I'm nearly at the point of putting the main floor in my garage and was wondering on the best way to get a long lasting, dust free finish that won't absorb oil etc. i guess what I am after is the polished glass like look that you usually get in big DIY stores etc.

As it was an extension, the walls are already up so I can't get a big polishing machine in to do it all. The guy I had in for brickwork says it is best to keep troweling as it dries, however my uncle who used to be a building inspector many many years ago said this will make it very dusty.

I want to make sure I get it right first time, so if I need to add or do something special to the concrete before it sets then I'd rather know now!

I 100000% do NOT want to go down the floor paint route.

 

2 pack epoxy floor paint........ It lasts 5 years in a high traffic enviroment so would last a lot longer in a domestic enviroment

Nothing like normal floor paint and gives a highly polished finish if applied correctly

 

If you want to go down the cheap route then a grey paint mixed with pva glue give good results, really useful when you drop a small nut or something and you can see it easily.

 

Sealers are available which are sprayed on during the curing/floating stage to prevent the dust problem. Think the stuff we last used was by a company called SIKA

 

hi mate im a steel fixer and in order to get that shiny concrete floor finish your on about in the DIY stores you need to power float it for fucking ages.

Why dont you want to go down the painted floor route?

 

You simply cant beat a carpeted garage floor in my opinion. Nice to lay on, warmer and if it gets dirty just give it a quite vac.

 

I'd be worried about it being slippery with rain water/oil etc on a garage floor if it was polished! My painted garage floor is bad enough when its wet.

Carpeted does sound like a good idea, we've got this carpet stuff at work that doesnt absorb water or oil etc, spill anything on it and it wipes up, but it is still warm and soft like a carpet

 

Sod getting all fancy. Ive got a nice medium pile jobbie thats SO comfy to lay on!

Just dont work like a pikey and spill oil/water. Be a bit more careful and love your garage floor!

 

if your going to apply paint dont overpolish the concrete,using a panner/helicoptor to polish the floor is a pretty skilled job as the different stages has to be got at the right time to achieve a proffesional job.for instancde if you pour your concrete at 8 am it might not be ready for panning till 3pm and finally polished for 9pm and finished at 1am depending on weather conditions on the day.expierienced ground workers are the people to get on the job.

cheers james

cheers james

 

just dont be recommending me james, i fuckin hate power floating,spent many long cold nights at it

 

I meant rain water from putting a wet car in a garage, carpet would be permanently wet in the winter!

And as for the oil, ford ownership and loosing oil kinda goes hand in hand

 

i recomend dan for the job ,as he will do a great job and will do it for free as well


cheers james

 

Having spent ages and a small fortune sealing and painting the concrete floor in my parents garage years ago, only to find it easily chip and peel off etc I wanted a permanent finish that doesn't require any maintenance.

Power floating until 1am isn't an option as I think the neighbours might have something to say about that! Unless I can pour the concrete in at say 5pm and then finish it first thing in the morning (would take a while to go off this time of year anyway!)

Some of the Sika products mentioned above seem quite good, e.g.
Sikafloor CureHard - Transparent surface hardener, dustproofer, sealing and curing compound for concrete.

If I did go down the painted route which is the best to go for?

Carpet is a no go as it is a detached garage so will be cold and therefore damp in winter (especially with the huge pit I built!)

 

i got the 2k rustoleum floor paint for my garage floor not the cheapest way but should look good when finnished. we have it on the floors at work and it seems to be the dogs wotsits. i have gone for the high gloss version basicly 2k clear over the std base covering. i have steam cleaned the floor acid washed and key'ed it so it should be good to go. i had to wait for the new floor a couple of months to dry out properly so it won't lift.

 

At my old man's place we have painted the floor to seal it well, and then have carpet over most of it, definatly agreed on being so much nicer to lay on, and I just use a non carpetetted area to work on if I am doing something I cant avoid being a bit mucky, or I put paper down over the carpet.

 

Chip, I think you have even had the pleasure of laying on the carpet in my garage?

 

We used some grey garage floor paint from ebay for our unit, came out really well, we first latexed the floor though...

 

A shared moment with you that I will always treasure

 

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