Shop Floor

[Greg Narozniak]

I was in the same boat 3 years ago when we moved. The first thing I did (on a side note) was to paint all the walls and the ceiling with Semi Gloss White. Really made a difference.

I researched the epoxy coatings on here as well and I went with

http://www.epoxy-coat.com

It has been excellent. No Chipping, Hot tires do not stick to it, overall I am very happy. The only thing I would change is that my floor was not perfectly smooth. There are some rough patches and the coating enhanced that. I should have had the floor ground flat but that was not the products fault.

I did add the flake to mine but I did NOT add the grit. If you will be walking on the floor when it is wet I would recommend adding it. The coating is very slick when it gets wet. Just an FYI...

I believe Chris P went with another "Higher End" epoxy that he was happy with as well.

Here is the link to another thread that might help

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...oxy#post781455

[Moshe Eshel]

I'm happy with the Rustoleum 2-part epoxy on my shop floor, but be aware it gets slippery with a layer of sawdust on it. Even with the paint chip sprinkles added, it's slick enough to make you pay attention.

I would still use in on the next shop, if the next shop doesn't have a wood floor.

I seem to recall an article about this (FWW?) and it recommended mixing a little sand(again ?) with the epoxy for a no-slip surface. I'll look it up later today, and post my findings...

[Craig Moulton]

You can mix non-skid material (sand, basically) with the epoxy to make it a bit less slick. It comes in various grits, just like sandpaper.

I epoxy'ed my garage floor, and it does make cleanup etc much nicer. I bought a garage floor epoxy kit at the borg and it held up nicely to motorcycle kickstands, tools, etc.

One note, there is a container of pretty colored flecks to sprinkle over the wet epoxy for appearance sake. If you use them, it's a lot harder to find small items when you drop them. Smooth grey floor looks just fine.

[Chris Padilla]

As Greg noted, I went with the www.ucoatit.com stuff but it is more spendy.

Wood floors in garages are tough to do simply because garage floors are rarely flat and they often flare/taper up at the edges.

Now if your shop was a regular room or built with a flat concrete floor, I'd be tempted to lay down wood.

[Chris Kennedy]

When we bought our new house a couple of summers back, the shed (14 by 16) was designated as the shop. It has a concrete floor, and while I was used to having that in the places we had rented prior to here, now that it is our place, I really wished I had done something about the floor before moving in.

In retrospect, I would, at least, put epoxy down before moving the tools in. Since it is a standalone building and also serving as a garage, I would have considered putting in a wood floor. Much easier on the feet and back, especially when it is an option.

Just something to think about . . . .

Cheers,

Chris

[Jeff Monson]

Weak acid?! Muratic acid is usually 30% hydrochloric acid diluted in water. Personally, I'm astounded that anybody can walk into a hardware store and buy this stuff. The point is that you're etching cement with it.

I know of a gentleman who was using it to clean his pool. Burned one of his fingers severely enough that it became infected and had to be amputated.

This is not just a "Aw shucks - just slosh it on and rinse it off" kind of project (or at least, it shouldn't be!)...

Sorry for not stating that mutic acid is dangerous, and I did not refer to it as a "slosh it on job". I do not have a chemistry major, but I do know that acid is dangerous, I also do not have a woodworking major and I do realize a tablesaw is dangerous. I'm assuming when giving advice the poster has enough common sense to read warning labels and directions.
But I guess you cant assume anything when trying to help someone out.

[Eric Gustafson]

I have a concrete floor in my garage. I was going to go with the epoxy coating, but have come back to using vinyl compostion tile. It the commercial, boring tile you see in institutions and such. These are my reasons:

Pros
It is cheap @ $.58 a foot at HD.
It is tough and long lasting as it is 1/8" thick.
If I do ruin a piece, I can replace the square and fix.
Stuff rolls on it easy.
You can use non skid wax for safety.
You can strip it and make it look like new.
It comes in a lot of colors, too!

Cons
You have to wax it and clean it from time to time.
You have to get on your knees to install.

[BOB OLINGER]

I've been considering epoxy for my shop floor in the basement. I was cautioned by one person who did this and said the combination of sawdust on a epoxy coated floor is so slipery it's dangerous. Anyone have any comments on this? I know you can add grit to increase the traction, but this hinders sweeping sawdust. We 've used the Sherwin Williams 2 part expoxy at work and it performs nicely (like in our break room).

[David Parker]

I coated my basement shop floor with the Rustoleum epoxy last year and love it. There are several versions of this epoxy kit. The Garage version is solvent based and is what I used. The basement version is water based and my research suggests that it is a little less durable than the Garage version (thinner coat and not as hard, but probably more than adequate). They also make a Commercial version that's the thickest/hardest, but the most difficult to apply. Good ventilation is needed for the application.

The kit comes with an acid powder mixture that you mix with water to form a mild acid. The instructions stress not using too strong an acid for etching the concrete. The concrete needs to be clean, any oil or other stains should be cleaned with appropriate solvents. I found a cheap 4 1/2 inch angle grinder with masonry disc worked great at removing tough stains and leveling any rough spots. I patched all my cracks with Rustoleum concrete epoxy crack filler and that worked well. You can't see them now. Following all the prep, the actual painting of the floor was easy. You need to move quickly so you still have wet edges for each section. That way sections blend together. Use two people, one to cut in the corners and the other to man the roller and throw the decorative chips if you use them. I used them on my beige floor and am glad I did. They hide any irregularities in the floor and help hide dirt. They also are good at hiding dropped parts. I thought a plain beige floor would be too boring. Your tastes may differ.

Rustoleum also sells aluminum oxide powder to use as an anti-slip additive. This is much finer than sand. I highly recommend using this to avoid slips on a wet or sawdust covered floor. It's fine enough that you can't see it and it does not inhibit sweeping dirt off the floor. If you run your hand along the floor you can feel it but it's not too rough or scratchy.

[Chris Padilla]

I've been considering epoxy for my shop floor in the basement. I was cautioned by one person who did this and said the combination of sawdust on a epoxy coated floor is so slipery it's dangerous. Anyone have any comments on this? I know you can add grit to increase the traction, but this hinders sweeping sawdust. We 've used the Sherwin Williams 2 part expoxy at work and it performs nicely (like in our break room).

I don't think it is THAT slippery. I mean, it isn't like you're walking on a sheet of ice or anything. It is a little bit slippery but only to the point of it being very easy to sweep up. I've never worried an iota walking on it.