Will Rustoleum epoxy coating reduce humidity?

[Rick Schubert]

My workshop is in my garage which is built on a concrete slab. Humidity is a problem in the sping, summer and fall and I've heard a lot of it comes in through the slab.

Sandor Nagyszalanczy in "Setting up Shop" suggests floor paint to reduce ground moisture from seeping through the concrete. Has anyone found epoxy coatings or similar products have helped reduce humidity in their shops?

I've also thought of using something on my basement floor which has a similar problem.

Thanks, Rick

[Mike Monroe]

Hey Rick, you may want to check out the epoxyproducts.com site. The layout of the site is kind of confising, but there's lots of good information there. I'm debating whether to epoxy my basement workshop floor. One product you may want to consider is Sherwin-Williams Tile Clad II, from my research it looks to be a better product than Rustoleum.

Good luck.
-Mike

[Ray Bersch]

Rick, you will find that most epoxy floor paints instruct you to test for excess moisture in the slab prior to application. The reason is that excess moisture will (likely) cause the paint's bond to fail. So, if slab moisture is you problem, you will need a specialty product and I suggest you talk with a local paint store or directly to a manufacuturer. There are several products designed to stop water from passing through concrete or block walls - Dryloc is one. I have used these with great success in the past - however, I do not know if they are suitable for floor application - but I would think that there is something like it that will work.

You do not say where you live, and that info is not in your private profile, but I am going to guess that you live in a summer high humidity area. Additionally, I am going to guess that your garage is under your house or partially underground because grade level garages seldom have high humidity problems. If so, the problem may be the cool shop and basement floors are causing condensation of the moist warm air and it appears to you that the damp slab is the cause rather than the result. If so, install a de-humidifier - you will find that it will run for very long periods so try to have an outlet hose directly to a drain or to the outside so that you won't have to keep emptying the dehumidifier's reservoir.

If you really do have water problems in the slab, look around the outside of your home and garage to see if the ground slopes away from the building at all locations - check down spouts to be sure they are not pouring water back toward the foundation and lastly, install a sump pump. And for the garage - open the door and let air circulate freely - that will even up the temperature and reduce condensation.

Ray