i have a polished concrete floor, it's as slippery as marber but just as cold. cleans verry easy, but any oil, paint or whatever will leave a permanent stain.
it's verry uncomfortable in the winter because the cold goes right up through my shoes and paralyses my feet, i need to put a carpet where i stand.

if cold is not a problem in your shop you could put down some epoxy, or another finish on it to make it smooth. a smooth floor is really the top in workshops, i suppose you now have a regular concrete floor that wasn't polished or smoothed?
for my own shop i am concidering to put down a vinyl carpet with fake wood appearance, cheaper than real wood, softer on your back and feet.

 

In my last shop I put down an epoxy paint over the concrete. Despite sprinkling on the flecks it was still too slippery. In one part of the shop it was dangerously slippery.

In my current shop I have raw concrete with no finish on it. I have mats at most of the places that I stand and that makes standing more comfortable.

 

I did the epoxy with aluminum chips about 5 years ago. No problems … it sweeps easy, looks good, and isn't dangerously slick. I have 1/2" thick rubber mats in front of the workbenches, and a couple that I throw down in front of the table saw.

 

I have the so called professional expoxy coating from Rustoleum. It has worked great. I painted it about 6 or 8 years ago and it still is in great shape. The key though is to prepare the floor correctly before applying.

They make a clear coat also if you would prefer not to have the gray painted look.

I dont have any fleck in it.

I wouldnt be without it. It makes sweeping and clean up (spilled glue etc) so much easier.

 

I used a latex enamel floor paint (Behr) in my basement shop. I did it mostly to lighten the space by reflecting more light vs. the bare concrete. It has excellent adhesion as long as water doesn't stand on it. It sweeps up well, but boot scuffs, glue drips, etc. don't clean off that readily. I haven't found it slippery, and I didn't add any chips or grit. If you have a dedicated shop space (no cars on it), I think a latex floor paint could be a decent choice, and easier to apply and a little cheaper than epoxy, and maybe a little less floor prep. I'm sure the epoxies hold up better, though, so they might be worth a little extra prep.

 

I used a concrete sealer. The floor is smooth and sweeps real easy. So far any oil or staining fluids have come off with little effort. I have white paint over spray on some places right now and they seem to be wearing off on their own. I think the sealer can be purchased from about any concrete supplier. I think mine was around $70.00 for 5 gallons. I did two to three coats on 1800sq ft and it took about 8 gallons. I applied it over a year and a half ago and so far no peeling or wear where the truck is parked.
Hope this helps, BTKS

 

I have also used the Rustoleum Epoxy. I cannot suggest it enough. We use it in our workshop and I have personally applied more than 20,000 square feet of it. (yep.)

Definitely follow the directions. In fact.. (rummages around internet)

http://www.thegeekgroup.org/projects/facility-remodelling-projects/epoxy-sealing-the-floor/

Here are instructions I wrote on how to do it and how to do it best.

(Disclosure: Rustoleum did donate the epoxy to us for use, but they didn't pay us. I'm allowed to say it sucks if it did, but it's awesome.)

 

Thanks for all the replies. I think Ill look into the rust oleum stuff. ANyone try just plain old clear thopson water sealer on their floors?

 

I have tried Thompson Waterseal on my sidewalks etc, but I wasnt too impressed with it…it didnt seem to last very long.

 

I used the RustOleum stuff on the floor of my basement shop (the basement stuff, not the garage stuff.) The flakes didn't stick to the floor very well. I ended up using a stiff bristle brush to get most of them off. Actually, I think that worked out for the best. It's really easy to sweep and slipping is not a problem.

 

Preping an older concrete floor is difficult, often requiring grinding, but this is necessary if you are going to use one of the epoxy finishes.

When i built the "Workshop in the Woods" in '07 I applied three coats of Ace Hardware's liquid wax, which effectively seals the pores and makes clean-up a breeze. It is surprisingly non-slippery and glue and varnish drips will not stick.

I have a lot of anti-fatgue mats and use them in my most often used work areas.

 

Ditto on the Rustoleum. Flakes worked fine except in the area where my 5 year old just dumped a handful but the ones taht made it to the paint/epoxy stuck. I know there's more chemicals involved but this goes down just like paint and doesn't build up much of a finish. I say that because it won't fill anything. If you have a small divot, this isn't like epoxy in other arenas where it'll fill that in. This covers, but does not fill.

Having said that, it works great. It sealed my concrete floor and is washable and allows dust to be controlled. This product probably deserves a review page with 5 stars

 

The trick is to follow the instructions, precisely. If it's too hot/cold, you wait too long, the flakes won't stick.

Tim is also right in that it will not fill gaps. Use filler for that first.

 

Stay away from products from walmart paint, Behr, olympic, valspar, any big box store paint. They are crap.
Go to Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore.

 

good info here, I think one of the best posts i've read, and I do creep a lot ….lol

 

Steven, what qualifies those paints as crap for what an average user is using them?

 

I am not a professional painter ,nor helping companies to advertise.

It is base on my experience and many professional painters.
These brands are targeted to homeowners with no knowledge in painting.
It's low quality paint, won't last long, sags,....etc.

Go to a paint store, not a paint department.

http://www.contractortalk.com/f8/behr-paint-20727/

 

I just left the plain old concerte finish alone. Works great

 

The concrete in my garage was sealed when the house was built. That is the only thing that was purposely put on it. However, after 10 years of changing oil in cars and lawn mowers, painting and staining projects, etc. it now has many interesting color variations. All kidding aside, I have been considering painting the floor of my garage. The hard part is figuring outwhat to do with everything long enough to allow the paint to cure adequately. I painted a floor with a 2 part epoxy kit that I bought at HD once, it worked very well, but it takes time to cure adequately. You want to give it at least a good 24 - 48 hours of cure time before moving your equipment back in. I also used a 1 part epoxy paint once and that stuff is mostly junk. It did not last well at all.

 

I vote against the Rustoleum epoxy. The problem is that, like me, you're now stuck with it forever. If, like me, you decide you want to install real flooring, you can't because nothing and I mean nothing will adhere to it and nothing will remove it short of grinding it off.

 

Go to the Flooring section of the garagejournal.com forum. There is more info. there about epoxy coatings and other flooring products than you could ever imagine.

The Garage Journal

 

Sherwin Williams Armorseal 1000 HS professionally installed can't be beat. Prep is the key. Diamond grinding, even on a new floor. I learned of the product on garage floor forum similar to the recommendation by mdrewello, then contacted the local Sherwin Williams store for an installer. 5 days for a 750 sqft garage (3 days to apply three coats, 2 days to cure before paring on it). It's great. Only problem is hard to find small screws dropped among the flakes.

 

Stay away from products from walmart paint, Behr, olympic, valspar, any big box store paint. They are crap.
Go to Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore.

- Steven H

couldn't agree more, the rustoleum professional 2 part is good stuff but most of those weekend warrior garage coatings contain very little solids. epoxy paint sells for next to nothing at local auctions near me. I bought some industrial Sherman Williams coating at an auction for 10 bucks a 5 gallon bucket. I called my local SW Monday to get a price on the same product , 300+ bucks a bucket. you have to be very careful when buying paint from an auction though, shelf life is no joke if not stored properly. Like others have said, it is all in the long, hard, tedious prep work.

 

Can't tell because my floor is just about covered in anti fatigue mats

;-)

 

I've used CVT (grocery store tile) in two shops with good, long lasting results. No wax, just the tile.
Damp mop after the vac. Does a good job.
Bill