sealing/treating concrete before plastic tiles

[dublove]

Hey all,

I decided to go for interlocking plastic tiles for the finished floor in my garage. Subtle coin pattern 7mm thick.

I know you can simply lay them straight down on the raw concrete but I'd like to treat the concrete first. I don't want anything getting under the tiles, socking into the concrete like oil! I may decide to properly paint it one day or maybe de-tile an area for welding or something where the plastic tiles would get hurt.

I could splash some dustsealer compound on with a broom but i've read that that is bad news if you do ever want to paint it? So I'm wondering about a slightly thinned 2part epoxy to seal the concrete? Finish does not have to be like a showroom topcoat...

any recommendations?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Acrylic sealer.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Acrylic sealer.

While the tile manufacturers and distributors like me say there is nothing you need to do, which is true, there is no downside to using an acrylic sealer as suggested and potentially a huge upside.

What caught me about you post is you said 7MM Coin tile. May I ask which ones you are looking at. Be careful on PVC as there is a world of extremes. Most are great. the only real concern with PVC is staining.

 

[bdamico]

this makes no sense to me and seems to be a waste. you want to keep your garage floor clean in case you want to paint it one day, so you want to put a sealer on it, which would then guarantee you need to grind your floor before "painting" it.. . conversely if you want to epoxy it, just epoxy it and don't waste money buying tiles

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Bdamico:
Acrylic sealers do not require grinding. They are extremely thin. Most folks either lightly acid etch or pressure wash aggressively with excellent results.

 

[bdamico]

Bdamico:
Acrylic sealers do not require grinding. They are extremely thin. Most folks either lightly acid etch or pressure wash aggressively with excellent results.

then i just learned something

 

[Jsf721]

What are tiles that don't stain.

While the tile manufacturers and distributors like me say there is nothing you need to do, which is true, there is no downside to using an acrylic sealer as suggested and potentially a huge upside.

What caught me about you post is you said 7MM Coin tile. May I ask which ones you are looking at. Be careful on PVC as there is a world of extremes. Most are great. the only real concern with PVC is staining.

 

[Garage Flooring]

What are tiles that don't stain.

PVC tiles with a top coat can be installed without concern for staining. Some of the tiles that are made oversees have a pours surface that almost guarantees they will stain. Our Premium garage floor tile is guaranteed not to permanently stain from tires or automotive fluids.

 

[pauloman]

use an internal concrete sealer like bio vee seal that leaves nothing on the surface to affect any future coating plans. Essentially the bio vee seal clogs up the surface pores of the concrete reducing porosity and this moisture (and oil!) migration from above or below the concrete. see www.epoxyproducts.com/vee4u.html. You hope here is that moisture issues (perhaps unknown to you) don't create a disaster under the non porous tiles.

 

[bdamico]

use an internal concrete sealer like bio vee seal that leaves nothing on the surface to affect any future coating plans. Essentially the bio vee seal clogs up the surface pores of the concrete reducing porosity and this moisture (and oil!) migration from above or below the concrete. see www.epoxyproducts.com/vee4u.html. You hope here is that moisture issues (perhaps unknown to you) don't create a disaster under the non porous tiles.

see that's where it gets confusing. i thought all those little pores are what you need for the good epoxy bond

 

[Aanarchy]

I've read that epoxy paints/sealers are susceptible to peeling due to water ingress - is the same true of acrylic sealers?

I have a brand new concrete floor. I'm debating Porcelain Tile vs. something like Race Deck tiles. If I put down an acrylic sealer, can I come back later and put down the porcelain tiles on it?

 

[dublove]

ok guys thanks for the infos

In in the UK so a little different regarding brands. Tiles are made by www.ecotile.co.uk and are the 500/7 'raised disk' model. Someone has put up some good photos of their install using this brand tile here I've put a few down to check them out and it looks/feels pretty swell.

I've already got them as I managed to get a good deal on offer. Still costly though at $26 sq metre. And thats with 45% discount! Going to lay them on some 50gsm geotextile fabric as I have loads on a roll.

So to break it down it seems I should use an acrylic sealer, which i can lightly acid etch if I ever wanted to paint epoxy at a later date? The acrylic sealer will stop any oil soaking into the concrete *if* it ever did get under the tile.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I've read that epoxy paints/sealers are susceptible to peeling due to water ingress - is the same true of acrylic sealers?

I have a brand new concrete floor. I'm debating Porcelain Tile vs. something like Race Deck tiles. If I put down an acrylic sealer, can I come back later and put down the porcelain tiles on it?

Aanarchy:
Here is the skinny:
Acrylic Sealers have a loose molecular lock that allows moisture to pass through. They do, however, do a good job at blocking oil spill stains compared to a densifier.

Densifiers or "penetrating sealers" soak into the concrete making the surface stronger. In addition they help to fill the pores on a molecular level by hydrating any free lime available. Therefore this would be a good choice to help mitigate moisture under a tile floor. They are very good at stopping efflouresence (white powedery minerals) which is the after-effect of moisture passing through the slab.

 

[Aanarchy]

Legacy - thanks for the info. I'm about to put down RaceDeck tiles and I think I'll treat with the densifier. Now, off to find one.