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1) Rent the floor grinder from the orange box longer than you think you need, it sucks having to rush.
2) Don't paint the floor a cream color with white paint on the walls, the overhead lights reflect off of a cream color and makes the white part of the wall look nicotine yellow.
4) If you know you're going to paint the floor, before it's poured, use something like a "zip strip" instead of control cuts, saves the expense and PITA of filling control cuts.
To do it again, I would have used the epoxy as white, or "untinted" so the reflections were neutral and I could return any unopened gallons (once tinted, you own it, no returns).
Once you've done that, get a dust mop, it reflects beautifully, but every speck shows, which is handy when that one unobtainable small part tries to run away and hide.
That's one thing I learned before we did the floor, if you work on anything with small parts in it, don't put the "speckles" or chips in the paint, it makes the floor its' own camouflage (kiss those small parts goodbye ).
Edit:
We haven't had an issue with tire staining or hot tire lift, but it's less than a year old.
Last edited by Nexxussian; 10-17-2017 at 06:46 PM.
Reason: added "edit"
I had Rustoleum Epoxy Shield applied in my garage close to 15 years ago by Rustoleum as a service through Home Depot at the time. Blue/Black/Grey chips with clear epoxy overlay. It has been solid as a rock, but after the first few years the clear coat started yellowing, and now it's badly yellowed over large portions of the surface.
exposure to heat imparts epoxy resins high strength and rigid cured solid material. The temperature generally ranges from 100 degree Celsius to 150 degree Celsius.
Question: what happens when you spill oil, or trans fluid, or anything similar on the racedeck type floor? How do you clean it up? Doesn’t it seep thru the tiles where they are connected?
Question: what happens when you spill oil, or trans fluid, or anything similar on the racedeck type floor? How do you clean it up? Doesn’t it seep thru the tiles where they are connected?
You just wipe it off the tiles. If its getting underneath then its getting into the concrete and will stay there. I place a fabric mat underneath the engine/tranny in case something dripped. Catches it before it gets to the tiles.
Or you can put down a lining under the tiles, like landscape fabric.
I have researched floor coverings. Epoxy is obsolete unless your doing it yourself. The latest coverings are polyurea and polyaspartic. They will not lift from hot tires, are UV resistant and are more durable. They require diamond grinding or shot blasting of the floor for the best adhesion. I’ve thought about Racedeck floor tiles, specifically the flow through design, but living in Wisconsin, we get a lot of snow and salt. The concrete would be impossible to clean in the spring, it would trap all the salt residue. The difference in price is about $800 to $1000 more for the polyurea or polyaspartic. Installers prefer the polyaspartic over polyurea due to the longer working time. I will be getting my floor done next summer.
Here is a picture of the rib trax from Swiss Trax I installed. Couldn't have been easier, it simple snaps together like a jog saw puzzle. You can design your layout online at their website. It is 3/4 inch thick and allows fluids to drain. It's also strong enough to support the lift. The floor underneath is epoxied and didn't hold up.
What is your ceiling height in your garage. I'm trying to decide if I have enough room to double stack a C3 and C7.
Thx!
I used the U-Coat-IT back in 2004 on my detached garage. I simply washed the floor, then the acid wash and finally I applied the U-Coat-It on the floor. One coat and it has NEVER Peeled, Chipped, stained, pulled-up or flaked. It looks as good today as it did the day I finished the job.
We have parked Hot tires on it with absolutely NO problems. There are no stains and like mentioned above I can dump oil, coolant or anything and it wipes right up! Rust stains come right up from the surface as well which the cement floor would not do. I use the garage for welding, wood working and general mechanical repairs and it is so nice to be able to sweep everything right up when done.
The only down side is that the epoxy coatings can be slippery when wet. I have a large Door mat to dry your feet off on before you go far into the garage and that solved 99% of all problems with slipping and keeps the floor clean-er.
If I had another floor to do it would certainly be done with the U-Coat-It. I am a very satisfied customer and recommend U-Coat-It highly, just follow the instructions to the "letter" and you should have no trouble. It takes a lot of work to do it properly and prepping the floor is 90% of the whole job.
In the areas around my work benches I have a set of the interlocking 2'x 2' pads that make it easier to stand for hours. They are wonderful and make using the garage much nicer when you are out there for any time.
I used U Coat It on mine. It is water based, is easy to apply, and is quite durable. I applied it 9-1/2 years ago and it has held up great.
I have used U Coat and have had it on for 10 years in my 2 car garage. The only issue I have is on the first 2 ft at the entry into the garage. The Sun beats down on this portion of the garage floor when the door is open and UV has worn away the epoxy there. The rest of the floor looks great. This coating does get hot tire marks but they are easily wiped away with an all purpose cleaner and paper towel. It's not an issue as they come right off. Oil and gas are not a problem either. The flakes in the coating have made the floor slip free.
I had Rustoleum Epoxy Shield applied in my garage close to 15 years ago by Rustoleum as a service through Home Depot at the time. Blue/Black/Grey chips with clear epoxy overlay. It has been solid as a rock, but after the first few years the clear coat started yellowing, and now it's badly yellowed over large portions of the surface.
Yeah, it's easy to see. WOW. I read about the yellowing. And, my garage lets the afternoon sun in. Epoxy is surely out of my consideration range.
Yeah, it's easy to see. WOW. I read about the yellowing. And, my garage lets the afternoon sun in. Epoxy is surely out of my consideration range.
Yeah...its been extremely durable...after 15+ years, only one small stain on the whole floor that I haven't been able to get out. Just makes the discoloration that much more frustrating, given how well its performed otherwise. I hate to think what it will take (effort and cost) whenever I finally decide to replace it. I keep spending too much on new "toys" for the garage rather than spending money on the garage itself.
