shop floor coatings

[2drxploder]

with all the talk about shops lately, also myself starting one soon. thoughts on floor coatings? i would love to get my concrete not to absorb oil and stain. that is priority. color, flakes, etc, all bonuses but not required in my opinion. longevity is important, non-slip, easy to clean, reasonable cost, would like diy. any one know of a miracle product im missing?

 

[19Walt93]

I like bare concrete so the shop can be used as a shop. We coated the floor when we built the new service department in 2000 because the dealer wanted it coated. Anytime we used a torch we had to lay down mats to protect the coating, if something metal got dropped it chipped the coating. If the floor was wet at all it was slippery, if it had snow on it, it was treacherous. If you're building a garage to park in, coating is fine, if it's going to be a working garage save your money. The shop floor shouldn't be the cause of extra work.

 

[Roert42]

Do not use sand in the epoxy to create a non slip floor. They did that at work and it sux. Nothing rolls smooth and

My only input.

 

[rumblecloud]

When I did mine just a few weeks back, the recommendations from the guys here were to not coat it. Just seal it with a hardener/water proofing agent.
I did get a "broom" finish as opposed to a "trowel" finish - again following the recommendations of the contractor.
I applied the waterproofing 28 days after the pour.
Doesn't make it impervious to chemicals, but does help. I haven't spilled anything other than water yet and it does repel that. The broom finish is not slippery.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I don't think the DIY stuff is worth the efforts. I did it on my previous garage and it looked good for a minute. It chips and even came up if a vehicle sat to long in one spot.

This house had it done before we bought it... kind of the same story.

 

[sgtsandman]

I hold the same opinion that rumblecloud does. The coatings that do hold up tend to be slick unless you add something for traction. Then things with a lot of weight on them or hard wheels don’t roll well.

I would leave the floor bare.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I came across a bunch of road marking paint for free. I painted the whole place i was working in with it. It was great for a little while on the floor but soon got tracked with dirt and oils. If i had running water it may have been better. But Brakleen melted the paint like nobodies business. On the walls and ceilings it was great. It really did brighten up the place. It was a milking barn before i got into it. There was cow shit splattered all up the walls and onto the ceiling. It took a few days of scraping and pressure washing to clean the place....

 

[DILLARD000]

For the last ~15years in my garage, I've used cheap LightGray Deck\Concrete Paint, cut half+half with PaintThinner (don't get this near a WaterHeater)
Oil cleans off easy, but BrakeCleaner\CarbCleaner\Gasoline will melt thru, & dragging heavy\sharp items will scratch it.
So once a year in hot July\August weather, I roll on a fresh coat, then keep vehicles outside for 2days to let that cure.
Wish I had a tougher solution that's just as cheap.

 

[Elutheros]

We paid $250,000.00 to coat the floor of our F-16 hangar back in the 90's. White epoxy really made it nice to work under the jets by reflecting plenty of light. They put something in the mix to give it traction even with oil and hydraulic fluid on it and we had a miniature "Zamboni" floor scrubber to keep it clean. BUT my garage floor is coated with nothing but overspray from the trucks I've painted.

 

[2drxploder]

Been pricing epoxy, lower end of pro jobs here is $4 sqft. A quality diy job will run me about 1000, for supplies and grinder rental. So im thinking thats a no. Besides,, I don't care if colored or not, just dont want oil stains. So on to just clear sealers. Anyone know of a reasonably priced sealer that will resist petroleum products?
Also thanks for input

 

[Dirtman]

I thought about doing my basement with epoxy once but the prep work involved to get the stuff to stick and not just peel up instantly is insane. It would have been easier to just pour a new floor...

 

[rumblecloud]

So...how did you get the blood stains to kinda go away? (asking for a friend)

 

[sgtsandman]

So...how did you get the blood stains to kinda go away? (asking for a friend)

Lopped off a finger did ya?

 

[sgtsandman]

We paid $250,000.00 to coat the floor of our F-16 hangar back in the 90's. White epoxy really made it nice to work under the jets by reflecting plenty of light. They put something in the mix to give it traction even with oil and hydraulic fluid on it and we had a miniature "Zamboni" floor scrubber to keep it clean. BUT my garage floor is coated with nothing but overspray from the trucks I've painted.

They put that in our newly renovated KC-135 hangars. It looks nice. Time will tell how it holds up. The unit wasn’t allowed to build two new hangars but they were allowed to renovate the inside and out of the old ones at twice the price. Government at it’s best...

 

[2drxploder]

I thought about doing my basement with epoxy once but the prep work involved to get the stuff to stick and not just peel up instantly is insane. It would have been easier to just pour a new floor...

And the basement comes up....
Again.
Lol.
New thought shop is/ will be 30x36x14, 2 10x10 roll ups, 1 man door, 4 windows 3/12 pitch roof.
Should I put the the rollups on 30 (gable end) or 36 wall? Either will be deep enough for vehicles. I plan on a bendpak xpr-10as-168-lp lift. To one side of shop(not in middle) Originally wanted rollups on gable end for added depth in front of vehicles for working. Now I'm considering roll ups on non gable wall, which cost slightly more, for added height for lift. Jeez. I thought hire a company, less headaches 4 me, now I'm overwhelmed with decisions b4 I have even broken ground. Not where I am going to buy it from, but here is the crowning jewel, hopefully.

BendPak XPR-10AS-168-LP Clearfloor Dual-Width Extra-Tall Two Post Car Lift 10,000 lb. w/Low-Pro Arms

The BendPak XPR-10AS-168-LP extra-tall offers exceptional direct-drive lifting performance and clearfloor convenience with Low-Pro arms. This true asymmetric lift features 30° rotated columns for added door-opening clearance and interior car access.

www.bestbuyautoequipment.com