Author Topic: Shop Floor coatings  (Read 1663 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

bsprowl

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 213
    • View Profile
    • Ford FE Information
Shop Floor coatings
« on: July 26, 2022, 09:17:28 PM »
I want to coat the floor in my new shop before I use it.  I want something that will allow easy clean up of spills. 

Water glass (Calcium Silicate) and epoxy paint have been suggested.  What are you guys using?

Jay what are you using in the chicken coop?

427mach1

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 119
    • View Profile
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2022, 07:58:59 AM »
I used Rustoleum Rock Solid on my garage floor and am vary happy with it.  Surface preparation is EVERYTHING! 



Falcon67

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2151
    • View Profile
    • Kelly's Hot Rod Page
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2022, 09:24:42 AM »
First shop  (20x24 space) I used a floor epoxy from Lowes, tainted gray.  I think they carry the Rustolem epoxy product now vs their house product.  Welding, drag slicks, spilling/spray everything - no problems.  Worst deal was overspray from painting the race car - it got under the plastic drop cloths under the car and once it landed on the epoxy it would not come off.  So there's still a white shadow of a car on the floor in that shop.

This shop (24x40) I used an industrial floor coat from Kelly-Moore that was part epoxy.  Supposed to be easy recoat as needed, and adheres to surfaces with less than ideal prep.  It's good, does the job but it's not exactly epoxy.  It does react a bit to harsh chemicals but does not pull up or wipe away.  At any rate, it's discontinued so no use in listing the part number. 

Epoxy is not cheap but with a good floor etch, it will stick and nothing will bother it.  Hot drag slicks will leave rubber on it rather than pull it off the surface.  Spills just wipe up.  Worth every penny, worth the effort. 

Mop/etch with 1:4 pool acid/water mix, then neutralized, hosed, squeegeed and dried for a few days.


Coating applied, allowed to dry.  LOL note - this was in 2011 when we had the record number of heat days.  I painted this floor in December, a few days before Christmas.  It was 90 something degrees. 
« Last Edit: July 27, 2022, 09:31:10 AM by Falcon67 »

jayb

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7400
    • View Profile
    • FE Power
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #3 on: July 27, 2022, 09:57:40 AM »
Bob, I actually don't have a garage floor coating in my shop.  I wish I had done that when the new concrete section was poured, but half my shop is old concrete and wouldn't take the coating easily anyway.  Sorry, I don't have a recommendation - Jay
Jay Brown
- 1969 Mach 1, Drag Week 2005 Winner NA/BB, 511" FE (10.60s @ 129); Drag Week 2007 Runner-Up PA/BB, 490" Supercharged FE (9.35 @ 151)
- 1964 Ford Galaxie, Drag Week 2009 Winner Modified NA (9.50s @ 143), 585" SOHC
- 1969 Shelby Clone, Drag Week 2015 Winner Modified NA (Average 8.98 @ 149), 585" SOHC

   

MRadke

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 132
    • View Profile
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #4 on: July 27, 2022, 12:43:14 PM »
My vote would be no coating.  We have epoxy in our fire station and when it's wet, it's extremely slippery and hot tires from fire trucks have pulled it up in spots.  I don't know the brand, but ours stains from the various drips that are inevitable from a fire truck.  Spend the money you save on beer or car parts  LOL

machoneman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3846
    • View Profile
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #5 on: July 27, 2022, 05:15:33 PM »
No coating here either. Used Thompson's Water Seal, a very thin liquid, to stop concrete dust after the new floor sat unused for awhile to cure (the concrete that is). Cheap, non slippery, easy to clean and......cheap.

Now here, in sunny FL, my know-nothing-about- cars-neighbors were all hot to trot on any number of fancy, great looking and quite expensive coatings. I explained that no, a engine/trannys/rearend pulling guy like me would mess up a fancy floor in no time. Further, my 2 old Stangs ('88 and '70) do leak a bit of tranny fluid, engine oil, etc. unlike my 2 daily drivers, both 2018, and like all modern cars, never leak anything! Try and get a supplier of those coatings to issue a 10 year guarantee that those fluids will not seep under and lift the coating.

