Garage floor finishing

[foggyjames]

Howdy folks,

I've finally got fed up of excessive concrete dust getting everywhere. I've tried to read up on how best to finish a garage floor several times now, and the range of opinions and experiences is baffling. I'm hoping to make sense of it.

I should mention that this is for more a workshop than a garage. Activities will potentially include welding, grinding, paint spraying, use of trolley jacks, axle stands and an engine crane, etc.

Here's what I think I've determined about the various approaches so far...


Painting with cheap floor paint - Cheap, but not at all durable. People are routinely reporting that it lifts just with a car is parked on it, and it certainly won't stand up to much (any?) action with the jack, etc. On the plus side, it's easy to re-coat.

Painting with expensive (two-pack / resin) floor paint - Moderate cost, but potentially the best option. Should stand up to most abuse.

Just sealing the concrete - Less visually attractive, but cheaper and potentially very durable if done right.

Porcelain tiles - Very nice, but expensive and hard to get a non-slip finish.

Plastic tiles - Also nice, but expensive and not up to my heavy usage.

...I think the cheap paint and plastic tile options are out. I'm favouring the two-pack paint option at present, but I'd very much appreciate your comments, please! Has anyone gone down the two-pack route, and if so, is it actually durable?

The acid test is to look at what the professionals do, and it appears to be a mixture of paint (presumably two-pack, as it doesn't seem to be like butter) and tiling, depending on where you go. Your thoughts please, my people!

cheers

James

[Bill Edmondson]

I did heavy duty, grey floor paint on a house of mine years ago. It was great, a couple of cans poured onto the floor then brushed in with a sweeping brush, 5 mins later it had self leveled and was smooth shiny grey.

I could then work on my old Jag (nice)

[foggyjames]

Thanks for that :) Was is all in one can or two? A professional flooring contractor in a thread I found (I think it was on Scoobynet) said that the air-curing ones are nothing like as tough as the chemically-curing (i.e. two-pack) ones. Just collecting intel...!

cheers

James

[Bill Edmondson]

No it was an all in one can, but industrial. We used to use it in our work shops to denote areas and walkways. So just got myself a couple of cans.

Just make sure you sweep, hoover, seal it first or it will look minging.

I rebuilt an old jag on it. no holds barred and it was great.

Good luck!!

[cosworthy2000]

I did heavy duty, grey floor paint on a house of mine years ago. It was great, a couple of cans poured onto the floor then brushed in with a sweeping brush, 5 mins later it had self leveled and was smooth shiny grey.

I could then work on my old Jag (nice)

I did the same, though my workshop is more for general DIY and building model aeroplanes in...
The paint does come adrift when impacted (hit with hammer, dropping vice etc), but is otherwise OK. Got mine from Screwfix.

If you don't like the rough concrete finish then use a self levelling floor screed first.

[acshortt5]

Through my travels I have seen many workshops.

Not one has had the "plastic tiles". These are really designed for car storage type garages as they are not designed to take the "point" loading that you get when raising a vehicle with a trolley jack. They also make the floor difficult to clean.

As you suggest the best way of doing it is to paint and then seal the floor. However sealing is REALLY expensive. Worth doing but only if you are going to be in the workshop and using it for quite a while or if the owner is willing to make a contribution. (I'm guessing you are on about the place you rent? In which case, depending on what your lease/agreement says, you may also need to ask for the owners permission - if so then get it in writing - and get it documented as a tenants improvement so you don't get stung at the next rent review.)

If it's only to keep dust down and you are not staying long term in the property then in my opinion a few coats of decent paint will suffice and will be cheap to patch up if you damage it.

If you are coming to the Northern 120 this Sunday I can discuss in more detail if you want.

[andy_d]

went down a similar route years ago here, whatever paint system you use on the top, the durablity is going to come down to how well sealed it was before application.

[Warrington]

What about those rubber tiles. You know the ones like you see in lifts.

They are about 60x60cm single tiles and come in lots of colours.

Will keep your dust down and easy to replace a section if you get paint on etc.

A quick search on the net found these (theones on the main pic in the background. http://www.slip-not.co.uk/index.php
I think those are plastic and clip together though.

I'm sure you'd find the rubber ones somewhere.

[Rustee]

Did my garage with 2 coats of International garage floor paint four years ago. It's been good at keeping the concrete dust at bay, some areas have worn a little bit but for the price quite reasonable. I'd recommend screeding first if you can to avoid getting bits of dust in the dimples.

[JIM C]

I used Wicks floor paint with a roller on mine a few years ago with out any issues.

jim

[Pandamedic]

I thought about painting mine, but then thought I'd eventually have to keep doing it and I'd still get dust from stuff scraping over the floor.

So I ended up getting a rubber g-floor covering.

