I started on my floor coating project today..

[krooser]

Well, I took the plunge today and started cleaning my shop floor in preparation for coating the floor.

Geez, I've got a lot of stuff!!!

I borrowed a forklift to make things easier...mine is still apart waiting for new parts. My friend Shawn and I started at 9:00 AM. We moved my milling machine, bandsaw, shear, brake, welding bench, parts washer, compressor, desk, three storage benchs (12')...tore down a corner storage shelf that I built into the walls 'cuz I was never gonna tear it down (now it's firewood!)...moved two Hemi's, one Buick Nailhead, and several rear ends, transmissions and TONS (literally) of parts.

Now MOST of the shop is empty. We are using my lift as storage as we built a temporary platform (across the arms) with lumber and plywood.

Tomorrow we start at 8:00 AM...we have another pallet to fill with parts. I have a 10X20 tent outside where most of the stuff is stuffed...I resigned to having to do 2/3'rds of the floor first...then the final part later since I don't have a place to store my equipment.

Time for bed...

 

[dink]

Pictures are mandatory by tomorrow

 

[JohnHenrys48]

You're definitely a Garage Junkie...not only do you own a fork lift, but you have a friend that owns one...can't wait to see the results...

 

[krooser]

Well, If you guys really want to see a mess, I guess I'll have to oblige.

 

[ChucksCrib]

Afternoon of the next day and still no pics

 

[krooser]

Afternoon of the next day and still no pics [/Q

Well I've got the camera...I'll take a shot of the semi-clean floor tonite and see if I can download it...no promises. Tomorrow I'll take a few pix of all the "stuff" that came out of the shop....I hope to paint by Friday BUT I will be gone Sat 'till ????. It may have to wait 'till I get home...We moved the last of the stuff out this PM...rented a floor scrubber and scrubbed for about two hours...next we're going to pressure wash and use a little acetone on a few stubborn grease spots. I guess then I'll be ready for the muriatic acid...then some epoxy.

I ordered the epoxy from a local paint store...can't remember the name brand ( I'll know tomorrow)...some "industrial use only" brand...it's a 100% solids...a two-part mix...a two gallon kit is $59.00...it will be an 8 to 10 mil thickness....time for a little R&R...

 

[dink]

Sounds ******** man....good luck...you will need a weeks vacation to recouperate

 

[ChucksCrib]

If you get your azz in a sling and cannot post them here you can e-mail me the pics and I can post them for you

[email protected]

 

[REFLEXX]

krooser!

what brand is that stuff. the specs and price sound good.

REFLEXX

 

[krooser]

krooser!

what brand is that stuff. the specs and price sound good.

REFLEXX

I'll know Thursday. I didn't get back home in time to pick it up today...but I plan on laying it down tomorrow nite. Just finished the acid etching and rinsed the floor, cranked on the heat and waiting for it to dry...And I goofed on the price...it's around $59.00 PER GALLON in a two gallon kit...but the dealer said he could save me a little $$$ on it ...so we'll see....

 

[04 Navi]

It does make me wonder wet vs dry. When I did the Griots garage stuff, the instructions were very explicit that the cement should not be dry but damp after etching when the two part is applied. It's worked well for me. Four summers and only a couple of chips where my wife has turned the wheels on her 6000lb Navigator with gravel stuck in the tires.

 

[krooser]

Alright...Still no pix...software problem.

Anyway...The product is Insl-X "Activated Epoxy Mastic"....THICK stuff...70% solids... www.insl-x.com ...four gallons did 1000 sq. ft ( I bought 12 gallons) ....could of done it with three gallons but my helper Sean dumped the whole can into the mixing pail so we had to put on a little heavier coat near the end.

I will have to give it a second coat...I used a 3/8" roller cover but Sean had a 1/2" and it worked much better at laying out this thick material...his part covered in one coat...and I can see why 100% solids are usually applied with a notched trowel!

Tomorrow we'll give it another coat and let it cure. I'll be on the road beginning on Sunday (for a week) so I won't have the temptation to roll heavy stuff across the floor..that's a good thing.

In a couple of weeks I'll have most of my equipment back into the shop and I'll do the remaining 500 sq. ft. portion.

The price WAS $59.00 per gallon...one gallon base/one gallon activator in a case.

