AirSpeed VW Community Forums
General Forums => Air Speed Lounge => Topic started by: nivag on July 30, 2012, 08:34:02 PM
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We take possession of our new place this weekend and already planning out the garage... Anyone recommend any good ideas for the floor(currently concrete)? Was thinking paint/epoxy, maybe laminate,etc... Any suggestions? Pics welcomed...
Thx Gavin
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Don't do it!!!!! Anything you put on will look like crap in no time if you do any work in your garage!
Turns into one more thing to maintain.
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Costco sells the big garage mats. They work great and if your VW drips a little oil it is easy to cleanup.
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It's already been partly painted over the years... So just looking to make it one color.
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It's already been partly painted over the years... So just looking to make it one color.
You're basically hooped with it having been painted before. Anything you put over top is going to rely on the layer below for adhesion to the concrete. So, unless you grind down to the bare concrete, don't expect anything to last long term.
For the archives, on a bare (new) concrete floor: I moved into a new house six years ago with a massive garage. Our townhouse is built on a floodplain, so legally they can't put living space on the ground floor, instead you get massive garage! (perfect for those of us who are car crazy.)
Our garage had been driven on by many a realtor, but it had not been dripped on as far as I remember. We followed the proper steps for application:
1) Wash floor with soapy degreaser product.
2) Wash & scrub floor with muriatic acid.
3) Apply paint with roller.
We were on a bit of a time crunch, and moved into the garage after just a 24 drying period. And when I say we moved in...we MOVED in. Two rally cars, 8 mountain bikes, an entire shop worth of tools, 3 tool chests, sandblaster, one whole wall worth of shelving and bins, engine hoist, engine stand, two work benches, tires, air compressor, spare engines (x2)...the list goes on.
I have rebuilt two rally cars in the garage, swapped out too many engines to count. Built and painted the white bug, more engines, then built the Salzburg bug in this garage. I've dropped engine blocks on it, welded enough to use two large spools of wire, spilled every type of automotive fluid on it you can imagine and yet the floor has held up 100%.
Brake fluid, we discovered, will soften the floor paint significantly. If you clean up the fluid, and leave the floor to dry...it will REHARDEN. You can't tell we spilled brake fluid on spot number one. Spot number two, however, where we didn't know for a day or two, there is a dark spot due to dirt getting mixed into the soft paint.
Other then that, the only other stain is from four years ago when I drove the rally car over a sharpie marker and didn't notice. I've got a blue stain on the floor which I've pulled half up using rubbing alcohol. Geoff will attest to the fact that the grey can look dirty with a lot of use, but a good scrubbing and it comes up looking fantastic.
HIGHLY recommend this product.
Pratt and Lambert PalGuard 2-part epoxy paint.
(https://airspeedparts.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm2.static.flickr.com%2F1141%2F1176654241_76a5054341.jpg&hash=31f3e1ec28e2616ca412c4bc440e73df2bf23f9d)
Some shots:
Laying the Paint (Base 1 - S3401, Gloss Activator S3498)
(https://airspeedparts.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm1.static.flickr.com%2F119%2F283358992_f6cfb92192_o.jpg&hash=e96d18620360a0da3c4232daa99c76747ec53223)
Initial Move In
(https://airspeedparts.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm1.static.flickr.com%2F105%2F310489301_92de03d6cf_o.jpg&hash=b5f3bb15cf63562c7b1da48ed55a8295bd32552b)
Rebuild #1 - Finishing up near ice-racing season, so the garage is a little messy :P
(https://airspeedparts.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm2.static.flickr.com%2F1166%2F1435932807_95d3f3ed53.jpg&hash=7bcf524fac980852c8a905f92939a8d7eb1af83b)
Rally Build #2
(https://airspeedparts.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm3.static.flickr.com%2F2062%2F1613718936_24478eefa2.jpg&hash=d16011dbc08bec5e51ef3dd1486f03d8fc0eeaa4)
Griding and welding...
(https://airspeedparts.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3238%2F2707978847_db73ec00f5.jpg&hash=1b47deba4991855a649027485be68084dd899fae) (https://airspeedparts.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm4.static.flickr.com%2F3170%2F2707978995_82c0e672bd.jpg&hash=f7314c8b9454fbd49a4b4feb6d02fb30cbdc262e)
Lots of 6-years later, haven't washed it in a year, shots in my Salzburg build thread.
-Dave
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A company that did custom floors did a friends . Not cheap , although looks like deep gloss marble . Don't know about solvents leaking on it . Dave today near squamish aviators head set on ? Looking good . RCMP had a speed trap near the old Taco Bell ........ug
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A company that did custom floors did a friends . Not cheap , although looks like deep gloss marble . Don't know about solvents leaking on it . Dave today near squamish aviators head set on ? Looking good . RCMP had a speed trap near the old Taco Bell ........ug
Haha, yup that was me. Rally intercom headset on whenever I drive the car. Hearing loss sucks. Taco bell is their new favorite hangout btw.
-Dave
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or you could take a page from my book and just say "phuk et". my floor (which cost me 10 meters of concrete, lots of rebar and a grand to finish it ) sports jetta gtx gear oil stains, swingaxle boot leakage, an extra large pool of 10-30 under my road beetle, overspray everywhere, a full spectrum of spilled pinstriping enamel and multiple dexcool bloodstains. its very liberating not worry !
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I vote for Black and White checker floor! ( especially in the spot where my Bug will be parked over the Winter! )
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When we built our home i had the garage acid washed them painted with epoxy. spills wipe up...been six yrs and the only thing that
sucks is that it is slippery as ice when wet. I have fallen a few times over the yrs with wet shoes. Should have used silica sand in the paint.
Cheers Willis
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When we built our home i had the garage acid washed them painted with epoxy. spills wipe up...been six yrs and the only thing that
sucks is that it is slippery as ice when wet. I have fallen a few times over the yrs with wet shoes. Should have used silica sand in the paint.
Cheers Willis
I've found that too on ours. We did add silica near the bottom of the stairs, and its grippy there. The problem is engine stands and such don't roll on the spots where we did the silica.
-Dave
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Ok so other thought... what products are best to remove old paint off the floor?
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You want to go mechanical for removing the paint.
Find a Tool Rental place that has a buffing machine with a hexpin surface prep system (for prepping concrete) This tool has carbide tips on a pad that is commonly used to remove glue from concrete floors. It will do an fantastic job removing concrete floor paint as well. Triple check on the fees for cleaning the machine before you rent it. It will be covered in concrete and paint powder, and some places charge a boatload if you don't clean it off before returning.
Home Depot sometimes has them, otherwise look at your usual Tool rental places.
-Dave
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gun wash? it works awesome,little bit flamable though..
hot water pressure washer is safest. boiling water strips paint paint like a hot damn!
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A few years ago I hired a contractor to repaint parking lot lines. He brought a machine that was like a giant wire wheel to grind away at the old lines on the asphalt. For the painted lines on concrete, he had a really big scraper. Lots of weight to it and a long handle. It had a blade about a foot wide.