# Anyone paint a concrete shop floor?



## JohnMcClure (Aug 24, 2016)

A smooth 900sqft concrete slab has been poured and is awaiting the construction of my woodworking shop. 
There are always better, more expensive ways to approach each step of the new shop building process, but the floor is not one on which I plan to spend a lot of money.
I never plan to drive a car into the shop (though technically I could), or riding mower or anything like that. 
Most of my heavy equipment is on casters.
As I see it, the options for floor finish are expoxy, paint, or some other kind of sealer. 
I'm currently thinking white paint, making it easy to find tiny parts that are dropped. 
Does anyone have specific product recommendations, or other guidance, to help me make good choices here?
Thank you!


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

I've used various products and i would still suggest the 2 part floor epoxy, followed by a sealer and polish. Especially before you start putting anything in there its easy breezy. You will spill stuff and drop things and it will hold up better than the floor paints if done right. You can pop glue off easy and wipe up chemicals usually without damage. A new white floor you will be able to find parts easier, until the second day when there are shoe scuff marks and other marks all over the place.

Just keep in mind new concrete needs time to cure before any top coat you choose to use.


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## Sparks500 (Jun 30, 2017)

This stuff. It ain't cheap, and it smells when wet, but it's been on my garage floor for a year, 100 yo concrete, and I can't hurt it. Hardly any prep involved with new crete.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

White gets dirty fast so I am not sure I would go for that but perhaps a light grey could be an in-between solution. Having said that you may want to just put a clear sealer on it to make sweeping easy since you will already be in the grey color range anyway.


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## them700project (Aug 12, 2015)

I used the rustoleum garage epoxy for basement and garage Its holding up great. I also used it for 3500 square foot warehouse at work. One section gets heavy use with a heavy forklift and pallets. and is hoilding up going on 16 years now


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## them700project (Aug 12, 2015)

Dont use the decorative confetti crap they give you. it makes it impossible to find stuff on. I only did it on one 20×20 section when I first began.


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## Brawler (Nov 12, 2018)

At work we have an epoxy floor it held up nicely over the years. I would second the light gray over the white because white glaring up at you all day would be hard on the eyes.


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## DavePolaschek (Oct 21, 2016)

I had epoxy with the little plastic confetti stuff. Loved it for traction. Hated trying to find dropped screws and washers on it. When I got my shop done here in Santa Fe, I was going to get epoxy over the concrete in the motorcycle garage side, but the contractor flaked out, so I've still got naked concrete.

The one thing I wouldn't do is get epoxy with nothing in it. I'd probably get the sanded stuff, as spills on epoxy are pretty dang slippery. Also, I would prefer gray to white for glare. But I'd also look at light yellow or other pastel choices. Gray seems too likely to hide small parts.


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

After a lot of evaluation, I went with tile. The inexpensive tiles at HD were on a really good sale and I was concerned about the longevity of epoxy, especially after reading the various reviews. Sounds like surface prep, etching, and cleaning make or break the epoxy floor coverings.

One of the folks I work with painted their basement with the fancy version of Rustoleum metallic epoxy after their basement flooded. It took 4 people 2 days. The first day was spent cleaning, etching and prepping the floor. Day 2 was spent with one person rolling the paint on and 2 people taking care of the edges. The last person made sure the epoxy was ready to go the rolling didn't have to wait as well as spreading the sand. Apparently, it sets up FAST and if starts to dry and you roll over it things get screwed up. I saw the finished pictures - WOW it looked great. I haven't heard if they had any problems with it popping.

I need to do this in the shop and in the main garage. I might wait to see how it works for you.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

No paint, no maintenance….............ever.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Clear sealer, after the concrete has cured completely. + 1 for no paint or epoxy. There is a concrete stain available that soaks in and won't peel off. Also easy to repair a chip or ding in the floor without buying a whole epoxy kit to use a brushfull.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

> No paint, no maintenance….............ever.
> 
> - AlaskaGuy


This.

