Garage floor

[lawnmowerman]

I have just had a new concrete floor laid in my garage. The old floor was very loose and dusty so we went over the top with a damp proof membrane and about 3 1/2" of concrete. I would like to paint or seal it to keep the dust down and make it easier to mop up spillages.

Has anybody had experience of suitable coatings and treatments? I have found a company in the UK called Watco who sell various sealers and paints and they advise waiting four weeks. then scrub hydrochloric acid into the surface to remove the laitance on the top of the new concrete - then wash it off before using any sealer or paint - sounds a bit scary! 

Other sites I have looked at advise hiring a machine and grinding off the top 2-3 mm of the floor to remove the laitance and to open up the pores to accept sealer - sounds like hard work!

I used diluted PVA in my workshop but I found that for about a year after, whenever I went in with wet feet I could not stand still for too long as I would stick to the floor.

Has anyone been here before - I know it's not really about A7s and A10s but is kind of related as it is where my SR will live and be worked on so I would like it to be as pleasant and dust free as possible.

Thanks

Jim

[andy2565]

mate i'm in the same boat and having just built my new extension,with my new garage floor,what should i do !,i've looked into everything,i did the epoxy before and after 2-3 years it cracks up,and if you drop anything it breaks up,new floors have to be left for three months before acid treatment which is basicaly brick acid,and then left to dry before doing the epoxy,which is all to long winded,so i have opted for the plasic industrial interlocking flooring,which doesnt work out much more and can be put down very quickly and renewed if damaged,has fire retardent and solvent proof,my main concern was the fire proofing,but its used in engineering workshops and you can have any logo printed on it to,i'm awaiting delivery.

[scotty]

Jim

My 30' x 30' concrete shop floor got a 15th birthday treat last summer.





I used 2 part epoxy product by Rust-oleum but there are loads of equivalent products


I can't emphasize enough the importance of the prep work to make sure whatever product you apply will stick.

I did not remove any material but I did rent a floor scrubber for a day and first de greased the concrete...bloody hard work getting 15yrs of oil out I can tell you 
Sounds like you won't have that problem with fresh concrete 

Next step was to use the manufacturers cleaning solution and let dry 24hrs.

Then use a muriatic acid solution to etch the concrete let dry for 24 hrs.

When the planets aligned for dryness and ambient temperature I mixed the product and rolled the stuff on. It filled all the cracks as well.

It's a chemical cure and all things being equal it will kick off enough for you to walk on within 10hrs. I left mine a few days for the heavy traffic.
I also applied a clear coat with non skid additive.





The whole process took me about a week from cleaning to rolling the bikes and tractors on it.

I'm very chuffed with the final finish and how it's holding up to the beating it gets from my tractor with snow chains.
No chips, no cracks

HTH

S

[muskrat]

That looks great Scotty, better than my dining room!
I've seen add's down here for a similar looking product.
New slabs have to cure for at least 1 week per 1" thick. I have used poly timber floor paint on concrete floors in homes (I'm a floorsander), looks great but not sure if it would be up to a workshop floor.
Cheers

[andy2565]

looks great but the amount of prep put me off,my bikes dump so much castrol R over the floor,i'd never see it on such a shiny floor.

[lawnmowerman]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Scotty, your floor looks great and is the finish I would love to achieve but it looks like hard work but well worth it. Having spent the last three years putting up with a dusty loose floor I am tempted to bite the bullet and go for the two part epoxy as that is what seems to be used in industrial premises. Watco sell it in all different grades up to fork lift proof quality. I have some work to do under my 38 Wolseley which has been waiting for a decent floor to work on so I may put a plastic tarp with an old carpet on top over the area I am working in to keep it clean and oil free although it may delay the concrete drying time. Once I have finished and got the car ready for a test and the show season I could put some drip trays underneath until I seal the floor.

Andy, the interlocking floor tiles sound like a good quick fix and may possibly help heat loss too but as the garage is 6m x 10m I am wondering if it may work out pricey although I know the epoxy is pretty pricey too. How much did you pay for yours and where did you get them? Do you have to put anything under the tiles? My other option is to do part of the garage, As the span from side to side is 6m and the roof bows a bit in the snow, I thought I might put a divider in to stiffen up the roof so that I have a car, bike and garden machinery area of 6m x 7m and a workhop / storage area of 6m x 3m which could be covered in ribbed rubber floor sheeting between the bench and storage shelves / cupboards.

