New shop

Junky

Well Known Member
Are you going to move the lift when you do the floor? How is the pricing of the product? I have been sitting on the fence for 35 years trying to decide if I wanted to paint the garage floor, or leave it natural concrete. I decided to cover it with junk, hence the name Junkman.. A garage that can hold 8 cars barely has room for the 2 that are in there, and one of the two is on a 4 post lift, that is stuck inthe up position, because the floor under it, is filled with crap!!!!!:doh I have no one to blame but myself... :rain
 

R63ss

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 4
Junky,Yes I will move the lift and everything out of the space.I am not really sure on retail pricing in our area.He is a good friend and I am getting the epoxy for next to nothing.They don’t sell the flakes so I have to pay full retail which is about a thousand for 1600 sq ft worth.I googled it and it said the national average was 6 bucks a sq ft installed.It broke it down to 3-4 dollars a sq ft for materials and 2 dollars a sq to install.He is going to help me install so I don’t have that cost either.
Prep is the key to getting the epoxy to stick.
I am lucky with it being a new floor.I just have to wash it with 50% muriatic acid 50%water solution.With yours being an older floor you would likely have to grind it.He said a good way to check is to pour a cap full of water on the concrete.If it puddles you need to grind or use the acid wash.If it soaks in you are good to go.
Installation is pretty easy you do a thin coat of primer,a thick coat of mastic,broadcast a heavy coat of flakes on by hand and let it dry overnight.The next day sweep off the excess flakes and apply a clear coat.You can walk on it the next day,but they say not to drive on it for a couple days.I am having a few die cut decals made up(the impala ss quarter emblem,the Chevy crossed flags and 409 emblem,and then a gto emblem)to lay down and clearcoat over.That should look pretty cool.
These floors are durable and last.They won’t absorb oils,and are easy to clean.He showed me pics of his garage floor that he did 12 years ago and it still looks great.He runs his sleds with picks in and out and it scratches the clear but doesn’t get down to the flakes.
 

pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
My next door neighbor had his entire epoxy floor with black flakes ( about 1800 SF) redone 2 times for defects in the floor.
Good thing his epoxy floor came with a warranty.
Both times they had to grind the floor to place another epoxy floor. Was a big mess and lots of work for him plus moving cars and items on the floor.
he also has to put pads under tires on cars that do not move much over time, to keep tires from damaging the floor .

I have a Race Deck snap together (1 foot squares) 5 color floor, been down since 2003 ( 1000 SF). My 4 post hoist sits right on the floor with zero issues. Also have in floor heat under the race deck floor. 65 degrees in my garage today 40’s outside today. I considered epoxy floors but decided it could be damaged too easily and can lift , still very happy with the Race Deck floor. I designed it checkerboard under three stalls black and with a red border and blue in front of the 3 stalls. installed the Race Deck floor by my son, son in law, brother and me plus and our wife’s in one day.

Paul
 

R63ss

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 4
Paul,I remember seeing posts of your race deck floor.It floor looks awesome,I looked into it and if I remember correctly it was around 4-6 bucks a sq.
My friend did tell me prepping the floor was the key to keeping the epoxy from lifting.He also asked if they used any additives in the concrete.There are different manufacturers and products.I would be curious to know what brand and product he used.It is not costing me a lot of money,but the time moving everything out and then back in is a huge factor.
 

pvs409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
I think the Race Deck is in that price range today. I paid about $3 per SF under a epoxy floor at the time.
you are correct about floor prep and that new concrete is also good.

I can find out what product was used for neighbors floor.
 

JED

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 5
Great shop. I did epoxy on my floor when I built my shop, but although I liked the look of the flake, I decided to go with a gloss light gray after talking to several of my friends. They said the flake floors make it difficult to find small parts (screws, lock washers, etc) when you drop them because they blend in with the flake. The gloss gray floor I used reflects the light a lot and the gloss is not a problem except when you use a spray wax/cleaner (only did that once) on a car sitting on the floor. Oil, etc might be a problem if you let it sit, but the epoxy floor makes it really easy to wipe it up.

This photo is about 10 years after doing my shop floor.

IMG_2766-c.jpg

Just my 2 cents.
John
 

R63ss

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 4
John,that floor looks great.It is amazing that is a 10 year old floor.I thought about the dropped screw dilemma but figured I would get one of the magnets on wheels.
 
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