I'm a terrible finisher. My floor gets painted over time.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Sealing or painting is really a must to keep the concrete dust out of your tools. Use anything you can afford.

Fresh concrete tends to be dusty in its natural state. And yes the dust leaves a layer of abrasive dust for the first year or so. Not to mention concrete is porous and sealant will help it not to wick.

Read this


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Concrete dust? Are you wearing sandpaper on your shoes? The bottom of my boots are way softer than the concrete floor.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Concrete dust? Are you wearing sandpaper on your shoes? The bottom of my boots are way softer than the concrete floor.
> 
> - ibewjon


Well I had to look that up and there is such a thing as concrete dust. As far as getting in to my tools after 30 years of no damage I'm not going to worry about it. So I going with my original advice.

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-stop-garage-from-getting-dusty-1398170


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## JohnMcClure (Aug 24, 2016)

I've been on unfinished concrete floors and there's a nails-on-a-chalkboard feel to them for me personally. I'm definitely going to finish with something!

Simplest option on the table so far looks like "Eagle Natural Sealant" or similar, at Home Depot: a $90, 5gal can covers 1000 sqft and I don't have to mix anything.

Good points about white paint being a bit too glaring as well as too prone to scuffing. Perhaps a light gray glossy paint…


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

> I ve been on unfinished concrete floors and there s a nails-on-a-chalkboard feel to them for me personally.
> 
> - JohnMcClure


You need more saw dust.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> I ve been on unfinished concrete floors and there s a nails-on-a-chalkboard feel to them for me personally. I m definitely going to finish with something!
> 
> Simplest option on the table so far looks like "Eagle Natural Sealant" or similar, at Home Depot: a $90, 5gal can covers 1000 sqft and I don t have to mix anything.
> 
> ...


I used to work in a shop (national chain)that had the grey epoxy. The stuff lasts for years if maintained. I was the guy that had to maintain them, but also the guy that had to repaint shops that needed it. The grey stays pretty clean if sealed and polished regularly(rent a floor buffer from HD), scuff marks come off easy. After years of the grey, for my own garage I did the tan kit with the flecks. Personally i don't find the flexks an issue. I have one of those magnetic sweeper wands that will grab anything metal. And i learned long ago the best way to find small parts you drop is to get down to floor level, close one eye and use the lower eye to sight down the floor and hold a flashlight, even tiny springs etc will stand out.


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## WoodenDreams (Aug 23, 2018)

Back in the day when I used to be mechanic. We painted the shop floor yearly. We went to a Sherwin Williams paint store and used a industrial shop floor paint. It's a thick paint. They can mix it to any color you want.


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## DaveM123 (May 2, 2020)

I used the rustoleum product with the confetti. It's held up very well in my shop for 3 years now. Doign the etching and all that was a pain and you do need to work quickly. Definitely have someone else helping you paint. My wife did the edges while I rolled the floor.


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## bndawgs (Oct 21, 2016)

I think you should look for a deal on some nice wood flooring and lay it down.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

I kinda like concrete just as it is, plus as stated no work. My BIL is in the other camp, and all I can tell you is he learned the hard way they aren't all created equal. Not sue what brand he used, but paid a LOT of $$$$ for a product that he spent a solid week prepping brand new concrete for, and within a week had almost totally peeled off.

He finally got another product that stayed down, and after 8 years they moved, and it was still down. However on rainy, or snowy days that floor could look dry, but was slick as snot. I can understand a clear coat floor that IS wet being slippery, this stuff just needed moisture in the air. Splatttt that was yer ass hitting the floor.

Did I say I really like concrete?


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

The blue epoxy and black chips match the color of the bruises.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I used an epoxy product in a bright yellow color. It definitely made the shop brighter. Another thing I noticed is that
the humidity was significantly reduced. You could just feel the difference in the air. I've never regretted doing it.


