sealing concrete floor of shop

[treesner]

Anyone sealed their concrete garage floor? what about dyed the concrete then sealed it?
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Paint-Concrete-Coatings-Concrete-Sealers/N-5yc1vZcj9b

I was looking into doing the rock solid metallic epoxy floor but everyone says you need double what it calls for so for 616sqft it would be around 900$ in material, plus a lot of mixed results. Starting to think maybe I just seal the concrete.

Let me know if you have had success with the dying or sealing or thoughts on best way to treat it. I'd like to do this before I start moving tools and dirtbikes in.

here's an example of sealed garage floor, gives it a nice shiny look

here's an example of stained concrete, I just havent been able to find my info on how well it holds up for garages and the process

this is the rock solid metallic epoxy

 

[sancho57]

Following

 

[CeeJay]

Yeah I sealed my shop floor with the RockSolid gray epoxy.

It does use more than stated on the packaging, about 140% for me.

I found the small shrinkage cracks in the concrete came through the epoxy so I think I should have sealed it first, which may have also reduced the usage.

Nevertheless it has held up really well. Stands up well to heavy machinery being moved etc, and clean up of spilled paint, glues, oils etc is very good. Very easy to keep clean.

Overall I recommend it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[treesner]

just emailed legacy industrial per someones recommendations

"what dye and seal would you recommend for my carport and garage? or should I not do the carport since it is semi outdoors? gets to about 105* summer and 25* winter" 

they recommended: 

delta dye and HD6600MMAhttps://www.legacyindustrial.net/products/concrete-sealers/hd6600-mma-concrete-sealer.html

I'll probably add the soft skid fine to for the grip  

Wonder if it would hold up well in the direct sun as I have that pad in front of the garage too 

 

[treesner]

my head keeps spinning with all the options.. 

since I'll have motorcycles on half the shop oil and gas might be spilled which led me to this Foundation Armor UTN60 which claims to be resistant of gas/oil and seems to get good reviews. thinking I'll dye the concrete with a grey/dark grey marble look and if stains get down maybe they'll disappear?
https://www.foundationarmor.com/aliphatic-urethane-coating
https://www.amazon.com/Aliphatic-Ur...dchild=1&keywords=utn60&qid=1599029264&sr=8-1
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Foundat...as-and-Scratch-Resistance-UTN603GAL/205719806

3 gallons = 274$ and covers around 800-1000 sqft, so I think I can get 2 coats out of it on my 616sqft garage

 

[mkasdin]

I did a large 700 square foot floor about 15 years ago... three colors, used a sponge and rags to get the various colors to bled through each other. Triple S chemicals out of Los Angeles was the product. I used a water based sealer. It was very nice, but a lot of work. It’s kind of an art, not difficult more like finger painting trying to get the look you want.

 

[treesner]

talking to more concrete people I'm going to go with an acetone dye to get the grey I want
https://www.polishedconcretesolutions.com/ameripolish-dye-n-seal-solvent-based-concrete-dye/

 

[mattbyington]

[member=57611]treesner[/member] highly recommend Epoxy!

Here's mine:

[attachimg=1]

 

[sancho57]

[member=67555]mattbyington[/member]

Hey matt what did you use on your floor?

 

[mattbyington]

[member=10147]jobsworth[/member] I had a local Epoxy company come out and do it! It's 1 coat of epoxy with the "flakes", and 2 coats of clear on top of it.

I use OTEpoxy, a local company here in the bay area. I think they did pretty good. It costs somewhere around $2K... can't remember exactly...maybe 1600. it was a while ago. but highly recommend doing it.

Matt

 

[treesner]

[member=10147]jobsworth[/member] I had a local Epoxy company come out and do it! It's 1 coat of epoxy with the "flakes", and 2 coats of clear on top of it.

I use OTEpoxy, a local company here in the bay area. I think they did pretty good. It costs somewhere around $2K... can't remember exactly...maybe 1600. it was a while ago. but highly recommend doing it.

Matt

with the amount of time I spent researching products I think 1600 would be worth it.
I got quotes for 3200 though and it was only flake ive been looking for more natural look like metallic epoxies, non of the companies would offer that that I talked to

 

[sancho57]

hmmm I wonder if rubber mats would be cheaper and better alternative

 

[rvieceli]

[member=10147]jobsworth[/member] I'm a big fan of anti fatique mats in the shop. My knees can tell a big difference.

