Cement Floor Treatment

[SabertoothBunny]

I need some advice.

SO, I have a single car garage most of my wood working tools and stuff is in. The wife is getting a washroom/mudroom build into the back section so that it taking away about 10 feet BUT all of her pantry stuff and freezer will be going in that room so in the end I may be gaining space. Maybe its a wash, dunno.

Anyway, I want to do something about the cement floor. The hope is the level it and get a cover of some kind be it epoxy, mats or some other product. Anyone have experience with this and can provide some guidance, advice, or contacts concerning this sort of work?

UPDATE: The house was built in the mid 80s, I think around 1986. So it is a narrow, single car 80s garage space. No vehicle are in it nor will there be and even if I wanted there to be modern cars are too big. The cement floor is uneven and has small spot broken out form previous owners. Vehicle fluids may be stored in the garage but vehicles will not be in there to be worked on due to space constraints.

My main goal is a floor that will allow me to work out there for, potentially, extended periods of time that will not cause me to hurt from standing on plain cement. This bearing in mind I am a medically retired veteran with a variety of military injuries combined with a more recently broken pelvis. That impact over time does matter on joints and I want to keep doing woodworking for a long time as I am still pretty young.

I also understand that a certain sloping grade is required for drainage. This work is something I would likely pay to be done rather than do by myself. That is why I was asking for advice or referrals. I am also down in Fayetteville near Fort Bragg if that makes a difference on referrals.

 

[tvrgeek]

I used Rust Bullet silver paint for floors. Much cheaper than any epoxy. No fancy prep ( it was a new slab though). Some of the coatings can chip if you drop something. Three years and though I have spilled various stains and paints on it, it holds up great. Not a single scuff-through. If it ever does, I can just repaint it with no prep.

 

[NOTW]

I have been very interested in these but I still pull my car in occasionally to clean it or change the oil.

DRICORE Subfloor Membrane Panel 3/4 in. x 2 ft. x 2 ft. Oriented Strand Board FG10006 - The Home Depot

DRICORE Subfloor is the first and most important step towards creating a new living space as warm and comfortable as any other space in your home. DRICORE is the one-step engineered subfloor solution that is specifically designed for basements. It creates an air gap above cold, damp concrete to...

www.homedepot.com

 

[junquecol]

First, your floor is CONCRETE, not cement. Concrete is made using cement, course and fine aggregates, water and other adimixtures. ( Final exam in concrete course in college was to know by heart the definition of both cement and concrete. To this day 50 years later, I can still recite them. Even remember my ID number, but don't ask me what I had for dinner yesterday.) Second if your house is like most, and all built in the last 15 years, the floor has to slope towards the doors for drainage. It's a building code requirement. Sloped floors make it very dangerous to have a car up on jacks and jack stands working on it! Hate them. Would much rather have a door lip to prevent water from coming into garage.

 

[tvrgeek]

Half my shop is my Triumph and MG. I have spilled oil, brake fluid, ATF, gas, and all manner of solvents on it as well as hot tires. No problems at all. The last thing I want is some sort of tile that fluids could run under. Not only do little British cars have a habit of marking their territory, I am sloppy.

Minimal slope is CODE for a garage so that inflammable fluids will run out, not pool. I forget the amount, but it is not much. A raised lip is actually against most codes. The normal design is a 1/2 inch drop from the floor to the apron. I did mine flat with just an expansion joint to limit any run-in and the inspector was happy with that.

A minimal slope for drainage is no problem for jacks stands. Quality stands are important. It was no fun to find out I spent a year restoring my Stag sitting on the HF stands that collapse! Recall ( and deaths) occurred after I was done! I bought better ones with redundant locking pins. ( and used my HF refund card to buy an arm full of bar clamps) I also have blocks that sit under the tires if they are on just in case. I do my oil changes with ramps. Easier and quicker.

 

[SabertoothBunny]

First, your floor is CONCRETE, not cement. Concrete is made using cement, course and fine aggregates, water and other adimixtures. ( Final exam in concrete course in college was to know by heart the definition of both cement and concrete. To this day 50 years later, I can still recite them. Even remember my ID number, but don't ask me what I had for dinner yesterday.) Second if your house is like most, and all built in the last 15 years, the floor has to slope towards the doors for drainage. It's a building code requirement. Sloped floors make it very dangerous to have a car up on jacks and jack stands working on it! Hate them. Would much rather have a door lip to prevent water from coming into garage.

