What to use on floor?

[Foxfab]

Whats the preffered floor covering on bare concrete floors? I'm looking for something that'll take the plasma cutter and welding sparks. Is there such a thing?

[camo]

I have always painted mine with International 2 part epoxy paint. there are several tricks to acheiving a good finish.

1. cleaning, i pressure wash the floor and allow to dry for at least a day.
2. chemical prep. i scrub it down with lacqure thinner.
3. temp. MAKE SURE the concrete is at least 75 degrees before painting and does not drop below that until dry. ( i usually leave the heater on in the shop for several days prior to painting to make certain it is heated throughly)

I find that the floor holds up for about 3 years before needing a fresh coat. my floors have been done this way for about 15 years.

[The Joker]

When I was in construction I worked on a jiffy lube building and in the last coat or second to last coat they sprinkled sand on the floor as they were painting for traction. Maybe something to consider since epoxied floors can be very slippery.

[HandBuilt]

When I was in construction I worked on a jiffy lube building and in the last coat or second to last coat they sprinkled sand on the floor as they were painting for traction. Maybe something to consider since epoxied floors can be very slippery.

What about tile?

If you had a really straight nice slab to cover, why not put some industrial tile on it? Imagine how easy to clean that would be. Does anyone have experience with using tile on a garage floor? And not the plastic interlocking stuff, either. Something that would hold up to grinding, welding, etc. I guess if you were to drop something like a hammer on it it might break though, if it was hard enough. Just an idea.

J-L

[The Joker]

What about tile?

If you had a really straight nice slab to cover, why not put some industrial tile on it? Imagine how easy to clean that would be. Does anyone have experience with using tile on a garage floor? And not the plastic interlocking stuff, either. Something that would hold up to grinding, welding, etc. I guess if you were to drop something like a hammer on it it might break though, if it was hard enough. Just an idea.

J-L


For me the main reason would be cost and I think tile would still be very slippery. Im just on plain ole concrete myself havent epoxied painted or anything fun yet.

[Jam Master Jay]

I know this is of little use to anyone with their shop already built, but when I build my shop I plan to have the floor finished with a ride-on troweling machine until it's got a mirror finish. That way I shouldn't have to worry about porosity soaking up oil etc and I won't ever have to worry about coatings flaking or having to be reapplied.

On an existing floor I would use industrial epoxy. If I remember the names of some stuff I'll post it. We use it all the time on new projects.

[Murph]

Our warehouse floor is like this, and it's a skating rink when it's wet.


Andy

[speedo]

When our current shop was built they used a white pigment in the concrete and the floors are white all the way through and it helps with the lighting.

Gus

[Brandon]

why coat the floors? I drop stuff all the time, weld on the floor, etc.. I can't imagine ANYTHING taking that abuse? Sure it looks good but for a metal shop?

[kpj]

I vote for the epoxy coating. At the shipyard that I work at, that is what we use on the floors and it withstands all sorts of abuse...welding, grinding, oil, alcohol, etc... You can wash, hose, buff as you see fit, or just let it be and repaint in another few years.

[tdavis]

Whats the preffered floor covering on bare concrete floors? I'm looking for something that'll take the plasma cutter and welding sparks. Is there such a thing?

Polished concrete floor.

Seriously good stuff, time consuming and expensive I'm told.

[camo]

we are pouring the slap for my new shop on monday and will put a polished finish on it. i was going to color it black but decided againt it since we will be filming some video stuff in it and need a brighter color.

[camo]

why coat the floors? I drop stuff all the time, weld on the floor, etc.. I can't imagine ANYTHING taking that abuse? Sure it looks good but for a metal shop?

cause it looks good :D been welding, fabricating, driving forklifts and generally beating on my painted floors for years and it holds up great.

[surlynkid]

cause it looks good :D been welding, fabricating, driving forklifts and generally beating on my painted floors for years and it holds up great.

can you put that 2 part epoxy down on a garage floor that is already the rough, brushed finish? i destroy my clothes and tools sliding back and forth across that rough surface.

[camo]

actually you will probally get better adhesion with a brushed finish since the surface has more open pours for the paint to adhere to. with a smooth surface you have to be carfully to get the floor very clean to get the paint to stick and not peel

[Brandon]

cause it looks good :D been welding, fabricating, driving forklifts and generally beating on my painted floors for years and it holds up great.


I didn't realize it could hold up to some abuse, figured it was more for a show car garage..

