new workshop floor

[farmgineer]

Evening all, as per the title I am laying a new workshop floor. I was wondering what people would recommend as a concrete blend? The floor will have steel mesh in it, will be 6-7 inch thick and will be powerfloated. As a workshop it will have a few chemicals knocking about, not sure yet what will be going in it, but our 15 ton steel tracked excavator has been in already... But I cant see that being a common thing and I would chuck some ply down to soften the blow on an expensive new floor.

 

[TripleSix]

I wouldn't go too mad with the powerfloat.

A floor that's too shiny will be slippery as hell once wet with water and oil.

 

[tinman]

If it was mine and depending on what the ground under the concrete was like I'd probably pour 8" of 35N with a 10mm chip, 20mm chip would give slightly stronger concrete but the 10mm is easier finished.

 

[Pond digger]

What's recommended as a final finish.... epoxy paint perhaps? Or are there additives that can be added to concrete to stop oil soaking in?

A good steel float finish makes for easy sweeping. I'd have it polished like if it wasn't going to be painted.

 

[brentnz]

Acid wash or grind and apply a densifier to the surface after the concrete has cured. Epoxy will have a limited lifespan in a farm environment, a penetrating sealer would be more appropriate I think.

 

[Deutzdx3]

Steel float then brush finish. Nice and smooth but when wet plenty of grip.

 

[jg123]

Powerfloated ours as good as possible. I know people have said about being slippy but we don't find it a problem and nice for trolley jacks and welders with casters etc

 

[tinman]

going from a power floated floor, or just a hand float if there are polished parts like you might see in power float situation they need to be acid etched to give paint a grip altho with care you could avoid that.

a wash and a sealer on it then i believe and 2 to 3 coats of an epoxy 2 pack paint, then a coat of polyurethane paint on top of it with some grit spread evenly or it ill be as slippery as snot if it sees a liquid.

i gleamed that from reading up on a painted floor for a project and the above was what folk said was a good job, altho in high traffic areas it only gives a lifespan of 10 yrs odd and its not cheap to do.
30sq mtrs here was costing about £1200 odd and do it myself, there was a cost associated with tools for it too over that price.

In the end i opted for a pvc tile 500x500x7 with a button pattern which i only laid yesterday actually but i bought it for about £1000, it suited what i wanted it for and altho its hardly cold on the ground yet im well impressed with it but its not for an area where there is hot work obviously.

 

[JohnBoy]

If you're going to be doing any heavy fabrication or as you say bringing in track machines I think paint is a waste of money. no matter how good the paint is it's going to get damaged dragging bits of steel about and look like crap fairly quickly.

A well powerfloated floor and some sort of surface treatment is what I'd do.

(in fact I did, but the builder didnt powerfloat it nearly enough and I used a cheap sealer so it needs a bit too much sweeping for my liking although that seems to have eased after a few years. Oil will stain it, but I think once you get over the first stain it's still a nicer job than torn up paint.)

 

[Steevo]

I'm not sure I'd taking a tracked machine on a floor like that at all......I'd be too scared of ruining it.