Shop floor paint
 

Pondering painting the concrete floor on the new shop to seal it. Pros/Cons? Brands?

I would spend some time looking through the flooring discussions over on the Garage Journal board: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/f...splay.php?f=20 Regular paint is probably going to be a losing proposition, I'd look at epoxy or a concrete stain/sealer.

I agree with Stuart, there's a lot of great information on this topic at the Garage Journal forum. I've never seen any sort of floor paint hold up well. Take a look at all the different options. It'd be a real pain in the a$$ to have to redo it once you've moved in.

In my shop, I did an acid stain followed by clear epoxy about 2 1/2 years ago and it's holding up really nicely. My favorite part is the cleanup... just run one of those large floor dusters around the shop every now and then. Grease and oil wipe right off.

What ever you choose to do... spend time on the prep, follow the directions to the letter and never look back!

Floor when 1st Finished:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...1&d=1423341764

Floor after two years of use:
http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...0&d=1403024166

X3 on garage journal forum and epoxy. My first garage I used the Rust Oleum epoxy kit and it held up great but very thin. Second garage I used U coat it. Thicker but expensive. My current garage I used Epoxy-Coat and it has been bulletproof. Went on like thick butter, very thick and flows out very well.

Good luck. Great project to do.

Nice looking shop floor Red Goat! Jealous of all that room.

I used the Valspar epoxy kit from Lowes and it came out well. I power washed the slab first and then etched it with muriatic acid. After laying down the epoxy paint, I let it cure for 72 hours before driving on it. Only thing I would have done differently is add a texture/anti skid additive to the paint. It gets a bit slick from water pooling off the cars (a/c, rain, etc.).

It gets worse,look at his Avatar..

When I had a manufacturing company we did 40,000 sq ft in a Sherwin Williams commercial grade epoxy. Held up very well to all sorts of machinery---but was expensive. The key to whatever you use will be prep. Clean, clean and then clean some more.

3500 sq ft looking at the epoxies does start getting expensive.

How's the slab thermo barrier? Considering today was another 100% humidity day in metro Houston this am might want to keep that in mind what ever day you choose for application.

X2 on the consideration of surface finish to keep from being too slick (mirror finish) where you want traction w cars, walking around shop, etc.

Only thing I have seen on a working environment floor that was worth a damn was when I worked for Caterpillar. EpoArmor epoxy I believe. Prepare for sticker shock. Of course, nothing will stand up to welding and sparks.

Most stuff recopmmends a etch especially on new concrete. No water well yet so guess we'll have to go "au naturele".

I put a concrete paint I got from lowes and it is coming off, is there a coat I can put over what's left that will stay on??

Was it latex floor paint or expoxy? I think the rustoleum claims "long useful life" for their product if applied right. But I've also heard of it needing reapplication after 5 years or after heavy use. They mention in their FAQs using a stripper or concrete sander over old paint if you plan to reapply or go from standard concrete paint to epoxy.

Latex paint will bond to old paint if you lightly sand and clean the existing finish, but if it's already pulling up on you I'd probably rent a concrete sander and strip it down to a better base.

As an alternative, you can shot peen or diamond grind the floor. That's what most professionals do as opposed to etching with muriatic acid. Most larger industrial tool rental places have the machines. You need to make sure that your slab is thoroughly cured.

The garage paint floor kits with 2 part paint have some acid for cleaning, and they have traction control particles you sprinkle on when paint is wet. You can use a roller. About 80 bucks to do a 2 car garage. Clean and reclean and dry is most important.
The BEST paint, bar NONE is DP40 ( Battleship gray) Epoxy WITH Lead.
The problem with it is that you have to be a Nuclear power plant or Military installation to use it. If you know someone at a paint shop on an airbase, all the Fighters and bomber wheels are painted in epoxy.
DP40LF ( lead free) is ok, but not nearly as durable as the darn Kits from home Depot.
As ALVIN stated, consider the humidity, and temp. 70-75 is great and still allows time to sprinkle on some traction material. Good luck !

