New Shop

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New shop we're putting up.. well more of an extension I guess you could say. Its been an on-going project for a while now and we're still not done but here is a few pic's of it along the way.
Reply:Next step is to make up the sliding door and finish pouring the floor. We are gonna smooth it off and i'm in two minds about painting the floor or not? anyone any advise on this? Obvious since its pretty small it wouldn't cost to much to do but im worried about it chipping off an then looking bad.
Reply:That's a beautiful spot you have there with some nice views. Personally I wouldn't paint the floor.   My concrete floor takes a beating and if I had painted it, it would look awful.   Peices of burning and molten metal on painted floors stink.Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Reply:There are some concrete finishes that can be applied.1st ones are already out, that would have been either in mix or throw on color. There are a number of acid stains that can be applied. Not the best picts of the floor, but an example of what can be done with stains.Stains are usually coated with a clear urethane concrete sealer. These sealers are designed specifically for use on concrete and usually need to be gotten from concrete suppliers or guys specializing in stamped or stained concrete vs home centers. It's a lot different than the paints and floor "stains" you see in Depot/Lowes etc.It soaks into the crete and doesn't leave much of a film on the top. You need to be careful because on a super troweled floor like that basement, it can become quite slick when wet. I sealed the driveway we poured at the house to prevent salt damage from road salt as well as to help resist oil and gas stains. The stuff has held up really well, though every few years it needs to be recoated as the UV breaks down the coating a bit. Between the broom finish on the drive and the light coats of sealer, we don't have any issues with it being slippery.Down side is the newer formulations of the sealers to deal with the newer low VOC compliance laws aren't anywhere near as good as the older ones were. I now the newer sealers don't hold up as well to prolonged exposures to say diesel as the original sealers we used  did.Biggest thing if you go with some sort of floor coating is prep. With a new floor it's very important that it stays pristine until you go to coat it. Any dirt, oil etc you track on will work to keep your coatings from bonding well, and chances are high that is where they will fail 1st. Most construction guys don't give any thought to new concrete and often tramp across it in muddy boots, spill paint on it or whatever. We used to go to extreme lengths to protect the floors we poured, especially when other workers and trades were on site. Erecting barriers, laying down temporary plywood floors and tarps etc to maintain a spotless surface.Also note that concrete takes a minimum of 28 days to cure. In that time it's still giving off moisture. Many coatings are moisture sensitive and applying them to damp floors is asking them to fail. Check the label to see how soon they can be applied after the pour. In some cases you may need to stay off the floor for as long as a month plus before they can be coated. Also note tarps and plywood can tend to trap moisture and increase this time on occasions..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:In the first couple of pics, that looked like the official MC Escher framing kit.  I couldn't get my head around it until I saw the finished pix.Experience is something you get right after you need it
Reply:Thanks guys my dad is a joiner/carpenter so he done most of the wood work on it. I just had to weld the angle brackets to the I beams. We built the other bigger shop that way and it's held up so far. I don't have a lot of experience in this kinda stuff but it seems to be a pretty in-expensive way to put something like this up. I didn't even know of the acid stains or the mix's you can get for the concrete. That sounds like a great idea. I painted a garage floor one time before with just regular garage floor paint and just having the cars or bikes sitting on it all the time the paint would lift up as the tyre's rolled along the ground. I'm in two minds about it still, I think it does look good and since its gonna be a brand new floor it would be possible to keep it really clean before paint. Painted floors usually help when it comes to sweeping up and keeping dust down etc but there is that thought in the back of my mind that 1 year down the line I know its gonna get beat up. Im not sure I guess i have some time to think about it.
Reply:And I was like NO way! That's very cool. You did an awesome job on that.PlasmaCam CNC cutterLathe and Band SawClamps