Mancave or shop?

[Flivver250]

Seen a few threads about how to protect pretty epoxy coated flooring from jacks, stands, bike lifts etc. WTH? While I understand pretty floors as part of a garage attached to a house (been there done that), if the shop flooring is too pretty to wrench on, you may have a mancave and not a shop. Planning on building another shop at my new house, and I may seal the cement, but do not care if it is pretty. Perhaps it is just me, I don’t think a Chevy Avalanche is a pickup, it is a chickup. If I have to worry about stains and scratches when wrenching on a rig, I’m going to get my testosterone level checked. I’ve never had a shop without a stained floor.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

The beauty of people is in the difference.
A smooth glossy floor is easy to clean and looks great, encouraging folks to keep it clean and organized.

There are products available that won't change the look but will help keep the floor from staining as badly and keep the dust down to save your lungs.

 

[gungatim]

to each his own, but I'm with you on that one. never got the whole floor coating thing...how do you lay down a rusty piece of metal and torch it when you're worried about the floor getting dirty? my shop is made to work in. usually lots of cat litter laying around soaking up oil spills from various projects...

some of the garages on here look truly amazing, and I respect that, but they are more like a museum than a shop...I once bought a vette from a guy who had his entire garage carpeted wall-to-wall...WTF? made you take your shoes off before going in!

 

[w33b8t1]

My old garage was a mess of oil and dirt and grime from working in it all the time.

My new garage has a mat down on it. I will probably even epoxy it next year.

I now do my beating, welding, grinding outside and keep the inside clean. I really like it clean.

However if I was working on full size rock crawlers again I would probably wreck an epoxy floor.

I just do small stuff now and motorcycles.

 

[bdamico]

I admit to finding the threads about protecting epoxy floors with mats a bit humorous.

 

[Shea]

Floor coatings are not for everyone. Some people just don't care what their garage floor looks like or as the OP stated, doesn't see the need when the garage is used for heavy metal work.

These types of floors do benefit tremendously from a good floor sealing treatment however. It will make cleaning up easier and help to reduce the amount of staining that can happen depending on how the floor is used.

We have an article here that talks about the use of different sealers as well as densifiers for shop floors and garage floors. They don't necessarily make your floor pretty, but they sure can help to protect it and make cleanups easier.

 

[Stuart in MN]

If it makes you feel manly to have a dirty shop, that's fine. There's no good reason to ridicule others who have different tastes or objectives.

 

[pablo94sc]

I never understood putting down fancy flooring (epoxy, tile, etc) in a garage that isn't housing a show vehicle. It may have it's benefits, but if there was a way to destroy it, I'm sure I'd find it within a week of having it put down.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

It's clean, impact resistant and reflects light. It is a joy to work in and spills get cleaned up with a paper-towel. Epoxy is largely used in manufacturing facilities. Most food items you consume in a day came from a factory that has epoxy floors. Breweries, Soda/soft-drink facilities, slaughter houses, and heavy manufacturing use epoxy like crazy. Long before people were installing in garages, epoxy has been a major industrial floor covering.

It can also be used to show off a nice car , especially when finished with a clear coat and flakes.

 

[chruler]

A finished floor does look great, but it may not be a good idea in a rough shop where heavy things get dropped, dragged spilled and burned. Then it looks worse because the floor "used to look so nice."

 

[INTMD8]

I did an all white epoxy floor (and despise the term man cave). Will it stay brand new forever? I'm sure it will not. Mostly for light reflection and ease of cleaning as mentioned.

Wouldn't allow oil dry in there even if it was bare concrete, what a mess that stuff is.

If in 10 years it's beat up and scratched all over it will still be easier to clean and reflect more light than bare concrete.

 

[Thumper68]

I have epoxy on my shop floor somewhere under all the stains and paint.

Why? because it seals the floor and makes it easier to clean.