Don't hold your breath. 
Bob Maag

mike7570

  • Guest
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #6 on: July 27, 2022, 05:40:28 PM »
427mach1 is correct surface prep is everything. The big problem with shops and garages is they normally don't have vapor barriers in place before the slabs were poured. Moisture will eventually work its way out and try to equalize with the atmosphere.  There are different types of concrete testing systems to check the moisture content but an easy way it to tape down a piece of 6mil poly about 3' square with duct tape and pull it up 2 or 3 days later and observe the concrete for signs of moisture, like discoloration. 
I used the same product as 427mach1 but I had the benefit of bringing home equipment from my company (47yr in floor covering industry). I first bead blasted the surface and applied an epoxy moisture sealer from Sika (Ardex has a good one also) then it is primed, and a self-leveling skim coat applied (to give the epoxy paint something to bond to) I then painted per instructions and used the color flakes. It looks just like the pictures and the flakes help with the slipperiness.
Mike

« Last Edit: July 27, 2022, 05:59:09 PM by mike7570 »

RustyCrankshaft

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 489
    • View Profile
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #7 on: July 27, 2022, 05:45:44 PM »
My vote would be no coating.  We have epoxy in our fire station and when it's wet, it's extremely slippery and hot tires from fire trucks have pulled it up in spots.  I don't know the brand, but ours stains from the various drips that are inevitable from a fire truck.  Spend the money you save on beer or car parts  LOL

I also would vote no coating. I've done both DIY epoxy and had several shops we had companies come and coat. NONE of them have really worked as well as bare concrete. I will preface this by saying that both my own DIY and the professional installs have been done in "heavy duty" shops. A coating would probably hold up fine for light use and in my garage the epoxy has been fine even though it was applied to an older pad. In my shop, I had half the floor done and even though that side was not used as much I still was always touching up spots. Extremely slippery even with the "traction" additive in it.

I'm not a fan of coated floors in a working shop. Unless it's like a clean room or other light traffic area. But, as I said, if your use is limited it will probably hold up fine. My lasted pretty well until the 1st clutch RnR on the dump truck!

machoneman

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3846
    • View Profile
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #8 on: July 28, 2022, 07:02:34 AM »
Hah! I should have added "do you want a show garage for your fancy Porsche or a workingman's garage?". BTW, one gallon of Thompson's Water Seal (TWS) as I mentioned above is a whopping $16.00 per gallon, more than enough for even a three car garage floor, 2 coats as well. Many of the trick coatings costs hundreds more, not even including professional labor. TWS? A tight nap sleeve on a roller, screw on a stick, literally pour it out on the floor, roll it around and let it dry. Done.

Kidding aside, it's a choice but I do not want to spend any time on touching up or recoating a floor due to oils, hot tires, whatever screwing up the 'look'. I'll save that time for working on my fleet of cars instead.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2022, 07:09:42 AM by machoneman »
Bob Maag

cleandan

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 359
    • View Profile
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #9 on: July 28, 2022, 07:53:38 AM »
Bob, the coatings have their place as well as limitations.
I have never witnessed a floor coating stand up to the rigors of a working shop.
The coating will eventually chip, crack, flake, stain, wear or change in appearance in some manner.

If you intend to use normal auto shop tools like floor jacks, jack stands, engine hoists, or any other heavy item with steel wheels and feet, it will cause issues eventually.
If you use chemicals they will eventually react with the coating.

My single number one complaint with most coatings is the slippery when wet result. Even if it is dry in the shop, but raining outside, your wet shoes will slip on the coated floor....often to a dangerous level of slippery. This is okay when young and agile, but not so much when facing more, um, experience.

Because of my motion control industry work I have been in many, many, many different shops and manufacturing facilities with coated floors of some type.
I have seen everything from the super cheap do it yourself home made recipe, to multi-million dollar 3M engineered specific coatings.....By the way, the m gajillion dollar stuff does hold up well but DANG it is simply too expensive for most to purchase.

Anyway, none of these coating have gone without issue for more than a few years, which then enters the maintenance aspect of the look.

Before you go coating I suggest you visit all your local auto repair shops to look at their coated floors. You will likely find chips, bubbles, sections that have peeled off, stains, and worn areas that have simply been abraded away with use....because this is what happens.

I think a cheap, easy to recoat/repair, dust control application is the one smart coating for a working shop floor. Clear being the easiest color to work with over time.

If you are making a show garage that will be used for storage and display only then a nice looking coating is a good choice.
If you require a very clean environment in the shop a coating is a good choice, even with the issues, because it really does aid in keeping things clean.
If you are prepping your home for sale, a nice coating on the garage floor may increase the value of the home above the cost of the coating.

The number one job leading to best results is floor prep prior to coating.
Do not skimp on this step if coating the floor is your choice.
You can not over prep the floor, but insufficient prep is a major issue in coating failures.

Falcon67

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2151
    • View Profile
    • Kelly's Hot Rod Page
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #10 on: July 28, 2022, 10:23:48 AM »
Quote
Bob, the coatings have their place as well as limitations.
I have never witnessed a floor coating stand up to the rigors of a working shop.
The coating will eventually chip, crack, flake, stain, wear or change in appearance in some manner.

