Advice on covering a slightly rough concrete floor

[John Sheets]

Hi, folks
Could use a little advice
Unfortunately the concrete finishers that did the basement in our currently being constructed house did not get the smooth finish in some areas of the floor that I wanted. They got off of it a little soon with the power trowel and some areas are just too rough; not as bad as a broom finish but not what you want for sweeping or snow-shoveling up lathe curlies.
Some common options are out entirely or just not viable:
1) epoxy coating, since I already sealed the concrete
2) leveling compound for the same reason
3) diamond grinding, since I'm not in a large metro area, I can't find anyone I think could do the job and rental equipment doesn't seem to be available.
I found one thread while searching SMC that talked about using vinyl flooring. I agree that the kitchen type would probably be too soft for rolling heavy equipment on casters and also might allow things to "sink in" after sitting for a while.
I did find a reference to using vinyl composition tiles, which apparently are the one foot squares with self-adhesive backing you might get at the Borgs. These likely would be firmer and less expensive.
Has anyone had experience with these? Wondering if they might come loose, curl, etc?
I'd appreciate any ideas/suggestions on the tiles or other options!
Thanks, JS

[Rollie Meyers]

Hi, folks
Could use a little advice
Unfortunately the concrete finishers that did the basement in our currently being constructed house did not get the smooth finish in some areas of the floor that I wanted. They got off of it a little soon with the power trowel and some areas are just too rough; not as bad as a broom finish but not what you want for sweeping or snow-shoveling up lathe curlies.
Some common options are out entirely or just not viable:
1) epoxy coating, since I already sealed the concrete
2) leveling compound for the same reason
3) diamond grinding, since I'm not in a large metro area, I can't find anyone I think could do the job and rental equipment doesn't seem to be available.
I found one thread while searching SMC that talked about using vinyl flooring. I agree that the kitchen type would probably be too soft for rolling heavy equipment on casters and also might allow things to "sink in" after sitting for a while.
I did find a reference to using vinyl composition tiles, which apparently are the one foot squares with self-adhesive backing you might get at the Borgs. These likely would be firmer and less expensive.
Has anyone had experience with these? Wondering if they might come loose, curl, etc?
I'd appreciate any ideas/suggestions on the tiles or other options!
Thanks, JS

If you use tile self-adhesive would be a bad choice, a better choice is a commercial grade VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile) product followed by several coats of wax to seal the floor & provide a wear layer is a must or the tile will look like hell in short order downside is, wax yellows & must be stripped and rewaxed. Proper floor prep is key & any moisture getting behind the tile will cause them to bubble up, but replacing a small area is not a big deal like if a commercial grade of vinyl was to start coming up or be torn.

[Gary Lange]

Depending on how high the ceiling is you could put in a wood floor. You could also consider using a good industrial grade tile.

[John Dingman]

John,

I had the same problem in my basement shop and ended up using these:

http://www.johnswoodshop.info/Making%20a%20Shop%20Images/Finished%20Shop%20Matting.jpg

I got them from Harbor Freight for $6.00 a package (4 2x2 sqaures) They run sales on them all the time. They are great on the feet and the shavings and dust sweep up real nice. I highly recommend them.

hth,
John

[David G Baker]

I don't know how large the rough area is. My Dad had a hand grinding stone for smoothing rough concrete. My brother and I finished my Dads metal shop floor in the hot Sacramento California Sun and the concrete got away from us. It was a very rough surface. My Dad got on his hands and knees and used to stone to smooth out the real bad spots where the foot print of his lathe and mill would sit. It was a lot of work but when he finished the area it looked good. In some areas there were rings of concrete 1/2 inch high.
I haven't seen the stone for sale in the Borgs but I am sure it still exists and can probably be purchased from a concrete company. If your floor is really bad you may have to hire the work done.

[Don Bullock]

...
I did find a reference to using vinyl composition tiles, which apparently are the one foot squares with self-adhesive backing you might get at the Borgs. These likely would be firmer and less expensive....

From my personal experience I can say that these won't stick to a rough floor. We have a shed on a concrete slab that we use as a kennel for our dogs. I tried setting the self-adhesive tiles on the floor but they wouldn't stick. I found something, can't remember what it's called, that leveled out the roughness so that the tiles would stick. The stuff I used was more like a sealer than a leveling compound.

[Steve Jenkins]

Davids idea will work if you don't mind some elbow grease. I had to do the same thing when i was a kid. Dad showed me for about 10 seconds then it was all mine. He called it a "holy stone" because of the positon and motion when using it. It is a carborundum block. Tile people use it for knocking off the cut edges of tiles.

[William Hutchinson]

I used 12" square snap together plastic tiles over concrete. I've been happy with the result.


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/flooring.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/IMG_0235.jpg

[Duane McGuire]

William: Please tell us more about this product. Your floor looks good! Where did you purchase? Who makes it? Whats involved in installation?


I used 12" square snap together plastic tiles over concrete. I've been happy with the result.

[William Hutchinson]

Google ‘garage floor tiles’ for more info on various styles and manufactures. Sam’s Club had a sale on the product I used in my shop. I was considering epoxy paint but was not looking forward to the extensive surface prep necessary for my concrete slab. I wanted wood, but during heavy rains one corner of the floor around the side door flows water (due to an improperly sloped porch)-- until this is reworked; wood flooring would not work.

