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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Polished and Sealed Garage Floors?

Sept. 19, 2011 4:51 p.m. Woody SuperDork

I'm thinking about doing something to my ten year old, bare concrete garage floor. My original plan was to try and find some used Race Deck or Swisstrax and do one of the three bays. We get too much snow melt in the other two bays in the winter to do all three and I'd end up with mold. Plus, I'd get mold.

I had a bad epoxy experience once and I don't want to relive that.

So then I started thinking about polishing and sealing what I have, which would allow me to do all three bays. Has anyone done this before? Can you do it on a ten year old floor? I'm going for function, not looks.
Sept. 19, 2011 5:35 p.m. NGTD Dork

Make sure you dont get it too polished and put some silica sand in the sealer.

I think you can polish any concrete floors - new or old. Stains show up really badly though.
Sept. 19, 2011 8:15 p.m. Teh E36 M3 HalfDork

I read that the polishing process was a pain in the ass. I put down those VCT tiles for ~50 cents/sqft from the depot. Was going to epoxy clear over the top but it was too much.
Sept. 19, 2011 10:11 p.m. Streetwiseguy Dork

Do more welding and drop more stuff, and your floor will look like a garage is supposed to- used.

I don't like polished or sealed. Dangerously slick- I prefer some crevices here and there.
Sept. 20, 2011 12:47 a.m. unevolved Dork

I wish there was a floor covering that was durable enough for welding and looked pretty. A shop I work at uses plastic tile kind of like swisstrax, which is awesome until you jack a car up with a floor jack or turn the wheels without the car rolling. It's constantly getting ripped up.
Sept. 20, 2011 5:10 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

The polished and sealed bare concrete floors I've worked on were all done when the floor was being poured. I don't know of a way to simply polish and seal an already existing concrete floor that isn't a case of pouring something like epoxy onto it and smearing it around.
Sept. 20, 2011 6:45 a.m. Raze Dork

Most of the reasons on here is why I just went with the el-cheapo Behr 1 part epoxy. It's cheap, easy, effective, only have to do it once every couple years. It now takes less than half a can to redo the entire surface so it's very inexpensive relative to other methods and keeps brake fluid, oils, coolant, solvents, etc from damaging the concrete...
Sept. 20, 2011 7:28 a.m. 4cylndrfury SuperDork

whatever happened to stealing the box off your neighbors curb when he gets a new dishwasher? Cardboard garage floor cover FTMFW...
Sept. 20, 2011 9:23 a.m. pirate New Reader

You can go to the Garage Journal website at: http://www.garagejournal.com/ and under the forum section is a place dedicated to floors from stain, sealers, tiles to polish it is all there.
Sept. 20, 2011 9:31 a.m. bravenrace SuperDork

4cylndrfury wrote:

whatever happened to stealing the box off your neighbors curb when he gets a new dishwasher? Cardboard garage floor cover FTMFW...

I have a painted floor in my shop, and I still do that! easiest way to catch stuff and clean up.
Sept. 20, 2011 12:38 p.m. Ian F SuperDork

Raze wrote:

Most of the reasons on here is why I just went with the el-cheapo Behr 1 part epoxy. It's cheap, easy, effective, only have to do it once every couple years. It now takes less than half a can to redo the entire surface so it's very inexpensive relative to other methods and keeps brake fluid, oils, coolant, solvents, etc from damaging the concrete...

This is what we plan to do. I want the floor coated mainly for dust control rather than looks. It if gets scratched up a bit and peals in a few places, it'll add character.
Sept. 20, 2011 12:45 p.m. bravenrace SuperDork

The problem with most single stage paints is that they are air cured. This means that hot tires parked on them can easily lift the paint. Two part epoxies are chemically cured, so this isn't an issue. I have no experience with the Behr 1 part epoxy, I'm just stating this in general terms. I used Rustoleum Industrial two part epoxy on my new shop floor. It was relatively inexpensive, and has held up really well in the five years I've had it, except that rust stains are hard to remove.
Sept. 20, 2011 1:06 p.m. Joe Gearin Associate Publisher

The next issue of Classic Motorsports will have a detailed story on all of the different flooring choices and the pros and cons of each.

It should be out mid-October.
Sept. 20, 2011 2:09 p.m. Woody SuperDork

Welding and jack stands are why I'm afraid to do the whole thing with plastic tile.

I had a horrible, horrible experience with a two part epoxy lifting. It made a mess of the house for years.
Sept. 20, 2011 2:28 p.m. bravenrace SuperDork

Woody wrote:

I had a horrible, horrible experience with a two part epoxy lifting. It made a mess of the house for years.

You did it wrong.
Sept. 20, 2011 2:33 p.m. Ian F SuperDork

The two biggest issues with epoxy - or any floor coating, really - is prep and moisture. One problem with sealing an older concrete floor is it basically requires the same amount of prep as epoxy if you want it to look good. Also, if the concrete seeps moisture (easily tested by taping a 12"x12" sheet of plastic over an area) then the coating has a very good chance of failing.
Sept. 20, 2011 2:46 p.m. Woody SuperDork

bravenrace wrote:

Woody wrote:

I had a horrible, horrible experience with a two part epoxy lifting. It made a mess of the house for years.

You did it wrong.

Actually, I used a bad product that is no longer available. I spent several days properly prepping the surface. It was not my first time doing this. It lasted almost a year before it began lifting. It started under the spot where the tires are when the cars were parked and then migrated across the length of the tire path. The next six years were a disaster. I got my money back for the product, but there was no good way to remove the rest. It just slowly flaked off, stuck to my shoes and was wiped off on the welcome mat and stair carpet.
Sept. 20, 2011 6:17 p.m. stuart in mn SuperDork

I know a guy who has a company that grinds and polishes garage floors. They do refinish old floors as well. I don't have all the details but I believe they put down a sealer after the grinding and polishing is completed, and from what he's told me the end result is not all that slippery - it may have to do with the level of finish as well as the type of sealer they use.

I like the looks of a well done two part epoxy floor, but I think it's inevitable that sooner or later the finish is going to wear...once you paint a floor, you're stuck into having to repaint it periodically for the rest of your life.
Sept. 20, 2011 7:10 p.m. irish44j Dork

My parents did that with the floor at their Marina shop. - Grind, polish, and seal. And they used a concrete stain to give it a bluish-greenish color. Looks kind of cool, and would definitely hide any stains. It is not any more slippery than regular concrete.

I will probably do what we do at the ski shop I work weekends at, in our service shop. Duron floor paint. We re-do it every couple years, but it is pretty tough....that shop constantly has skis dragged on it, big racks dragged on it, and alot of foot traffic.

As for tire heat pulling the paint up, I'll probably just put a few tiles down below where the wife's truck parks, and problem solved.

I honestly just don't want to deal with the expense/prep involved with the heavy-duty epoxies and such. The paint will let me change color every so often if I want
Sept. 20, 2011 10:02 p.m. tr8todd Reader

I recently did the plumbing work for a new gym in town. While I was there, there was a guy grinding and then polishing the concrete floor. He was at it for days and made a ton of dust. His bill was over $15K for and area about 1500 square feet. Didn't even look that good when he was done.
Sept. 21, 2011 12:15 p.m. redwee New Reader

In my experience, dont get it too polished.

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