Well this is my first post on this site and have been lingering around for a while. I have recently enclosed my carport into a garage. The dimensions are 12'x24' with 11' celings. Right now it is just raw unfinished concrete for the floor. I was just posing this question to the guru's on the site. What are your oppinions on a polished granite floor in a shop. This shop will house two sport bikes, which are already kept on their own mats, as well as being a general hobby shop/escape hang out. Just wondering about safety and durability.
Ideas on Granite
- Thread starter Superfly
- Start date
Bud_Man
Well-known member
Have you priced granite lately?
rsanter
Well-known member
I think it would look bitchen
if you can get the slab granite direct from china you can save lots of money.
if you like that look you may want to look at grinding and polishing the concrete and then staining it the color you want
looks great
bob
if you can get the slab granite direct from china you can save lots of money.
if you like that look you may want to look at grinding and polishing the concrete and then staining it the color you want
looks great
bob
Fuller
Well-known member
I had a client who did his driveway with random pieces of polished granite. I didn't like the look and it was very slippery when wet.
AlphaGarage
Well-known member
Getting random chunks and colors to look great probably isn't as easy as it sounds. I love the look of unsealed granite, but that's real tough to keep clean.
Please post pics if you go forward with the rock - could be cool looking!
Please post pics if you go forward with the rock - could be cool looking!
boiler7904
Well-known member
Define random size chunks. Unless they are an even thickness and have been cut to some sort of rectangular tile or panel, installation is going to be a *****. Getting random material machined to regular sizes would be pricey if you could even find anyone to do it. Granite will also be prone to chipping when you drop tools on it, especially at the edges. Granite will also absorb stains unless sealed on a regular basis. Even then, spills need to be wiped up immediately or they will become stains.
SC-Eric
Well-known member
2".... Holy Smokes... That might last as long as LiquaTile!
i am a granite installer by trade. my first reaction is advise against this. athough, in brazil granite is very plenty full and they use it alot for garage floors.
problems;
1. granite is very fragile when being handled. the weight makes this fact deceiving. if not handled properly it will break like a sheet of glass. once installed on the floor it would be pretty stable though.
2. your pieces are not all going to be exactly 2" they will vary and have to be gound accordingly. you can buy most of the diamond blade cutters and grinders at lowes, though, i use a much better quality for longevity purposes.
3. all the pieces will have to be ground straight to match the edges tightly. this takes lots of practice over a long period of time.
4. durabilty is my main concern. all granite is not created equal. meaning, that different colors have different tollerances to breakage. granite has what we call "fault lines" or weak spots. lighter colors tend to break much easier than darker colors.
now, say you make it through the installation process. maintenance would be a nightmare. resealing every 2 or 3 years would be expensive and time consuming.
one more thing. those free pieces you got from thier "boneyard" is what they broke while installing them. and their professionals.
problems;
1. granite is very fragile when being handled. the weight makes this fact deceiving. if not handled properly it will break like a sheet of glass. once installed on the floor it would be pretty stable though.
2. your pieces are not all going to be exactly 2" they will vary and have to be gound accordingly. you can buy most of the diamond blade cutters and grinders at lowes, though, i use a much better quality for longevity purposes.
3. all the pieces will have to be ground straight to match the edges tightly. this takes lots of practice over a long period of time.
4. durabilty is my main concern. all granite is not created equal. meaning, that different colors have different tollerances to breakage. granite has what we call "fault lines" or weak spots. lighter colors tend to break much easier than darker colors.
now, say you make it through the installation process. maintenance would be a nightmare. resealing every 2 or 3 years would be expensive and time consuming.
one more thing. those free pieces you got from thier "boneyard" is what they broke while installing them. and their professionals.
AlphaGarage
Well-known member
This sounds like the type of situation I find myself in every now and then... I love a good deal, love 'em maybe a bit too much. Which is how in the past I've ended up with about 30 calculators, 14 day packs, and a bunch of of scaffold planks I still have by the side of our house. All that stuff was too great a bargain to pass up, despite the fact I had no need for any of it. They were all solutions to problems I didn't have, answers in search of questions. I've found that getting something just because it's cheap or free (especially if it's free!) is not the ideal way to operate.
Ask yourself this: "What about this arrangement - other than it's cheap - appeals to me?" It sounds like you have a new space and want to maximize its utility and your enjoyment. And clearly you like the thought of granite. But it seems like real granite isn't the best material to use, even if its initial cost is nada, its installation, final look, utility and upkeep costs may far outweigh the "bargain" acquisition price.
You might want to consider an epoxy coating that looks like granite. Most epoxy dealers have a coating and flake combination or two that will give you the look of granite without the negatives of actual stone. Plus you'll have all the benefits of an epoxy coating - tough, durable, seamless, easy to clean , etc.
Click this link to see what another GarageJournal member did to get his "granite" floor.
You'll want to read his whole account because there are a lot of great tips there, but here's a quick preview:
Ask yourself this: "What about this arrangement - other than it's cheap - appeals to me?" It sounds like you have a new space and want to maximize its utility and your enjoyment. And clearly you like the thought of granite. But it seems like real granite isn't the best material to use, even if its initial cost is nada, its installation, final look, utility and upkeep costs may far outweigh the "bargain" acquisition price.
You might want to consider an epoxy coating that looks like granite. Most epoxy dealers have a coating and flake combination or two that will give you the look of granite without the negatives of actual stone. Plus you'll have all the benefits of an epoxy coating - tough, durable, seamless, easy to clean , etc.
Click this link to see what another GarageJournal member did to get his "granite" floor.
You'll want to read his whole account because there are a lot of great tips there, but here's a quick preview: