What do I do to my new concrete floor?

You need to let it age for a bit before you paint it. Keep grease and oils off it to make it easier to clean prior to painting. There are numeorus 2 component paints for floors as well as some good single component paints like Valspars floor paint for maasonary and outdoors use. I have that on my floor and it takes a beating and still looks good. Lowes in our area had quite a bit of 2 component floor paints for concrete at rediculous marked down prices of $10.00 for a 2 gal kit..........and it was an epoxy based paint.......To bad it was not in white or I would have bought osme, but they had greys, tans and a few other colors....Deft in my opinion makes about the best 2 part urethane floor coating made, followed by Tennent (makers of floor cleaning machines). Visit my website:

expressed are those of my wife, I had no input whatsoever. Remove "nospam" from email addy.

In article , "jtaylor" wrote: ...

Paint is a good idea, but it won't correct the finishing of the concrete itself.

Many available paints, expoxies, systems. Depends what you want, and what you want to pay. I've been happy with UGL Drylock floor paint (latex base) - not their waterproofer (which is for walls) and I have not used their oil based. White - makes for much more light than the typical tan/gray/red or bare concrete. Latex Drylock is easy to recoat in case of damage, has pretty cgood coverage, and does not require added antislip materials (it's not slippery) or 3 different coatings, as some "systems" do. Some folks seem very happy with epoxy finishes, some people have posted horror stories...

Surface prep should be per your paint/coating manufactuer's instructions. Cure the concrete for at least 30 days, typically, keep oil off of it before paint to make cleaning before painting a reasonable job.

Nothing like starting at the top for an exciting way to learn how to do a task...and ESPECIALLY fun with concrete. Now...the question I have is "what do you mean by not too good a job on finishing?". It is just a matter of some roughness here and there? Are there ridges? Are there hills and hollows? Add some details about how bad it is, and, it will make it easier to give reasonable options. Thanks Dave Mundt

You have received plenty of paint advice. As far as the finish, I've been successful renting a professional floor sander (as used on wooden floors) and plenty of sanding belts. I got about 150 sq. ft. out of a single belt. Depends on how bad your concrete finish is. You can sand it until it feels like glass.

BTW, you needn't tell the rental place that you are going to use it on concrete. Wear a mask.

Ivan Vegvary

Well, there are places where it has a nice troweled finish, that I'm happy with. There are places where the surface will sort of flake off and it looks sandy underneath. There are some areas where it seems like water marks. There are places where you can see footprints, and marks from the kneeboards.

Nothing deeper than about 1/8 inch.

I told the ready-mix place what I was doing and the fellow said I'd need

4000 psi mix; the truck driver was very helpful but I think he put some extra water in on the way - it was very soupy - the pictures of "slump" in the concrete books I had read _all_ looked stiffer, even the ones the books said were too wet.

It made for easy pouring and screeding, but I did notice that there was a large amount, a bulge, of sandy water in the middle after I floated it the first time, with a 4 foot piece of wood on a 12 foot handle. The slab was beside an existing building, so there was a bit of difficulty getting to one side, and with screeding, As well, the last part of it was in the sun, so it seems to me that the first and last parts set before the middle; that's where I left footprints, anyway...

Greetings and Salutations.... Thanks for the details...it really clarifies things.

On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 09:12:51 -0300, "jtaylor" wrote: *snip*

Yep, it is always nice to see that!