My house was built in the mid-80s, 86 I think. The floor is uneven and has a few dings in it. Hence why I want to level as that makes everything I am trying to do easier if that is possible.

 

[SabertoothBunny]

Half my shop is my Triumph and MG. I have spilled oil, brake fluid, ATF, gas, and all manner of solvents on it as well as hot tires. No problems at all. The last thing I want is some sort of tile that fluids could run under. Not only do little British cars have a habit of marking their territory, I am sloppy.

Minimal slope is CODE for a garage so that inflammable fluids will run out, not pool. I forget the amount, but it is not much. A raised lip is actually against most codes. The normal design is a 1/2 inch drop from the floor to the apron. I did mine flat with just an expansion joint to limit any run-in and the inspector was happy with that.

A minimal slope for drainage is no problem for jacks stands. Quality stands are important. It was no fun to find out I spent a year restoring my Stag sitting on the HF stands that collapse! Recall ( and deaths) occurred after I was done! I bought better ones with redundant locking pins. ( and used my HF refund card to buy an arm full of bar clamps) I also have blocks that sit under the tires if they are on just in case. I do my oil changes with ramps. Easier and quicker.

This garage will probably not fit a full size modern car once the room is build and with everything I have in there a car will not go in at all. My vehicles are all too big for this narrow, 80s single car garage. I just want the floor area as a workspace.

 

[Rwe2156]

A good bit of my shop floor is covered in mats. I buy the one's Sams Club carries that interlock. Can't beat them for the price. So far I'm satisfied with them they have held up extraordinarily well.

So I think the decision on what you do in this regard might negate the need to do anything to the floor if its going to covered up.

 

[tvrgeek]

Flatten, not level.

 

[Hmerkle]

my two cents... (from the un-married marriage counselor!)
I am working on cement (and it kills you) it seems like it is getting worse over time - BUT IT IS NOT MY AGE!

my suggestion if this can be a dedicated work space is to purchase some type of flooring. The dricore idea is good, or mats like Dr. Bob suggests and I know there are a few other "like" products out there... but, my other suggestion is if you go with a wood product and especially an "OSB-look" you will want to paint it. I think it was Ken @KenOfCary that said "You cannot find a screw (or other hardware) if it falls on the floor!" (sorry if it was someone else)
But, don't let that deter you from choosing a wood substrate, it is one of the more comfortable surfaces for your legs and feet!

 

[Gofor]

You could just build a floor over it if no vehicle is going in there. It would be a bit labor intensive, as the cross joists will have to be profiled or shimmed to fit the uneven concrete, and the longitudinal stringers will have to be tapered. Treated lumber for the framing will work, topped by 3/4 ply. If you do think a compact vehicle would be put in there (would require ramp to enter/exit), space the joists at 12". Otherwise, 16"oc should give a solid platform.

My garage floor, built in 2005, slopes approximately 1/4" per foot. Based on that, if you started with a 2x4 flat at the high end, you would be up to a 2x6 by the time you get to the door. This will give you a level flat floor, and also allow you to run wire or ducts under part of it for floor outlets or vac ducting.

Lowes sells some gray rubber matting, cut to length, that does provide good cushion for work stations, as well as it is tapered to the edges, making it less of a trip hazard than the lock together squares.

 

[SabertoothBunny]

A good bit of my shop floor is covered in mats. I buy the one's Sams Club carries that interlock. Can't beat them for the price. So far I'm satisfied with them they have held up extraordinarily well.

So I think the decision on what you do in this regard might negate the need to do anything to the floor if its going to covered up.

How does that floor mat handle wetness? I can get water when there are some good storms.

 

[tvrgeek]

More things to think about:

Spenco insoles and foam knee pads!

1/4 per foot is way above code for a garage. Even my carport was not that much. I think my garage end is 2 inches over 24 feet. My wood shop side is level.

Dust collector ducting needs to be 6 to 8 inches. Boy do I wish I could convince myself to cut up the floor and install the TS duct and power below slab.

