damp garage floor

[George Pell]

Hello. I live in Missouri, and moved into my house late last summer, and I need your advice about a problem I'm having. My shop is in the garage, and the concrete floor will get damp looking from time to time, and I worry about all that moisture in the air and what it's doing to my lumber and tools. There is never any actual wetness or moisture on the concrete, and I taped plastic over several areas to test for moisture, and the plastic was dry. There doesn't seem to be any correlation between the dampness and rainfall or high humidity. I was going to use the Rustoleum epoxy to paint the floor, but I have concerns about how well it will adhere. The technical support folks said that it should be okay, but I don't want to go through all that work of clearing out the garage and painting only to have it delaminate. I did a few things to make sure there was no water getting under the foundation, such as increasing the slope away from the garage, and extending the downspouts away from the garage. So, my questions are: Based on your experience with the Rustoleum garage floor epoxy, would it be safe to use? Would a dehumidifier be helpful? Any other thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

George

[Russ Filtz]

I grew up in Missouri. I think the whole State needs dehumidified! at least in Summer.

[Wes Bischel]

George,
Taping the plastic to the floor was the trick I would have suggested. Other than that, I'm not sure what to suggest. Are you having problems such as rusting or wood movement? Or is it more of a concern/perception that something is happening?

Wes

[George Pell]

Russ,
I grew up on the west coast, and I couldn't agree more. Humidity is the pits!

Wes,
I haven't had any problems yet, but I haven't done much woodworking since I moved here, so I can't be sure about the wood movement. I have my wood stickered, and from what I can see it appears to be okay. It's more of a concern that it may get worse if I don't do something.

Thanks for the replies!

George