....the no fuss floor.

[jtbinvalrico]

Is anybody else out there besides me happy with just a plain old garage floor.......behold:

......the non-floor.

It's strange....sometimes I feel like a persnickety perfectionist, and other times not so much. For example, my sock drawer is a toss-up mess, but shirts have to be folded just so.

I think I'm truly afraid that if I do a nice floor, I'll invariably ding it up and be forever mad at myself....so I instead find an odd comfort in my "no-fuss" floor.

 

[thegarageguy]

Nothing wrong with your "non floor" option if you don't mind stains or dust. A properly installed or correctly specified flooring system is low maintenance and long lasting.

 

[PeterT]

Good old concrete isn't bade, but my epoxy with industrial grade clear coat is easy to clean, oil & other chemicals wipe right up with a paper towel... It was pricey, did it myself (30x35) pole barn - floor cost about $2000... But I love it.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Even a no fuss floor would benefit from a densifier (inexpensive penetrating sealer). At least you will eliminate the dusting created by your feet, your broom, etc...

 

[LS1NOVA]

Peter, what products did you use?

 

[71flh]

Plain concrete...

No cost
No maintenance
No worry
No problem

 

[PeterT]

In prep I rented a diamond floor grinder.
I then eched with 4 jugs of bond loc

I primed with a epoxystore base primer
I put 5 kits of professional rust oleum epoxy
Sprinkled with color chips

Then put 20 gals of Norklad clear coat.

 

[wolflrv]

Mine is an exquisite non-floor...complete with broom finish(which is a royal pain to sweep) and a long decorative crack that happened the second year after I built the shop. It also has various grease stains, some paint and it kills my knees after a full day out there...but it's mine and I'm quite happy with it....LOL!

 

[Fastback]

Just get some stain in the mix and have the guys use a power trowel until it starts to marbleize, then you will have a cool looking floor for only a few hundred more than the grey. All you will need to do then is keep a clear on the floor to keep the dust down.

Kinda plain, at least the floor does not need a spendy epoxy.

 

[paullie]

i'm a "non-floorer" too, grease, oil, paint, dog ****, welding splatter, who cares? it's a shop, not a showroom

 

[PCO6]

jtbinvalrico - I'm like you and your floor looks perfectly fine to me. Your sock drawer sounds like another matter though. When I was about 10 yrs old my mother gave me a handful of safety pins and said ... "from now on I want you to pin your socks together when you take them off and then put them in the laundry". It's 50 years later and I still do it. During that time I have never lost a sock or even had to look for one to make a matched pair. Talk about "persnickety perfectionism".

 

[Cobra_Bob]

Mine in plain concrete right now also. Would like something better, but I’m afraid of damaging a nice shiny floor with jacks, jack stands, etc.

Fastback…your floor is awesome (love the car too).

 

[Fastback]

Fastback…your floor is awesome (love the car too).

Thanks, I wish it was that clean right now. I want to add that if I was doing it over I would have used a better sealer or a densifier from the start. After the shine wears off it still looks neat, but it's not a showroom shine anymore. The nice thing is I could always strip and reseal it or even polish it when all of the projects are done.

Here's a less "Staged" pic that shows some floor after cutting and welding....

It lost that wet look, but black stains that dont come off will just add more of a marble look the next time I clear it.

But, for a few more bucks per yard for the red in the mix you really cant complain compared to the high cost of epoxy that does not like hot metal or slag.

 

[240sxguy]

Plain old concrete here too. Mine is also sealed etc so it cleans up reasonably well. I am hard on the floor and can't justify an epoxy type finish.

 

[knagy389us]

My wife is tired of me being unable to commit to doing mine. I need to get my **** in gear, as the garage build is done, the floor is still virgin concrete - nows the time.

She said why dont I just seal it like I did our basement. I used the Dryloc clear stuff (I think) Eliminated the dust, easy to sweep. Not sure how that stuff would handle oil, gas or the like spilled on it.

 

[jtbinvalrico]

...even I'll be the first to admit that if I was looking at brand new concrete, I'd do something, maybe a dark stain and leave it at that.

But once it gets that lovely 20 year patina.......

 

[bd8134]

I would never go back to a concrete floor. The simple jobs just take longer when you spill something, the salt from the cars in winter, the humidity from the floor, the continual dust, etc. I am no way fussy about my floor, last month I washed my epoxy floor down, a interval of about 15+ months. I have weld splatters burnt in my epoxy (they were large chunks), grinding does not effect it, trolley jacks and axle stands do not leave marks that I can see.
One piece of damage I have seen was a chunk of concrete with epoxy attached, about the size of a 3/8" nut when my son dropped his rear suspension when he was working on the 2-post lift, about 5 feet.
About 3 months ago I dragged a pair of concrete pillar caps that I had unload from my car onto an old Workmate. I then dragged the pair of them one at a time across the floor. Each cap was maybe 170lbs. After I had finished installing the caps I was noticed scratch lines on / in the epoxy. The rubber feet on the Workmate had worn down and I was dragging the weight of pillars on the metal ball studs that were underneath. In some places the clear coat was scratched maybe had worn through but the epoxy and flakes underneath were not effected. I was disappointed with how I did this but I used some cleaner and cleaned up the lines and it takes some looking to notice them now. If this was bare concrete I am sure it would have badly gouged the floor.
The battle scars you have to look for.
The great feeling is when open the door to the garage, that is what makes it worth the effort.

