Janello Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 I just had my Pole Barn slab poured. The mason didn't do a very good job. He said he was going to do a very light broom finish, but the concrete set up on him faster than he could work and it's more like a very rough broom finish is some spots light in others. I'm not happy with it at all, and now I'm thinking of doing an epoxy over it to make it more uniform. Does anyone have epoxy on their shop floor and like it? What are other alternatives? Can I resurface it another way possibly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroDave Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 There was another earlier thread that was discussing "honing" the concrete to get this really amazing finish. I looked into it and it as indeed very nice. Not sure of the cost but other may now more details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Some kind of surface would be softer on the feet don't know what you will use it for or you budget but maybe a wood or laminate floor top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 There are probably a dozen threads on shop floors... No need to rehash here... I'll make one observation... I've always done epoxy terrazzo floors... Great looking, long-lasting, easy cleanup - but hard on the back and chisel edges... However, the wife's re-doing the kitchen, laundry, pantry, etc spaces with bamboo laminated flooring. I was rather skeptical, but after playing with some scraps, I'm convinced it would make the ultimate shop floor... This is what I’m looking at: http://www.teragren.com/products_flooring_studio.html My next goal is to somehow sneak-in 1500sqft of the stuff on her renovation project… Some sort of ‘math error’ may be in order… And maybe some ‘extra’ radiant heat kit… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted November 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Thanks for the idea, but I'm not a big fan of floating floors. I really don't like the spongy feeling of them under foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 We had our floors ground as a condition of sale. It was fairly expensive 14k for 8000 sq ft. Im sure a small shop would be much less but still pretty expensive probably as much as the slab. It doesn't sound like your concrete guy knew what he was doing. Generally small slabs are hand floated smooth with no issues. A light brush finish is no different than a driveway and the issue of drying to fast is easily cured with a garden hose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 That stinks about your concrete job. One thing I found with my building is no one wants to recommend a concrete company. My builder wouldn't do it and a guy I know that builds houses wouldn't either. I had the inside of my building have a polished finish and they did a pretty decent job. The floor is pretty flat but it does have a few dips and high spots in places but nothing bad. There are a couple of areas where the polisher chipped the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 (edited) I think bamboo would make a really good shop floor. It's hard & seems quite resistant to damage. I helped my son install it in his condo & was quite impressed. And, at least in my area, is quite cheap. To clear up any possible confusion; bamboo is a laminated product, but is not 'laminate' as in that plastic coated crap that scratches & chips if you look at it wrong. I know you don't want a floating floor, but you could glue down plywood & nail the flooring to it. The bamboo flooring I've seen isn't a floating product. It's meant to be fastened down. I don't know how the cost would compare to grinding, but I'd certainly rather have that than a concrete floor (which I have now). Edited November 28, 2014 by drzaius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted November 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 We had our floors ground as a condition of sale. It was fairly expensive 14k for 8000 sq ft. Im sure a small shop would be much less but still pretty expensive probably as much as the slab. It doesn't sound like your concrete guy knew what he was doing. Generally small slabs are hand floated smooth with no issues. A light brush finish is no different than a driveway and the issue of drying to fast is easily cured with a garden hose. You hit the nail on the head. He didn't know what he was doing, period. I suggested twice that he hit it with a light spray of water and he ignored me. By the time he got to the middle section he was trying to make a slurry and hand trowel it, but there was no way to get all the aggregate out of the slurry, so he was pushing concrete into dry concrete. He came at a cheap price, but in retrospect I'd have rather paid 1k more and had it done right. If you google up "ham and egger" you may see his picture. By the way. He was late to the job by an hour, and it took him from 8:30am to 6PM to complete a simple 840sq ft rectangle pour that I had already prepped with plastic and wire. That stinks about your concrete job. One thing I found with my building is no one wants to recommend a concrete company. My builder wouldn't do it and a guy I know that builds houses wouldn't either. I had the inside of my building have a polished finish and they did a pretty decent job. The floor is pretty flat but it does have a few dips and high spots in places but nothing bad. There are a couple of areas where the polisher chipped the surface. I seen the pictures of your floor, it makes mine look like a *%$# third grader did it. It's got some low spots but they aren't super noticable, it's more the rough finish that concerns me. I'm heavily leaning toward power washing, etching, and applying epoxy. It may take multiple coats to achieve a uniform finish now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 ==>not 'laminate' as in that plastic coated crap Good catch, i'll update the post... During my research, I found 'grades' of bamboo flooring... What's interesting is that my wife and I both did independent research and Teragren floated to the top of both lists... I then called flooring contractor we really trust to do the work.... He's been installing bamboo for years.... He tested many of the home-center-grade, mid-grade and higher-grade sources and also recommended Teragren... His test protocol was interesting: He raises/trains bird dogs and got samples from all the major players, then assembled a floor incorporating 4x4 sections of each sample in his 'dog room'... After a month, he looked for scratches, bangs, etc.. Only the Teragren remained scratch free (mostly)... ==>spongy feeling of them under foot I'm not a flooring guy, but I've been in many homes with in-floor radiant heat with wood flooring --- haven't noticed all that much spring... Someone who knows flooring will have to comment, but I suspect there are things you can do to manage the bounce... