# Shop Flooring Suggestions?



## SWM (Jan 10, 2010)

And so the shop renovation project continues…..

I was hoping to draw from the collective experience of my fellow lumberjocks on this one. I just can't seem to find a suitable floor material, at least one that I want to shell out $$$ for.

Background:
My basement workshop is 13'x37' long on a mostly below grade concrete slab, with walkout doors in the back. I'll have painted T&G flooring on walls and red corrogated roofing on the 9', sometimes 8' ceilings. The concrete is pretty rough, ie not finished smooth, and does have some minor leveling issues.

I would like a new floor to accomplish two things. One, provide a smoother surface that cleans up easy and doesn't trap so much dust! Two, extra cushion would be nice. I have lots of rubber floor mats at different work stations, but very rarely find myself using them.

The options:

*Rubber garage floor tiles.* This is the quick and easy solution. Although not the cheapest (I found these on ebay for $2.50/sq.ft) I was willing to pay it if they met my two criteria. I requested and received a sample in the mail yesterday (always a good idea before you spend $1200). They appear sturdy enough for my 600 lb planer at first test. However, they have leather like background that that seems very hard to sweep.

*Vinyl floor:* Would be great if it come in 13' widths. Only comes in 12'. Would require lots of horizontal seems across floor to minimize waste. I've also noticed that my 600 lb planer leaves a noticeable indention in the vinyl floor adjacent to my workshop. It's cheap, but I'm not sure it's durable enough for a wood shop? It should be relatively inexpensive, but doesn't provide much cushion.

*Commercial glue down tile*. I may be leaning towards this option since my disappointment in the rubber floor tiles. I would need to level the floor in order to use these tiles. However, once leveled, durability should be really good. These are pretty inexpensive, but the hassle of cleaning and leveling the floor can't go unnoticed.

*PLYWOOD!* I could lay down 2×4 sleepers horizontal on 16" centers and cover with 3/4 T&G flooring for less than $1/sq ft. I would probably then paint with a porch and floor utility paint. This option probably meets both of my criteria, but I'm a little unsure how a future prospective house buyer would look at this type of floor. I"m sure a non-lumberjock may really be confused, but who cares???? I'd also have to to trim the doors about 1". Not the easiest thing to do on fiberglass!

*Hardwood/bamboo flooring:* I really like this option, but naturally it's the most expensive. I'd have a hard time justifying spending $3-4/ sq. ft for a workshop with OSB walls.

*YOU'RE SUGGESTIONS?*

I would love to hear some ideas of what worked for you in your shop!

Thanks for the input


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

Thoughtful post, SWM.

I like your analysis of each option and adding numbers to really quantify the choices. It might be helpful to extend those numbers to total cost of materials instead of per sq. ft. It makes it more "real world."

I know someone will ask, "What are you going to do in the shop?" so let it be me.

If you're going to be making lots of sawdust, my counsel is to steer away from slickness. Porch and floor enamels, for instance, are usually pretty high gloss, low friction finishes. Not good when there's even a skiff of sawdust down there.

There's another option about which I know nothing. I'll mention it and then we'll get the benefit of some Learned Ones here: What about pouring floor-leveling concrete and then rolling an epoxy finish over that? 
If it's a viable option costwise, it could be an attractive and safe solution.

Finally, regarding your sensitivity to resale value and potential buyers' impressions, I'd say a phone call to a couple of local realtors could provide good input.

Of your list, I'm leaning toward the sleepers and t&g ply for a practical solution. Consider ripping 2×6 PT in half for the sleepers. You'll spend hours with shims and levels and tubes of construction adhesive but you'll be rewarded.

My apologies for the rambling. The first mocha du jour has not been fully assimilated.


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## ClayandNancy (Feb 22, 2010)

Any type of vinyl, bamboo, and the glue down tile is going to require some type of floor leveling. Even the sleepers and plywood might need something. If you don't mind leveling then the commercial tile would probably be the best. (Shouldn't effect resale of the home). As far as plywood, easy on the feet, are you okay with sacrificing a few inches in ceiling height?


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## levan (Mar 30, 2010)

I would vote for the ply also, anything to get up off the cement, it certainly would be more user friendly. It seems like if you were to sell, it could be easily removed.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

My suggestion would be to (1) pour self leveling concrete (makes step 2 much faster and easier), (2) then lay PT sleepers, (3) install a ply floor followed by (4) a coat of epoxy and then finally (5) crack open a cold adult beverage (if you haven't already) for a job well done. Not speaking from experience, just my $0.02.