I take respectful exception to this.  I have had two shops with epoxy (or part epoxy) since 1996.  I do everything - weld, drop things, hot sticky race slicks, use chemicals including brake cleaner, degreaser, Berrymans, etc.  Engine stands, floor jacks with steel wheels, jack stands, etc etc.  With proper prep and application I have never had anything lift or otherwise fail in the coating.  I clean spills off the floor with carb, brake cleaner or degreaser (green or purple) - whatever is handy.  The only time anything chipped off a floor was when I dropped something big and steel that knocked a chunk off the concrete.  The old shop had failure cracks from poor base prep (contractor) and the floor was failing, not the coating.  Park a drag car fresh from the track and move it later, you'll scrap rubber off the floor, or dissolve it with acetone.  Pure epoxy is resistant to all these chemicals.  It may not look as pretty as when it was new, but it'll hold. 

I've spilled everything you can imagine including gasoline in large quantities and even methanol.  Hosed out the shop occasionally.  Never had issues with overly slick flooring.  Yes, you need to be careful around spills.  Same thing on the kitchen or bathroom tile.  Epoxy vendors can also supply a grit that can be added to the coat or top coat if that is a particular worry. 

I have my fresh concrete polished an smooth as possible, cure it fully, then etch thoroughly to give the coating teeth and apply at the recommended thickness, or number of coats. 
Decent shot of the current shop slab after about 10 days of initial cure.  Very smooth, no brush finish.



It ain't a show floor, it's a working floor




If the fire station coating is lifting, the city needs to be in the contractor and epoxy suppliers face about it.  That's people's tax money and they deserve better.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2022, 10:41:46 AM by Falcon67 »

shady

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1001
    • View Profile
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #11 on: July 28, 2022, 03:51:43 PM »
Nicest I've seen is polished concrete. There are companies that will grind and polish your concrete that looks almost like marble. When I asked what it cost, the only reply I got was "expensive".
What goes fast doesn't go fast long'
What goes fast takes your money with it.
So I'm slow & broke, what went wrong?
2021 FERR cool FE Winner
2022 FERR cool FE Winner
2023 FERR cool FE Winner

Rory428

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 998
    • View Profile
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #12 on: July 28, 2022, 09:19:14 PM »
Bob, is your floor already poured? I bought my house with the shop already there, (30 x48'), and and when the floor was poured, they used concrete with a primer colored powder mixed in, so the whole floor is a reddish brown color all the way thru. Even when I drilled the anchor holes in the floor for the 2 post lift, the concrete dust was the same color as the floor. And the steel wheels of my engine hoist, floor jack, transmission jack etc, don`t leave any marks.
1978 Fairmont,FE 427 with 428 crank, 4 speed Jerico best of 9.972@132.54MPH 1.29 60 foot
1985 Mustang HB 331 SB Ford, 4 speed Jerico, best of 10.29@128 MPH 1.40 60 foot.
1974 F350 race car hauler 390 NP435 4 speed
1959 Ford Meteor 2 dr sedan. 428 Cobra Jet, 4 speed Toploader. 12.54@ 108 MPH

bsprowl

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 213
    • View Profile
    • Ford FE Information
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2022, 10:21:45 PM »
Thanks for all of the replies. I wish I had applied a coating while I was waiting for the building's steel to be delivered. The floor finish was power toweled, is very smooth and almost perfectly level. 

I'm not concerned about how it looks, just how well it lets me do clean up.   I'm going to do something just not sure what.  Leaning toward a water glass sealer followed by as epoxy.  I wonder if adding a fine sand such as play sand to the paint work to reduce falls?  I test this idea in the office area where I plan to put a floor covering. 

My Dad (a welder) told me years ago that nothing will stop welding slag from eating away a floor in a welding shop, so he usually put a sheet of tin down to reduce that problem. 

Falcon67:  What brand of epoxy did you use? 


Falcon67

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2151
    • View Profile
    • Kelly's Hot Rod Page
Re: Shop Floor coatings
« Reply #14 on: July 29, 2022, 10:18:49 AM »
The first shop was a Lowes brand two part epoxy.  Muriatic acid etch, roll on fairly thick.  For 20x24, it took 2 gallons IIRC.  The current shop I used Kelly Moore KM-15 Industrial coating.  I used that because a car club guy that was a pro painter recommended.  Got a good discount LOL using his KM account.  I do not think they carry that specific coating any more, but they may have something similar.  I did not pre-prime, used same muriatic etch technique.

https://raceabilene.com/misc/NewShop/KM15-TDS.pdf
« Last Edit: July 29, 2022, 10:22:04 AM by Falcon67 »