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 In floor radiant sponge.... Gypcrete. Great under many systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 I rented a concrete floor grinder when I had my shop rebuilt. The slab remained but was a little rough in places. It took a few hours to grind but created the perfect key for epoxy paint. My floor is around 30 years old though so was as hard as rock. As you've just had yours pored it may take some time to cure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted November 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 ==>not 'laminate' as in that plastic coated crap Good catch, i'll update the post... During my research, I found 'grades' of bamboo flooring... What's interesting is that my wife and I both did independend research and Teragren floated to the top of both lists... I then called flooring contractor we really trust to do the work.... He's been installing bamboo for years.... He tested many of the home-center-grade, mid-grade and higher-grade sources and also recomended Teragren... His test protocol was interesting: He raises/trains bird dogs and got samples from all the major players, then assembled a floor incorporating 4x4 sections of each sample in his 'dog room'... After a month, he looked for scratches, bangs, etc.. Only the Teragren remained scratch free (mostly)... ==>spongy feeling of them under foot I'm not a flooring guy, but I've been in many homes with in-floor radient heat with wood flooring --- haven't noticed all that much spring... Someone who knows flooring will have to comment, but I suspect there are things you can do to manage the bounce... I'm no flooring expert either, but I have installed a few floating floors. Basically, any interlocking floor, whether it be plastic laminate or real wood, that isn't glued or nailed down (neither of which I am willing to do in this shop) is considered to be a floating floor. In my experience, from the few that I installed, they all had a spongy feeling to them. They typically need a rubber pad or felt under them to eliminate any noise issues rubbing the substrate, and they are not fastened to the substrate, so no matter how you slice it, they float, and cause a spongy sensation under foot. The homes you were in likely had sleepers with gypcrete and were nailed floors or had plywood underlayment with grooves for radiant tubing with again, nailed flooring. I guarantee you you'd notice a spongy floating floor if you walked on one. All that said, I would love a wood floor, but the only acceptable way to do that (at least for me) would be to put in sleepers, T&G ply and real hard wood. Alas, that screws up entry door sill height and my in floor outlet. I'm okay with concrete and fatigue matts here and there, as that was my original intentions. I rented a concrete floor grinder when I had my shop rebuilt. The slab remained but was a little rough in places. It took a few hours to grind but created the perfect key for epoxy paint. My floor is around 30 years old though so was as hard as rock. As you've just had yours pored it may take some time to cure. I have to wait at least 30 days if I do epoxy...also has to be above 50 deg. throughout the cure process. The big question is, can I epoxy the floor in the condition it's currently in, without grinding first? I found a place to look at epoxy's near me that has a show room, gonna give them a visit next week with some pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted November 28, 2014 Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Why epoxy bad texture? Grind before the final cure and then epoxy after. Seems the best plan as much of a pain as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted November 28, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2014 Why epoxy bad texture? Grind before the final cure and then epoxy after. Seems the best plan as much of a pain as it is. Thats the thing, I don't know how much epoxy hides imperfections or a rough surface. I know you are suppose to "acid etch" first before applying epoxy, which actually makes smooth concrete rough so epoxy adheres. But to what degree roughness is proper is the question. I might be able to get away with power washing only to get it smooth enough. Think, rough concrete sidewalk finish, that's what I am up against. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 Self leveling concrete patch. Pour it on the rough areas, trowel off the high spots, then epoxy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 Have you talked with the concrete guy about making it right since you don't have the surface you wanted? The crew that did mine scratched 3 of my wainscoting panels on the porch and the owner knocked 7% off. What sucks about concrete is repairs generally aren't simple like putting a little filler in a void of wood. Good luck and I hope everything works out with you new dream shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 The areas with the rough broom texture are probably going to take a lot of coats of epoxy to smooth out. Probably be cheaper to do some grinding first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted November 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 The areas with the rough broom texture are probably going to take a lot of coats of epoxy to smooth out. Probably be cheaper to do some grinding first. I fear you are right, my friend. A few others had already mentioned this here as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cancelleri Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 I'd push back on the company that did the concrete to either grind it smooth or reimburse you the cost to have it done and then either epoxy it or put down cork flooring, it's durable, great for acoustics, and works as a good thermal barrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted November 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 There are a few problems getting this guy to fix his work. A ) I agreed to a broom finish. He said ever so light...and before he started I told him I'd rather have smooth...again he talked me out of it somehow. B ) He charged me $700. for his labor, which was a "favor" price. C ) I'm not sure I want him anywhere near my house again. D ) He is the brother inlaw of one of the owners of the company I work for. The crazy thing is, I've seen this guys work multiple times before. He used to have a large crew that did really good work. He took this job on himself with a couple "green" helpers. I guess when he ran a larger crew he had a few guys that knew what they were doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 No offense intended to a man I have never met. That said, many times it is the hired foreman who knows more than the boss. I really respect your hesitation to approach the contractor again. It will not hurt you at all to research if anyone will rent you a grinder for the day. Do that work and know that grinders are HEAVY so you need a transportation plan. This may include rental of a low trailer. Getting this right while the shop is empty or mostly empty is worth it. You will spend every hour in the shop on the floor so look at it this way. The money you saved in "favor" pricing will help provide the buffer to completing your install. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted November 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 Good advise Shaffer. The one thing I have going in my favor is the ability to borrow a rack truck with lift gate from work. I went out there this morning to look at it again, It's a must that I grind it smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 Grinding properly is a wet messy job. Make sure you cover the lower parts of your walls in plastic so as not to soak the drywall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted November 29, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 Walls aren't finished yet. I didn't even insulate yet, so now is probably the best time to get this done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.