When buying a two part epoxy, go to a concrete contractor supply store. Skip the cheap crap the box stores sell. Euclid, BASF, Sika, are some of the quality name brands but find someone who knows the products they sell and let them recommend some. If you want a really chemical resistant surface (gas, brake fluid), after epoxy you can apply a clear polyurethane on top.

Or you can be cheap and lazy like me and just put a sodium silicate on top of clean concrete to chemically react and provide an increase in surface density, durability and abrasion resistance.

Use a concrete stain , as it penetrates into it rather then sit on top & is not slippery .

A slightly different point of view that was given to me and I am glad I went in this direction.

My garage floor is in very good shape and I wanted to put some epoxy down. I do have a lift and often use the garage for cars, lawn tractor stuff, dragging snowblowers, and do park 2 cars indoors most of the year and the winter makes a real mess.

The advice was to use the inexpensive home depot garage floor paint and touch it up 1x a year for cheap. This has worked out well as the winter tears up the floor and I don't sweat scraping it when dragging a snowblower or angle iron,etc etc

I originally was going with an expensive epoxy, but knew sooner or later I would damange it, then what. Now around May, I recoat the garage and it looks great for most of the summer. I just use a roller on a stick and it take 2 hours. Don't need to cut it in at walls each recoat.

Just my .02 on keeping things simple.

Floor hardener would be suggestion going the cheap route. It penetrates the surface and chemically reacts and hardens calcium hydroxide in the concrete to give you a hard surface. I notice it in my garage when I drag stuff in or drop something on it. Oil won't penetrate like normal concrete either as the surface absorption is lower. You can even buff it if you want. You've probably seen it in large commercial floors in some of those big box stores.. same stuff they use. For $100 you can do the whole garage and it only takes an hour or so with zero skill needed.

U-Coat-It Garage Floor Coating
 

I would suggest you seriously consider U-Coat-It. Twelve years ago, I did my shop floors, garage floors and any building I have with a concrete floor is covered with U-Coat It. It is a bit more expensive, however is by far the best epoxy coating I've seen used. I used Muriatic Acid (recommended) to etch the floors before using. The #1 thing I like about it as opposed to other coatings is you put the epoxy coating on while the floor is damp. All of the other coatings I know of, require a dry floor and concrete never really dries out.....especially a new floor, it is difficult to get all of the moisture out, which is why some floors tend to peel. My floors get a lot of abuse and they have held up unbelievably. I also have a boat which sits through the winter as well as cars which set for extended periods of time and have never had a peeled spot, tires sitting directly on the floors. It's application is easy and when I did it, they had a starter kit you could purchase, which had everything you needed, including the bucket. You just need to provide the labor.

Absolutely a great product and worth every penny!

Tom

The Epoxy clear coat doesn't hold worth a damn in our climate, I did proper prep with the acid etch and most of it peeled off after 2 winters.
Warm climates would be fine I think.

What most do around here now is the bare concrete polish, large walk behind rotary sanders and polish away in steps until desired shine is achieved...looks almost like marble flooring.

Floor hardener looks interesting. One of the hardest things is I have no wter out there so any etching or even sanding prep could not be done. Getting a generator until I get elctric out there.

I agree with tsmith455 post of Thumbs up U-Coat-It Garage Floor Coating.

U-Coat-It is a product of ProCote http://procote.com/pgs/company.htm which is owned by Jerry Carafelly. I have know Jerry and his Company since I worked at PMD and called on Pontiac Dealers. Many of the Pontiac Zone Dealers used his coating on their Service Departments and it not only held great it created a very professional appearance for their customers.

If you go to his website you will see the many different applications he has done. If you want a floor coating that will last I would recommend it.

The biggest question on cany coating is going to be no water for washing it down or etching and whether that will harm adhesion. I do think a light grey will help reflect more light inside than plain concrete so it will be lighter in there.

Not sure where you're located, but have you thought about hiring a portable car wash service to come out with a tank and power washer? Once the floor is clean, you can acid wash with a simplle plastic weed sprayer and then neutralize with a hand spray bottle. You'd have to have a washer/tank service to come out twice (once to prep clean and again to rinse after the etch), but it might be worth it.