 

[Falcon67]

I like the bare 'crete, but after 12 years on an epoxy floor I'll have another thanks. I put it down to seal and make for easy spill cleanup. It'll get worn - that's not an issue. I like the performance, not caring so much about the look. Lots of stains, marks on the floor I left in the old shop - not a big deal, lots of work got done in there.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I'll tickle your imaginations with this...

We will be launching a new product in a month or so.
It will be a topical sealer, clear, low voc, nice mellow sheen, chemical resistant and tough, no acid etching required and easily applied.

It will be the "no fuss floor" with a little bit of sheen.


Stay tuned for more on this product.

 

[darkk]

Sounds like my kind of floor...

 

[thegarageguy]

Kinda plain, at least the floor does not need a spendy epoxy.

I want to add that if I was doing it over I would have used a better sealer or a densifier from the start.

You are kind of contradicting yourself, from one post to the next....or maybe you don't understand that the "spendy" epoxy is just a higher grade sealer than an acrylic that you would have to reseal every so often and or wax to maintain.

Your concrete was finished beautifully, to maintain it one would either polish and burnish in a heavy duty polish guard (still needs maintaining in your environment) or grind, epoxy and polyurethane it. (choosing the correct formulation is key) Neither will hold up to molted metal unfortunately....haven't found anything that can.

Kudos to your concrete finisher...it's rare to see such excellent work

 

[snakedoc257]

I am leaving mine bare concrete for now. I wanted Racedeck, but would rather spend the money on my Hot Rod right now. Then I decided to go Epoxy, but can't find the time to prep and there is no way I can empty my garage for 7 days.

I was thinking of just doing a clear sealer.

Legacy Industrial I am definitely interested in that coating you are talking about!

 

[BL50]

jtbinvalrico - I'm like you and your floor looks perfectly fine to me. Your sock drawer sounds like another matter though. When I was about 10 yrs old my mother gave me a handful of safety pins and said ... "from now on I want you to pin your socks together when you take them off and then put them in the laundry". It's 50 years later and I still do it. During that time I have never lost a sock or even had to look for one to make a matched pair. Talk about "persnickety perfectionism".

I laughed my *** off when I read this ... I thought I was the only one who pinned my socks together ... been doing it for years and everybody thinks I'm nuts!

Beautiful floor Fastback!

 

[PCO6]

I laughed my *** off when I read this ... I thought I was the only one who pinned my socks together ... been doing it for years and everybody thinks I'm nuts!

Beautiful floor Fastback!

I gotta be honest. I only know 2 guys that pin their socks ... YOU AND ME!!! My brothers never listened to my mother and they live a life of sock chaos.

 

[trbomax]

Bare naked floor here.between the welding,dragging stuff across it,the tractors and equipment in and out,you cant keep it clean anyway.Chains on the tractors in the winter,studs on the tracks of the JD8120t,not to mention the carbides and studs on the sleds,my conctete floor is sacrificial.It does have "character" as my wife says but it is a "working" shop,not a showroom..

 

[Fastback]

You are kind of contradicting yourself, from one post to the next....or maybe you don't understand that the "spendy" epoxy is just a higher grade sealer than an acrylic that you would have to reseal every so often and or wax to maintain.

Your concrete was finished beautifully, to maintain it one would either polish and burnish in a heavy duty polish guard (still needs maintaining in your environment) or grind, epoxy and polyurethane it. (choosing the correct formulation is key) Neither will hold up to molted metal unfortunately....haven't found anything that can.

Kudos to your concrete finisher...it's rare to see such excellent work

Sorry for any perceived contradiction, I guess I could have added that the floor will eventually need to be re-coated in time with a better product than I have now, but since I spent the last winter cutting and welding I went with a cheaper topcoat for the season.

I have used Epoxy on cement floors in rentals, and it looks killer, almost like a Berber carpet, I love it, but it is expensive.

My floor's red color added about $350 to the cost of the floor. Sure if I want to keep it super glossy or redo that cheap clear coat every few years it will take time and a little money, but it was hard to compare that costs to $7 a SF X 720 when I was building. If I was just parking in the garage the 5 gallons of sealer I have would last several applications over several seasons.