The color is a light tan...My walls were painted yellow and white years ago when I built the shop...seems to be an OK color combo. This was a custom mix color...it was mixed at the distributor and came to my dealer pre-mixed....a good thing to remember if you don't want the usual paint company offerings.

 

[krooser]

Ok Folks...Let's try these pictures...

#1 and #2 are the floor showing the condition before we coated.

#3 and #5 is SOME of my parts and equipment that got temporarily displaced by this project.

#4 and #6 are views after one coat on tyhe first sections of the floor.

#7 is my friend and helper Sean as he uses some acetone to clean stubborn oil spots from vintage Ford gears...600 weight grease!

There's a couple of pics of the shop exterior for reference...

 

[krooser]

Here's a couple pix of the final coat...please note that I only did two thirds of the shop floor...I still need to move everything back into the shop and then finish the final third.

A few observations...The second coat was much easier to apply. Both coats took just over six gallons for 1000 sq. ft. I MAY put on a third coat...I have just under six gallons left for 500 sq. ft. Again...This product is a 70% solids...has some solvent odor but not enough to make me sick.

The floor is ten years old yet the fiber mesh I had put into the concrete mix is still sticking out of the surface unintentionally making a non-slip finish. I'd prefer it smooth BUT this is more practical.

I defintely would recommend the Insl-X coating. While the thick consistency makes the first coat a little tuff to put down, the final results were very good.

I've waited years to do this and am pretty stoked about FINALLY getting my shop organized (again!) and looking good, too.

 

[Wile1Coyote]

What was the application method for the first coat Krooser? Still a roller?

 

[krooser]

What was the application method for the first coat Krooser? Still a roller?

Yep...I used a 3/8" nap but that was too fine. It didn't pick up enough paint plus I had to really push hard to get it applied. Sean cut in the edges with a 3" brush then started rolling with a 1/2" nap...much better job of covering...the second coat was done with a 1/2" nap.

I decided to do a third coat since I have enough product. I'll be moving back in the end of the week.

 

[cybin]

I would be disappointed if you lived anywhere else then wisconsin.

-Cybin
(Wisconsinite)

 

[bmwpower]

I would be disappointed if you lived anywhere else then wisconsin.

-Cybin
(Wisconsinite)

The floor is made of cheese.

 

[krooser]

The floor is made of cheese.

Thank God it's not Swiss!?!?!?!

 

[krooser]

I would be disappointed if you lived anywhere else then wisconsin.

-Cybin
(Wisconsinite)

Yah hey dere, youse guyz....

 

[krooser]

Here's an update on my floor project...

I had put down two coats of Insl-X and the floor looked super.

Since I was on the road, and I had plenty of product left, I had my friend Sean put down a third coat of epoxy. Well......it was 70 something when he applied it and he left the overhead door open to vent the fumes and encourage it to dry...

The late night temps dropped to the 30's, and when the epoxy dried, it was real blotchy...shiny in some places and dull in others. A few areas didn't cure properly and were still "sticky".

Plus, he waited FOUR days to do it....beyond the manufacturers 72 hour "recoat" window...

SOOOOOOOO......When I got home, I rented a square 15" orbital sander from my lumber yard. $20.00 for a half day rental. I sanded the floor with a 60 grit paper followed by an 80 grit...It worked super. The fibermesh that HAD been sticking out of the surface was gone...the floor had a real smooth "buff" finish to it.

It took about 45 minutes to sand the floor...I was really pleased with the result.

We then recoated with coat #4....I used a 1/2' nap roller which worked real good but I think the finish would be like glass if I had used a 3/8" nap roller cover OR a foam cover.

The floor has been done now for about two weeks...I have since built one 12' long wall to make one part of the shop a parts storage area. And I've built another 16' wall with a 14' sliding door that will seal off the lift area from the rest of the shop.

Saturday I started moving some of my equipment back into the shop...tool boxes, welder/plasma cutter, one 12' foot bench.

I also had to shorten the tube on my radiant heater so it would fit behind the new sliding door...I cut off two feet to make it 28' long.

It's starting to look like a working shop again.

I'll get some pix posted when i get home this weekend.

http://www.insl-x.com/subProduct_Summary.asp?ProductID=529

 

[JohnHenrys48]

Hey krooser, where have I seen your shop before ? HotRodders ?

 

[krooser]

Hey krooser, where have I seen your shop before ? HotRodders ?

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