Jim

[andy2565]

this is the company thats supplying it,http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rubber-PVC-Garage-factory-Flooring-Interlocking-Floor-tiles-60p-Flame-retardant-/270945466601?pt=UK_Flooring&hash=item3f159bb8e9
but i know a bloke that works for them and he's getting me it cheeper,18m2 for £250

[lawnmowerman]

Hi Andy

Had a look at the tiles on ebay and they look pretty good. I had googled some other types but these seem thicker and are not hollow like some of the others so will take axle stands and a bike lift.

Just measured up and if I just do the vehicle storage area it measures 6m x 6m so I need exactly twice the amount you have ordered - comes to £648 including the chancellor's beer money. Bit of luck you knowing someone who works there as it has saved you about £75 on your order.

I am tempted to go for some of them as it saves a load of messing around with acid and having to keep emptying the garage and with your experience of the 2 pack epoxy cracking and chipping over time it looks like it would need re-treating at some future point. The tiles should also reduce heat loss through the floor - I have just fitted the old rads from the house in the garage on their own stat so that I can do year - round maintenance on the bike and car and also keep the rust worm at bay. Trouble is there is no mains gas here in the sticks so the boiler uses (expensive) oil so the next job is to get some insulation fitted and try and find some second hand double glazed windows. (Any double glazing installers on the forum) 

Thanks

Jim

[andy2565]

thats quite a big space,how does that compare to the cost of paint or epoxy ?,i have a couple of old upvc windows if your interested.

[lawnmowerman]

Probably more than twice the cost of acid and epoxy but so much easier. This job has been waiting three years and I eventually paid someone to re-lay the floor as I could not find the time and the process of waiting 4 weeks, acid etching then painting, besides having to keep emptying the garage means it will never get done.
I am also concerned about your problems with epoxy and having to do it again in a few years when there will probably be even more stuff in there to clear out.
I will probably throw the old bedroom carpet over the work area for now so I can get the car in out of the weather and start work on the brakes and kingpins or I will miss all the season's shows.

Thanks for the offer of the windows but SHMBO has decreed that being as the garage is in full view of the house, all the windows must match and be the same height.
I used six 1200x1200 units from a high rise in my workshop and I need a run of about 8m of 1200 units for the garage so I will keep an eye on ebay and see if anything comes up reaonably local.

Jim

[gold33]

Rather than coatings after the concrete has been laid I opted for concrete with a product called Zypex added to the mix.
My whole floor is non porous, the spills just sit on the surface until you wipe them up (or spread them around when the wrong rag is used)

[lawnmowerman]

Unfortunately a bit late for me Darren as the floor went down a couple of weeks back - would have been a good option though.

How is your floor progressing Andy? Have your tiles arrived yet?

Jim

[shabashow]

I went to B+Q and bought two large tins of Ronseal Garage Floor Paint, and gave my new garage floor three coats. On the whole, I'm quite satisfied with the finish and durability, apart from a few bits where my preparation could have been better. The builders were using some lime for the stonework, and where I didn't clear/scrape/get rid of the relatively softer spots, the paint has flaked off. I'll go round the floor and dab some more paint on the affected spots after 6 months or a year or so once the floor has seen some heavy action, and most of there soft spots have been worn off. Can't remember the exact price, but is was in the order of £80 for doing about 30 square metres.

[Tumbleweed]

hi . i put down cheap floor boarding,( not from b&q they are too expensive,) even reclaimed stuff. there is plenty about, just drop 3/4" laths down and screw the interlocking board to them , it cant go anywhere you can even insulate between the boards and the concrete floor, no more cold concrete floors ,it wont condensate ,it will only lift the floor level 1.1/2" even paint it.    , but you must clear all the floor area first, simples .        cheers tw

[andy2565]

picked up the floor tiles yesterday,should only take a couple of hours to do,may even get the kids to do it for me,its just a jigsaw,and my 7 year old loves jigsaws,
 but i've got to make the garage door fame and fit the doors first,its all work in progress at the moment and cant work on any bikes in the meantime,its torture !!!
 i'll post a picture when its done,having to sell some of my bikes now to gain some room,having given up an other garage i was renting,my a10 is in bits in the attic at the moment,