Once I get my projects done my floor will look kinda tired, ill give ya that, painting a few cars and getting overspray on the floor and spilling reducers & thinners will take a big toll on the look, but thats a problem for any floor I guess, even epoxy. Can epoxy be stained or dulled by those things?

Next fall I will undoubtedly need to clean and seal with a clear that will be more permanent, but even if I had done that when I built the garage I would still need to redo it to get that showroom shine back.

 

[Fastback]

I'll tickle your imaginations with this...

We will be launching a new product in a month or so.
It will be a topical sealer, clear, low voc, nice mellow sheen, chemical resistant and tough, no acid etching required and easily applied.

It will be the "no fuss floor" with a little bit of sheen.


Stay tuned for more on this product.

PM me when that drops.

 

[thegarageguy]

@Fastback, yeah buddy, your garage floor is a working floor...tough to choose anything in particular that can really hold up to that abuse. You have a beautiful finish...you may want to consider a topical polish and burnish it every once on a while to knock off any over spray and bring the shine back up. That would be my call.

 

[Dragster Racer]

I'll tickle your imaginations with this...

We will be launching a new product in a month or so.
It will be a topical sealer, clear, low voc, nice mellow sheen, chemical resistant and tough, no acid etching required and easily applied.

It will be the "no fuss floor" with a little bit of sheen.


Stay tuned for more on this product.

Tease!

 

[Fastback]

@Fastback, yeah buddy, your garage floor is a working floor...tough to choose anything in particular that can really hold up to that abuse. You have a beautiful finish...you may want to consider a topical polish and burnish it every once on a while to knock off any over spray and bring the shine back up. That would be my call.

Whats a good way to "Burnish" it clean? Should I just use a floor buffer with a scuff pad?
I know I will need to do that annually if I want it to look like move in day

I thought about having it polished, but that sounds like a but buster for sure.

 

[Kevin54]

That floor looks great. I wish I had done something like that when I had my floor poured, but sadly I am destined to just have a plain concrete floor. Even to put something like epoxy down, I'd have to do a hell of a lot of grinding to get a 4" wide area 24' long level enough to just look halfway decent.

 

[Fastback]

That floor looks great. I wish I had done something like that when I had my floor poured, but sadly I am destined to just have a plain concrete floor. Even to put something like epoxy down, I'd have to do a hell of a lot of grinding to get a 4" wide area 24' long level enough to just look halfway decent.

Thanks for the comments, I wish it looked that clean & glossy right now.
Can you acid stain it your current floor? If you can grind it smooth acid staining is not rocket science, but even if it has some character it could look neat.
I was going the stain route but the guy who did my floor did a few wall-marts with the method in my shop, and those are kinda big (One would make a nice garage).

 

[haugy]

Uhhh, fastback, aren't you supposed to bolt that lift down so it can't sway or move?

 

[Fastback]

Uhhh, fastback, aren't you supposed to bolt that lift down so it can't sway or move?

No, in fact it has a wheel kit and I can move it with the car on it! (In the down position of course)

 

[LS1NOVA]

I'll tickle your imaginations with this...

We will be launching a new product in a month or so.
It will be a topical sealer, clear, low voc, nice mellow sheen, chemical resistant and tough, no acid etching required and easily applied.

It will be the "no fuss floor" with a little bit of sheen.


Stay tuned for more on this product.

PM me also.

 

[Steves32]

Mine's bare concrete. I build, cut, weld, grind all the time out there. I drag heavy stuff across it. I don't have oil stains- my car doesn't leak (pet peeve).
I'll be watching for that new product though.

 

[A**holes Garage]

I keep reading about how welding, slag, etc. damages the epoxy floor coating.

Why don't those that have epoxy floors and weld, cut, grind, etc. place a welding blanket down and cover a portion of the floor before welding or cutting, etc.?

 

[Fastback]

I keep reading about how welding, slag, etc. damages the epoxy floor coating.

Why don't those that have epoxy floors and weld, cut, grind, etc. place a welding blanket down and cover a portion of the floor before welding or cutting, etc.?

Well, in my instance I spent the winter replacing the majority of a car chassis moving all around the car, I started with the welding blanket but after a while it gets silly tripping over it or whatever, it ended up covering glass and painted surfaces. And, grinding just makes that blanket a slag filled mess that will scratch anything it touches, sorta like a big brillo pad on the floor with me walking on it.

 

[A**holes Garage]

Well, in my instance I spent the winter replacing the majority of a car chassis moving all around the car, I started with the welding blanket but after a while it gets silly tripping over it or whatever, it ended up covering glass and painted surfaces. And, grinding just makes that blanket a slag filled mess that will scratch anything it touches, sorta like a big brillo pad on the floor with me walking on it.

Good points, but looks like in your case, welding in the garage is more extreme and more often than most of us hobbyist type fabricators?

 

[MartyO]

My floor shows stains and battle scars.

Kind of like me.