Bruce L. Bergman wrote:
On Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:42:36 -0700 (PDT), stryped
wrote:

I am building a small 30x30 garage /shop. The concrete has just been
poured. is an epoxy floor coating a good idea and what is a good type
out there that wont be staine dby the small oil leaks in my car?

First things first, you will need to wait a while for the concrete
to finish curing - around 30 days minimum. RTFM for the waiting
period.

And the concrete slab always cures better if you keep it well
hydrated till full cure. If they didn't apply a curing sealer after
pouring and finishing the floor, get in there and hose out the garage
every day for a week or two.

I was talking to a guy that collects the 4" diameter concrete test pieces
from construction sites. They crush these to make sure the concrete is up
to spec. They apparenly collect and crush test dirt from around
foundations as well.

He had some general concrete tips

- keep it wet as long as you can, like people here mention. He said spray
it down and cover it with plastic to keep it damp. He claims this prevents
the concrete from cracking in the future than if if dries out quickly.

- if you order concrete for a "small" project as in less than a truck
load, have them come in the morning. This makes sure you get fresh
concrete that wasn't rejected by a customer that tests the stuff and
rejects it for being too old. He said anything over an hour and a half old
from the cement mill (this is in Chicago) would be suspect, and you don't
want leftover batches that have been in a truck all day.