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## SWM (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for the post guys. I'll try to address some of the questions:
*
Lee: *I hope there to be lots of sawdust, but I hope to be able to vacuum/sweep easily also. The current concrete floor looks like it was brushed with a stiff broom. So it's extremely hard to sweep effectively.

I forgot to mention the epoxy/paint combo. It's pretty economical. My concern here is that every manufacturer states that the floor must be etched and cleaned with water hose or pressure washer. I simply don't have anywhere for that amount of water to go in this basement. Otherwise, I think I would just epoxy the current floor and be done with it!

Also just to clarify, we are talking about minor low/high points in the floor, nothing that would make a tablesaw sea sick!

Keep those suggestions coming!

ClayandNancy: Half of the shop has 9' ceilings, the back portion has 8'. I could lose 3-4 inches, but don't we always need more? If height wasn't an issue, I would probably build up the floor with 2×8's so I could run dust collection. Alas, that will have to wait for the dream shop in the woods.


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## grizzly1975 (Mar 18, 2011)

This summer i am going to try using a two part epoxy for my shop floor. comes with flakes to add for texture and i would imagine for looks too.Takes about 2 hours and dries in 24 hours.hope it works


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## Edziu (Jan 17, 2010)

I can add a review for a commercial vinyl tile floor. We picked it as the most economical choice- given the alternatives. It's been installed for almost a year now and I am very pleased with it. Once it was put down, it required a curing time, and then a stripping of it's factory finish. After that, we used a floor sealer/finish and put down the manufacturers required 4 coats. It's been looking good ever since.

Downside: When we're doing normal woodworking, cutting, planing, resawing, drilling- it's fine if you get some chips on the floor. No problem. But when you are doing sanding and you get a fine layer of dust on the floor, WATCH OUT- it gets slick. We talked with the folks over at the janitorial supply house about a different floor coating, and they said there was nothing else. The dust will coat the floor and act like a million little ball bearings underfoot. They told us that we just have to be diligent about sweeping up. And thats about it.


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## SWM (Jan 10, 2010)

OK, now I'm really confused. I have plain old rough concrete floor now. I've always thought that it was a real pain to clean because of its rough texture. I have really been making a push to work on making the shop a clean/safe place to work. My initial thought was that a slicker surface would cleanup easier. I didn't really consider the whole slipping issue.

I would love to just call this one in favor of the floor epoxy. However, I don't think there is anyway that I could do much more than vacuum the concrete with my 2hp dust collector. A water hose and/or pressure washer would be a bad idea because I have no where for the water to go. Absolutely now where to drain but the carpet in the next room.

I wonder if mopping the concrete and pushing the leftover dirt around a bit would work?


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

I have a wood floor for my garage and whereas it is not as durable as concrete, I love how warm it is and easy to stand on for long times without the leg pain associated with concrete.


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## Resurrected (Jan 11, 2011)

I'm going to have this problem too. i want a new floor that does not hold a lot of dust but as some have said that floor will be slick. Looking for more options.


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## widdle (Mar 10, 2010)

Im just about to do the same thing to a 2 car garage..would like to use that self leveling crete and than sheet with 3/4". but have heard bad things on the leveling compounds..any body have experience with that stuff ? Need to go 
0" to 1 1/2 " in 20 '..And than shoot down ply, worried the small amount of concrete will shatter ? Anyone have a good product ?


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

I am days away from acid etching my 3-car garage (one bay that is the wood shop). Since I have a project car in Bay 1 and the potential for a vehicle from time to time in Bay2, I cannot do what I will advise you to do. I am going to acid etch, high adhesion prime, then a coat or two of one-part water-based acrylic epoxy from Behr. The acrylic water-based are very durable, but if they ever do need a touch-up, it's a pretty straight-forward affair. No chips, thankyouverymuch. Mine will be fine.

IF your basement workshop is not also a lower level garage (meaning no cars or trucks will ever be on the surface), then my suggestion (taking all things into account… durability, non-slip, cost, re-sale, not wanting to re-surface, wanting a bit of cushion to the floor, durable) is to install a snap-lock laminate yourself over the good pad that is available. Make certain it is one of the new "hand scraped" ones. It will not be at S*m's Club for 99 cents, but you can find it for around $2 per sf. Labor costs nil… pad .25 to .35 per sf. We have it at our place of business (a Home Center store… small box if you will) where I recently took a 16D nail and bearing down as hard as I could was unable to scratch this scraped-textured stuff AT ALL. Also, even though it is snap lock… use the glue in the grooves anyway for better moisture barrier on the top seams. By the way, most snap lock laminates' warranty for commercial application requires that the glue be used for the warranty to be good. I would do this if I could.