Yea...that sounds as if someone screwed up. Probably not the driver, as they typically don't do anything to the mix between the time it gets dumped into the truck and the time it reaches your site. I would suspect that something got set wrong at the concrete yard, and, no one noticed it. No use crying over spilled milk, but, I suspect it would be a GOOD thing to get one of the supervisors from the company to come out and take a look at your pour. It might not get YOU anything but, it probably will make a mixing operator's life uncomfortable for a little while. On the other hand, it might get you some compensation, and, certainly would be good to have a professional eye look at the slab. Now...it does sound as if you started out with a WAY too soupy mix. this is bad for several reasons, not the least of which is that concrete consists of a mixtures of glue (the cement) and matrix (rocks, sand, etc). It gets its strength from the EVEN distribution of that matrix through the entire slab. If it is too wet, as you work (or overwork) the concrete, all the matrix will work its way to the bottom, leaving a fairly low-strength layer of sand and cement on top. It may work ok for as long as you live there. It may start spalling off and falling apart in a year... I would be inclined to drill a test core someplace, to see what the distribution looks like. Your comment about the flaky, sandy areas make me think that it is REALLY separated out, and, for me, that is a bad thing. If it is flaking now, there is an excellent chance it will flake even worse when you start moving heavy machines across it. Also, if the matrix has really settled out, there is an increased chance of cracking and other problems. Which reminds me... I forgot to ask if there is any steel in this slab? Rebar or grid to keep it from breaking up? Also, what about expansion joints? As for the footprints, etc, those will have to be filled in and levelled out, or your life is going to get WAY too exciting later on. There is nothing like moving a 1000 lb, top-heavy lathe (for example) and having a wheel on the dolly catch in an imperfection in the floor! DAMHIKT *smile*. Now...what to do to "fix" the whole thing. I can see a few of ways out of this. 1) Jack hammer it all up and pour a new slab, with the RIGHT mix this time. THis is kind of the worst-case scenario, and would not be one that I would take unless a pro said the slab was crap. (hence the reason for getting one out to look at YOUR slab). If it were me, I would also look at some serious help from the concrete company on this, if it was their fault that the concrete did not meet specs. 2) put forms back on the slab, and, pour another couple inches of the RIGHT mix on top. You will probably want to pin re-enforcing mesh to the existings slab for this, to ensure good bonding and stability. I don't know if you tried flattening the concrete on your own, but, if you did...this time see if you can wave a six-pack in the direction of a couple of buddies to help spread the mix and screed it off. Also, be sure to rent a big bull float to do the "final" topping. They come with long enough handles that you should NEVER have to actually walk on the concrete itself. The good news is that you are a lot more educated about pouring concrete now, and, the NEXT slab will be a lot better (cold comfort, I know). 3) you could take a hybrid approach. Fill in the holes with patching compound and knock down the ridges with a sander, to get it as smooth as possible. Then, there are a number of epoxy based floor coatings that one can put down that will provide an excellent surface. I don't recall any names just off the bat, but, a quick poke through the yellow pages under floor treatments should get you some names. Also, I am sure that the concrete company would have a clue about this too (which is a good reason to try and stay on friendly terms with them...) In any case, the deal is that you spread this thick layer of epoxy on the floor, then, sprinkle on these flakes of material..sometimes coarse sand, sometimes little flakes of plastic. It then gets rolled down flat. Once it sets up it will be a nearly indestructable floor treatment. We had this done to the concrete floor of the fellowship hall in my church back in the mid-70s or so, and, it STILL looks just as good as it did then (and it has had a LOT of use, too). I would be a little concerned about the areas you mention as spalling off...that does not bode well for a good surface, but, perhaps the epoxy will stabilize it enough that all will be well. Or...at the worst...the areas that are really bad are JUST where you will put a workbench or some large, stationary tool (*smile*). Regards Dave Mundt

Anyone have an opinion on using this stuff for a home shop floor covering?

Doug,

I think it would be close to impossible to move a heavy machine on that stuff. Even if it didn't give, just the molded in ridges would stop a machinery caster. A tiny pebble seems like a boulder on even a smooth floor when you're moving something heavy. Looks cool though.

George

I like the concept, but I'd want to see prices.

Gary

Yeah, good point. I also think it would be a bitch to clean up all the oils and other stuff I tend to have flinging around the shop on any given day. Seems to me it would seep down through the cracks and settle on the concrete and, over time, make a helluva mess.

I'm starting to think Roy has the right idea -- good quality paint..

Purty damn expensive. $3.75 per tile -- that's 1 square foot. I think this stuff is for show, not for a working environment.

I'm liking paint more and more! Gotta look into that Valspar stuff..

SnapLock doesn't sell direct. I'm in S.E. Michigan and they referred me to the only dealer in the state, who is some 300miles away.

CircleTrac, FastDeck and Diamond Tile Are $3.32 per square foot, delivered.

The free flow is $2.95 per sq ft,

The Laminate is $4.82 sq. ft,

Add fifty cents per sq. ft. for quantities under 500 sq. ft.

If you want to mix and match colors, prices are based on the total square footage, not the amount of each color.

Tiles come 48 pieces to a case, about 40 pounds. Tiles are already snapped together in 4x4 foot squares. Shipping is UPS, or truck if you have a loading dock. Truck is cheaper. I suppose you could save yourself a few bucks if the dealer is close enough for pickup.

Warranty is 10 years.

Call Snaplock at 800-457-0174 for dealer in your area and double check prices with him. Could be significant variance here.

The dealer I talked with offered to send me samples. Small 2x3" pieces. I dont know if all dealers will do that.

If you're in Michigan and wondering about the dealer it's Garage Outfitters Traverse City

866-466-8808

Nice stuff, but in my shop we're looking at over $3,000. Not sure if it's worthwhile or not but it sure would cure some problems for me.

Ridge Custom WoodWorks Happiness is the art of enjoying the inevitable.

Say, Roy, I'm looking at the Valspars web site and I'm not sure I'm finding the paint you used on your shop floor.

I see this "Exterior Masonry & Stucco Paint" but it's branded "McCloskey" and says "Do not use on glazes brick, floors or steps".

The only other likely suspect I see is "Valspar Premium Concrete and Masonry Sealer" but that looks like it might be a colorless sealer. And, on the Valspar commercial web site I see lots of epoxy coverings.

Can you give me any more specifics on your floor paint?

Thanks,