Family Room As Workshop

What about sealing the floor, then putting a membrane down before you put in the flooring. Like a water/vapor barrier, but it would keep any oil etc, from getting to the sealed concrete below the flooring. This way you can also use loose flooring like the plastic composite panels. If you use adhesive attached flooring then you would be less worried about the oil etc, as the adhesive will also help to keep the oil etc out. But then you have the problem of removing the adhesive if you want to do something else.
 
A consideration of the floor. I attended a Vocational School in a brand new building, they had installed one of those 'pour it, it will level itself' floors. It was grand, sweeping was a charm, it was bright and clean, then the Bridgeport spewed some hot chips on it and it went downhill fast. It eventually came up and we worked on the bare concrete.
 
Thanks for the info guys. Always helps to know what options there are and any warnings on what not to use (ouch).

Since this depends on the size of a spill, at the moment I'm looking at a worst case scenario. But how realistic is the chance of spilling a large quantity of oil? Even if I purchase a large container of oil, I would store it in the garage and fill smaller, sturdier and better containers to take inside. And the size would depend on what I'm using it for.

I'm not concerned about 'stains' on the concrete considering the floor will get covered when the time comes for the machines to go. That won't happen in my lifetime but I don't want to leave any serious issues to someone else in the family. My logic is any oil that reaches the concrete will mean two things, a nightmare to clean and a permanent odor. The membrane idea is good but if oil is getting past the flooring that means cleaning both above and below the flooring... and if the oil can reach the membrane, how far will it spread?

Adhesive tiles sould like a better approach but I don't know enough about them. Even if the oil can't get past the adhesive can it be absorbed into the tile... i.e. around the edges? Maybe some would and others wouldn't depending on what the tile is made of. Something I would need to check. If such a tile exists that won't absorb the oil, when the time comes it could always be covered with carpeting.

If all the above fails, then there are only a couple things I can think of.

A one piece floor covering for at least that area of the room.

Some sort of tray large enough and sturdy enough to placed under each machine. I have no clue if anything like this exists but it's not beyond me to make something if I need to.
 
Spinning things tend to throw some cutting oil at least a short distance so some stains will occur. Concrete is a great option for clean up but hard on the feet. Check out some of those work mats for in front of the machine.
Dave
 
Thanks Dave. Maybe the most logical thing to do is just leave the concrete bare at that end of the room. I could always seal it with something like Thompsons which brav65 talked about earlier. Or even an epoxy coating which might not be so bad considering it will only be on that area of the floor... and even better if they're available in solid colors. I'm not a fan of sparkles all over the floor, ha.

I just checked Home Depot for Thompsons WaterSeal and have some concerns with 28 reviews (out of 41) giving it one star. Apparently it has to do with their Low-VOC formula which requires more care during the application, yet the can is exactly the same except for the words "new low-VOC formula". Looks like it takes a lot more effort/time to mix properly and needs to be applied in thin coats. If anyone has any experience with this product I would appreciate your comments. Thanks.
 
After more research there are a number of other products that don't have the issues of Thompsons. For example Seal Krete Multi-Surface All-Purpose Water Repellent which protects against water penetration, resists oil stains, salts and hot tire pick-up, and is non-yellowing. Obviously I like the oil stain resistance part.

I also read multiple threads at http://allgaragefloors.com which helped me understand the different coatings along with their advantages and disadvantages. If anyone is thinking of doing their garage floor, I highly recommend checking it out. You can start with the thread below then read the others you'll see at the bottom of the page but read them thoroughly or you could miss one important item that could change your opinion. For example I was considering Rust Bullet until they mentioned it was a solvent based coating that produces strong fumes and requires a respirator as well as turning off all flames and ignition sources. Fine for a garage with large doors but not for me.

http://allgaragefloors.com/choose-the-right-epoxy-coat-system/
 
One thing to consider with the Epoxy stuff is what was stated earlier. Think of what hot metal coming off lathes and mills will do to the epoxy. Those hot chips can imbed in it or cause holes in it, which then can lead to openings that can allow stuff to start working its way under it. Have seen to many epoxy coated floors fail. Best thing I can think of if you leave it concrete is to ensure that it is smooth and seal it with one of the products that you were talking about. but the smoother the concrete is better.
 
I definitely agree about the epoxy... it's been off the list. Only mentioned the website for its overall information as they cover a lot more than just epoxy. If you can believe it, they even have articles on using porcelain and carpeting... again, not something I would use. But I just finished reading their article about the G-Floor Small Coin Mat which may work and it comes in a size that will do the far end of the room in one piece. But no matter what I decide, I plan to apply a water repellent... so far the one from Seal Krete seems to be the best.
 
Is there any flooring that I can use which will resist the hot metal coming off the lathe and mill? I didn't realize they were that hot so flooring isn't going to help if the chips are going to melt it. That seems to be my biggest problem.
 
Last edited:
How big is the lathe and mill you're going to be running in there? I've seen the videos from a couple of the really popular guys on YouTube knocking off some pretty big chips that would (and do) melt into nearby plastics, but they're using pretty massive machines with big cuts and big chips. Are yours really going to stay hot that long to melt through a piece of vinyl flooring? The finish might get a bit pockmarked, but so will it by walking on chips all the time too. The advantage I see with a sheet flooring is that if and when you do go to sell the house it'd be a lot easier to replace that than have commited to some exotic sealer. Just my thinking.

-frank
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top