Epoxy floor for a new shop, good idea or bad?

D

diamond

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We just went into contract on a new house and it has a very nice 1100 sq-ft shop building with unfinished concrete floor. Insulated, 200A service, etc. Super excited about that and I'll probably have lots to share on getting the new shop on line in a separate thread once it gets going but I have a specific question for the community.

I'm considering having the floor epoxy coated before I start moving in. I'm wondering what experiences others have had with doing this I might learn from and avoid any possible mistakes I might regret. I'll probably hire it done. I know there's DIY kits and I'm tempted but I'll be so busy with the move and getting our current house sold that I don't want to take that on. Plus I think (maybe?) I'll get a better result from a professional. Not sure if these DIY kits are as good?

Any advice or experience folks can share is appreciated. I've never had an epoxy floor. My current shop floor is unfinished concrete and I have lots of stains from my Bridgeport, various cutting fluids etc. My hope is to have something much easier to keep clean and be durable. Have folks had chipping if a tool or part is dropped? What about welding/slag, will it damage the epoxy? I could think about epoxy for 1/2 the shop for the machine area and welding etc. on the other unfinished half but I'd like to do the whole thing. I'll also probably want something for anti-slip, like some kind of grit or something added.

Other thoughts/advice/pros/cons etc.?

Thanks in advance!
 
diamond said:
We just went into contract on a new house and it has a very nice 1100 sq-ft shop building with unfinished concrete floor. Insulated, 200A service, etc. Super excited about that and I'll probably have lots to share on getting the new shop on line in a separate thread once it gets going but I have a specific question for the community.

I'm considering having the floor epoxy coated before I start moving in. I'm wondering what experiences others have had with doing this I might learn from and avoid any possible mistakes I might regret. I'll probably hire it done. I know there's DIY kits and I'm tempted but I'll be so busy with the move and getting our current house sold that I don't want to take that on. Plus I think (maybe?) I'll get a better result from a professional. Not sure if these DIY kits are as good?

Any advice or experience folks can share is appreciated. I've never had an epoxy floor. My current shop floor is unfinished concrete and I have lots of stains from my Bridgeport, various cutting fluids etc. My hope is to have something much easier to keep clean and be durable. Have folks had chipping if a tool or part is dropped? What about welding/slag, will it damage the epoxy? I could think about epoxy for 1/2 the shop for the machine area and welding etc. on the other unfinished half but I'd like to do the whole thing. I'll also probably want something for anti-slip, like some kind of grit or something added.

Other thoughts/advice/pros/cons etc.?

Thanks in advance!
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never used any but i would be worried about hot chips and sparks melting it
 
I have pretty significant experience with epoxied floors and countertops. At my day job, we epoxied our lower level hallways and are now using epoxy exclusively in replacing countertops in our residence hall. It is impervious to just about anything (and, of course, irreversible without explosives..), looks great, can be produced in any color or pattern you want with a bit of expertise and experience. Our facilities director is the epoxy guy, and he also epoxied a poured concrete floor and a 35 ft mahogany bar in a pub a friend owned here in NYC. I was involved with all of these jobs (his supervisor but I like to help with projects...). The floor in the bar looked like a swimming pool when it was done, just incredible. I can put you in touch with our facilities director if you'd like. Also, while the stuff and everything you need to use it isn't cheap, all in its cost to DIY is a small fraction of having it done. Needs lots of cold beer and a hot summer night though.
I don't know about hot chips scarring or melting it, but this stuff is pretty hard and I don't believe chips would stay hot enough long enough to damage it. Certainly not sparks.
Tim
 
tmenyc said:
I have pretty significant experience with epoxied floors and countertops. At my day job, we epoxied our lower level hallways and are now using epoxy exclusively in replacing countertops in our residence hall. It is impervious to just about anything (and, of course, irreversible without explosives..), looks great, can be produced in any color or pattern you want with a bit of expertise and experience. Our facilities director is the epoxy guy, and he also epoxied a poured concrete floor and a 35 ft mahogany bar in a pub a friend owned here in NYC. I was involved with all of these jobs (his supervisor but I like to help with projects...). The floor in the bar looked like a swimming pool when it was done, just incredible. I can put you in touch with our facilities director if you'd like. Also, while the stuff and everything you need to use it isn't cheap, all in its cost to DIY is a small fraction of having it done. Needs lots of cold beer and a hot summer night though.
I don't know about hot chips scarring or melting it, but this stuff is pretty hard and I don't believe chips would stay hot enough long enough to damage it. Certainly not sparks.
Tim
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i should have said slag from oxy fuel cutting
 
I'll ask...going to have a call with him in a few mins anyway.
Tim
 
There are pros and cons. the stuff I have used is very durable It would not put up with a acetylene torch directly applied, but pretty tough easy to clean up spills [oil and such] the big minus is it can be very slippery. Some add "flakes" to add traction . if it were me I would ask about that. So in a weld/burn shop ,, not so good. In a general work area,, not a bad idea. Just my two cents. Good luck on your new home
 
well if it can hold up to a lot why not i would use it.
 
Practice on something you can trash first. It took some time to get the process down, and ambient temp and humidity matter with the setting times. Also, it is absolutely a one session job, has to be done to completion at one time. Pretty impressive to be there when the hardener kicks in...time moves fast then...


Tim
 
In Chico, moisture wicking up through the concrete may not be an issue. But if the specific area has issues, I would use one of the concrete sealers that flow down into the slab and seals it first before putting the Epoxy on the surface. This will help the adhesion and limit the moisture that could form in the concrete.
 
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