Renovating Old Machine Shop into Garage

[poofyo101]

Acquired an old machine shop
5000 sq ft or so
Need some work want some input on what direction you would take it.
Being an old machine shop there is some heavy oil staining on the concrete.
Minimal pitting but the stains are there.
Attached some photos to show some staining (some oil-dri on the floor to pickup some more oil)
What would you guys suggest for the floor?
My initial idea was:
Grind it down, epoxy and seal it, was quoted locally 25k for this which seemed high to me.
New idea is:
Grind it down myself renting the equipment, Seal it, Race deck on top. (11,500 ish for race deck)
Race Deck offered me a fairly good price due to the quantity.
Also if I were to go this route would you suggest the diamond style or the free flow style?
My concern for the free flow would be that it would not hide the staining on the concrete like the diamond style would.

Sorry this is all very new to me so any input would be great.
Thanks

 

[poofyo101]

 

[HotrodHR]

What are you plans for the space? I would start with a thorough scrubbing to see how clean you can get... that'll give you time to think about it the direction you want to go. Laying 5000 square feet of Racedeck sounds like a wonderful weekend project... yeah right!

 

[poofyo101]

What are you plans for the space? I would start with a thorough scrubbing to see how clean you can get... that'll give you time to think about it the direction you want to go. Laying 5000 square feet of Racedeck sounds like a wonderful weekend project... yeah right!

Plans would be to renovate the floor,walls and have about 6-8 four post lifts in it for car storage.

 

[James-W]

I would just use a buffer with some scouring pads and some really good soap to try and clean the floor as best I could. I certainly would not go crazy to make the floor a showplace if all you are doing is storing cars.

 

[poofyo101]

I would just use a buffer with some scouring pads and some really good soap to try and clean the floor as best I could. I certainly would not go crazy to make the floor a showplace if all you are doing is storing cars.

What are your thoughts on cleaning it up a bit and just laying the race deck down?

 

[CombatNinja]

$11K+ for RaceDeck!? For that!?

Hell no. Give it a power wash, scrub it up real good and call it done. At 5000 sq. ft., that place is frankly too big to start invest heavily into the floor. Screw that.

 

[loganb]

Get a commercial cleaning company to come out and quote pressure washing/rinse/degrease etc but other then that if its going to be a working garage it seems like a lot of money to spend on the floor of a storage area.

If you have an area where it will be more work being done, a paint bay or a "clean" area I can understand epoxy or painted there to make cleanup easier and to better find dropped items....but where you're going to have storage lifts personally wouldn't do it unless these are for rent to a specific clientele that already is committed to paying for that level of finish

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[poofyo101]

Get a commercial cleaning company to come out and quote pressure washing/rinse/degrease etc but other then that if its going to be a working garage it seems like a lot of money to spend on the floor of a storage area.

If you have an area where it will be more work being done, a paint bay or a "clean" area I can understand epoxy or painted there to make cleanup easier and to better find dropped items....but where you're going to have storage lifts personally wouldn't do it unless these are for rent to a specific clientele that already is committed to paying for that level of finish

Sent from The Garage Journal mobile app

Had one come out today to quote it. Will just be my hobby garage basically and want it to be nice but maybe the floor isn't a good idea then. Lets see how clean we can get it

 

[88thunder]

With 5,000 sq ft I'd be looking into renting a ride-on, or at least a walk behind floor scrubber. Something with hard bristles, not just scouring pads. Then look for industrial strength degreaser for concrete. Do the whole floor one way, followed by perpendicular pass. Once scrubbed/degreased you could race deck to your heart's content. Probably won't look like freshly laid concrete, but will surely be clean enough for race deck, or heck just embrace the left over stains and enjoy the space.

Or even...get crazy and get a quote on polishing the floor. Sealers may have an issue with the grease, but at least it could be nice and smooth.

 

[poofyo101]

Any suggestions in cleaners/degreasers?

 

[Andy Smith Jr.]

Have you thought about doing it yourself or are you set on having a contractor do it?

 

[poofyo101]

Doing as much as possible myself

 

[astroracer]

Simple Green is an excellent degreaser. Talk to a rental place and see what they use...
As far as getting it coated? Like everyone has said, that is a major waste of time and money. You will never get it clean enough for anything to last. Get it as clean as you can then have it polished.
Mark

 

[poofyo101]

Simple Green is an excellent degreaser. Talk to a rental place and see what they use...
As far as getting it coated? Like everyone has said, that is a major waste of time and money. You will never get it clean enough for anything to last. Get it as clean as you can then have it polished.
Mark

Yes going away from the coated idea. Just trying to get it as clean as possible now and slamming some race deck possibly or just leaving it as is.

What lifts do people suggest for 4 post?

 

[930dreamer]

The floor wouldn't be a candidate for epoxy in my book, I've cleaned concrete with a bristle type attachment on a floor buffer and it worked well. Please post more pics when you can.

 

[poofyo101]

Is it safe to leave a degreaser such as purple power sitting on it for a few hours or would you suggest 30 min application then pressure wash off?
Thanks for the help

 

[astroracer]

The best thing to do is follow the instructions on the container.
Mark

 

[mepstein]

My floor had a lot of old oil and trans fluid stains. One really big one when a large bottle of oil spilled and then was left to sit for months. I sprayed the whole floor down with a heavy duty degreaser in a garden sprayer, left it on overnight and then used a pressure washer to clean up the mess. My son kept pushing the dirty water out with a large squeegee. It came out looking almost like new. The room even smelled better once everything dried. It took a while and was loud, even with ear protection but I would do it again in a heartbeat, since it came out so well.

Try a small section with some cleaner and a power washer, let it dry and decide if the result is worth doing the whole floor.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi,
You could put down our solid PVC industrial grade www.supratile.com with no prep and comparable cost. These are ideal for heavy duty use and are quiet to walk on since they are solid/not hollow. Lifetime warranty too.

Please contact us for samples.

 

[88thunder]

Please update us as you progress. I don't know why, but it seems like a fun project.

 

[poofyo101]

Please update us as you progress. I don't know why, but it seems like a fun project.

Will get some after photos after the degreasing today. They are laying concrete today outside. Exciting.

 

[CombatNinja]

Where in NC are you?

 

[Ronn]

Can't wait for some updates!

 

[RaceDeck1]

Your garage project sounds really great!
We are about to buy an old shop that was used as a 'metal artists' shop for the last 40 years. So many ways to go with the look of the shop but want to keep a vintage look. (though I do have My Flooring decision finalized -
I am going to watch this thread with great interest.
Here is mine as it sits today

 

[poofyo101]

Where in NC are you?

Outside of Charlotte

 

[88thunder]

Come on, dont fail us now. I'm excited to see some results.

 

[yeldogt]

If there is any odor I would suggest getting it professionally cleaned ... think you will be surprised at how clean they can get it. I did a transmission shop and then they used a sealer -- the sealer really had an odor .... but. when it was finished. Nothing ---and the floor looked old but clean. Nice enough that I never did anything more to it

 

[Ralf11]

ditto on prof. cleaning

see if they can clean the ceiling and walls first

 

[poofyo101]

Been busy at work getting alot of things done. Will have pictures soon!
What do people suggest to lay under race deck to prevent the clicking noise?