Pics of your shops/garages/specs

84mallcrawl · Nov 2, 2017

if you don't plan on a fancy epoxy coated floor I would recommend a siliconate sealant

I used Silax-Seal on my concrete shop floor. the stuff looks like you are mopping the floor with water, but it has held up beautifully. oil and solvents come up with kitty litter

TacomaJD · Nov 2, 2017

Re: Re: Pics of your shops/garages/specs

84mallcrawl said:
if you don't plan on a fancy epoxy coated floor I would recommend a siliconate sealant

I used Silax-Seal on my concrete shop floor. the stuff looks like you are mopping the floor with water, but it has held up beautifully. oil and solvents come up with kitty litter

That would be my style. I don't care for a fancy painted floor in a shop. Actually my style will probably be don't do **** to the floor after they finish it. Lol

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slravenel · Nov 2, 2017

I am in the process of walling in a pre-existing carport (city-life....dont get me started... :flipoff1:

) so I can have my stuff at the house instead of renting the big shop anymore.... 24x24

but my question is on the concrete, its already there obviously, and its in great shape, no cracks or anything...but its rough like a driveway normally is... unsealed. Should I put something like that silicone sealant down to make it a little nicer?

This isnt my end all be all dream shop...its just a place at the house I can work and keep my **** in. So it doesnt need to be the best out there, but if I could make it a little smoother and more protected, I would be pumped.

Any ideas?

jp fan · Nov 2, 2017

You could have it ground down smooth , I think they have a diamond wheel machine that can do that in a short time. Then maybe seal it

slravenel · Nov 2, 2017

jp fan said:
You could have it ground down smooth , I think they have a diamond wheel machine that can do that in a short time. Then maybe seal it

I thought about that, but was told that it was super expensive for what it was and never really got it as smooth as you would think?

anyone ever personally done that?

ForMud · Nov 2, 2017

slravenel said:
I thought about that, but was told that it was super expensive for what it was and never really got it as smooth as you would think?

anyone ever personally done that?

Look into burnishing instead of sealing https://customconcreteprepandpolish.com/burnishing-versus-sealing-concrete/

It's what they at the big box stores and warehouses now. It's mostly for for dust proofing and surface hardening.

http://euclidchemical.com/fileshare/ProductFiles/TechData/Euco_Diamond_Hard.pdf

If you don't want to do it yourself, the going rate should be about $1 to $1.50 a sf

There's other products that do the same thing, but with out the shine.

http://euclidchemical.com/fileshare/ProductFiles/TechData/UltraSil_Li_Plus.pdf

The problem with sealers is they wear off over time and need to be reapplied while the above products are one and done.

slravenel · Nov 2, 2017

ForMud said:
Look into burnishing instead of sealing https://customconcreteprepandpolish.com/burnishing-versus-sealing-concrete/

It's what they at the big box stores and warehouses now. It's mostly for for dust proofing and surface hardening.

http://euclidchemical.com/fileshare/ProductFiles/TechData/Euco_Diamond_Hard.pdf

If you don't want to do it yourself, the going rate should be about $1 to $1.50 a sf

There's other products that do the same thing, but with out the shine.

http://euclidchemical.com/fileshare/ProductFiles/TechData/UltraSil_Li_Plus.pdf

The problem with sealers is they wear off over time and need to be reapplied while the above products are one and done.

I will take a look

I dont need it to be bright and polished, I just want to knock the roughness off so that I can easily sweep/clean out dirt, dust, spills, etc

From a quick search it looks like I can rent a big floor grinder for under $100 and go to town. I know I will need different discs, etc...just not sure what kinds in order to go from "driveway roughness broom finish" to "pretty smooth but not mirror finish garage"

Is anyone here a concrete guy that may know exactly how to go about the process?

84mallcrawl · Nov 2, 2017

the stuff that I used did not change the look of the concrete

TacomaJD · Nov 2, 2017

Re: Re: Pics of your shops/garages/specs

ForMud said:
Look into burnishing instead of sealing https://customconcreteprepandpolish.com/burnishing-versus-sealing-concrete/

It's what they at the big box stores and warehouses now. It's mostly for for dust proofing and surface hardening.

http://euclidchemical.com/fileshare/ProductFiles/TechData/Euco_Diamond_Hard.pdf

If you don't want to do it yourself, the going rate should be about $1 to $1.50 a sf

There's other products that do the same thing, but with out the shine.

http://euclidchemical.com/fileshare/ProductFiles/TechData/UltraSil_Li_Plus.pdf

The problem with sealers is they wear off over time and need to be reapplied while the above products are one and done.

That sounds like the stuff in our plant. It looks like pic below throughout our plant, except different colors for aisles and work areas. Brand is Stonhard, it's an epoxy floor finish. Has sort of an orange peel finish. No telling how much they pay to have the floor redone every time they move some heavy machines or coil carriers around and scuff up the floor real bad. **** is durable as hell, the only time it gets messed up is with dragging **** across it that weighs thousands of pounds.

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CHASMAN9 · Nov 2, 2017

slravenel said:
I thought about that, but was told that it was super expensive for what it was and never really got it as smooth as you would think?

anyone ever personally done that?

Use a good quality epoxy concrete sealer paint instead of the stain as it is very thin and viscous. The paint is thicker and will cover up the roughness and if need be, put on a second coat for a smooth finish. Lowes/ Home Depoop sells them.

