Which is best looking, most durable, cleanable, etc. We just had a shop
built and would like ideas on the best way to do the floor.
Thanks,
Jackie D.

In my opinion and experience:
Do NOT paint, not even the epoxies.

Stain with sealer is not bad. Be aware, the sealer will need
periodic reapplication.
http://www.thestampstore.com/ Look through their products and
examples.

Sealer on concrete may be the most forgiving. Think Home Depot
floor.

Ground and polished concrete for the elitists. This will still
require maintenance.
http://www.fgs-permashine.com/products-hardener.asp

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"J. Davidson" wrote in message
.. .
Which is best looking, most durable, cleanable, etc. We just
had a shop
built and would like ideas on the best way to do the floor.
Thanks,
Jackie D.

"J. Davidson" wrote:

Which is best looking, most durable, cleanable, etc. We just had a shop
built and would like ideas on the best way to do the floor.

Google Groups has more than you ever wanted to know on this topic. In short...

You do not want paint of any kind, even those marked as "floor paint" or
"basement paint". If it's a drive in shop, tire heat will quickly lift the paint
and leave tracks. If it's a foot traffic only shop, you will still get chips and
wear marks.

Tinted sealers and concrete stains will look OK when first installed, but won't
provide any wear resistance.

Go to a real paint store - not a consumer storefront or one of the big box
stores and get a two part epoxy industrial coating. I've used Benjamin Moore,
but there are others as good. Comes in a half dozen premix colors and they may
be able to tint to a custom color. Note that painting is the smallest part of
the job. Follow the prep instructions to the letter and you'll end up with
something that looks like poured glass. I can't recall the last one I used, but
it may have been the CM36/CM37.

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/bmpsweb/portals/bmps.portal?_nfpb=true&_windowLabel=FooterContentR enderer_1_4&FooterContentRenderer_1_4_actionOverri de=%2Fbm%2Fcms%2FproductSearch%2FgetProductDetails &FooterContentRenderer_1_4NodeUUID=%2FBEA+Reposito ry%2F52001&_pageLabel=fh_footer_hiddenPage

The direct URL is ridiculously long and I don't like the tiny URL obscufators.
If this URL doesn't work, you can go to the top level site and search for CM36:

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/

--
"Tell me what I should do, Annie."
"Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

On Dec 1, 5:14 pm, Rick Blaine wrote:
snipped

I had a two-part epoxy paint from the big-box (Home Depot or Lowe's--
can't remember and they both have it anyway). It had paint chips to
spread for decor or texture or whatever.
Anyway, it worked well at home in the garages. No scratches, wearing,
or anything evil. It was about 80 dollars for a two gallon kit, IIRC.

Thanks, everyone for your comments. I believe dear husband will go with
stain.
Jackie

Rick Blaine wrote:
"J. Davidson" wrote:

Which is best looking, most durable, cleanable, etc. We just had a shop
built and would like ideas on the best way to do the floor.

Google Groups has more than you ever wanted to know on this topic. In short...

You do not want paint of any kind, even those marked as "floor paint" or
"basement paint". If it's a drive in shop, tire heat will quickly lift the paint
and leave tracks. If it's a foot traffic only shop, you will still get chips and
wear marks.

This is often the answer people give, but it doesn't jive with the results
I've seen.

A neighbor has an epoxied garage floor (Minnesota climate, 1955 house,
applied 3 years ago) and when I last saw it this summer it was perfectly
intact and he parks his Chevy SUV on it every day.

The best successful example has been the experience my dad has had with it.
He and his wife are amateur real estate investors in Arizona -- buy a
brand new house, "fix it up" and then sell it about a year or so later.

Dad has done the two-part process from HD/Lowe's (and knowing my dad, he's
picked the CHEAPEST system money can buy) and had no issues whatsoever, and
this of course means driving his minivan in on it after driving in the
Arizona heat. No melting or liftup at all, and very little friction wear
at the place he lived in that was at the end of 3 miles of gravel road.

He has the advantage of starting with virgin concrete in mint condition,
though, and he *might* communicate the desire to seal it himself to the
contractors, although I'm not sure what they would do differently other
than maybe not use a sealer.

He's also used more garden variety concrete paint on his patios which get
some pretty intense AZ sun, and I don't remember seeing any peeling or
other problems.