How about someone make this thread worth something.. add some pics ;)

[camo]

I didn't realize it could hold up to some abuse, figured it was more for a show car garage..

How about someone make this thread worth something.. add some pics ;)

:D perty

[Brandon]

wow, hard to clean? Where did you get that stuff - Lotsa places are selling some epoxy kit in the ads now - pep boys or whatever..

[camo]

be carful with the crap the mass merchants sell ( home depot ) cause it is water based latex and does not hold up well. the good stuff is only sold at real paint stores. you want a two part epoxy with the it's gonna kill you warning labels on the can.


no it is not hard to clean. i just mop it once in awhile and if i really wanna get it shinny i will hit it with a floor buffer.

[BillaVista]

:D perty


Camo you pussy - that's not a shop floor, that's a fawkin ballet studio :flipoff2:

THIS is what a real man's shop floor looks like !! :eek:

I find the deep crevices add a satisfying challenge to trying to roll anything across the floor, particularly a floor jack masquerading as a tranny jack with a 203 doubler balanced precariously on it!

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/misc/DCP_9681.JPG

[xj4rocks]

Rust-o-leum has a floor epoxy that they call their "industrial epoxy" It's a true 2 part resin expoxy. I bought it at home depot has held up very well so far to 2 years of abuse. I weld, throw tools and about any part I can think of and it has only just scratched the surface...nothing down to the concrete. Rust-o also makes a 1 part water based epoxy which is junk.

The floor has to be cured for at least 30days for many epoxies and then you clean the floor with muratic acid or some such which you scrub on with a deck brush. Then rinse and epoxy. I am VERY glad I did this. Floor gets oily? out comes the mop and I clean it like the day I put it down. i would suggest adding a little bit of sand. as was said earlier, this stuff gets slicker that snot when wet.

[tsm1mt]

Before everyone screamed it was junk, I bought 3-4 gallons of the Behr stuff from HD..

After brooming, washing, degreasing, acid-etching, and rinsing.. we primed...

http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/PlainGallery/album13/DCP_0001_002.sized.jpg
http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/PlainGallery/album13/DCP_0006_001.sized.jpg

Then painted..

http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/PlainGallery/album13/DCP_0008.sized.jpg

That was a year ago..

Haven't done much wrenching.. but oil wipes up easily.. and it held up to the sheetrock party..

http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/PlainGallery/album46/sr4.jpg

And here's after we finished roughing in the wiring and air system, Corbond insulated the walls, 'rocked the ceiling and walls, taped, mudded, and put down two coats of White Walmart primer n' paint on the walls and ceiling.

http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/PlainGallery/album58/DCP_0014_002.sized.jpg

http://tigger.tmcom.com/~tsm1/PlainGallery/2004TraveletteGrilleSwap/DCP_0003.sized.jpg

[Jam Master Jay]

For those of you with the sand/epoxy mix on the floor do you find it troublesome when rolling stuff across it or laying on it? I'd think I'd rather trade having wet traction for having a nice smooth surface.

Also, I guess part of it is climate you live in. In OK my garage would see a lot less wetness than a garage in the snowy north.

[pcorssmit]

Rust-o-leum has a floor epoxy that they call their "industrial epoxy" It's a true 2 part resin expoxy. I bought it at home depot has held up very well so far to 2 years of abuse. I weld, throw tools and about any part I can think of and it has only just scratched the surface...nothing down to the concrete. Rust-o also makes a 1 part water based epoxy which is junk.



I used the same stuff last summer, its holding up quite well. The only thing that really hurts it is big gobs of spatter if booger welding overhead. If I'm going to be dropping a lot of boogers on the floor (like when welding up my rusty paper thin headers) I throw an old piece of sheet metal under it, otherwise I don't worry too much. I didn't put any sand in it, but I don't park my DD in there either, so its usually not wet. But its a death trap if you spill anti freeze. It did noticably brighten up the shop, too. :D

I think for a new pour though, the polished white concrete would be great.

[welndmn]

I used the Rustolem shop paint, held up pretty good, but brake fluid ate large holes in it.
I am recosting it with the $$$$ stuff from the paint store

[camo]

I used the Rustolem shop paint, held up pretty good, but brake fluid ate large holes in it.
I am recosting it with the $$$$ stuff from the paint store

make sure you talk to a very knowladgeable sales guy and tell him that the product he is selling you will be applied over a latex paint. my guess is that the epoxy will eat the latex and make a huge mess. be carefull

[camo]

For those of you with the sand/epoxy mix on the floor do you find it troublesome when rolling stuff across it or laying on it? I'd think I'd rather trade having wet traction for having a nice smooth surface.