Originally Posted by Pisswilly
I have researched floor coverings. Epoxy is obsolete unless your doing it yourself. The latest coverings are polyurea and polyaspartic...
Have to admit that I'm not familiar with either of those products, so I will have to look into those. Do those overcome (or at least reduce) the "yellowing" problem that epoxy can develop over time?
SwissTrax RibTrax
I used the slotted SwissTrax product in my garage. I looked at Racedeck as well, but I liked the thicker SwissTrax tile. Being stiffer I thought it might limit the clicking noise as you walk on it. I have had the floor in for two years now and I really like it. It does not click when you walk on it and I didn’t install landscape fabric under it. It does sound different than walking on concrete, but I don’t find it objectionable.
It offers a few advantages over epoxy;
1. If you damage a tile, just replace it with a new one.
2. Portable, if you move take the floor with you.
3. Easy to install and can be used right away.
4. Hot tires and chemicals won’t hurt it.
5. Insulates your feet from a cold concrete slab in the winter.
6. Water and dirt fall through the slots keeping your floor clean and dry to walk on.
7. Non skid when wet.
8. Relatively inexpensive
9. Covers flaws in concrete like cracks, adhesive globs, paint, stains, and surface pits/bumps.
10. No concrete prep required.
On the downside, if you drop small parts on it you have to pull up a tile to retrieve them. Oil or grease spills are a pain to clean up. If you have a spill you need to pull up the tiles and wash them if this happens. I haven’t used a jack on it yet, but it might not be a bad idea to put down a wood block or plywood to prevent damage from high point loads.
I live in the Seattle area and I track in a considerable amount of water and debris. I thought this would be a pain to keep clean, but haven’t found it to be a hassle. Water just evaporates out. For dirt and needles, I just use a leaf blower to blow out the dirt as needed. I might mop the floor once a year to clean off any dirt that sticks to the tile. Overall, this floor thrives on neglect and still looks great!
Last edited by Mwtpde; 12-17-2018 at 10:02 PM.
Reason: Added pic
SwissTrax RibTrax
I used the slotted SwissTrax product in my garage. I looked at Racedeck as well, but I liked the thicker SwissTrax tile. Being stiffer I thought it might limit the clicking noise as you walk on it. I have had the floor in for two years now and I really like it. It does not click when you walk on it and I didn’t install landscape fabric under it. It does sound different than walking on concrete, but I don’t find it objectionable.
It offers a few advantages over epoxy;
1. If you damage a tile, just replace it with a new one.
2. Portable, if you move take the floor with you.
3. Easy to install and can be used right away.
4. Hot tires and chemicals won’t hurt it.
5. Insulates your feet from a cold concrete slab in the winter.
6. Water and dirt fall through the slots keeping your floor clean and dry to walk on.
7. Non skid when wet.
8. Relatively inexpensive
9. Covers flaws in concrete like cracks, adhesive globs, paint, stains, and surface pits/bumps.
10. No concrete prep required.
On the downside, if you drop small parts on it you have to pull up a tile to retrieve them. Oil or grease spills are a pain to clean up. If you have a spill you need to pull up the tiles and wash them if this happens. I haven’t used a jack on it yet, but it might not be a bad idea to put down a wood block or plywood to prevent damage from high point loads.
I live in the Seattle area and I track in a considerable amount of water and debris. I thought this would be a pain to keep clean, but haven’t found it to be a hassle. Water just evaporates out. For dirt and needles, I just use a leaf blower to blow out the dirt as needed. I might mop the floor once a year to clean off any dirt that sticks to the tile. Overall, this floor thrives on neglect and still looks great!
Thanks for taking the time with your useful review.
i used the home depot brand 2 part expoxys on some of my houses there crap, one of these days ill learn a lesson and have a profesional come in and do them,
Same here. Sanded the floor, did an acid etch and still have hot tire pickup.
It’s the expoxy you used. I have never seen an exposure floor put down by a commercial business to ever come up or not look brand New Years after it was installed.
SwissTrax RibTrax
I used the slotted SwissTrax product in my garage. I looked at Racedeck as well, but I liked the thicker SwissTrax tile. Being stiffer I thought it might limit the clicking noise as you walk on it. I have had the floor in for two years now and I really like it. It does not click when you walk on it and I didn’t install landscape fabric under it. It does sound different than walking on concrete, but I don’t find it objectionable.
It offers a few advantages over epoxy;
1. If you damage a tile, just replace it with a new one.
2. Portable, if you move take the floor with you.
3. Easy to install and can be used right away.
4. Hot tires and chemicals won’t hurt it.
5. Insulates your feet from a cold concrete slab in the winter.
6. Water and dirt fall through the slots keeping your floor clean and dry to walk on.
7. Non skid when wet.
8. Relatively inexpensive
9. Covers flaws in concrete like cracks, adhesive globs, paint, stains, and surface pits/bumps.
10. No concrete prep required.
On the downside, if you drop small parts on it you have to pull up a tile to retrieve them. Oil or grease spills are a pain to clean up. If you have a spill you need to pull up the tiles and wash them if this happens. I haven’t used a jack on it yet, but it might not be a bad idea to put down a wood block or plywood to prevent damage from high point loads.
I live in the Seattle area and I track in a considerable amount of water and debris. I thought this would be a pain to keep clean, but haven’t found it to be a hassle. Water just evaporates out. For dirt and needles, I just use a leaf blower to blow out the dirt as needed. I might mop the floor once a year to clean off any dirt that sticks to the tile. Overall, this floor thrives on neglect and still looks great!
10-17-2017, 06:43 PM
).
Same here. Sanded the floor, did an acid etch and still have hot tire pickup.
