Why coat concrete???

[Johnny chaos]

OK...Before you flame me I tried to find the answer to my question searching here and Google...........

30x40 pole barn, upstate NY.......I do a lot of side work in this garage and because it's upstate NY everything is rusty so that means lots of penetrating oil, fire, rust and welding.

I have no desire for this to be a showroom, just a working garage.....I love all of the beautiful shops on here but maybe that could be my attached garage someday far far down the road

But back to the barn.....Are there any reasons other than cosmetic to coat a concrete floor that will continue to see all of these abuses? Will not coating it cause more dust and/or shorten the floors lifespan? Is there a product that could hold up to hot molten metal?

 

[-Brent-]

Dust is the only reason I am going to treat the floor of my addition. Like you, my shop is a working place with a floor that'll get nicked and stained and it'll wear them like a badge of honor.

There are some good products out there to treat and seal the floor without beautifying it.

 

[Lx460]

Welding will leave burns in an epoxy floor, I know that. If it were me, I'd leave it alone.

 

[DonPowers]

I put down a couple coats of clear Drylok Latex Sealer, mostly to keep calcium and salt from the roads from destroying my floor. Sealing the surface also keeps the dust down. In the summer its a workshop, in the winter vehicle and boat storage with a much smaller work area.

 

[Shea]

Will not coating it cause more dust and/or shorten the floors lifespan? Is there a product that could hold up to hot molten metal?

Actually, coating the floor prevents dust and increases the lifespan of concrete. As some said however, there isn't a coating that will stand up to welding and molten metal. Only bare concrete will do that.

There are less expensive options however to help protect larger concrete shop floors and garage floors from your kind of work. They won't make the floor stain proof, but it will make cleanup much easier. You can read about them here.

 

[Garage Flooring]

OK...Before you flame me I tried to find the answer to my question searching here and Google...........

30x40 pole barn, upstate NY.......I do a lot of side work in this garage and because it's upstate NY everything is rusty so that means lots of penetrating oil, fire, rust and welding.

I have no desire for this to be a showroom, just a working garage.....I love all of the beautiful shops on here but maybe that could be my attached garage someday far far down the road

But back to the barn.....Are there any reasons other than cosmetic to coat a concrete floor that will continue to see all of these abuses? Will not coating it cause more dust and/or shorten the floors lifespan? Is there a product that could hold up to hot molten metal?

There are a ton of benefits to protecting your garage floor. Easier to clean, prevents damage, dust as you mentioned, etc.

Rust Bullet Garage Floor Coatings are great shop floors like that. At just under $700 to coat that floor with two coats, it is a pretty good value too. As Shea and others have said, coatings will not stand up to weld splatter. Use a welding blanket.

 

[bmallak]

I Have never heard of rust bullet coatings. Is it new? I googled quick and it looks like automotive paint. Is it meant for floors? How would it hold up to a working garage like the OP versus just a clear sealer. ?

 

[ishiboo]

OK...Before you flame me I tried to find the answer to my question searching here and Google...........

30x40 pole barn, upstate NY.......I do a lot of side work in this garage and because it's upstate NY everything is rusty so that means lots of penetrating oil, fire, rust and welding.

I have no desire for this to be a showroom, just a working garage.....I love all of the beautiful shops on here but maybe that could be my attached garage someday far far down the road

But back to the barn.....Are there any reasons other than cosmetic to coat a concrete floor that will continue to see all of these abuses? Will not coating it cause more dust and/or shorten the floors lifespan? Is there a product that could hold up to hot molten metal?

I would still polish and seal, it makes it more difficult for the oils/etc. to get in. In addition, if you can do a light epoxy, it makes seeing what you are doing a whole lot easier as it adds a ton of light.

 

[venturesomerite]

I have a poured floor in my shop, it has a clear sealer on it. No complaints from me. It sees every kind of abuse that a floor can see (welding, hammering, plasma/torches, oops I put the oil pan in the wrong spot,painting and some stray grinder cuts.)

I wouldn't want it epoxied. It's just a working garage.


Now if I had a light work garage, that didn't see nearly as much abuse, sure I'd put a nice finish on it. In a heavy work garage like mine, it would look like **** in no time.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I Have never heard of rust bullet coatings. Is it new? I googled quick and it looks like automotive paint. Is it meant for floors? How would it hold up to a working garage like the OP versus just a clear sealer. ?

No its not new. It is marketed extensively under automotive, industrial and other applications. There are multiple case studies including an industrial factory and a couple of really interesting ones involving running water over concrete that has been coated with it.

They have an incredible amount of lab testing. But lab testing is done in a controlled environment, different substrate. None the less it is very impressive.

The thing the OP will need to consider is how he wants to categorize the area. For residential we suggest 2 coats as a minimum. For Industrial we like to see four.

I can't give you an honest comparison versus a clear sealer. Two different types of products.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

If you dont care what it looks like you can always densify it, seals from within, eliminates dusting. Makes your good concrete surface better.

Topical products will be damaged by hot slag, weld splatter, etc....


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[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Concrete Densifiers at the time of the pour helps an awfully lot to stop the dust, 'n strengthening the floor,...

Still not totally immune to torch splatter, but much tougher than untreated concrete or epoxy,...

 

[Thumper68]

From a guy who uses his shop much the same as yours. I put down epoxy just for dust control and ease of clean up, mine has spots from over spray, burns from welding and cutting scratches from moving parts and equipment and I would do it again in a heart beat.

The part I really like is that nothing sticks and the concrete is protected from spills.

I used the Rustolium industrial epoxy with nothing more than a good sweep and vacuum but it was a fresh pour with no oil or other stuff on it. That was 10 years of abuse ago.

 

[Johnny chaos]

Thanks for all the responses....I am leaning towards a densifier at this point......How intensely should it be cleaned prior to that?

The floor is three years old and there are no spills or contaminants....EXCEPT.....where I work under the lift....Which has seen many spills.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Work on those spill areas with a citrus based degreaser. Wash it out, let it dry and apply.



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