Also, I guess part of it is climate you live in. In OK my garage would see a lot less wetness than a garage in the snowy north.

my buddy did this in his commercial tire shop. i think it sucks but for a place where there are employees or the public i see the need. it does not rain much where i live and i much prefer the high gloss over sand finish.

[yager]

I did my floor with a product call salt-shield made by
http://www.specco.com

thier description:
non-yellowing, penetrating, concrete protective sealer for use on natural concrete, concrete brick, and concrete block. Surfaces treated with Saltshield are resistant to water intrusion, de-icing chemicals, acids, oils and grease

installation was simple. wash floor (acid wash if needed) and do a 20min flood coat with a squeegy. Keep it wet for 20min and after that push off the excess...

Ive had it down for over 2 years now, and cant say enough about it... stuff just doent soak in. It might appear to but its not actually entering the concreet. Plus you dont loose the traction like with a coating...

They have a ton of products depending on if the creet is new (green) or whatever..

btw: the salt-shield was like $100 / 5gal (covered my 20x22 garage)
-mike

[MC]

My vote is epoxy, tough as hell and can be laid down any color

[preach]

Camo you pussy - that's not a shop floor, that's a fawkin ballet studio :flipoff2:

THIS is what a real man's shop floor looks like !! :eek:

I find the deep crevices add a satisfying challenge to trying to roll anything across the floor, particularly a floor jack masquerading as a tranny jack with a 203 doubler balanced precariously on it!

http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/misc/DCP_9681.JPG

Camo gets the big P but you Bill are a moderate pussy, a real man is balsy or dumb enough to grind/weld on this floor...



100yo oil soaked barn boards... :(

[lwg]

3 more questions about Epoxy Floors.

1) How slippery is it when you drive in from snow (i.e. snow packed tires)? Just curious if the wife is going to run into a wall in the garage when trying to stop?

2) Someone mentioned putting sand into the mix. Has anyone tried this? Think it will help with the traction issue?

3) Is everyone pretty much just using the stuff you get at Home Depot & Lowe's for about $50 (1 car garage)? Or is there some industrial stuff that is better?

Just trying to work out the minor problems with this stuff. I move into a new house in less than 2 months and will probably paint the floor within a few days of moving in before I move all of my garage stuff in.

[pcorssmit]

3 more questions about Epoxy Floors.

1) How slippery is it when you drive in from snow (i.e. snow packed tires)? Just curious if the wife is going to run into a wall in the garage when trying to stop?

2) Someone mentioned putting sand into the mix. Has anyone tried this? Think it will help with the traction issue?

3) Is everyone pretty much just using the stuff you get at Home Depot & Lowe's for about $50 (1 car garage)? Or is there some industrial stuff that is better?

Just trying to work out the minor problems with this stuff. I move into a new house in less than 2 months and will probably paint the floor within a few days of moving in before I move all of my garage stuff in.

1. The slipperyness is more of a problem for foot traffic. As long as your wife doesn't come hauling ass in the garage it'll be fine. Although it is really easy to power brake w/wet tires. :D

2. Never tried it.

3. Did you read the whole thread or just the first couple posts?

Pete

[K2Orion]

A little OT but, Has anybody put anything down on a rough surface like billavista's and had a smooth finish as a result? I've got a carhole (the word SHOP does not apply in my case) with a concrete floor that resembles the surface of the moon. I've considered tearing it out but I don't plan on being in this house for long. I also thought of attempting a top coat of cement/sand and getting a finisher to polish it. But If I can paint it and have good results, I'd rather do it myself.

So, how big of voids will good epoxy paint cover up?
Should I just use hydraulic cement (cement patch) and paint over it?

[rusted]

3 more questions about Epoxy Floors.

1) How slippery is it when you drive in from snow (i.e. snow packed tires)? Just curious if the wife is going to run into a wall in the garage when trying to stop?

2) Someone mentioned putting sand into the mix. Has anyone tried this? Think it will help with the traction issue?


The trick is to lay the glossy coat, then add a coat with sand mixed in, but only in the tire tracks. That way she reaches a patch of roughness that gives traction, but the rest of the floor is smooth.

If you use a true non-skid coating, you lay that first then DON'T paint over it.

http://www.rocol.com/sitesafety/english/slipprevention/epoxocoatings.php
http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/library/dctricks/DCTrick016.htm