Same as here http://www.bltllc.com/tread_pattern.htm

Brought mine from Costco though as it's the only place I know that sells it in the uk.

Came in a huge roll, when unrolled fitted the garage near on perfect. Length was fine. Width was shy of about an inch or 2 either side. I just painted those bits.

[foggyjames]

Thanks everyone for your contributions.

Andrew - I'm intrigued by your reference to sealing being expensive. Most of the products I've seen so far appear to be relatively cheap (circa £30 for 5 litres). This is for the garage at home...the lock-up is a different story! Sadly I won't be at the Northern 120 shindig, but I'm interested to chat more about this.

I've just found Firwood 2700 (http://www.firwood.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10601&storeId=10001&productId=31368&langId=-1), which sounds like the two-pack stuff that the professional flooring guy I found was talking about. It's like a more hardcore version of the standard paint. What dya think, guys? Not cheap as such, but a lot cheaper than tiling!

cheers

James

[cam]

I did mine a few yrs back with some cheap floor paint 25lts for £40
off a guy who travells around our local garages selling tools etc, the finish
was like a matt colour grey and provided you just drove in and out on it
it was ok,as soon as i started to work in the garage jacking the car up and
axle stands etc the paint soon flakes and lifts off,i then found a gallon of leyland floor paint in a boot sale for a fiver and that seems much much better
almost looks like a proffesional garage job compred to the cheap stuff,
good luck on yours mate,cam.

[andy_d]

now that looks ok the firwood stuff, a bit on the high side compared to "wicks floor paint", but as you say Far cheaper than tiles, and wont be as much of a danger when wet , or need tiles replacing when they crack or chip.
our garage is now painted in the "work" 3/4 and tiled from the kitchen door to the back door, despite using the supposed anti slip tiles, designed for "wet and heavy duty" use , they are slippy as if you have wet boots.

It can also be used as an anti-slip coating with the addition of the fine aggregate included with the product.


sounds a worthy addition in my book, nice find id say and thank you, book marked it for if i ever find my garage floor again to redo it.

[Volvon]

I was under the assumption concrete floors need to breath so to speak so you shouldn't seal them as moisture builds up in/underneath them and damages it in the long term. But maybe this is just for garages that are built into houses, probably stand-alone garages don't matter. Like painting the walls of your house you should use masonry paint not a sealing paint as the same principle applies.

[Ninja59]

ours now: -

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af301/Ninja59/IMG00286-20110515-1432.jpg?t=1305467695

note i was getting ready for my summer detail :o

[Toplights]

I'm with Bill and the pour on self leveling grey paint.Used to do a commercial garage once a year.

[Toplights]

ours now: -

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af301/Ninja59/IMG00286-20110515-1432.jpg?t=1305467695

note i was getting ready for my summer detail :o
I wodn't be able to find a thing in there,its too tidy.

[Clan]

Thanks everyone for your contributions.

Andrew - I'm intrigued by your reference to sealing being expensive. Most of the products I've seen so far appear to be relatively cheap (circa £30 for 5 litres). This is for the garage at home...the lock-up is a different story! Sadly I won't be at the Northern 120 shindig, but I'm interested to chat more about this.

I've just found Firwood 2700 (http://www.firwood.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10601&storeId=10001&productId=31368&langId=-1), which sounds like the two-pack stuff that the professional flooring guy I found was talking about. It's like a more hardcore version of the standard paint. What dya think, guys? Not cheap as such, but a lot cheaper than tiling!

cheers

James

Hello James ,
We had the floor done at work 3 years ago , the epoxy liquid covering , cost £20000 but was a big area . its about 3 mm thick and resilient to any liquid , brake fluid , acid , thinners etc and fills minor imperfections , tyres don't affect it , The only drawback is that if you drop a brake disc or something similar it will take a chunk out as you would expect . The tools you wheel around a workshop , jacks , gearbox lifts with solid wheels have no ill effect on it .. Cleans up a treat with a chemical floor cleaner ...

If its permanant you can't beat tiles though!

[Pandamedic]

Here's the G-floor

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/Pandamedic/gfloorb.jpg

£124 when i brought it from costco.

Got it home, unrolled it, trimmed round some bricks, 5 mins if that job done.

and in my garage (the bubbles you can see have gone, as this pic was taken right after i unrolled it).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/Pandamedic/DSC03246.jpg

I also fitted a weather stop http://www.weatherstop.co.uk/

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/Pandamedic/DSC03249.jpg

[Ninja59]

I wodn't be able to find a thing in there,its too tidy.

:lol:

say thank you to detailing for the obsessive organisation of the garage

[Bill Edmondson]

A really cheap way to seal the floor is 25% pva glue mixed with water. I own 2 cave houses in Spain and that's what I used to seal the Walls and floors and ceilings prior to what ever was applied next.