Concrete floor finishing?

[bellweather]

I used a Benjamine Moore 2-part sealer product made for this purpose. It required an application of etching material first (acid) which removed any soil, grease and scale, and a thorough wash (used a power washer). I then mixed the 2 part sealer according to directions and brushed it on...2 coats. It is just a bit slippery, but only when wet. I was told you can add a bit of sand to the mix to make it less slippery. I did not do this because I thought the texture would make the floor more difficult to keep clean. The epoxy does produce fumes during application, but one of the good things about a garage is that they have large doors that provide ample ventilation.

 

[Yankee]

"So, what is the collected wisdom about sealing concrete floors? What do you: 1) recommend, 2) how to apply it, and 3) Any gotchas about your approach?"

I used an oil-based clear concrete sealer from Lowes or Home Depot in the garage at my last house. Worked great and was easy to apply. It left a slightly mottled surface that was kind of nice-looking. It did darken the surface quite a bit. That's not necessarily bad in itself, but my lighting wasn't too good to begin with.

I got talked into an epoxy-based system in a nice, light color by the painter in my current house. It looks good, but you can scratch it, you've got to keep it clean or it really looks filthy, and some stuff can soften it if not wiped up. I wouldn't do it again.

 

[bellweather]

here's what the sealer product mentioned in my earlier post looks like...after some use

 

[bellweather]

oops, no picture. I'll try again.

 

[v8dave]

Here is a long shot view of the front of the shop. I had to construct a 110' rock retaining wall to widen the driveway and there is a 70' block wall alongside the shop.

It turns out the configuraton of the doors and windows was more difficult than deciding the size. I crammed as big a shop in the space I could get. The length was determined by the need to contain a 20' closed car trailer and a Ford F250 4-door pickup. There will be a machine shop across the back except where the trailer is (trailer sits in front of the 8x8 door in the back). This still leaves room for four more cars, tractors, motorcycles, etc.

 

[ikline]

Do you have plans for this or did you just design this in your head and start building? I need to get plans stamped by a Pennsylvania engineer and am having a hard time finding 30' x 50' plans similar to yours.

 

[v8dave]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( here's what the sealer product mentioned in my earlier post looks like...after some use )</font>

I've seen both soft and hard epoxy products for sealing floors. I believe now, after reading these posts, that the hard stuff is what makes slippery floors. But, is the stuff that you, bellweather, used so soft that it has the problems yankee mentioned?

Dave

 

[v8dave]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Do you have plans for this or did you just design this in your head and start building? I need to get plans stamped by a Pennsylvania engineer and am having a hard time finding 30' x 50' plans similar to yours. )</font>

I drew on a computer the layout I wanted and sent that to a plan company who developed a stamped set of plans. Lots more detail than what I had done.

I used an internet company BGS Plan company . Look at their site they have hundreds of plans. I greatly modified one of their plans. The cost was way below what a custom set of plans cost. It turns out they are within an hour drive of my home. So, I picked up the plans myself. They have an engineering company that is registered in all 50 states, so, Penn would work. Private mail me if you want more info.

Dave

 

[bellweather]

the material I used is a sealer, not an epoxy paint (see the picture posted previously). It did darken the concrete and it does have a sheen, but none of the issues yankee mentioned. On my previous garage, I did use a light colored epoxy paint and it did end up looking pretty trashy over time. I like the sealer more

 

[v8dave]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( oops, no picture. I'll try again. )</font>

Ok, I'll look into this stuff and that suggested by Yankee. It's going to be a tough decision.

By-the-way, nice Lotus. Be kind of nice to have one of those. The drive line doughnuts keeping up?

So many cars, so little time.

Dave