Look into shot blasting the floor vs. etching to manage the lack of water problem and get a better end product. Shot blasting (sometimes called peening) provides a much superior surface for adhesion as compared to etching which is why most professional floor coating contractors use it instead of acid etching. Shot blasting does not require water, and the machines can be rented at Sunbelt or most other large tool/equipment rental business.

shop floor paint
 

I am in year #4 with the Rustoleum floor paint product, and it has held up well (Michigan location). Only flaking I have (minimal) is around the floor slab expansion joints where I would guess moisture wicked up when I did paint application.

I went with a polyurea coating in my shop. It was spendy but worth it. The concrete was ground down and prepped and then the coating was applied. It's very durable and can last many years without peeling or cracking off.

http://go-2.it/1CKU

http://buckysflooring.com/polyurea/

So far I am very satisfied with it.

Old thread, updates on above stuff requested.

Jim,
How is the cheap stuff holding up?

I just rented a garage and plan to paint the all concrete walls, ceiling and floor. I'm concerned about moisture since much of the garage is below grade so I was going to use DryLock paint everywhere. The floor has old oil stains BTW.

What do you guys think? Remember, it's a rental so I don't want to spend a ton. I do hope to be there for many years, but who knows with a rental.

Thanks

Interesting and timely thread as I am getting ready to paint a pole barn floor. This is a small working shop. My main concern is Brake Fluid and Brake Clean. I do allot of complete brake line replacements as I live in the rust belt. I average about 500-700 ft. of brake line a year. When you remove it, no matter how careful you are, hundreds of drips of brake fluid end up on the floor. I typically use brake clean to do as much clean-up as I can, as fast as I can. Are there any epoxy paints that can stand up; to this? If I could get 5-7 honest years of service and then re-paint, I would be OK. I don't want to paint the floor every year. Currently, the floor is bare concrete, in good shape, with a little staining I will have to deal with. I have noticed a huge difference in price with the various epoxy's. From a low of about $150.00 for 1000 Sq. ft. to over $600.00 for 1000 Sq. ft. So there must be some real difference between them?

Cheap stuff last for pretty much a year, primarily due to the harsh winters we have here in CT. Dragging salt / gravel / wet hot tires beats up the two tires tracks and is usually in need of a recoat by April.

Given I keep the same color and don't need to cut in around the edges, probably takes me 1 hour to recoat w/roller on a broomstick handle. I just blow out the garage, maybe mop with clean water and then recoat. Looks great for most of the warm weather months.

I'm happy with my decision because it is guilt free if I spill or impact the floor and it needs to be recoated in a small area.

Thanks, Jim. Since this garage won't be used daily, it may hold up even longer. What paint are you using on the floor? Dryloc or something else?

This is what I use; It comes in 2 colors. I put one color on the perimeter concrete foundation and another on the floor.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Prem...0201/100113293

What about this?

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DRYLOK-1-...7513/100118662

Drylock is great for the walls, not sure I would use it for a floor.

In the Question and Answer section at the link provided it says drylock cannot be used for garage floors.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DRYLOK-1-...7513/100118662

If this garage is that wet and damp I think I might try to find a plan B.

oh! good catch on the garage floor. I'll go with garage floor paint then.

The garage was very dry when I went back. Between the dehumidifier and I had him correct a downspout, I'm hoping that problem is no more. If it is, then I'll be moving out! I don't want to start having moisture issues.

My next stop will be to read up on all the tricks of keeping humidity at bay in and around the car, especially when stored long term. But I can easily run that dehumidifier permanently.

subscribed
im getting close

That looks great. Stick built with nice tall doors. How big is it? How thick is that slab? Looks like a foot thick!.

thanks, the slab is 6-7". A few inches thicker where the 2 post is going. 30x40' with 12' walls.

1200 Sq. feet is a nice size. My little pole barn is 24X32. It's tight for 2 cars with a lift in there. Local code would not allow me to go any larger.

6"-7" is fine for a 10K lift at 3000 p.s.i. You should be in good shape.