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## ScottN (Jan 24, 2011)

I know what your going through…my floor is the same way. Sure it would be nice to just roll on some paint, but then I would have a painted rough floor. I've looked into all types of different ways I could put a decent floor in without moving everything out of my shop or pressure washing. 
As of right now ceramic tile seems to be the best choice for me right now. I see 12"x12" floor tile on sale for 99cents a tile. I haven't done anything yet but its one of my future projects and so far… ceramic tile is at the top of the list.


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## NewfieDan (Feb 24, 2011)

Check out your local reno store (HD, Lowes) they may have something other than what you listed. Up here in cacnada we can get tongue and groove tiles made out of OSB with insulation laminated to the underside. They are about 2ft square so you will need quite a few to do your whole shop.

This will give you the cushioning you want, the tongue and groove makes for a flat surface since it all locks together. the insulation will also help to make your house more energy efficient, always a good resale feature. Below is a link to what I am talking about. just copy into your web browser.

http://www.rona.ca/project/~installing-floating-modular-subfloor-system-34486_finish-basement_projects


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## mrtoasty (Jan 13, 2011)

I built a new shop a couple of years ago and used a commercial 2 part epoxy to coat the floor. Clean your floor good and acid etch it. Get someone to help you and apply the epoxy, add the colored specs that come in the kits, allow to dry the recommended time. Roll a clear coat over top of it and you will love it. It is great to clean, nothing sticks to it, and the little points from the specs create a non slip surface.

It doesn't solve the standing on concrete problem, but I use rubber pads wherever I stand a lot.

It works great and I think you will like it.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

I haven't read the other options mentioned above, but I have quite few years positive experience with the floor that I installed in my own shop. My requirements were a warm floor with some 'give' that would be easy to keep clean and not destroy any tools dropped on it. The method I chose has been used widely here in Norway for many years, for basement rooms, so it is well proven.

The floor consists of the following elements from the bottom up:

1. *Rough concrete*
2. *Dry clean sand* like the kind used in mortal. This is used to level the floor where needed. I think I used one 
89lb sack.
3. *Styrofoam platters* 2" thick to cover the entire floor with. This insulates your floor very well and gives a little
spring to it. I have been working in my shop in sub.zero temperatures since I built it and it really does the job.
4. *Plastic sheeting* to completely cover the Styrafoam. This is a fairly thick type.
4. *Chipboard flooring material *treated against moister. These connect with tongue and groove joints which are 
glued.
5.* Enamel paint*. I had epoxy on concrete in my previous shop mixed with some non-slip particles that worked
well, but hard on the legs. The enamel is just amazing stuff. I've had it for about 10 years now and it's still in 
great shape. It can be slippery (and therefore dangerous) with MDF dust on it. I'm extra careful when working
with MDF, but there is that risk. Probably a good idea to use one that is non-slip.

Styrofoam is highly ignitable and can give off poisonous gases when burned, but used under a floor and with almost no air reaching it, that isn't really a problem as the whole building would have to go up in flames to ignite it, and there would probably be plenty of other dangerous fumes anyway.

While this type of floor is allowed in Norway (which has extremely strict building codes) you should make sure your local building codes allow this type floor.

This floor was not expensive. You can see it in my workshop which is posted on my homepage.


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## bernwood (Aug 19, 2010)

Like woodworking itself, shop flooring has as many different solutions. I would not be able to stand on concrete… spent many years pounding that stuff on the job before retirement. I stood on one for 2 hrs last week and I'm still hurting. So my perfect solution for me was plywood. I dugout the bottom space of my barn and laid a 2X4 pt frame with plywood on that. I only made a crude attempt at leveling so when I was done I had a pretty good comfortable floor. I live in NH and I do have a water problem. I know there is ledge under the wood because I had to remove some of it by hand… but I laid a few layers of plastic under the PT and left the plywood unfinished so the floor could breath and dry out. It's has served me well for 10 years and I don't anticipate any problems in the future. As for height clearance. I know everybody likes it and I wish I had more, but the average height clearance floor to ceiling in my shop is 7ft. and I've managed all kinds of projects with that short space. When building a tall bookcase, I had to roll and maneuver and be careful not to hit lighting fixtures, but I managed. Dust collection system is a long stretched hose with a couple of shorter ones in corners and it works great with a remote pocket switch. Check it out on my home page… PLYWOOD


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

I've got 12" sq. VCT (vinyl composit tile) on the shop. This is the third one I've used the same product, and find that it is easy to clean, care for, and work on. You have gotta know that I'm a clean freak, so the shop stays neat. It is straightened after each day's work so there is no great collection of "gack" on the floor. Price per sq. ft. is minimal. Yes, you can engineer a mega-bucks floor, but measure the return on your investment.
Bill


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## SWM (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for all of the suggestions and words of wisdom here guys. There are some fantastic options to choose from. If you don't mind me rambling for a few minutes I have a few follow up questions:

To those that have the VCT tile. Do you have to wax/polish the tiles to keep them looking good. I don't need a show room shine, but I wonder if they are truly no maintenance.

