Floor coatings?

[Investigator]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with floor coatings in the shop. I'm building a new shop and have a plan for a 'room' to house the milling machine and lathe. Just wondering about paint, or epoxy or any other floor coatings. Are they worth it?

 

[NCjeeper]

I did the Rustoleum epoxy kit back in the day on my shop floor. New concrete and followed their prep instructions. It didn't hold up well and wouldn't use it again.

 

[Investigator]

I did the Rustoleum epoxy kit back in the day on my shop floor. New concrete and followed their prep instructions. It didn't hold up well and wouldn't use it again.

I've not heard good things about the stuff sold in the big box stores. I've wondered if it was as bad as I heard, thanks for the information.

 

[FOMOGO]

I used Ghostshield densifier followed by their sealer, and while it looks like I put nothing on it when I was finished, it beads up water instantly, and is supposed to strengthen the concrete surface to help prevent chipping. I've used epoxy in the past, and it invariably chips. Mine is a working shop, and NOT a showroom, so it was the right choice for my space. They offer a discount through The Garage Journal site. Mike

 

[TomS]

What NCjeeper said but with an explanation. The Rustoleum epoxy coating works great as a garage floor coating. I'm on my third garage floor using that product and it works great. However, in a machine shop environment walking on metal chips can be very abrasive. The epoxy doesn't hold up well under that type of condition and the epoxy will wear away over time. This happened in my first garage.

 

[DavidR8]

Wander over to Garagejournal.com where you will find an entire forum section dedicated to garage floors and finishes.
Epoxy coatings don’t appear to be for the faint of heart. Lots of prep involved.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[matthewsx]

Thompson's water seal or equivalent.

I once painted a garage floor and it was not fun. Ultimately it will chip or peel and then you have to do it ALL over again. I have not used any of the densifier products but others swear by them.

This isn't an area you have to overthink, what's needed is something to keep oil from seeping into the concrete and can be cleaned up easily. Unless you have to impress somebody with the looks of your floor there's no reason to put more $$$ into it than you have to.

Several years back I opened a food production facility in a re-purposed hockey rink space. The floor needed attention and after deciding I couldn't drop $3k for a professional epoxy job I asked the state health department folks who would be inspecting it. Their preference was a plain sealer like Thompson's because it did the job, was easy to clean, and quick to re-apply.

John

 

[DavidR8]

Thanks for that tip John, I would not have considered Thompson's Water Seal.

 

[Downunder Bob]

Quite a few years ago I worked for the AW Chesterton group in the local agency here in Adelaide.They were mainly known for high end mechanical seals and packings. but the also had a product that was a polyurethane coating, paint call it what you will.

But it was very tough. It was great on metal or concrete. I remember it being used on concrete floors in warehouses and even machine shops. Bright shiny colours and very tough. I don't know if they still make it, but check it out. I know it was not cheap, but hey it worked.

 

[derf]

It's hard to beat latex based floor paint. For some reason it holds up better than oil based. I painted my original shop floor with latex based paint because at the time it was less money. When I added on to my shop I decided to splurge and use oil base because I was told it was better. In the high traffic areas, the oil based peeled off, where the latex still has a presence. I was told it is because the latex can breathe and it handles moisture better.