New concrete floor coating advice needed.

[90cummins]

I just removed the old concrete floor and apron in the house garage and I’m putting in a new floor approx 6” thick. I would like to coat/treat the new concrete to protect it from road salts & freezing & thawing.
What would you suggest?
I’ve looked on line at many products but would like some real world experience suggestions.

90cummins

 

[dodge man]

I would use the really high dollar epoxy paint like they use in aircraft hangers. Prep is important and it’s expensive.

 

[jaxs]

Proper troweling and curing is the first step because without it no coating stands up well.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

I just removed the old concrete floor and apron in the house garage and I’m putting in a new floor approx 6” thick. I would like to coat/treat the new concrete to protect it from road salts & freezing & thawing.
What would you suggest?
I’ve looked on line at many products but would like some real world experience suggestions.

90cummins

I would use an air entrained (5 to 6 % air entrainment) 3500 lb or 4000 lb mix, solves the road salt issue and the freeze/thaw issue.

Your local concrete batch plant will know how to mix it with the local materials available.

 

[dstig1]

The surface densifiers are supposed to be good at making a pretty impervious surface but I have not used them myself.

 

[90cummins]

Could you recommend any particular product?
Thanks
90cummins

 

[M59]

90Cummins,

Surface prep, Surface prep, Surface prep. I can't say it enough. I have built several facilities where we used metal plating chemicals and before the 2 part epoxy floor was placed, with 3/16 inch cured build, the floor was shot peened to scour the surface of any contaminant BEFORE the epoxy was laid down. Shot peening or surface grinding removes the smooth surface and provides the epoxy places to grip the roughened surface. To get a 3/16" build, we mixed in fine CLEAN silica ( sand ) and trowled on with a rubber floor squeegee. The squeegee floats on top of the silica when spreading the filled epoxy. The silica also provides a grippy surface since straight epoxy is very smooth/ slippery when wet.
To get a 3/16" build, we laid in two layers with second layer added when the 1st layer was tacky ( partially cured ) to get good bond/ cross linking between layers. You will need a set of "nail shoes" to walk on the semi cured epoxy. Nail shoes strap to your shoes and have short pins ( 1/2" long ) on the bottoms so you can walk on the epoxy.

I don't have a specific brand of two part epoxy since different brands are predominant in different areas of USA. Look at specs for chemical and physical damage ( dropped tools, hammers ) resistance.

Have fun. You can build patterns using colorant so your artsy side can be part of the project if you are so inclined. I personally have used fine chipped colored black glass in a white epoxy and red/ white/ blue since I enjoy the BMW marque.

 

[90cummins]

Thanks for that info M59.
The floor was replaced because the original was cracked & not level side to side. There was a 5 inch elevation difference across the width of the doors. We ordered a new 17’ door which required the floor to be level. This is only used for parking in the winter so I’m primarily interested in products that will prevent salt damage.
Industrial coatings are out of my price range so I’m looking at pour on/spray-on treatments to seal the new concrete before winter.
Thank you
90cummins

 

[jaxs]

Thanks for that info M59.
The floor was replaced because the original was cracked & not level side to side. There was a 5 inch elevation difference across the width of the doors. We ordered a new 17’ door which required the floor to be level. This is only used for parking in the winter so I’m primarily interested in products that will prevent salt damage.
Industrial coatings are out of my price range so I’m looking at pour on/spray-on treatments to seal the new concrete before winter.
Thank you
90cummins

Holly molly that's some bad settling, is the building sitting in a swamp?

 

[dstig1]

For a densifier, someone once recommended Ashford Formula to me, but I have no personal experience with it.

 

[M59]

Thanks for that info M59.
The floor was replaced because the original was cracked & not level side to side. There was a 5 inch elevation difference across the width of the doors. We ordered a new 17’ door which required the floor to be level. This is only used for parking in the winter so I’m primarily interested in products that will prevent salt damage.
Industrial coatings are out of my price range so I’m looking at pour on/spray-on treatments to seal the new concrete before winter.
Thank you
90cummins

90cummins,

Got it, cost is critical, then regardless of what coating you choose, prep that floor so you can bind what ever coating you choose otherwise the coating will soon peel off. Mechanical prep is best, acid prep isn't aggressive enough. Floor prep is far more important than coating choice to a long satisfactory life for coated floor.

 

[GSVette]

I debated epoxy vs acrylic when my shop floor was poured. After much consideration ( and discussion with the flatwork contractor)I decided to use Dayton J 25 sealant.

If would be considered ‘less durable’ than a properly applied (key word here is ‘properly’) quality epoxy. In my opinion ‘less durable’ is debatable- yes, J25 ( and other similar coating chemistries) are susceptible to certain fluids ( hydraulic fluid being one that can damage the coating if allowed to remain in contact for some period).

The keys for me were: (a) susceptibility of finish to poor adhesion due to surface preparation variability, (b) ease of application and reappplication, (c) durability, (d) cost.

Thus far (4 years)- coating has been outstanding. I do protect the floor when potential for long term nasty ( oil/hydraulic fluid) exposure is possible (like when I park my leaky as hell Case 580 in the shop for any real amount of time). I’m due to reapply probably this year.

 

[90cummins]

Holly molly that's some bad settling, is the building sitting in a swamp?

It was like that 30 years ago when we purchased it.
Area is not wetlands so I have no idea why.
After we removed all the old concrete we could see no reason for the concrete to heave. The fill was clean sand nothing hidden in the depths. Perhaps water entered before the floor was protected from the elements.
90cummins