Garage Question
 

Hey guys. I am fixing up my sister's 1 1/2 car garage so that I can use it to work on my '56. It is a good arrangement, I get to use a garage that they don't, and they get a nicer garage. New wiring (previous owner did some funky stuff, including using indoor wiring to run line between the house and the garage), outlets, and lights are going in along with installing a separate breaker box, insulation, drywall, and arranging some storage areas. Not getting 220 though :( . I don't need it at this point, and they never will.

Anyway, I would like to do something with the floor to make it easier to keep clean, once I fix the cracks and stuff in it. I have been looking at the epoxy floor coatings, but haven't heard much about the durability of it. My main concern being how it would hold up to sparks from welding and chemicals like paint stripper. Anybody have any experience with this? Should I just seal it instead?

Any thoughts (on the floor or even the garage in general) would be great :) . Thanks guys.

David

I thouht you were going for an electrical question. I could have helped. I don't know about the floors though. :(

two part epoxy is the way to go
but you must etch the floor with muratic acid to clean it and provide a good surface for adhesion.

Rustoleum Epoxy Shield is what I have been looking at. Any experience with this product? Once it is cured, does it hold up well to heat and chemicals?

David

Here is a kind of an electrical question for you ;) . Any experience with THESE heaters? The garage is only about 350sq.ft. if I remember correctly, do you think a couple of these would keep it comfortable during the winter?

David

I used Rustoleum in my garage and it burns/spots from welding spatter and grass stains from the wheels of my lawn tractor. Chemicals don't seem to touch it at all (gas, brake fluid, trans or oil, acetone, etc). Tires seem to grind in the dirt. Even after spot scrubbing and mopping the floor it's not all gone. Recommend going up to a comercial or pro-sumer level product if the budget allows.

I use a welding blanket on the floor - and build a shed for all that damn lawn equipment - more room for parts, benders, welding gear, etc. :lol:

Jim

I have not installed those exact ones per say, but looking at the electrical requirements, it don't look like it heats up a large area very well and takes between 9 to 13 amps to do it. Best thing to do with any heater in a garage area is to dedicated the 12-2 wire to the panel, with a GFCI plug or GFCI breaker. A lot of fires in houses are started with space heaters that are plugged in to improper areas or old wiring. I might get one that has built in safety features. Might really save you in the long run.

I used the rustoleum stuff on my garage floor. Pretty much anything cleans off. I have no problem with tire marks or grass stains staying in it. It does burn with welding/grinding but all floor coatings will. I used the flecks in it and any small marks are almost impossible to see.

It is alot tougher than I thought it would be. I dragged a dana 60 across it and though for sure it would peel it up but it barely left a mark!

Prep is the main thing. clean, clean, clean then acid prep and rinse really good then let it dry really good.

Floor Finish
 

Check out Precision Epoxy Products at www.precisionepoxy.com. I think I'm going to use this system in my garage.

I have the BEHR 1 part on my floor. Biggest waste of time and money I've ever made! I put 4-5 coats on it plus 2 coats of clear with the anti skid crap in it on top of a good etched floor. It held up ok for a few months. Then I decided to hose the garage out real good. Any standing water will just peel it right up. Welding or grinding sparks.. forget it! It does not hold up to any form of moisture period!

It's not rustoleum but.. it's my experience with floor paint.

Josh

get right now over to http://garagejournal.com/
the forum has everything you wanted to know and lots you dont by that i mean guys with garages that look like museums.
there is a whole sticky about floors just about everything is covered check it out.

Thanks for the input and links guys. I will have to look around. What kind of heaters are you guys using in your garages? I would prefer something that can be mounted up high, because my sister has two kids. Any suggestions? Thanks again :thumbsup: :yes: .

David

Heater
 

Hot Dawg. Made by Modine. Nice quality. Check on the web.

Hot Dawg by Modine too.

Jim

That Hot Dawg would be over kill, an awsome heater, but it would absolutely kill my budget and also there is no gas running to the garage. I will definitely keep them in mind for when my wife and I get our own house/garage though. Right now I am really just looking for an electric heater.

This Dayton G73
seems like it would be kind of overkill too, but it seems pretty close to what I am looking for. It is kind of expensive, but not terrible when I consider that I would have to get 2 or 3 of the other heaters I have looked at. Any thoughts or experiences on this heater?

David

All the comments about floor prep are on the money. I used u-coat-it with gloss coat and am very happy with it. Really brightened up the place.