Gary Knox

I'm building a detached "hobby garage", which will be complete in about 2 months (footings and foundation complete today, framing starts this week). It will be 22' wide and 34' deep, with an asymetric lift. I'm now starting to contemplate the treatment for the floor. Two options appear feasible, but am looking for opinions from you "experts".

What is anyone's experience with concrete stain (either the two step with acid rinse first, or the single step "acid stain" method)? How durable, did you use a sealant on top, etc. ANY experience with this would be helpful. I've had both the two component epoxy systems and the single component "newer" acrylic epoxy system, so I'm aware of what's involved in applying them, and their durability. The staining looks appealing, and I've heard that many of the NASCAR shops have been doing this for quite a while.

THANKS for any input, suggestions, etc.

Gary Knox
West Chester, PA

MarkRobinson

Hi Gary, do a Renlist search on "garage" "stain" or "stained" under the 928 section: I posted my steps, progress, photos of my garage floor staining process: love it. Would'nt change it. Had painted & pricier painted, peeled very quickly.

Mark.

Hoyo

Hello Gary.

The two step epoxy would be the strongest floor compared to the sigle step way of doing it.
On concrete floors it is utmost important to acid rinse first...but You knew that already.
The two step epoxy method is widely used in storage facilities as it is strong enough to maneuver a forklift on and nice and easy to keep clean. If You get a lighter grey color it will also help with lighting in Your garage.

Again, thanks for the brakes...did You get that GTS?

Geir

Vancouver83LTD

if you don't like the stain you can always later paint it, too

Stan.Shaw@Excell.Net

I know the answer to the last question

worf928

I have heard that the concrete floor must be fully cured before a sealing-type coating is applied and that it can take many months for the floor to cure. There's a test, involving plastic and tape, that will indicate if the 'crete is still curing. (Basically, tape a several square-foot section of plastic to the floor. Seal all the edges. If after a few days the plastic has ballooned then the floor is not yet cured.)

Gary Knox

Geir,
Yes - I did. Guess I'll post a summary of the transaction.
I'm sure you'll like the brakes.

Gary---

Royal Tiger

I looked at the do it your self epoxy flooring for a two car at around $300. Check out Race Deck if you can afford it (around $1k). Interlocking tiles that are available in multiple colors.

MarkRobinson

...& let fluids fall in between, necessitating a partial removal & cleaning to get to it.

FWIW, staining runs about $260 for materials, & about 8hrs labor (total)

Rod Underwood

Actually concrete curing is a chemical process of hydration and trapping water under a sealer will only enhance it's ultimate strength. It will have no effect what so ever on the time involved in curing. The available water combines with the cement particles chemically, it hopefully never "dries out". It will attain most of it's strength after 28 days - the benchmark period for defining concrete strength, but will continue to harden and gain strength if there is available water almost indefinitely, althougth at a much slower rate after 28 days. You can use hi-early strength concrete which attains 28 day stregth after only seven days, but creates a bit more heat as it hydrates. There should be no creation of gas which would inflate a plastic sheet under any normal conditions, but the bag could balloon as a result of trapping heat - which would be less and less as the curing process progresses.

Sealing concrete early in the curing process is actually a good thing, because it keeps water from being evaporated away and makes it available for hydration.
I would assume that some product manufacturers might stipulate that the concrete be allowed to reach full strength prior to application, but it has no negative effect on the concrete.

More than anyone wanted to know about concrete, but there is a lot more if you are interested.

Rod

fst951

Hi there.

Rob, you are right relative to all the information about 28 days for standard testing of yield strength at 70 degress 1 atm 60 percent humidity etc.

However, you should wait at LEAST 6 months before painting or coating the concrete. Acrylic coatings, however do help to cure the concrete and will be a good floor sealant aside from the slickness and can be recoated with little effort. However, if it already has a sealant applied, you need to mechanically profile the surface to get paints and stains to adhere.

I have done a few floors and have a couple of friends who do it for a living on Air Force Bases and they are very picky.

Thanks,

Garrity

Rod Underwood

That's what I was referring to: "I would assume that some product manufacturers might stipulate that the concrete be allowed to reach full strength prior to application, but it has no negative effect on the concrete."

It's really about the coating considerations, not about what the concrete will benefit from.

I just wish I had a new and bigger garage/shop floor to worry about. ;-)

Rod AKA Rob

greg928GTS

Just today I called the Rustoleum tech support line and asked how long to let a new concrete floor cure before using their two-part epoxy garage floor kit. They said 30 days.

Is acid washing necessary on a new concrete floor?

worf928

Keep writing

I don't know about Gary - the original thread creator - but at the risk of hijacking the thread, I sure would like to know more about large concrete floors. For instance, for a large floor - say 36x54 - what are the requirements for expansion/contraction stress relief?

Drifter

This was done with a two step epoxy system.. It very durable as Gary states.