I was never worried about what it would look like in 10 years, it's a shop that sees all the bad (read Good) stuff.

I never thought twice about cutting welding grinding or dropping/spilling on it it's a shop.

 

[Slowgsr]

My shop is to clean to work in, basically a man cave. Has a smart tv, a minisplit, wifi thermostat, etc. I do odd projects In there but I'm a neat freak so it's natural to keep things in order.

For major things I go to my business shop/warehouse.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

If I had a real shop, I'd love to have a wood block floor like in the older industrial buildings.

Tommy

 

[mygarageone]

Because I want both , I am turning the existing garage / shop into a gathering place or man cave and adding onto the front of the shop for a work shop garage .
My wife wants a garage for her car and said do your thing .

 

[Jim Dawson]

I love my epoxy floor. After 5 years it still looks good (yes, it is also a shop). The tan epoxy makes it easier for these old eyes to find dropped screws etc. than bare or sealed concrete.

 

[A_Pmech]

The purpose of epoxy is to seal the floor, reflect light and make the floor easy to clean. Working in a dungeon gets old after a while.

 

[gungatim]

If it makes you feel manly to have a dirty shop, that's fine. There's no good reason to ridicule others who have different tastes or objectives.

I don't see where the OP or anyone else for that matter is ridiculing anyone...just stating a different point of view and trying to make sense of the logic, that's all.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Seen a few threads about how to protect pretty epoxy coated flooring from jacks, stands, bike lifts etc. WTH? While I understand pretty floors as part of a garage attached to a house (been there done that), if the shop flooring is too pretty to wrench on, you may have a mancave and not a shop. Planning on building another shop at my new house, and I may seal the cement, but do not care if it is pretty. Perhaps it is just me, I don’t think a Chevy Avalanche is a pickup, it is a chickup. If I have to worry about stains and scratches when wrenching on a rig, I’m going to get my testosterone level checked. I’ve never had a shop without a stained floor.

Your post here to men... is like being asked by the wife, " Do I look fat in this dress honey " ??

I think it is great for a man to personalize his garage space the way they want it. Anyone married, if they are being honest... knows the wife runs the house. So the garage is the man's getaway... This being said, my opinion is different on shops used commercially. I personally have no problem with a well lit shop that has just a sealed floor...as long as it stays reasonably clean.

Where I worked for the passed 15 years the maintenance shop that serviced all the grounds machines from dump trucks to push mowers, epoxied their shop floor every year. Same story every year unfolded, two days of degreasing/cleaning, removing all floor standing equipment and finally the application of $500.00 of epoxy coating.. plus the in -house employee labor costs. And once applied, the light gray epoxy looked great, then in 3 weeks it just brought more attention to the tire marks, grease and dirt. FWIW and JMO

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

If I had a real shop, I'd love to have a wood block floor like in the older industrial buildings.

Tommy

Those floors were tough but easier on the knees, then concrete, when standing all day.


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[Ch3No2]

My attached 3 car is a fab shop...welding, drilling and grinding.
My detached is an engine assembly room 20x20, and a whatever I want to do room 20x44....Never thought of it as a Man Cave but I am out there a lot...so the wife claims, lol

 

[My Old Tools]

If I had a real shop, I'd love to have a wood block floor like in the older industrial buildings.

Tommy

+1. That has always been my ideal floor as well. That way when you drop your Stanley Sweetheart plane it doesn't break. It's also much easier on your feet, legs, and back.

 

[gungatim]

If I had a real shop, I'd love to have a wood block floor like in the older industrial buildings.

Tommy

There was an old episode of either Bob Villa or T O H that made a really cool wood floor out of old 4x4's. they sliced the columns into like 3/4" thick pieces and set them like you would tile. for grout they mixed sawdust and something-glue maybe? I forget what it was exactly, but it looked really cool. I thought about doing that In my wood shop but never got around to it. I think they did a kitchen or something...would be an inexpensive flooring option for sure though.