SGHT@aol.com wrote:
>
> As a new list member I am not sure if this has been discussed before.
> I am fixing up an old shop with approx. 8000 sq.ft. of grease/dirt on the
> floor. Have any of you had success cleaning and painting a cement floor after
> years of heavy use? If so, what did you use to clean and what kind of paint
> did you use?
> Thanks for any help you can share.
> Sam Turner
For cleaning, rent or borrow a big commercial steam cleaner with
degreasing detergent (water base) and get about three friends with
square ended shovels. Steam, scrape, steam, scrape until it's mostly
bare concrete, then steam and brush with large stiff wire brush/brooms
until the puddles are fairly clear water. A small keg may be appropriate
- this is long, hard, dumb work.
When you are done, you'll have one or more drums of floor crud and a wet
floor. Squeegee the floor as dry as possible (you can get 30 - 48" wide
floor squeegees, like a looong wiper blade with a broom handle) and let
dry.
Follow with a dilute (6-8%) muriatic acid etch - just pour out a puddle
and slowly shove it around with the squeegee. You'll need about 5-10
gallons of 33% acid, diluted 4:1 with water (always add acid to water!!)
to make 20-40 gallons of etch. Follow with several rinses, or just hose
it off, working from the center out. Repeat a couple of times.
You should now have a clean floor with a slightly rough surface.
Depending on your budget and ideals, apply a "system" of epoxy or
urethane finishes. Airplane hangars and race shops use expensive
way-good epoxy finishes that are impervious to everything. Other
finishes are also available. Contact masonry supply places and follow
directions re: primer and finish coating. Most of this stuff is applied
with a squeegee or a roller. Most of it is so toxic as to require a
fresh air respirator until it "goes off".
Major job, but you can "eat off" the resulting surface. The finish
price/performance trade off is one of those "speed costs - how fast do
you want to go?" - type of deals. Check around your locale, looking at
hangars and race shops and get their feedback on what works.
Hope this helps
Roger
You should now
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