Shop Floor Coverings

[Randy Garrett]

My garage floor was painted by the previous owner. Will I have to strip off all of the paint before I start to prep the floor?

Thanks, Randy

[Chris Padilla]

Randy,

First, welcome to Saw Mill Creek!

Second, if the paint is bonded very well, it probably is fine to paint over it but make darn sure it is bonded well.

You might check out the www.ucoatit.com site I posted earlier...lottsa good info there.

[Joseph Ragsdale]

I finished painting my floor and I'm waiting for it to dry. It looks pretty good from a distance (looking in from the door to my shop).

Hopefully it bonds to my floor!

A few things I noticed/experienced:

I had some latex paint on my floor that was a real bear to strip. Earlier I commented on using mineral spirits and a ROS to sand and remove the paint and glue. It turns out this didn't work very well. What did work was using a latex paint stripper and a razor blade scraper.

The paint stripper stripped most of the paint, but there are some spots that I left. In some cases, the paint stripper would strip one layer, but leave another layer underneath.

I figured if paint stripper and a razor blade scraper can't strip the paint off the floor, it's pretty well bonded.

Inbetween cleaning and prepping, I rinsed the floor with water several times and used my ShopVac to suck it up from the floor. This was very slow going and took a lot of patience.

[Joe Chritz]

Nice sig line.

Joe

[David Parker]

Hi Joseph,

I'll soon be ready to paint my basement shop floor with the Rustoleum latex Epoxy Shield kit. Did you add any anti-skid additive to your mixture? If so, how much?

I'd prefer a smoother floor, but don't want it to be slippery when layered with fine sawdust or spilled liquids. Lowes didn't have the Rustoleum anti-skid agent, but had a different brand (American Tradition) of anti-skid powder made out of crystalline silica that comes in an 8 oz. can. It recommends one can per gallon of paint, but I don't want my floor to be like sandpaper - just to have a little traction. Thanks.

Dave

[Joseph Ragsdale]

I didn't add the anti skid. It was one of my original intentions, but I just wanted to be done with it. I'm tired of messing with my floor

[Louis Rucci]

I do also and plan to cover it with Tongue/groove subflooring.

[Joseph Ragsdale]

What do you mean by the subfloor Louis?

Hey Dave, as I said, I did not add the anti skid, but I just finished another coat and painted over the paint flakes. This leaves a textured surface that does a good job of hiding the imperfections in my concrete floor. I actually really like the way it turned out.

The surface should give just a little bit more traction, but without the "sand paper" feel.

I recoated my floor because I didn't like the way the paint flakes looked. With the paint flakes, it look like someone had a new years party or birthday party. I also spent more time with the paint roller making sure I evenly painted the surface of the floor.

Final observations:

Spreading the paint flakes over the floor and then painting over the flakes gives a textured surface without having a colorful confetti on your floor. It does a good job of hiding the imperfections in the concrete.

Even though the box says "one coat," two coats looks a whole lot better in my opinion. It's not terribly expensive to buy another kit, so I recommend doing this. The first coat acts as a primer and will give you a feel for painting a floor. You can also buy a kit that is designed for two coat application.

Unlike what I had thought, painting a floor isn't like painting a wall. The epoxy will pool if you don't take care to use the roller to paint evenly.

[Douglas McKenzie]

Joseph,

First time on here and stumbled into your thread because I am considering covering my garage floor. I am a construction manager for a Health Care Provider and have been introduced to a new flooring product made of vinyl. We have used and abused this product in several of our facilities with great results. It is standing up to pretty abusive commerical use. It has a very good coefficient of friction and has been very slip resistant. If you are looking for a good wood look floor check this one out. http://www.konectousa.com/ The flooring is very heavy and durable and waterproof. Good Luck

Doug

[harry strasil]

FWIW when I worked for a carnival we used silica sand for sandblasting sprinkled on metal slopes and wooden platforms after painting for a non skid surface.
As I have a disabling back injury, I purchased the 2 ft square interlocking floor mats from Ptree woodworking at the KC wood working show. just ordered 2 more packages 16 pieces for $34.99 easier on back and legs and no worry about dropping tools on the concrete or slipping around.

[Greg Booli]

Well, I had concrete but i found it too dull, so i went for a carpet that is both aesthetic and warm.