A bit off topic, perhaps, but here's one: I have had my cement garage workshop floor painted gray for years. Today I had the paint sandblasted off
shotblasted, actually, which like sandblasting without the dust) and am deciding on a new coating. Looking for a sturdy clear that doesn't entail the work of epoxy, and can be easily coated over once it chips. Also, a bonus would be one that is resistant to denatured alcohol, my primary spill material.
Thanks all,
Chuck Horan

There are some clear urethanes designed for floor finishing these days. Most home improvement stores carry them.

Behr also makes a one part "epoxy" (it's not really an epoxy) paint for concrete floors.

..............

"Staining" the concrete works well. Contact a concrete finishing company and they will tell you how it works. The difference is that the finish is in the concrete and not sitting on top. It does require the concrete to be prepared, ground but it sounds like you may have started the procedd with the removal of the old surface. Once done it is pretty tough stuff and looks great!

Concrete will hurt your feet if you stand on it fo rextended hours, day after day. a lot!!

If you're working on concrete, do yourself a favor and put some padded carpet or a rubber mat down at your workspace. Your ankles, knees, hips, and back will thank you.

jeremy

EUCOSIL from Euclid chemical is the best I've used. We used on the floors in the machine shop. It is oil and chemical resistant. I coated our garage floor 20 years ago and the stuff is still working it's magic. The stuff is expensive but it works.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2011 09:41PM by Clyde Hunt.

Thanks for your answers, everyone. I took the coward's way out and used an acrylic sealer that will probably wear out in short order. Only good thing about it is it is water based and thus as easy as painting your floor with water. Just roll it on. The stuff is called SealKrete, and dries to the touch in about 20 minutes, recoat in two hours. I did 4 coats yesterday and called it quits. It was interesting doing the research. Epoxy is great but very costly, likewise urethane. That wasn't the deciding factor, though. I was worried about urethane or epoxy lifting in a couple areas of the garage due to moisture. Decided to play it safe and go the cheap route. Since you normally get what you pay for, I'll probably be going through it again in a couploe of hyears.

The EUCOSIL is another route I was considering--it is a different type of sealer that doesn't sit on top of the concrete and is very strong.

My final opinion on all this is that probably the best route is to seal with something to keep the dust down on uncovered areas, and then use mats or roll-out flooring in the work areas. Good mats or tiles can be about the price of epoxy, but are foolproof. For 13 gyears I used 3/8 mats from McMaster-Carr that I cut from rolls. They are the type you can put olympic weights on--super tough with a pebble texture. Not quite as slick as I'd recommend for mopping, though. PVC or polypropolene is better for that.

Truth is--I'm just thankful I have a garage to work in!