ADMINISTRATOR

slravenel · Nov 2, 2017

CHASMAN9 said:
Use a good quality epoxy concrete sealer paint instead of the stain as it is very thin and viscous. The paint is thicker and will cover up the roughness and if need be, put on a second coat for a smooth finish. Lowes/ Home Depoop sells them.

ADMINISTRATOR

is that stuff worth a rats ass though? I have seen so many garages with half peeled up floors because they bought a paint can worth of coating and covered the floor

matth_85 · Nov 2, 2017

slravenel said:
is that stuff worth a rats ass though? I have seen so many garages with half peeled up floors because they bought a paint can worth of coating and covered the floor

It has a lot to do with the prep work. For epoxy to work it can't have any type of sealers on it.

Jduck · Nov 2, 2017

Are there any finishes that hold up to welding/cutting sparks and don't look like ass in a year or two?

slravenel · Nov 2, 2017

matth_85 said:
It has a lot to do with the prep work. For epoxy to work it can't have any type of sealers on it.

It would be bare concrete. It is bare now, and if I decide to grind (which after talking to some companies, its a lot cheaper than I thought and I can easily rent the machine and do it myself according to them) it would also be bare. I wasnt planning on adding anything over it after the grind...but if people are having luck with a reasonably priced coating...I will put that down over the fresh ground floor.

ForMud · Nov 2, 2017

matth_85 said:
It has a lot to do with the prep work. For epoxy to work it can't have any type of sealers on it.

100% agree with prep work, shot peen is the best. Beside sealers, moisture in the concrete is a big thing too, it'll cause it to bubble up then it'll flake off.
Don't use any cheap epoxy ( Home Depot, ect ) Pay the money and get a good industrial epoxy and follow the directions to T.

ForMud · Nov 2, 2017

slravenel said:
It would be bare concrete. It is bare now, and if I decide to grind (which after talking to some companies, its a lot cheaper than I thought and I can easily rent the machine and do it myself according to them) it would also be bare. I wasnt planning on adding anything over it after the grind...but if people are having luck with a reasonably priced coating...I will put that down over the fresh ground floor.

Never heard anything good about the concrete paint.
Grinding is pretty easily for what your looking for. Maybe two or three different grit stones should do it 400 should be the finest. The coarse 120 is the one that you want to do most the work and let the others remove the scratches......Unless you want a mirror finish, then it takes about 10 -15 different stone clear up to 3500.
I would want to put some kind of sealer on there, if not any thing you spill on there will soak right in. http://www.euclidchemical.com/products/construction-products/penetrating-sealersliquid-densifiers/liquid-densifiers/ultrasil-liplus/ will work well.

slravenel · Nov 2, 2017

ForMud said:
Never heard anything good about the concrete paint.
Grinding is pretty easily for what your looking for. Maybe two or three different grit stones should do it 400 should be the finest. The coarse 120 is the one that you want to do most the work and let the others remove the scratches......Unless you want a mirror finish, then it takes about 10 -15 different stone clear up to 3500.
I would want to put some kind of sealer on there, if not any thing you spill on there will soak right in. http://www.euclidchemical.com/products/construction-products/penetrating-sealersliquid-densifiers/liquid-densifiers/ultrasil-liplus/ will work well.

EDCO told me to start with 30 grit dyma-dots on their machine, move to 70, then to 120 and that will be smooth "like a normal garage"?

How much is that sealant? I cant seem to find anything online that shows it? Does it change the appearance of the concrete or just seal it up? (Sorry if you showed it further in your links before, I haven't had a chance to really read into them yet)

94xjsport94 · Nov 2, 2017

Jduck said:
Are there any finishes that hold up to welding/cutting sparks and don't look like ass in a year or two?

You weld?

I wish my shop had a much smoother floor. Never even crossed my mind until i bought my house and finally got to work on a few things at my house... My parents garage was pretty dang smooth other than the damage i did to it. My shop was a roughly finished slab that had a lot of seams and spots in it. I ground on it a little by hand but it could use a lot more to make it perfect, although i dont think its worth doing all that.

ForMud · Nov 3, 2017

slravenel said:
EDCO told me to start with 30 grit dyma-dots on their machine, move to 70, then to 120 and that will be smooth "like a normal garage"?

How much is that sealant? I cant seem to find anything online that shows it? Does it change the appearance of the concrete or just seal it up? (Sorry if you showed it further in your links before, I haven't had a chance to really read into them yet)

I sell it for $125 - $135 per 5 gal. The only problem you're going to have is it only comes in 5 gal buckets and the coverage on what you're doing is 600 - 800 sf per gallon so you're going to have a lot left over
It will leave a slight sheen, if you want more of a shine you can run a buffer over it. I did notice in my shop in high traffic areas, it does have a little more of a gloss to it.
Look under "Euclid Chemical" to find who sells it local to you.

slravenel · Nov 3, 2017

ForMud said:
I sell it for $125 - $135 per 5 gal. The only problem you're going to have is it only comes in 5 gal buckets and the coverage on what you're doing is 600 - 800 sf per gallon so you're going to have a lot left over
It will leave a slight sheen, if you want more of a shine you can run a buffer over it. I did notice in my shop in high traffic areas, it does have a little more of a gloss to it.
Look under "Euclid Chemical" to find who sells it local to you.

Yea I was going to ask that...coverage amounts laughing1

Maybe I can split with someone or something...Either way it still isn't THAT expensive, especially if it totally seals and protects the concrete. Do you have any pictures of it in your shop? I am always more interested in real life pictures rather than company advertisement pics...I know enough to know I wont have as much success as they do when I apply it laughing1