 2nd coat can be hard to see without good lighting and you want to make sure you get the coverage the same.

I've used solid color polyurea on other things, pretty indistinguishable from epoxy (for me anyway). If you want a "color" consider doing a base stain of the concrete with a water based stain applied by a sprayer. Our downstairs of our residence is done this way and it looks great.

 

[Will H]

Back with an update. The TS-210 is a bit unimpressive. Diesel fuel penetrates and stains almost immediately. Everything else seems to wipe up pretty well, but it's powerless against diesel. I found this out when a chinese diesel heater sprung a fuel leak. I found it within a week, but the damage was done. It then stained another area after only minutes of exposure.

Surface traction has been fine and the sheen is nice. ATF, oil, water, and dirt wipe up quite well. Just disappointed with the performance against diesel.