Garage Floor

[chriseyj]

Hi I was just after some advice for my garage floor.
Its great now I finally have a garage to work in, rather than 2 gazebos, but the floor seems to be screed rather than floated/trowled concrete.
This means it is pretty soft and very dusty, rubbing it with your finger wears it away! My chassis has dust all over it consantly and kneeling on it makes your trousers white and filthy every time. Makes tightening a bolt a dirty job?! Have even tried sweeping and vacuming it, ha, dust comes back after walking around.

I would paint it but I cant see it lasting as the surface is so soft, would cheap black B&Q vinly tiles be ok glued down? Dont really want to spend a fortune on the rubber garage interlocking tile solutions I've googled.

Thanks Chris

[flyerncle]

Floor needs to be sealed or it will be dusty forever.

[aerosam]

You could try the large interlocking rubber tiles from machine mart? They don't have to be fixed down and make for a nice comfy floor when you have to kneel/lie on it.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/anti-fatigue-foam-floor-tiles-pk6

[Talonmotorsport]

Sounds like the floor is at damp course level to me. One way round it would be to put bitcumen down then concrete 2-1 mix over the top, then a coat of floor paint with the roadster logo in the middle :D Cheaper option buy 6 sheets of hard board (stuff thats used to back flat pack furnature) and a few rolls of duct tape?

[tkpm]

Mixed PVA with water and give it two coats, 24 hours between coats.
Then paint it or leave as is, or after you have finished welding, put a piece of carpet down.

Terry

[AshG]

got carpet in mine. welding never set it on fire it just melted holes through it :D

[ayjay]

Definitely PVA is the way to go.If your floor is slightly rough and you want it smooth and level get some floor leveler (builders merchant or Wickes) but use it while your floor is still wet with pva. Pva alone will solve your dust problem--Around £12-15/5litres is plenty.

Regards

Adrian

[HandyAndy]

You could try the large interlocking rubber tiles from machine mart? They don't have to be fixed down and make for a nice comfy floor when you have to kneel/lie on it.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/anti-fatigue-foam-floor-tiles-pk6

This is what I have in my garage, & its made a huge difference to the comfort of my feet :cool:
Its easy to put down , looks good, & if i.m working on the car outside the garage ( driveway etc) I can lift a few sections of the tiles & use them on the drive, certainly saves my wrinkly old knees :D

cheers
andy

[minicountryman1961]

I was working at a dealership years ago when they added onto the shop. After they poured the cement floor, they cleaned it and they used a squeegee to spread an amber liquid over the concrete which soaked in and then dried. It sealed the concrete and gave it a shiny but still textured look. It seems to me that it was some type of Tung Oil, like a varnish.

It worked great, was easy to clean and there was no concrete dust at all.

You might try some cheap varnish on a spot and see how it does.

[tkpm]

If you use leveling compound, make sure you use a latex liquid and not water. As water based levelers will still dust up after a short period of time.

Terry

[aerosam]

I was working at a dealership years ago when they added onto the shop. After they poured the cement floor, they cleaned it and they used a squeegee to spread an amber liquid over the concrete which soaked in and then dried. It sealed the concrete and gave it a shiny but still textured look. It seems to me that it was some type of Tung Oil, like a varnish.

It worked great, was easy to clean and there was no concrete dust at all.

You might try some cheap varnish on a spot and see how it does.

That sounds like concrete primer - great stuff whether you intend to paint on top of it after or leave it as it is.

One thing I should also have mentioned about the machine mart floor tiles, if you are going to jack the car up, and use stands, you need to have wood under the feet of the jack/stands to spread the load, or they may split the flooring's surface.

[Antnicuk]

I recently finished building my workshop and just had a plan concrete slab for a floor. It was very dusty. I bought a 20 litre tin of industrial floor paint. I gave it a couple of thin coats and then a couple of thick coats. It has sealed the floor well and stopped the dust. It was very quick and easy to apply with a roller. I have 35 sq meters and still have half the tin left for re coats every 6-12 months.

It might be worth a try as it was only about £40 delivered. It is apparently oil resistant although i havent tested it yet. This isnt the same make as i used but looks a similar spec.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FLOORMASTER-INDUSTRIAL-FLOOR-PAINT-GREY-1-x-20-LITRE-/180630190708?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a0e65fa74#ht_1514wt_698