How Tough are Epoxy Floors?

[SprintCC]

Getting ready to build my dream garage, 30x44 Pole barn. Floor is going to be stone, vapor-barrier, 2" insulation, 6" slab w/radiant heat (liquid based not electric).

I'm planning on using Epoxy on the floor. Racedeck, etc would be easier on the knees/back, but not the eyes. I just have never seen a tiled garage I liked.

My question is about how tough Epoxy Floors are. I know what the salesman say, but really how much abuse can an Epoxy floor take? Will welding splatter harm it? What about Paint removers (chemical, I assume a grinder to it will damage it)? Brake Fluid, Rust removers, etc.?

I see alot of these floors in this forum look great. Then I notice that there is an inordinate amount of floor jacks sitting on pads. Will floor Jacks rolling on the floor with the weight of a car hurt the flooring (not that I plan on doing this much, just curious)?

Also many people state that the flecks give enough traction. Is there anyone who has *not* found this to be true?

Thanks for the help. I'm sure I'll be asking more really soon.

SprintCC
Blue Bell Pa

 

[gb70]

I have done 4 garages with epoxy, 2 myself and 2 done with a contractor.

My thoughts:

My first garage space was a 4 car attached garage used for parking mostly. I used a 1 part epoxy Home Depot, Baer (sp) product. I followed the instructions by:

1) taking out the oils stains first followed by
2) using miratic acid and water to open up the pours of the concrete
3) neautrilizing the acid
4) used the primer
5) used the product, 2 coats

Results: Hot tire pick up! The product was from 1999 and it has been greatly improoved.

Second project was the detached garage where I did restorations and it saw a lot of abuse. The method used was the same as above but it was a different product from Home Depot. A 2 part epoxy but no pimer coat. Did it in 2000.

Results: No hot tire pick up, used equipment like a welder, floor jacks, used and spilled oils, fuel, fluids, and so on with no stains.

Third and fourth garages were mostly parking spaces but they were done by a contractor that used better commercial grade epoxy and added "flakes". Worked out great. The first two garages were in Ca. which saw no snow but rain, it was a little bit slippery when wet. The last two were done where I live now, Idaho, and with the flakes I can tell that it is not slippery. Both of these garages saw a thick top layer of clear epoxy to help protect the flakes and also make the floor that much harder.

The keys really are very simple and true:

Prepreation IS paramont, if not prepared correctly there will be issues regardless of the product you use.

Use a higher end product. Most less expensive products found at home improovement stores are not commercial grade. You get you pay for is true most of the times. However, I did have good luck with the second garage I did myself with a less superiour product.

 

[PAToyota]

Search for "epoxy" in the forums - quite a few discussions about how they do (and do not) hold up to various things.

 

[TNToy]

Epoxy floors are basically a polymer, so welding tends to hurt them. And I've never seen one a dropped wrench or piece of steel stock wouldn't chip.

 

[JohnZ]

Mine was done six years ago by Home Pro Floors (www.homeprofloors.com) - their "Classic Floor" system - steel shot-blasted, then two coats of 2-part industrial epoxy resin 24 hours apart, and it's indestructible. Still looks like it was poured yesterday, and I've dropped plenty of tools/parts on it, not one chip anywhere.

 

[DynoDave]

I'm sure that's going to be a budget breaker, but I'm going to give them a call. Thanks JohnZ.

 

[JohnZ]

I don't know what their costs are now, but when I had mine done six years ago (2500 sq. ft.), it was $1.92/sq. ft. turnkey - all I did was write the check.