Stain vs epoxy....

[alkemyst]

I have a bare concrete working floor. It's clean but hardly uniform in color. It's always been a working garage (previous owner was a engine/welder guy).

I was thinking of VCT, but I am not sure if I want that especially when I am hard on my floors and it'd be alot more work.

If I do epoxy/stain I can just cut in to fixtures in place....I don't hear much about stains here.

What's the best low cost stain and/or epoxy out there? I am targeting cheaper than the $0.60 sq/ft I can get VCT for.

 

[mmhouse]

There's some information from Griots Garage on floor paint in this thread. Like most coatings, good results depend upon good prep....

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33684

 

[thegarageguy]

At less than 60 cent per sqft don't expect any performance or durability.

 

[alkemyst]

At less than 60 cent per sqft don't expect any performance or durability.

so all the VCT users need to pull up their floors?

when we can buy in off the rack for .58 cents a sq/foot what happens then?

 

[gcan]

the topic is "stain vs epoxy" not paint, I"m interested in this as well

 

[nissan_crawler]

so all the VCT users need to pull up their floors?

when we can buy in off the rack for .58 cents a sq/foot what happens then?

try reading, he wasn't talking about vct.

 

[alkemyst]

try reading, he wasn't talking about vct.

Then it was vague as I was mentioning VCT in my pricing point.

 

[thegarageguy]

vct is ****. Its not meant in a garage setting. Armstrong has even written a letter on it. Search it on this forum.

Cheap stain, cheap water based epoxy that would yellow as soon as it dries and cheap vct are all in your price point. Again at that price poit don't expect quality.

 

[alkemyst]

damn I wanna be a baller like you.

WTF.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I have a bare concrete working floor. It's clean but hardly uniform in color. It's always been a working garage (previous owner was a engine/welder guy).

I was thinking of VCT, but I am not sure if I want that especially when I am hard on my floors and it'd be alot more work.

If I do epoxy/stain I can just cut in to fixtures in place....I don't hear much about stains here.

What's the best low cost stain and/or epoxy out there? I am targeting cheaper than the $0.60 sq/ft I can get VCT for.

At less than 60 cent per sqft don't expect any performance or durability.

You were talking stain and epoxy under that price point. He was telling you stain and epoxy for cheaper than that would ****. It was quite clear to me. You asked about stain and epoxy, not vct. His answer was about stain and epoxy.

Personally, I think you CAN do it well for around that, but that's a different discussion.

 

[alkemyst]

he was talking that VCT was also ****...maybe you two should get a room since you are reading his mind.

so does anyone running in the ghetto have ideas for around the sub $1 sq/ft mark I guess I am below the water mark here.....

 

[rickairmedic]

My floor is still old bare ugly concrete mainly due to the fact I actually fabricte in my garage and would be sick if I popped for VCT or Epoxy and a week later it looked as bad or worse than the bare concrete due to overspray or welding spatter or grinding sparks sooooooooo I have just stayed with the concrete .

Rick

 

[alkemyst]

I'd be ok with my floor too if I could get it back to even...it was a trainwreck when I moved in.

I applied a solution of:
1/4 cup low-sudsing, all-purpose cleaner
1 cup ammonia
1/2 gallon cool or cold water.

then scrubbed

then pressure washed ~3000 psi 2x

then TSP'd

then pressure washed 2x

this was what I was left with.

 

[nissan_crawler]

he was talking that VCT was also ****...maybe you two should get a room since you are reading his mind.

so does anyone running in the ghetto have ideas for around the sub $1 sq/ft mark I guess I am below the water mark here.....

not before I posted, he wasn't. Although I do agree it is for any kind of a working garage.

Yes, I have ideas, mine cost less. I would have shared had you not gotten snippy over me explaining what you didn't understand...

 

[thegarageguy]

Alkemyst, would you feel better if we all agreed? Im not here to toot your horn but rather tell you my professional opinion. Its up to you to listen or blow it off. Nothing cheap is good. Maybe your standards are lower than most. But thats your problem.

 

[alkemyst]

dear god...nissan crawler...whatever...perhaps responding to the question instead of chasing others thoughts around.

Garageguy...I am building a working garage not a car showroom...looks like your clientele is more wine and cheese, but I bet they have some nice MAC Toolboxes that never get touched.

 

[rickairmedic]

Alkemyst Crawler really is a good guy might be having a bad day he usually doesnt side with garageguy . I would say for what you are wanting I would use the same thing crawler used which was the quickcrete stuff from Lowes it seems to have held up well on his floor and I know he ( works in his garage ) .

Rick

 

[alkemyst]

Thanks...I don't know what happened above...hope it wasn't me.

I was looking at that stuff (the oil based one), it seems pretty cheap which is good. They had some that self-etched but it still says to do all the same prep work

I may do this as I really don't want anything slippery...my floor is about a 80 grit right now.