I also roll my jointer and planer out of the way, so no soft service would work for me. I do have a fatigue mat in front of my saw.

 

[KenOfCary]

my two cents... (from the un-married marriage counselor!)
I am working on cement (and it kills you) it seems like it is getting worse over time - BUT IT IS NOT MY AGE!

my suggestion if this can be a dedicated work space is to purchase some type of flooring. The dricore idea is good, or mats like Dr. Bob suggests and I know there are a few other "like" products out there... but, my other suggestion is if you go with a wood product and especially an "OSB-look" you will want to paint it. I think it was Ken @KenOfCary that said "You cannot find a screw (or other hardware) if it falls on the floor!" (sorry if it was someone else)
But, don't let that deter you from choosing a wood substrate, it is one of the more comfortable surfaces for your legs and feet!

Yes, It was me that said that. I made the mistake of putting a clear finish on my first 'OSB on top' floor and the OSB turns into camouflage when something is dropped on it. The next time I painted it a grey color - no such problem. Just used a paint made for porches and decks from the local Sherwin-Williams. I used the Dricore R+ underlayment which has foam on the bottom and OSB on top. About $2 per sqft at Lowes or HD special order. Comes in 2' x 2' click lock squares - easy to put down. There are some pics of it somewhere in my gallery if interested.

 

[Johnson]

I use stall mats from Tractor Supply on my garage floor in front of my work areas.

Solid 1/2" rubber and much cheaper than interlocking "gym flooring" tiles. Great on the feet and back. I think I paid somewhere around $25 per 4'x3' mat. Easy to cut with a box cutter if needed. If it's good enough for $$$$ horses to stand on, then it's good enough for me. Sweeps and vacuums easily.

Just my .02 cents

 

[Oka]

Most Feed stores sell the stable mats as well. Assume 2-3 bucks a square ft. There is a mat you can order that is speckled and makes it easier to see things that fall. Rubber flooring, inc sells it.
Most garages are poorly done. TVRGeek is correct flatten not level. Usually, is you want +/- 1% slope throughout the shop, the finisher would have had to finish to a "super-flat tolerance"..... only in factories have I actually seen it. It usually requires 3 finish passes to accomplish this. That never happens in a home unless you do it.
Leveling coatings do not really work long term for a shop with banging and dropping stuff (Impact resistance is low), unless you level coat and then add the mats. But then, it is getting costly. Moral of this conundrum just use mats and deal with it

 

[Pop Golden]

A couple of things here. Ken's comment about finding things you drop on an OSB floor. I have 2 sons, and while I was building the city's TV studio the wood shop went to the back burner. Not to worry, the boys took over. 1st it was a bike shop, next came the band practice room, last came the trail motorcycle shop. Wait! there was also the pro RC racing shop. In the various stages my shop floor was painted with every color on earth. Together with my 80 year old eyes thing dropped on my shop are in the category of Dante's sign over hell. "Abandon all hope"

Next on floor mats I bought mine at Pep Boys. They are some sort of soft plastic that interlock. They're comfortable and cheap. If they tear up, toss them and replace. The interlock is not that grate. When I replace them I'll put a aggressive tape on the joints. I have them around my work bench, and short ones at the saw, router table and drill press. just MTCW.

Pop

 

[tvrgeek]

I use stall mats from Tractor Supply on my garage floor in front of my work areas.

Solid 1/2" rubber and much cheaper than interlocking "gym flooring" tiles. Great on the feet and back. I think I paid somewhere around $25 per 4'x3' mat. Easy to cut with a box cutter if needed. If it's good enough for $$$$ horses to stand on, then it's good enough for me. Sweeps and vacuums easily.

Just my .02 cents

Called stable mats. Tough. Heavy. Very inexpensive. Mine are I think are about 5 by 7 and 3/4 inch. Black though. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/catalog/horse-stall-mats

 

[plcrawfo]

I'm just finishing up my garage to workshop transformation and I'm at the same point in my floor decision. Im planning on using the DMX 1 Step 2.0 underlayment with Advantech panels floating on top. I plan to paint the advantech and use some nonskid additive.

 

[tvrgeek]

Sand.