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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by HandBuilt

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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

[surlynkid]

Originally Posted by camo

cause it looks good 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]

Originally Posted by camo

cause it looks good 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]

Originally Posted by Brandon

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

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]

Originally Posted by camo

perty

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

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

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!

[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...




Then painted..



That was a year ago..

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



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.

[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

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