To all the plywood/float floor suggestions: I have extremely coarse concrete floor that has a few high/low spots. I'm not overly impressed with the finish or cost of a concrete leveling material. Do you think that I could float a tongue & groove plywood floor (with glued joints) over a waterproof underlayment? I could then apply epoxy or vct tiles with minimal leveling headaches.

I would appreciate any thoughts to the above.

Thanks again LJ's!


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Did you read the leveling solution I suggested using dry mortar sand? It's dirt cheap, easy to do and it works extremely well. I have used it in the cellars of two houses plus my workshop.


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## agallant (Jul 1, 2010)

if I had concrete floors I would go epoxy but I don't so I went with VCT.


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## doordude (Mar 26, 2010)

swm and edziu, i'll might as well put my two cents in for what it's worth.I did my concrete floor with sherwin williams 2 part epoxy paint. it comes with a powder solution to etch the floor,but i rented a floor grinder for a weekend,80.00 and it did a great job of roughing the surface. this would good for swm that don't want to wash floor down.cause it's rough enough for paint to stick too. my only regret to this point is ,i didn't go far enough to get a perfect floor.the small spider cracks i filled with a concrete caulking,and the deeper cracks i put a second caulking coat.the bigger expansion joint down the middle of most garge floor slabs, i used one tube and rounded over a stick to smooth cauking and a damp rag. it looks ok,and is a groove for the water to run out of the garage if wahing machine over flows(which in 20 years,never has). anyway paint the floor (and this point is for edziu) there is aclear top coat i put on to make for a nicer job and color protection. in the very last coat a PRODUCT CALLED SHARKS TOOTH; IT IS GROUND UP GLASS,like a powder that you stir into your last coat that gives you your nonslip surface. i used a clear coat on my driveway and walk way for color stamped concrete surfaces.
you can at a paint store and the 2 part floor kit comes with little packets also.hope this sends you guys looking in another direction


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## alfied (Jul 18, 2013)

Here are really nice and most informative tips written by you. I have read your post and found it very help full for all of us. I want to say thanks to you for this great sharing. Wish you all the best.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Dri-core is specifically made for basements.  Here.


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## Bill1974 (Mar 24, 2010)

Not really knowing how significant the highs and lows are in your floor are one option that has not been mentions is to grind the floor smooth or smoother. Then you may be able to epoxy the floor, with having to acid etch it, not sure check with the epoxy floor mfg on this. If the low spots are only in a few locations, you may be able to locally put self leveling down and then grind it smooth with the surrounding areas, just be sure to use a bonding agent if called for.

It might be a bear to grind that much area, but it will not be as much water as etching.

since your floor will be mainly foot traffic, and not a car, could you get by without the acid etching?


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

In answer to your question about the composite vinyl tile (I got it back a$$wards in my original post)......
I do not wax the tile, just a damp mop to keep the dust/spots cleaned up.
It can be waxed, but you'd spend all your clean up time moving machinery around.
The CVT is also easy to replace if ya damage a tile (like when you drop your plane-Duh)
Let us know what you choose.
Bill


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

A floor's a floor. 
You've already got the antifatigue mats, so you move them if you need to clean.

Leave it alone and spend you money on something more important.

A shop vac works on any kind of floor.

Based on what you've already done, I'm guessing a floor isn't just a floor.

Go with the plywood.
Don't paint it will just wear off.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

> I would vote for the ply also, anything to get up off the cement, it certainly would be more user friendly. It seems like if you were to sell, it could be easily removed.
> 
> - levan


This is what I did when I moved. In my new shop I just took the same plywood and laid it directly on the concrete floor. I secured it down in just a few places and did not paint it. It moves a little to give me a cushion effect, yet I can roll my cart , table saw, and office type chair around with ease.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

I have used a 'floating floor' in my shop. It is a common solution for flooring in basement rooms and anywhere which has rough or smooth concrete underneath here in Norway. This is about the easiest floor to install that I can imagine. I have done my basements in 3 houses. Here are the advantages:

 Uneven concrete underneath is no problem
 The finished floor is completely insulated and I mean well insulated.
 Eliminates moisture problems (except for flooding).
 The finished floor has a little 'give' and is therefore easier on your legs.
 The floor can be roll painted any color. (enamel or two part expoxy is maybe best.
 The materials needed are relatively cheap.