You might want to take a look at rubber flooring covers used a lot in the horse industry. They come in different thicknesses and surface patterns as well. Here is a link for an online vendor, but you may be able to find a source locally.
https://www.rubberflooringinc.com/horse-stall-mats.html

Ron

 

[sancho57]

those look great thanks

 

[rst]

Tractor Supply has 4'x3' - 1/2" mats for $27.00 in our area. seriously considering that route for my shop.  I picked up and install my 42" commercial steel entrance last Friday.  I've been buying commercial/industrial entrances for 40 years.  Before COVID, an entrance like this would cost me $700 -800.  This one cost me $1100.00 and I installed.  The 2" thick overhead door with opener, installed is only costing $1800.00.  [crying]  Then to add insult to injury, I bought a heavy duty deadbolt for the door, $38.00, only to discover it came with a 5 pin key cylinder.  I rekeyed only to discover that my six pin house keys would not work in this cylinder...sooo I ordered a six pin cylinder...$48.75 to rekey.  Cheeez

 

[craftsmanconcrete]

Treesner suggested a solvent-based dye for their garage floor, however, this is not ideal as any spilled solvents may damage the sealer and displace the added pigment. The sealers designed for solvent-based pigments are either xylene or acetone-borne acrylic and will be damaged by mineral spirits, acetone, xylene, gasoline, etc.

The best practice for a garage floor depends on whether the concrete is freshly poured or already has damage from prior use.

For freshly poured concrete, light sanding with a swing buffer and an application of a concrete specific polyurethane can preserve a natural concrete look, and is incredibly durable. Application is relatively easy and can be DIY installed, especially with the help of a friend.

If your concrete slab is already damaged by oil spills or other contaminants, an opaque epoxy system is a better idea. Most commercial epoxy systems have either epoxy flake or quartz sand broadcast to rejection to increase durability and slip resistance. The systems that are purchased at home depot or other big box retail have the flake as an aesthetic input only, and will be quite slippery in standing water conditions.

While slightly more difficult to DIY, the industry standard for durable garage flooring is a broadcast system.
This would be:
Basecoat of 100% solids epoxy with sand or flake broadcast into it for rejection.
Topcoat of concrete specific polyurethane. Depending on the viscosity of poly it may take 2-3 coats to get consistent coverage. The poly can be clear or colored depending on the aesthetic goal.

While polyaspartic is often used in commercial systems, it has a really fast cure time and is very difficult to DIY install. It's also generally quite viscous which makes it more difficult to avoid roller lines, etc. I'd avoid it for a DIY install.

In most large cities there will be a commercial Sherwin Williams that sells decent quality epoxy products. 100% solids epoxy base coat and high solids poly topcoat are the keys for a long-lasting install. Other brands to look for are Sika and Westcoat. Both will be sold through distributors.

Torginol is the main manufacturer of color flakes and will sell individuals 40lb boxes. Most 2 car garages will require 2-3 boxes. Smaller flake is more in style currently--1/8th" or less.  I used 2.5 boxes in my 600 sq. ft. garage.

Heres a pic of my garage. I've spilled solvents, gear oil, gasoline, etc on the floor and it wipes right up without any staining.
[attachimg=1]

Here's more info about commercial epoxy floor systems vs big box retail systems. Depending on the amount of abuse the floor will see, it can easily be worth the extra $800 in materials to install a proper commercial-style system. Big box retail systems are quite prone to flaking and failure, especially with DIY concrete prep techniques.

Jeremy

 

[Sparktrician]

Well-finished floors like that look wonderful - until you drop a small spring or screw.  You'll pay Merry Hell to find the damn thing on a speckled floor.  [mad]

 

[craftsmanconcrete]

Well-finished floors like that look wonderful - until you drop a small spring or screw.  You'll pay Merry heck to find the darn thing on a speckled floor.  [mad]

Absolutely agree. A large part of the draw to these speckled floors is that they obfuscate dirt, debris, and other contaminants. They're also seamless to repair as additional broadcast material can always be used to patch any gouges or other damage.

Sand broadcast with a white topcoat is commonly used in pharma manufacturing, breweries, etc for the reason you alluded to--its easy to find dropped parts and you can also see when the floor is dirty. Otherwise its functionally the same install with a different aesthetic.

Jeremy

 

[tsmi243]

Well-finished floors like that look wonderful - until you drop a small spring or screw.  You'll pay Merry heck to find the darn thing on a speckled floor.  [mad]

Hard agree.  Same problem on granite countertops.

 

[tallgrass]

I do some contract work for a local aerospace company and their floor is an obnoxious shade of yellow. In their assembly area. However, you can spot anything on it. you get used to it, when something is dropped, you love it.