To seal or not to seal.........

Goose · Aug 30, 2013

Now that I have a brand new concrete floor in a 30X48 building that will eventually become a shop, my wife is bugging me to put some kind of sealer on the floor.

Is this a good idea, or not? I've heard arguments both ways.

One argument I heard against that I hadn't heard before was when I did an insurance inspection in an automotive machine shop several weeks ago. The owner does limited welding, mostly repairing engine blocks and cylinder heads, plus building up crankshaft journals to re-machine to the proper size. His argument against anything but a bare concrete floor was, with any kind of paint or sealer on the floor, if welding slag hits it the hot slag burns a hole in the sealer and destroys both the function and appearance of the sealer.

I hadn't heard that before, but it makes sense. Particularly since any shop I have will also have welding done in it sooner or later.

Any pro or con arguments about sealing or painting the floor?

Ted in NE-OH · Aug 30, 2013

Use a water based sealer.

Lou from Wi. · Aug 30, 2013

Goose, My opinion is to seal all but one small area to use for welding and any other hard work. Seal or paint the rest,as this will cut down on wear of the concrete so you wont have to resurface it later.It will also make clean up easier when sweeping or vacumming. This is what I would do,but you may not.
LOU

Mike M · Aug 30, 2013

Did they use any of the cure and seal on it right after it was poured ? If so gas eats it up and you can't top coat over it with a good coating without removing it.

David G · Aug 30, 2013

Seal it BEFORE you spill oil here and there.

redtom · Aug 30, 2013

I don't know what would work best. I work in a large Heavy euip garage for a large company. My point is, money is no object. A few years ago they had a paint program and painted the inside of the shop. They did the floors with a very expensive epoxy type paint that is impervious to everything, even brake fluid. The catch was since it was old it had to be roughed with a diamond hone thingy. It has held up amazingly well, except for a few small areas that they couldn't hone. I think it was 147k$ to do the walls and floors! I guess that is not an answer to your question. I sealed mine when it was new with some clear stuff the cement place sold. If it did anything, I can't tell.

tomNE · Aug 30, 2013

My neighbor had his sealed and if you wanna see what one looks like when it punished, drive on down. i"d vote to seal.
tom scheffert at dorchester

JD Seller · Aug 30, 2013

The first shop I did not seal the concrete. The floor was always dusty. If you spill oil on it it was there forever. The next two I sealed the concrete. The floors are much easier to keep clean. As far as weld damage. I have not had just welding cause any issues. The slag is not large enough to cause damage. Now the cutting torch is a different story. It ruins the concrete whether you have the seal or not. I always have a piece of tin I put under where the torch will throw sparks/slag.

Brad Buchanan · Aug 30, 2013

Hey Goose.

I have a large concrete floor that I want to seal to prevent oil and fluids from causing such a mess.

Old told me about water glass (sodium metasilicate) and I am going to try it. Kind of old school but it supposedly seals the concrete and actually makes the surface harder.

Will check back with a report when I try it.

Brad

M w J · Aug 30, 2013

I sealed a 50x70 2 months ago and you can sweep it a lot easier then before . You can wash it and the water beads up and runs to the sump.Oil wipes up with a rag .The only thing that might be a problem is if you get ice on it it could be slick.

Dr. Walt · Aug 30, 2013

New 20' x 20' garage floor, 2 coats of Thompson Water Seal (let dry thoroughly between coats).

Richard G. · Aug 30, 2013

I always find it hilarious when I see this topic. If you are going to work in the shop or garage, do not seal it. My shop is used every day and gets stuff rolled and dragged around all the time.
If you are only going to park rubber tired stuff in it, go ahead and seal it. My son sealed his shop and wishes he had not done it. It gets slick when it is new and you will bust your azz if it ever condenses any moister on it. After a few years, the seal has worn off, thank goodness. Here are some photos I took a few minutes ago of my WORKSHOP floor. The oil stains you see are 2 days old. I just sweep a little and in a couple of days they are almost invisible.
The one dark spot is less than a few hours old.
The scratches are what are going to happen if you have a working farm shop.
Richard in NW SC

Jaden · Aug 30, 2013

This is what I used almost 3 years ago. It is water based, so it soaks in well and is not slick. It does keep oil, etc. from soaking in.
Available from Carroll Dist. on West O in Lincoln.
You are welcome to look at my results.

Robert Major · Aug 30, 2013

Hi 3 shops I have worked in at different times had the grey painted floors, yeah it was nice to clean stuff up if it spilled on it, but get a wet machine in there or ice on ya boots melting in the winter, it was like an ice rink.

I slipped on all 3 of them!. my shop here is not painted. anything I spill gets stall dry on it, and cleaned right up.
Yes it don't look immaculate like a ford truck dealer shop, but I'd rather that than someone suing me for slipping and breaking something, or me getting hurt and being off sick.
I have heard some of the paints have a grip type sand in never tried them so don't know how good they work.
My theory is safety's better than appearance, so not gonna paint mine.
Regards Robert

Billy NY · Aug 30, 2013

NYS used to specify many of their products, if you look through the contents, you'll find a myriad of products for concrete made by this company, including dustproofers, hardners, sealers etc.
Euclid Chemical Company

Dr. Walt · Aug 31, 2013

New 20' x 20' garage floor, 2 coats of Thompson Water Seal (let dry thoroughly between coats).

Pitalplace · Aug 31, 2013

Cheap clay cat litter will suck up the oil spills and leave very few stains. I have not sealed mine and it still looks pretty good.

Texasmark1 · Aug 31, 2013

I built 2 new shops. One in 1981 which I sealed, and one in 2005 which I didn't. Can't tell the difference and if I could, what difference would it make? It's a work environment, not a dining room table.

My 2c and worth every penny you paid for it.

Mark

To seal or not to seal.........

Goose

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Ted in NE-OH

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Lou from Wi.

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Mike M

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David G

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redtom

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tomNE

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JD Seller

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Brad Buchanan

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M w J

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Dr. Walt

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Richard G.

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Jaden

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Robert Major

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Billy NY

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Dr. Walt

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Pitalplace

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Texasmark1

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