Help with garage floor finish

[Duner1962]

I would appreciate some help with choosing my floor finish. Here are some details.

Location: Central Virginia (can get below zero during winter periods)
Building type: Garage, 55 years old. Not heated or cooled
Use: Woodworking, welding, and some auto/equipment repair
Floor: Concrete. 2,000 square feet, smooth, some moderate cracking, some paint and solvent stains. No chipping or spoiled areas. Plan on grinding floor to remove paint/solvent

Desired finish: Gloss finish
Budget: On a tight to moderate budget.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[benwah]

So if I read this correctly you're looking for a clear gloss bare-concrete look? Or do you want an opaque color?

 

[mosfco]

Hello,

I own a business installing garage floors in Central and Southwestern Virginia. The temp is not an issue and the condition of the floor doesn't sound like an issue. We do primarily polyurea coatings at about $4.00 per foot just to give you an idea for budgeting. They are glossy and have paint chips in them. mosfco is the name of my company. I should show up in a search for you. I am not trying to sell you a floor, but it will at least show you the process.

If you want that ground down look like Lowes and Home Depot have, Husquavra makes a system called Hyperfloors. It is really good but not cheap. I have steered away from doing it because I would be $6-8 per foot. Part of this is my crew and operation. It takes lots of grinding to get the finish which requires tooling and time. You end up with a finish that has the same slip resistance as a finished concrete floor but stain-resistant.

I worked in the steel building business prior to starting my business. I have seen tons of floors and you can always tell when they are professionally done. DIY products seem to get horrible reviews because most people are not grinding and they don't adhere well to some surfaces. You can save a lot if your surface fits in the window.

Hopefully, something here will help you out.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi
You could put down a coat of our SPGX one part polyurea for about 70 cents/ sq ft and it would meet your needs and goals. We can include our Armorgrip non skid additive no charge also.

Please contact us directly at below (not PM please) for a quote.

Thank you.

 

[Duner1962]

Bare concrete look

 

[Armorpoxy]

The SPGX in clear would be nice and give the bare concrete look along with excellent protection

 

[dcg9381]

Duner, SPGX is great stuff. I think it's an amazing option at the price point.
I can tell you that if you are looking for a "gloss look" on bare concrete - you may need more than one coat. On my "new concrete" a single coat resulted in a bit of a satin finish and successive coats were required if you wanted gloss. Older concrete / smoother concrete - it may be different than what I experienced.

 

[Uartipt]

my current house had epoxy on garage floor when I bought it and I really like it. Im not one to really put pride in my garage but even I would consider doing it if my next house doesnt already have it.

 

[tom-ky]

Hi
You could put down a coat of our SPGX one part polyurea for about 70 cents/ sq ft and it would meet your needs and goals. We can include our Armorgrip non skid additive no charge also.

Please contact us directly at below (not PM please) for a quote.

Thank you.

I have a similar situation as the OP except mine had a cure and seal put on it when built a couple years ago. What would have to be done to use the SPGX on it? Not sure what equipment I can get access to in my rural area.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Cure and seals are penetrating sealers that usually don't have to be removed. Test your floor by dribbling drops of water on it. If they flatten out and absorb quickly you should be ok with etching, just we would recommend a higher etch concentrate (3 parts water to 1 part etch).

 

[tom-ky]

Cure and seals are penetrating sealers that usually don't have to be removed. Test your floor by dribbling drops of water on it. If they flatten out and absorb quickly you should be ok with etching, just we would recommend a higher etch concentrate (3 parts water to 1 part etch).

So if the water beads up something else besides an etch has to be done?

How does the etching process work?

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi
If a liquid can’t absorb then you must grind the floor to remove the sealer. Grinders or a tool from Home Depot called a Diamabrush can be used, or get a good pair of knee pads and a hand grinder Diamond cup wheel, Dust Deputy, and shop vac and go to town.

Etching is a process of washing down the floor with a water/ muriatic acid mixture and letting the acid put microscopic pores into the floor (you can’t etch a coated or sealed floor, only bare concrete) then rinse it down well to neutralize.

Again, for proper adhesion you need a mechanical bond at the molecular level.

Alternately cover the area with garage floor tiles or mats and you’re done in much less time. Lots of options from excellent vendors here on GJ.

 

[latuk]

Duner, SPGX is great stuff. I think it's an amazing option at the price point.
I can tell you that if you are looking for a "gloss look" on bare concrete - you may need more than one coat. On my "new concrete" a single coat resulted in a bit of a satin finish and successive coats were required if you wanted gloss. Older concrete / smoother concrete - it may be different than what I experienced.

Did you use just the clear SPGX without pigment with one coat?

 

[Garage Flooring]

I would suggest 1-2 coats of clear polyurea. I WOULD prep. We offer as does Armorpoxy and Legacy. For our product, although you can spread it thinner, we have found that 200 sf/ gallon when doing a single coat provides best coverage