Shop floor

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Before I move anything into my new shop, I want to cover the floor with something. I made the mistake of moving into the other shop before I did it, and now it's still bare concrete a decade later. My new shop will be more of a "clean room" for assembly of my Nomad, and storage of my other cars, equipment, and other stuff.

I am more confused than ever, after doing research. I have seen the plastic tiles that Jay Leno is using, and some other ones on the market. They seem expensive, and I don't like the idea that stuff falls through them. Seems like it would be a nightmare to keep clean. And I'm sure you can't weld on them or use a plasma cutter. So that stuff is out.

Everything I have read about epoxy coatings leads me to believe that tires on them for long periods of time are a problem, and they will result in prints or peeling in the worst case. And they're not cheap either. Is there anything that can be done to mitigate the tire problem, or is that a given? I've read that having it professionally installed can go $3-5 a square foot, and I have 1300 square feet!

The most recent move seems to be toward porcelain tile. A friend of mine did his 2400 square foot shop with epoxy, and he said it is affected by the tire problem and he sees some bubbling in it. He's the one who told me to look into tile, since that's what he said he'd do next time. While it seems expensive, I think you can buy closeout tile for under $1 a square foot. The mortar and grout isn't cheap, but I'm betting you could do it for under $2 a square foot if you do it yourself. I've read that it's extremely durable, and if something happens to one tile you just chip it out and replace it. My concerns are the effects of expansion and contraction....since it's probably different than concrete. Also, my floor is not flat in the transition from the old shop to the new shop, so it might be hard to make tiles work there. I have done some tile work and I am confident I can do this myself. I know lots of car dealerships have porcelain tile in their showrooms, so the weight of the car isn't an issue. Not sure about rolling an engine hoist with an engine on it around on it though.

Any thoughts on any of these solutions? I need to decide soon, so I can get this thing done and get my car in there.

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Oh, one more possibility is polishing and staining/sealing. I think that's what they do to the floors in WalMart and Home Depot stores. However, when I look at the floors, I notice sand, not large aggregate in the concrete. Do they use a different type of concrete? Also, I think the colors of the stains are usually darker. I'd like a lighter-colored floor. But the polishing seems to last almost forever.

[carls 56 (RIP 11/24/2021)]

sealing it seems to be the way to go, got to do mine one of these days.

[c57heaven]

betting that porcelain tile will crack when you jack up a car with a steel wheeled floor jack...

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c57heaven, that's my main concern. But I really wonder if that would happen with the tile seated in mortar and sitting on concrete. I'm not so sure it will. Some research I'd done say porcelain tile will take the loads.

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/garage-forum/268472-laying-porcelain-tile-garage-floor.html
http://allgaragefloors.com/porcelain-tile-garage-floor/

[WagonCrazy]

I wouldnt do it in tile...porcelin or otherwise. It will crack under weight when you put alot of it in a tiny area. Not for a working shop...

I'd do an epoxy sealer myself. You can always put something over it later on if you want. Tile is nasty to bust out (grout and all).

My 2 cents here...

[willis]

cure and seal 250 its really good. i use it in my dog kennels, washes really well and doesnt let anything soak into the concrete. 5 gallon would do your whole garage. my garage is done in exposed aggregate with a dark sealer!!! its sharp to look at but had no intentions of ever working on it, was supposed to be parking only!!!LOL

[Rick_L]

Oh, one more possibility is polishing and staining/sealing. I think that's what they do to the floors in WalMart and Home Depot stores. However, when I look at the floors, I notice sand, not large aggregate in the concrete. Do they use a different type of concrete? Also, I think the colors of the stains are usually darker. I'd like a lighter-colored floor. But the polishing seems to last almost forever.

I think you are on the right track there relative to durability. It will cost more than a coating but I don't know how much. And I think that if you don't see large aggregate, it's intentionally done that way. Since you've already poured a floor, you're going to have to deal with what you have. But it still can be polished/stained/sealed if it's not seen traffic of any consequence.

Let us know what you decide.

[NickP]

Oh, one more possibility is polishing and staining/sealing. I think that's what they do to the floors in WalMart and Home Depot stores. However, when I look at the floors, I notice sand, not large aggregate in the concrete. Do they use a different type of concrete? Also, I think the colors of the stains are usually darker. I'd like a lighter-colored floor. But the polishing seems to last almost forever.

Investigate this: ArmorSeal® Rexthane™ I Moisture Cure Urethane

High-solids, single component, aliphatic, moisture-cure urethane, VOC-complying, moisture resistant industrial floor coating. This urethane coating cures to a high gloss and chemical resistant film equivalent to two-part urethane coatings.

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/products/catalog/armorseal-rexthane-i-moisture-cure-urethane/?referringCategory=interior-paint-coatings/floor-coatings-interior/commercial-performance-floor-coatings-interior/

Most of the stuff in a Box Store just will not cut it.

Tile, with a substrate that stays in one piece will do well but will be pretty slick. Trouble is, most slabs crack.

[Rick_L]

Sounds like POR-15 for floors (moisture cure).

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I still haven't done my floor, and it's holding up moving my Nomad in and painting it. I talked to U-Coat at SEMA, and even got a 10% discount if I buy their product. I was told they use it in all the Nascar garages. I contacted U-Coat again this week to ask a few questions, and they gave me a reference about a half hour away, in a city building. I plan to go look at it. What bothers me is that it's a water-based epoxy covered by a polyurethane clear...kinda like BC/CC. The base is thin, and seems to only add color. It's about $.84 per square foot.

I have also been looking at Epoxy-coat which is 100% solids epoxy. You can use just the color coat (without chips), which has a gloss, or apply a clear coat over it. Both layers are glossy. Epoxy-coat costs about 50% more than U-coat. I called them this week also, and asked a few questions, and for local references, which they couldn't give me. I tried to get a better deal since I need to buy 2 1/2 or 3 kits from them, but they wouldn't budge on price.

I did some research online about both products, and saw that Roger1 used U-Coat in his shop and was not happy with it. I don't know for sure what the problem was, but he said it dulled in some places. I'd like to talk to him but don't know how to get ahold of him.

My GF thinks I should put color chips on the floor, to make it look nicer. It also supposedly provides some non-slip effect. I have been told that the non-slip they put into the clear tends to make the floor hard to sweep too.

So I don't know WTF to do. I can do the Epoxy-coat without the chips or clear for about the same price as the whole U-coat system. Money isn't the whole issue, I just want to make the right decision and not have problems and regrets after paying $1000-1500 for the coating. Epoxy-coat talks up the fact that their coating is much thicker, but I'm not sure that's a good thing unless you're trying to hide defects. My shop has been finished for months, and I can't even use it. :(

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Investigate this: ArmorSeal® Rexthane™ I Moisture Cure Urethane



I don't see a price anywhere. It also looks like you need a primer, and a topcoat for any floor coating system they have. The literature shows 1000HS as a primer, but further down it's listed as a topcoat.....way confusing stuff. I have a S-W account, so maybe I need to go talk to them and get a price.