Help with commercial shop flooring

[Rodeheavers]

Hey guys, I have been trolling this site for a good while. I own and operate a speed shop in south western Pa. I am getting ready to purchase a larger shop. It is 18000 square feet. I am going to be using aprox 6000 square feet for my main shop and work area and I want to do something to this section of the shop floors.
I am very concerned about what to do. I love the look of epoxy and I know if I went that route I would get fancy and put my shop logo under the clear coat of it and make it look very nice. But I keep hearing horror stories from people that have it chip, fade, lift, etc...
I think the best option is pollishing, but I just flat out cant afford the cost.
The best option I think I have found is epoxy coating by a company called
http://www.nationalpolymers.com/, it seems to me that their product is a superior grade, but I could be totally wrong as every company I have spoken with tells me their product is the best...
I have thought of just sealing it with good sealer/densifier.
I am so torn about what to do. Can you guys give me some direction...

National Polymers told me I will need their:
-#015 water base primer
-#707 high build epoxy
-#322 voc high performance urethane
And to install them in the order listed for a super duty floor, but I am still just not convinced... PLEASE HELP

On a side note, I am planning on diamond grinding the floors, mainley to give me a fresh start with it and clean up tiny imperfections. FYI, the floors are 1.5' thick and about 50 years old. This place was an industrial machine shop for MAC trucks years ago.

Thanks guys.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I think you will find that you will get better service and similar product from Legacy Industrial -- than the company you mentioned. We have a great line of coating products as well.

 

[Shea]

On a side note, I am planning on diamond grinding the floors, mainley to give me a fresh start with it and clean up tiny imperfections. FYI, the floors are 1.5' thick and about 50 years old. This place was an industrial machine shop for MAC trucks years ago.

I would make sure that you don't have any areas that are contaminated with oil before you start. Not just the random oil stains, but areas where oil may have collected over the years from lathes and and all the other equipment in a machine shop that uses oil. If you do, you will want to use an oil-stop primer for those areas of the shop floor because the epoxy will not bond well with contaminated concrete.

Other than that, proper cleaning with diamond grinding and a good quality multi-coat epoxy system ( Justin is right, both Legacy and Garage Floor LLC have good product ) will reward you with a very durable floor.

 

[Rodeheavers]

I got to take a good look at the floors in this new shop the other day and they are rough... I mean rough, high spots, low spots, large holes that have been filled with concrete.. It actually looks like the huge machines they had started to sink into the floor or something... Do you guys think a walk behind floor grinder will level it out or should I look into some kind of top coat or leveler??

 

[retfr8flyr]

Are you sure the concrete is only 1 1/2 inches thick? That's an awfully thin floor for heavy equipment and trucks to have been running on for years. As Justin stated, talk to Scotty at Legacy, or Fred at Alpha Garage. These guys will know what you can and can't do with your floor.


Earl

 

[James-W]

That one an half inches sounded pretty thin to me too. I have always heard that a garage floor should be a minimum of 4 inches and 5 or 6 inches would be better. Mine is between 5 and 6 inches in the middle and quite a bit thicker toward the sides, the front and the back. I think if you have a two post lift the concrete should be at least a foot thick, if not more, in order to have the proper support the lift. I don't know that for a fact, but that is what I have heard from more than one person.

 

[mirrorimg]

On a side note, I am planning on diamond grinding the floors, mainley to give me a fresh start with it and clean up tiny imperfections. FYI, the floors are 1.5' thick and about 50 years old. This place was an industrial machine shop for MAC trucks years ago.

Thanks guys.

Are you sure the concrete is only 1 1/2 inches thick? That's an awfully thin floor for heavy equipment and trucks to have been running on for years. As Justin stated, talk to Scotty at Legacy, or Fred at Alpha Garage. These guys will know what you can and can't do with your floor.


Earl

That one an half inches sounded pretty thin to me too. I have always heard that a garage floor should be a minimum of 4 inches and 5 or 6 inches would be better. Mine is between 5 and 6 inches in the middle and quite a bit thicker toward the sides, the front and the back. I think if you have a two post lift the concrete should be at least a foot thick, if not more, in order to have the proper support the lift. I don't know that for a fact, but that is what I have heard from more than one person.

1.5' is 1 and 1/2 feet, or 18 inches.
1.5" is 1 and 1/2 inches.

Good luck with your floor coating OP.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

OP:

We spoke earlier.
I let you know we have a good customer in the Horsham, PA area. They run a full race car program at the site. They love our product and would probably talk to you about it if called.

Here is a link to the article: http://legacyindustrial.blogspot.com/2012/11/legacy-industrial-teams-up-with.html