Anyway, the conventional wisdom may say it doesn't take, but the results
I've seen tell me that it does work and works well. It may be that the
chemistries have improved beyond what the conventional wisdom is based on.

On Dec 1, 5:27 pm, "J. Davidson" wrote:
Which is best looking, most durable, cleanable, etc. We just had a shop
built and would like ideas on the best way to do the floor.
Thanks,
Jackie D.

Although, I've been thinking about those flooring systems, like tiles
that snap together.

Jungle Jim wrote:

I have used Rustoleum (sp?) two part water based epoxy with the
"sprinkles". Before moving in to our new home in April 2006, I used
this product in both the garage and in our basement. We have had
absolutely NO problems with heat lifting in the garage and no
problems of peeling in the basement.

Nor would I expect there to be any. If you go back and read the original reply a
little closer, you will see that I recommended two part epoxy, not paint.

--
"Tell me what I should do, Annie."
"Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

In article 23c07d72-cbda-4242-bdbe-
,
says...
On Dec 1, 5:27 pm, "J. Davidson" wrote:
Which is best looking, most durable, cleanable, etc. We just had a shop
built and would like ideas on the best way to do the floor.
Thanks,
Jackie D.

Although, I've been thinking about those flooring systems, like tiles
that snap together.

I've been thinking about those for my next house. Kinda expensive,
$1K or so for a typical 2-car garage, FWIG. Looks nice though.

--
Keith

In article ,
group says...
krw wrote on 04 Dec 2007 in group misc.consumers.house:

Although, I've been thinking about those flooring systems, like tiles
that snap together.

I've been thinking about those for my next house. Kinda expensive,
$1K or so for a typical 2-car garage, FWIG. Looks nice though.

Not that expensive. I just quoted a guy $750 to put down epoxy paint on a
3-car garage floor. That's for power washing, cleaning, paint, flaky
things, and clear sealer. He must have thought it was too high, because he
didn't call back, but I would have had to go there three times, and paint
alone was $350.

Good point, but the cost for the tile was hardware only; no labor.
Still an interesting product. Not sure how easy they are to keep
clean though.

BTW, I don't think your labor charge is at all high. Is your job
guaranteed against peeling/flaking/whatever?

--
Keith

In article ,
group says...
krw wrote on 05 Dec 2007 in group
misc.consumers.house:

Not that expensive. I just quoted a guy $750 to put down epoxy paint
on a 3-car garage floor. That's for power washing, cleaning, paint,
flaky things, and clear sealer. He must have thought it was too
high, because he didn't call back, but I would have had to go there
three times, and paint alone was $350.

Good point, but the cost for the tile was hardware only; no labor.
Still an interesting product. Not sure how easy they are to keep
clean though.

BTW, I don't think your labor charge is at all high. Is your job
guaranteed against peeling/flaking/whatever?

I never considered that, to tell the truth. I've never put down the epoxy
paint before, so I suppose I would tell him my labor is guaranteed, but
he'll have to rely on the paint warranty for materials. I was going to buy
the Sherwin Williams variety, and they're pretty good about warranty
stuff.

SW might warrant the paint (unless *they* decide it's an unsuitable
surface/prep) but they aren't going to stand behind your labor. IMO,
you have to build in some latitude for error into your labor
costs[*], particularly with something like this. I'm sure it's a
miserable job cleaning that stuff off to re-paint if there is a
problem, too.
[*] Fortunately, I don't. If I make a mistake they pay me more to
fix it. ;-)

Thanks for making me think.

Me too. The garage tile sounds better every time I think about it.
;-)

--
Keith

On Dec 1, 2:27 pm, "J. Davidson" wrote:
Which is best looking, most durable, cleanable, etc. We just had a shop
built and would like ideas on the best way to do the floor.
Thanks,
Jackie D.

Paint can chip, especially if the surface area is not prepared
correctly. Stain needs more upkeep (i.e. sealing). It also
accentuates flaws in the surface area, regardless of how much
preparation you do. In fact, sometimes stain brings out flaws that
you may not have even known was in the concete until after it has
cured. It can be unpredictable.

Personally, I like stain better. I hate dealing with chipped paint.
If in doubt, remember that you can paint over stain, but can't stain
over paint.

Paul Daniels
http://foreclosureshortsale101.com/