Here is how it's done:


 Level the floor with dry clean sand (the type use for morter is best). This usually requires only a small amount to fill in dips. I have typically used two or three 80 lb. sacks for a room with 300s ft.
 roll out thick plastic sheeting over the leveled floor as a moisture barrier.
 put 2" platters of polystyrene on top of the plastic as an insulator. (not a fire hazard, as there will be little or no oxygen to feed any flames).
 Install tongue and groove chipboard platters on top of the polystyrene. I have use impregnated platters because they don't cost much more and if they get moist somehow they won't rot.
Paint. A paint with some grit is probably best. I have just used enamel semi gloss, but it can be very slippery with MDF sawdust on it. So if you work a lot with MDF then some paint with a little grit in it would be a lot safer.

It would be a good idea to check your building codes to make sure this type of floor would not violateand building codes in your area before you buy materials or start work on this. This type of floor is allowed here in Norway where we have extremely stiff building codes and is widely used, especially for making basement living areas.


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## MinnesotaMarty (Jan 25, 2015)

Well, here is my 2 cents:
I agree with Bondo, based on the fact that it has a rough finish I would go over it with Dricore. $1.25 to $1.50 per sq. ft. then I would seal it in some fashion for easy sweeping and cleaning. Plus it would be ready for whomever purchased your house to do whatever they wanted over the top. 
If you plan on staying in the house I would go with the sleepers and plywood option that is then stained and clear coated. There is a popular coffee shop chain that uses that exact system in there stores. Face screwed to the sleepers then plugged with a wood or metal plug, sanded, stained and clear finished. Clean, warm feeling look. They use $35 per sheet material that can be refinished or replaced if damage occurs. 
If the concrete was smooth and had a vapor barrier under the concrete the epoxy coating method is viable option. 
You can check for a vapor barrier by taping a 2'x2' piece of 4 to 6 mil poly to the concrete floor. Use duct tape on all four sides. You want to seal the plastic to the floor. After a few days pull up that plastic, if it is dry there probably is some type of vapor barrier under the concrete slab. If there is moisture on the underside of the plastic any epoxy will have a good chance of pealing off, without the use of some type of breathable primer. And then it is a 50/50 proposition. I am going to epoxy coat and urethane top coat my garage floor in the house that I just built, but I have a vapor barrier and 2" foam under the concrete with wirsbo heating tubes in the floor for heat. Just waiting for the nice weather to get here to do that. 
Good Luck on the project.


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## eebdoow (Feb 12, 2011)

Is the floating floor option strong enough for large machines like a heavy 48" X 96" cnc router or very heavy sliding table saw?

Thanks for the post


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## eebdoow (Feb 12, 2011)

Is the floating floor option strong enough for large machines like a heavy 48" X 96" cnc router or very heavy sliding table saw?

Thanks for the post


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

My table saw, which is part of a combination machine weighs about 500 libs. I also have a very heavy 18" bandsaw (not sure about the weight, but it's pretty big and heavy. I wouldn't want to try telling you how much a floating floor with polystyrene can hold, but maybe a building firm could give you an idea. It's plenty strong though. My machine don't bother it at all.


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## CopperTree (Jul 3, 2015)

I have a small renovation company and have great success with the new click together vinyl planks. As mentioned before, that stuff is tough! On rough and uneven floors I use a Mapei brand primer and self levelling floor patch. The results look great and the matte finish on these products is quite safe. The product is also quite heavy and will form to slight imperfections or spans in the slab. It's also available for under $3/sq ft. Might be a viable option for you from what I'm hearing.


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## CopperTree (Jul 3, 2015)

I have a small renovation company and have great success with the new click together vinyl planks. As mentioned before, that stuff is tough! On rough and uneven floors I use a Mapei brand primer and self levelling floor patch. The results look great and the matte finish on these products is quite safe. The product is also quite heavy and will form to slight imperfections or spans in the slab. It's also available for under $3/sq ft. Might be a viable option for you from what I'm hearing.


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## Wupper (Jun 26, 2015)

If you do Bamboo, watch and don't do a floating floor. You probably won't like it. I absolutely hate them. I like the Epoxy, it can be cured!


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## Bill1974 (Mar 24, 2010)

If epoxy paint is still on the table but the prep is the issue, then consider grinding/polishing the floor. It gives you the proper finish for the epoxy to adhere to and it gives you the chance to smooth out the floor. Also there is very little mess with a good vacuum attached to the grinder. To rent the equipment or to have someone grind it isn't too expensive either.


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