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## JohnMcClure (Aug 24, 2016)

> I used an epoxy product in a bright yellow color. It definitely made the shop brighter. Another thing I noticed is that
> the humidity was significantly reduced. You could just feel the difference in the air. I ve never regretted doing it.
> 
> - BurlyBob


Wait a minute, what? Can you suggest a mechanism for this? IE, that moisture otherwise wicks up through the unsealed concrete and evaporates into the shop air, but is blocked by epoxy… or something else? I'm not doubting you, just completely confounded as to the possible cause of this perceived humidity reduction.


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Evaporation of capillary moisture through a porous aggregate pushed by hydrostatic pressure?

In medicine this is known as a wet-to-dry bandage. Moisture moves towards the dry.

Concrete wicks moisture. Is why you don't lay lumber flat on bare concrete.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

If you don't want moisture coming through the concrete, put down a layer of heavy plastic before pouring the floor. That stops most moisture. Epoxy should seal the floor from above, but I have never tried it.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

Exactly what they said. We did not put down the plastic and I wish we had before the pour. The epoxy kit I bought recommended using muriatic acid to prep the concrete for the epoxy. Cleaning the concrete of the acid and residue took several washes. I had to let it dry completely and then put the epoxy down. Then after it dried I applied the top clear coat. The epoxy seals the concrete so no moisture gets thru. It works like a champ but it's not cheap.

Years ago I worked in a warehouse in Portland , Oregon. We cardboard boxes of plastic pipe fitting stack 12'-15' high. The floor was sealed but the walls were pour concrete slabs. We had to stack everything at least 4' from the wall to prevent the cardboard boxes weakening from the humidity of the concrete walls. Once in a while, We'd hear the very annoying noise of boxes of plastic pipe fittings hit the floor and scatter across the floor. That really ruined our day. "Clean up on aisle #8".


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> Evaporation of capillary moisture through a porous aggregate pushed by hydrostatic pressure?
> 
> In medicine this is known as a wet-to-dry bandage. Moisture moves towards the dry.
> 
> ...


Yep, and exactly why you put down a vapor barrier before doing wood floors over concrete. I knew a guy that put some of that pergo type floor down without a vapor barrier and a couple years later it had basically disintegrated in some spots.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

I'm still not painting my maintenance free floor….........ever.


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## JohnMcClure (Aug 24, 2016)

Thanks guys.
Plastic was laid down before the slab was poured.
Looks like I'm going to use an inexpensive sealer for now. I can always paint in the future if it becomes a necessity. Maybe only in specific work areas where one would be likely to drop something tiny and valuable.
Thank you all for the advice, there was a lot of good information in this thread!


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

You can always do this test and see what your particular slab is actually doing.






BTW when you read articles about subjects like this I try to find sources that aren't selling something. The link Mark posted is a company selling floor paint. I would imagine they could have some bias. And no , that doesn't mean I think there's no merit to the article it just means check all the facts

Disclaimer: Test is not the end of all test.


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## PBWilson1970 (Jan 23, 2020)

I can understand not wanting to use the "traction confetti" but a wet and smooth concrete floor can be very slippery and painful when gravity takes over. The beer distributor warehouse where I used to work many years ago was treacherous when it got wet. Even the forklifts could lose traction and those things weigh a ton.

Maybe sprinkling some fine sand might help and won't be as visually confusing as the confetti. That or put some pads down at each workstation. It'll be more comfortable to stand on in the long run too.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

I too used Rust Bullet. LOVE it. Would do it again. Tough as all get out on both my wood shop side and my car side.


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## LeeRoyMan (Feb 23, 2019)

I've had 2 shops that I had painted the floor a tan color. Easy on the eyes and hides sawdust pretty well.
The thing about it wasn't the color, but how well and easy the sawdust swept up.
I would seal it, or paint it just for that reason.


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## furnman487 (Feb 17, 2019)

My 30 year old basement garage floor wasn't in the best condition, but I knew I wanted to use an epoxy coating. It took a couple of etchings and pressure washings to get it clean enough to coat. Used a two part light beige epoxy and couldn't be happier. After 5 years it's holding up great and so easy to keep clean and see small things I drop. Probably not the cheapest solution, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.


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