I don't get how sealing the concrete keeps down dust. But doing anything to the floor that makes it smoother, like painting or an epoxy coating, will make it easier to sweep.

I'm not sure if you were complaining about the cost or not, but $50/gal seems pretty cheap to me. A gallon of high quality house paint can push $70.

Lot's of options, but painting is likely the least expensive thing you can do.

I did a quick search on concrete sealers and Lowes has something called "Seal-Krete" for $32/gal. Covers up to 300 sq ft. It is clear and ready for a car in 72 hrs (3 days).

Just about anything that you expected to stick or penetrate will require preparation (cleaning and etching). A typical garage floor has oils in it.

I remember doing my parents garage 40 years ago. New house with clean slab, we used muriatic acid to etch it and painted it with some type of DIY epoxy paint. It has held up fine after 40 years of light use (I.E., garage usually had to much crap in it to fit a car in).

By the way, what does "Slab is prepped with vinyl sheets." mean?

 

As much as I tried to follow that, brother you lost me. Huh?? What exactly are you asking?

 

Clin pretty much hit the nail right on the head…about the only thing I would add is this: You really do, as stated, absolutely need to etch the concrete…period, end of story. If you refuse to do this most important step you might just as well not waste any money on putting anything on it at all because it will not stay. It is hard enough getting successful adhesion to concrete when you do clean and etch it and you want to omit this?
Second, besides a paint type product, there are basically two kinds of sealer…water proofing that is a thin product that soaks right in and doesn't really alter the concrete finish at all and the various poly vinyl based clear coatings that look like Elmer's glue and dry thick and clear. The biggest difference is whether or not the slab can/will freeze. You are not supposed to use the coating type if there is a chance the concrete can ever freeze. If it can freeze and/or will not be a constant climate controlled environment then you are pretty much going to need to use the water sealer type or some kind of paint. Good luck, you are going to need it when you set out to coat or paint concrete.

 

I've never seen any concrete sealer that has suggested using exotic strippers but it sounds like doing so would at least make the job a little less undesirable.

 

Yetti maybe Elvira can make you see better-

On the serious note there are 3 highly rated , concrete coating contractors, on Home-advisor locacted in Tupelo.
As a former general contractor- Ive seen good DIY project and more on the otherhand- failures.

OP tell us more….

 

To clarify:
The dust I'm experiencing is concrete dust.
I should have said that the slab has visqueen underneath. There is no moisture problem.
The floor is clean and free from oil.
Garage is insulated. Walls, ceiling, windows, and doors (2).
There's gotta be some type penetrating sealer somewhere.
Thanks.
Bill

 

I've used Kilz II then porch and floor paint.

 

+1

 

tk-290-8
tri-siloxane
Penetrating Concrete sealer, just apply and your done. Works great.

 

People seal concrete sidewalks, walls and floors everyday and, thankfully, never have to etch the concrete to do it.

Sealers have a distinct advantage over paint - they don't peel.

I forget the details, but there seems to be two types and the one best for your application depends on circumstances explained elsewhere on line.

 

So what do you suppose is causing the concrete to dust?

 

I used a clear penetrating sealer on my driveway which was was 10 years old to keep ice and water from damaging it in the winter.

 

Bill send Degoose a message he did something similar in his garage and from what I saw its a very good result

 

Here is a page explaining the wheres and whyfores of dust on concrete floors:

http://allgaragefloors.com/stop-concrete-garage-floor-dusting/

Here is a quote from the page:

"For light dusting, the simple solution is to apply a siliconate penetrating sealer. Siliconate sealers chemically react with the concrete and form a calcium silicate barrier at the surface. This barrier not only seals the concrete, it helps to strengthen the weakened layer of laitance at the surface.

Siliconate sealers do not change the appearance of the concrete, but it will bead water and protect the concrete from road salts, freeze thaw damage, and even help resist stains. Application is easy and the only prep necessary is to clean the garage floor. You can learn more about siliconate sealers here.

If the dusting is a bit more extreme, but the surface isn't so soft that you can easily scratch or gouge it with a screw driver, then you may need to take a two-step approach to stop or severely reduce the concrete dusting. This method requires the application of a densifier first and a water repellant sealer second.

Densifiers are actually a concrete hardener. They are used primarily for polishing concrete but have other uses as well, including the reduction of concrete dusting. They work similar to a siliconate sealer, but they penetrate deeper and have a stronger chemical reaction with the concrete. They can actually increase the surface strength of concrete up to 40% depending on the condition of the concrete.

Unlike siliconate sealers, however, densifiers do not form a protective barrier at the sub surface since the molecular structure of the densifier is much smaller. Because they do such a good job of making good concrete more dense, they are sometimes mistaken for a sealer since water tends to bead after application."

 

I plan on sealing my sidewalk, since water and freezing took a toll on it and sealing it will reduce that.

For reference, I'll patch the spots that appear to have popped in response to freezing with more concrete.

 

I put epoxy on my shop floor. Love the ease of sweeping. Used the Rustoleum garage floor kits from Lowes. Not professional grade, but works for me.