Shop Floor

[Sammy in Kansas]

I just finished pouring a concrete floor in my 30 by 50 shop. I know I should have installed in floor heat, but just could not afford it at this time. I plan to restore a few old tractors out of it and am wondering if I should and if so, what product to use to seal or finish coat the concrete floor so it will be easy to clean up oil etc. or should I just leave the concrete.
I would sure like to hear what has and has not worked for you guys.

 

[Anonymous-0]

I think you can get special paint for concrete floors that is easier to clean up. Dave

 

[bo]

Epoxy paint....put it on 10 years ago and it still looks good today. A bit slick if wet. Bought it at Home Depot...

 

[PJH]

Amen on the epoxy paint. It's nice - but be sure to follow the directions. A local guy took some prep shortcuts and it peeled up in sheets. A difficult repair. . .

Another guy I know put it on his shop floor a LONG time ago, in fact, it was the first time I'd ever heard of epoxy paint. It looks as good today as it did the day he painted it.

Paul

 

[Billy NY]

Remember it takes 28 days to reach full compressive strength and or cure, many products require this to occur prior to any application of same.

Take a look at the Euclid Chemical company product line, they offer a myriad of products for sealing/dustproofing etc.

With epoxy, surface prep is important, your slab is new, but may still require prep work per mfr instructions. Reason is to insure a good bond. Epoxy can be smooth and slippery,so you may want to make sure the product you select has anti slip properties. There are a lot of products out there, like concrete paints and or epoxies, I think it wise to invest in commercial or industrial grade materials with good performance specifications to attain durability, some research 1st may help there.
Euclid Chemical Company

 

[joe from ne]

I used a sealer on mine right after it was poured and it is amazing how much it keeps oil from soaking in. I use a floor cleaning machine on it every couple days and it is as clean as a dance hall. Mine isn't the way to go however as to keep in condition like I would like it I would have to recoat every 2 years. Not hard but not the plan. Whatver you use do it before you start working in shop while floor is clean and ready to coat and so you don't have to move everything. You will never regret it.

 

[Hobo,NC]

(quoted from post at 19:56:54 12/25/09) I just finished pouring a concrete floor in my 30 by 50 shop. I know I should have installed in floor heat, but just could not afford it at this time. I plan to restore a few old tractors out of it and am wondering if I should and if so, what product to use to seal or finish coat the concrete floor so it will be easy to clean up oil etc. or should I just leave the concrete.
I would sure like to hear what has and has not worked for you guys.

If you have a good finish on the concrete you don't need nuttin but a mop bucket,,,, one draw back to sealer is it does not take well to gas,,, when gas hits it you will have a sticky mess...

If you plan to paint the Floor i would skip the sealer... I work daily for a living fix'n cars/trucks/tractors,,, no sealer are paint on the floor and they are Spex and span,,, clean up as you go,,, put a drip mate (cardboard) under the tractor and anything else you can dream up to catch the mess and you will have a clean floor,,, folks that have a dirty floors are to lazy to clean up after themselves...

It does not matter what you put on the floor it gonna have to be cleaned up,,, sealer is not for life it wares out just by walking on it...

 

[wayneh]

Go with epoxy. I did my floor 15 years ago. It started looking tired last year, so I did it over with Rustoleum Professonal grade expoxy shield. I work it hard now and it holds up well. Slippery when wet!

Wayne

 

[T.C. in Tx]

I sealed my shop floor when it was new about 3 and a half years ago. The sealer I used was Sheplers brand. It is clear like varnish and is fairly easy to put on with a paint roller right out of the 5 gallon bucket of sealer.

In my case I used about 30 to 35 gallons on a 5,000 square foot floor and did 2 coats.

As one of the other guys said it is not resistant to gasoline or brake fluid. I clean up oil with oil dry to soak up the liquid and then follow with WD 40 and a rag to get the residue up. A few heavy use spots are wearing thin, but otherwise it looks like the day it was put down.

The best part about using a sealer is no concrete dust and it is easier to keep clean.

 

[MF294-4]

FIL was in the ready-mix business when I poured mine. He bought sealer by the 55 gal barrels. The guy that poured it, mixed the sealer with Xyol and sprayed it on with a weed sprayer. Need lots of ventilation. Like others said, gas will cut it and it does wear off and you only will have one chance to do it because you will never see all of the floor again. They have better products today. My brother just poured a garage and I think they used an epoxy and then put something on to make it not so slick. That looks pretty good so far.

 

[Mister Ike]

After waiting 60 days, I applied Quick-Crete epoxy paint from Lowes. It is absolutely great in that it resists anything I spill on it including gasoline and brake parts cleaner. As one guy said, a little slick when wet, but I don't have any problem with that.

 

[John Harmon]

After cleaning my shop floor and letting it dry I gave it two coats of battleship grey rust stop paint i got from True Value Hardware. It does the job well and after 6 years it is showing wear.Only the mountains last for ever.

 

[KIDbob]

I have bare concrete floors that have been in use as a comercial shop for over 40 years. If it gets an oil stain just put a little solvent on it, brush in with a broom let soak, then throw on oil dry, it will look like new.

 

[Ecnerwal]

Too late now, but if you are pouring floor, even if you can't afford the whole shebang of in floor heat, you really should afford the tubing to make it possible later. Anyway...

Lots of folks love their epoxy here, I guess. I'm going to put in my vote for a less expensive, less fussy option - and for pretty much anything you need to wait for 28-30 days (which really should be 28-30 days at or above 70 degrees F, but that's probably not gong to happen unless you wait for spring).

I use latex base concrete floor paint, white. It does not stay pristine white if you use the floor, but it does make the whole shop a lot easier to see in by increasing the light levels .vs. the typical gray/red/tan colors or bare concrete. It does not dust as bare concrete does. It is not slippery, as most epoxies are, so you don't have to add friction enhancers to the paint (scattered sand, etc.) to not fall when it's wet. It's very easy to fix a spot that has suffered excess abuse - just wash the floor, let dry, and add another coat.

 

[Doug - Iowa]

I know this is hard to beleive but we sealed a concrete floor with elmer's glue. Mix 1 gallon with 4 gallons hot water and apply with a roller. Dries clear in a couple days. Have had daily forktruck traffic on it for about 18 months now and it still looks like the day we put it on. Not pretty, but we were after dust control only.

 

[RusselAZ]

Paint thinner and gloss polyurethane mixed 1 to 1.

Makes it cheap and seals great forever. AFTER doing that, you can put straight polyurethane on it for gloss if you like. You know, in that corner you will put the TV and fridge and table and microwave and recliner in.

 

[kj1454]

Try floor polishing. Looks good and is easy to keep clean.