Concrete floors.

[Vormulac]

Hi Folks,

I am planning to do some renovation work on my dilapidated garage/workshop in order to make the most of it, and the thing that needs sorting out urgently is the floor. As one might expect of a typical suburban 30's semi, the floor in the garage is concrete with a fair number of holes and it's a bit of a nightmare generally. What I was planning was to use a layer of self-levelling compound to at least get the floor level, and then coat it with some two-pack epoxy floor paint. Does this sound suitable? I have heard rumours that self-levelling compound will not adhere properly to concrete floors or it'll split if you try to drill through it.

Does anyone have any experience to offer on this sort of thing?

Thanks in advance!

Vormulac.

 

[LyNx]

i used the self-levelling compound from wickes. You just need to seal the floor first, this helps adhere the compound to the concrete plus allows it to settle without drying it out to fast.

I then used a floor paint from screwfix and it's been fine to the day. Buy the smooth paint and mix sand to create a no-slip surface

 

[jasonB]

Selflevelers are not that "hard" so can be damaged by draging heavy machinery over them. I would go for an epoxy repair mortar and then epoxy paint. Have a look at Watco they should have something suitable.

Jason

 

[Vormulac]

That looks like the ideal solution, but strewth! the price of epoxy repair mortar :shock:
Looks like I'm going to have to go with the self-levelling compound and hope the epoxy paint can hold it together!

V.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi V

Why bother with putting concrete in when you could have a ply floor? Just raise it off the concrete with some 3 x 2 cls from B&Q and you're away.

You'll be as cosy as anything.

Just my 2p.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Jorden]

Hi V
I have to agree with Neil on this one, 3x2 cls covered in 3/4 inch ply will be much kinder to the feet and tools when you drop them. You can also insulate the voids to make it cozy.

Dennis

 

[Vormulac]

In an ideal world I agree completely with the wooden floor approach; unfortunately headroom is at a premium, being a pretty standard single garage it is not that large, I'm 6'2" and it's tight already, raising the floor by another 3" or so would have an unfortunate effect on my neck.

I'm not sure I'd be able to get a wooden floor level either - one of the advantages of self-levelling compound!

Ok, you've got me thinking - I'll go out there this evening and see exactly how much space I've got to play with (it certainly isn't much). Is there a trick to laying a level wooden floor?

V.

 

[Les Mahon]

Hi V.

How un-level is the concrete? leveling it up should not be a problem, I've just layed a wooden floow over the concrete floor in my new workshop, I use 2x1 on the flat and 3/4 inch OSB flooring in 8x2 sheets. This stuff is tongue and grooved and provides an excelent floor, also using 2x1 would reduce the amount of headroom you lose. I did not worry about leveling the concrete, just fixed the battens down with frame fixings, put 1" insulation between them to keep my tootsies warm, and layed the floor over the top. I haven't put a level on it, but it's certainly not wildly off.

This is the second time I've done this type of flooring in the last 2 years, the pics of the first time are here:

http://www.irishwoodshop.com/workshop_build.html

HTH
Les

 

[Vormulac]

By way of an update, I have just re-examined the garage and the floor is in worse shape than I thought, there's no way that battens are going to do the job so it looks like it's going to have to be levelling compound of some kind and a tough epoxy paint atop that.

 

[Pecker]

Unless you use an aggregated leveling compound (usually they contain granite chippings or simlilar) they are not very strong-the exception to this is indeed the very pricey resin/epoxy based levellers - They are designed to be covered by something, ie, lino, ply, tiles etc. If you go down the paint over the top route, you will however have the benefit of low dust, and lower moisture prescence. (

However by using the levelling compound, you can also then lay thin battens across it ie 2x1 then put a floor on that.
If you go down the route of battens and ply, you will have a warmer floor, but possibly more noise from it as well.
I guess the answer is to do both and have the best of both worlds!

mark

 

[PowerTool]

Mine is concrete floored - painted it with a couple of coats of grey floor paint,then put foam anti-fatigue flooring in the floor space between benches.Got mine from Machine Mart,but Axminster also sell it.
No dusty floor,easy to keep clean,and fairly warm and comfortable if in there for a few hours - only about 1/2" thick,so wouldn't reduce your working height by much.

Andrew

 

[Vormulac]

Right, using a self-levelling compound initially is going to be a must, it's the next bit that I'm now wondering about.
I guess using a floor paint/epoxy will go down easier and give a more readily cleanable finish, but a wooden floor will provide better insulation and survivability to dropped tools. I had a look the other day and I reckon if I used 2x1 battons I could get away with the height loss (just), so I reckon it's coming down to a case of price!
I've got a couple of mates to come over one weekend and help with whichever method comes out on top.
With OSB (posh name for chipboard?), do you put anything on top of that? Floor paint or anything?

I really appreciate all your input folks.

Vormulac.

 

[Les Mahon]

V.

OSB is Oriented Strand board. IMHO it is stronger than chipboard. I don't put anything on top of it leave it "au naturel" and it works for me.

To give you a price idea I just did 350 sq feet of my new workshop with it and the total price including battens and 1 inch poly insulation was 400 euro over here, which is probably more than you would pay for materials over there.

Les

 

[OLD]

I have used springvale floorshield expanded poly. from buildbase 12mm 25mm and up to 150mm you can lay a say chipboard floor straight on it no battens which i did in my garden studio its denser than the ordinary .
so level any low spots polythene, floor shield and chipboard for good floor or incorporate some battens for very heavy use.

 

[Vormulac]

Apologies for resurrecting such an old thread, but by way of an update for those lovely people who offered help originally, I did the work on my garage floor at the weekend.
A dry mix concrete product allowed reasonably easy levelling of the atrocious existing floor (although it took longer to dry than anticipated, and nearly put the kybosh on finishing it off), followed by batons every 400mm, the spaces stuffed with insulation and then 18mm OSB on top of that. The OSB has been painted with a non-slip floor paint and this (along with expanding foam in the multitude of cracks in the overall structure of the garage) represents the first step in finally getting my workshop built!
It's only 17'x8', the question now is where do I put stuff?!?

But that's a whole different thread

Thanks to everyone who offered advice originally, this was definitely the best option, as it's actually quite pleasant in there now!

V.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi V

Glad that you've sorted the floor.

Is there a trick to laying a level wooden floor?

Yes, you start with a level concrete base.

OK, I'll get my coat. :lol:

Cheers
Neil