Best flooring for detailing

[razr007]

Wow so many options out there it is hard to decide



This should get interesting the longer it goes on

[Accumulator]

I could not agree more..[that you need things like an oilo separator].. forget the cabnets and other stuff. your shop don`t need to pretty! it needs to function!!!!!

Heh heh :xyxthumbs I don`t have any fancy cabinets, and I have *zero* artwork/etc., but I spent a pretty penny on bringing my (home) shop up to commercial-shop code. Stuff like this is sorta transparent but that doesn`t mean you can just ignore it.



And yeah, I take some ribbing for not having any decoration in the shop (might decorate the office some day), but I go there to *work* and I`m only paying attention to the job at hand.

Picking out floor coatings and cabinets is a long way down the road.

Well, it *does* pay to figure out your flooring early on. I messed around with this for a while before getting my floor coating done late in the game, and it didn`t turn out nearly as well as it would have if I`d figured it all out before starting. But yeah, cabinets/etc. can always be added later...figure out the stuff that has to be done right the first time and get that done before anything else.

[JMURiz]

I would say a good epoxy flooring or just a simple clear sealer would be the best.

If money were no object you could use some tile like they have in ultra-high-end shops, but that is $$.



If you want an in-depth discussion of what to use for a detailers flooring I`d check on this site:



The Garage Journal



They have a flooring section in their forums and the guys there are VERY knowledgeable.

I would also go with a light colored floor to better reflect the light.



Bets of luck.



For-what-it`s-worth I`m just going with a clear sealer on my floor to keep the dust down.

[4AudiQ]

I had these guys pt in my floor.

3 car garage = $3300.00



Ultimate Garage Floors TM: CUSTOM CONCRETE COATINGS

Roger

I can`t seem to upload pics.

[imported_Devilsown]

I think a nice paded floor would be nice for the feet. Im in the Air Force and our tool section had a nice rubber floor that is easy on the feet.

[Richie's Custom Detailing]

If you have the means, go with Race Deck.



I have it and love it. It cleans up easily with some simple green and a stiff bristle broom.



Plus if you move you can take it with you. :chuckle:

[BobD]

Here are my thoughts from past experiences.



Do not use that textured sand stuff in the paint. The reason? It`s a HUGE pain to clean and if the floor gets wet and you want to squeegee it off you won`t be able to. You`ll always have to vacuum the floor because brooming won`t do much with that texture. Go smooth and just be careful and wear shoes made for restaurant employees for non-slip on wet surfaces.



If you go the paint route have a professional do it. Ask for references and CHECK the references and ask about their warranties. Most will warranty it for 2-3 years at least.



I`d stay away from tile if you are going to be using it a lot. Tile works great on garages that are used for weekend cars and man caves.



I`ve been thinking of having my garage floor done with epoxy but talked myself out of it. I have enough maintenance to do around the house that I don`t want the garage floor to be something I have to do every few years to keep it looking good. Personally I decided to just either leave it concrete or put a clear concrete sealer on.

[Accumulator]

Here are my thoughts from past experiences.



Do not use that textured sand stuff in the paint. The reason? It`s a HUGE pain to clean and if the floor gets wet and you want to squeegee it off you won`t be able to..

Different experience here. Noting that I have rocks-in-epoxy and not just regular paint, I don`t find the sand makes it necessary to suck up the moisture. (although, yeah, that *does* work best).



You`re right about it not squeegeeing all that well (and it does wear the squeegee something awful), but I`m able to use a fine-bristle push broom to push almost all of the water to the trench drain. The little bit of water that`s left evaporates pretty fast, even this time of year (and even after I turn the thermostat down).



I have unsanded painted concrete floors in some areas (I`m thinking esp. of the house`s sub-basement, where the floor gets wet quite often), and finding footwear that doesn`t slip on it when wet is easier said than done There`s just *no* way I could have that same floor in my shop, somebody`d break their neck in no time.



Heh heh, how often do you and I get to disagree about anything :p

[rexrock]

I have 3, 10`x22` mats 75mil thick with the raised line pattern. Works nice because water travels to the entrance of the garage (if you garage is built correctly without a drain). All you need to do is sweep it out when it collects. The bad part about the mats is that they get slippery when they are wet.