Below is part of the description from their web page: http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=360847

“The tiles install without the use of any tools or adhesives. Just interlock the tiles together by hand. There is no surface preparation required. Tiles can withstand heavy traffic areas and are suitable for even the toughest environments such as garage floors. The floor tiles are not affected by petroleum products such as grease oil or gasoline, and cleaning is simple, just hose off with water.”

The install was process is simple; sweep off the concrete and measure according to the directions. All is accomplished quickly. I did have to cut three sides to center my particular pattern-- I made a cutting jig and used a circular saw. There is a slight expansion gap along all walls that can be covered with molding if you desire.

All my major tools are on wheels and this floor has performed as advertised. No crushed or dented tiles, the joints are tight and debris does not collect at the intersections. Dried paint will peel off and dropped tools are less prone to damage; I personally tested both assumptions several times.

It will generate static electricity during the colder months and it has a different sound and feel when walking across the surface (as opposed to wood or concrete). I don’t notice it any more but it was an initial reaction.

[Ken Garlock]

John, John, John, the answer to obvious. You said the house is currently being constructed. Therein is the solution.

Simply tell the contractor that the cement finish is unacceptable and it must be corrected prior to your acceptance of the house. You are paying big money for the house and it should be completed to your standards, not what some "nocturnal aviation" contractor thinks is just ok. You might want to front end load the discussion with a list of trivial items needed for correction and be willing to sacrifice a couple of those if the contractor corrects the cement floor problem.

In the end, you want to be the 'er' and not the 'ee'.

[jason lambert]

one thing I noticed over the years when I had a naked concreat floor moisture would come up through it. Just enought to make the room a little damp. depending on where you live sealing it is not a bad idea.

[Ben Franz]

Vinyl floor installers use a powdered product called Vitex to fill joints and smooth out transitions before laying flooring. It's available in some of the borgs and always at flooring supply houses.

Moisture might be a bigger problem for below grade slabs - depends on how good a job the builder did underneath.

[John Sheets]

Thanks for the thoughts, guys.
Couple of follow-up questions and comments.
Hutch, do the Sam's tiles have the slightly elevated discs about the size of a quarter? Saw some at a borg that had this feature. These might make it hard to use a snow shovel to scoop up lathe curlies.
Jason, should be good and dry however. Have interior and exterior footer drains, 6 mil poly down first, and plenty of reinforcing wire.
Ken, contractor is in full agreement that floor is not what we were shooting for, and is very willing to correct it. He's just not sure how to do it! No rental places around that handle the ginders that use progressively finer grit diamond discs, and no decorative concrete guys that I talked to that sounded like they could bring it back to smooth.
We'll get there some way. We do have the option of renting a grinder that is intended for some actual removal rather than just polishing, but it does leave a decent surface. We may end up with that.
Ben, wondering how the Vitex might work since it's already been sealed.

[Ben Franz]

John - I have no direct experience using Vitex over concrete - sealed or not. Usually a wood or particle bd underlayment. It adheres to tools, coworkers, dogs, space shuttle tiles and anything else you don't want covered permanently. In a more serious vein, you could probably find info on the net or the side of a bag of the stuff. good luck.

[Kevin Groenke]

Have you thought about rolled rubber floor? You could probably get by without glueing this down. This isn't the easiest to sweep, but it is NICE to stand on and tools don't mind being dropped on it. It will also make things a bit quieter.
http://www.rubbercal.com/elephant_bark.html
http://www.greatmats.com/products/rolled-rubber.php
http://www.cartwheelfactory.com/rubber_flooring.html

I saw some plastic snap together 1' x 1' tiles at IKEA last week for $1.50 ea, they had a smooth surface that looked like terazzo.

We have Armstrong commercial vinyl composition tile in our shop, the tiles are on previously stripped concrete above grade.

We were supposed to have raw concrete but the contractors were unable to remove the previous floor covering to spec, so the vinyl was put back down.

I would prefer sheet rubber or wood, but the vinyl is nice: it easier on the knees and back than concrete, provides a thermal barrier from the cold floor, it sweeps up very well and it's more forgiving when you drop your chisel, blade or plane on it. Commercial VCT is a VERY tough and durable product, also pretty inexpensive.

g'luck
-kg

[James A. Wolfe]

John,
There are a couple of products manufactured by 3M and others to smooth concrete finishes. Diamond wheels are great but not necessary. Google 3M and Klingspoor and relate your situation to the technical assistance guys and they can help you out. If it's just small, random areas, there are masonry wheels designed to be used on a hand grinder at most supply houses.
Good luck,
Jim

[William Hutchinson]

Thanks for the thoughts, guys.
Couple of follow-up questions and comments.
Hutch, do the Sam's tiles have the slightly elevated discs about the size of a quarter? Saw some at a borg that had this feature. These might make it hard to use a snow shovel to scoop up lathe curlies.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y66/wlhutch/IMG_0306-1.jpg
Yes the tiles have a coin pattern design for "no slip". However when I do decide to clean the shop, I first use a rake:rolleyes: then a large dust pan. I tried pushing this across the floor to see if it would hang on the tile pattern. It does not. HTH.