<VV> Garage Mahal Update

[Rick & Janet Norris]

Hey Boblow,
Keep in mind that no matter how impervious the coating is it won't with 
stand a tranny or diff dropped on it from any height. It will take out a 
concrete divot!
Don't ask me how I know this. Same goes for the "jiggle jugs" out of 
convertibles!

Rick "Shiney Garage Floor" Norris

> Some time ago, I solicited information and opinions from the group on 
> industrial-quality (or professional race-shop quality) garage floor 
> coatings.
>
> This because my wife and I were buying a new home and I knew that my only 
> chance to have the garage of my dreams was to do it after the closing but 
> before we moved in.
>
> I received a number of informative replies -- thank you to all.
>
> In the end, I got three quotes from three very different vendors.  One was 
> just an ordinary painting contractor who claimed to have experience with 
> industrial floor coatings.  One was a specialized industrial facilities 
> restorer.  And one was a business catering to car-guy garage owners.
>
> Interestingly, the business catering to car-guy garage owners hedged on 
> the subject of brake fluid.  Brake fluid, they said, would attack their 
> coating if not wiped up right away.  This, combined with their 
> not-the-highest-but-not-the-lowest price, knocked them out.
>
> The specialized industrial facilities restorer had what were clearly the 
> best products, but their price was twice the next lowest figure.  That 
> price put them out of reach, despite my conviction that they indeed knew 
> what they were doing.
>
> The ordinary painting contractor won, not only because he had the lowest 
> price but also because he provided informative material data sheets for 
> the products he was going to use, and because he assured me that the floor 
> would be shot-blasted before coating.
>
> A subcontractor did the shot-blasting, and he did my garage on a weekend 
> because his regular gig is blasting and polishing the floors in everything 
> from big factories to the "big-box" stores.  As it turned out he is a car 
> guy, too, with vintages Chevies, and so he took a special interest in my 
> job.  It showed.
>
> The painters then appplied three separate coats, a primer and two top 
> coats, on three consecutive days.  I then allowed a full week for curing, 
> and I am well-satisfied with the results.  My garage now has floors as 
> nice as the NASCAR shops, and it's a durable coating -- none of this 
> hardware store deck paint crap.  Even Sue oohs and aahs at it.
>
> The product was a Sherwin-Williams industrial epoxy, impervious to all the 
> nasty chemicals that might befall a garage floor, extremely 
> wear-resistant, and UV-stable as well.  This last point was important to 
> me as the new garage has sunny windows and the overhead doors face south.
>
> As with any paint job, the finished product is both a reflection of the 
> surface and only as good as the preparation.  A glass-smooth finish is 
> possible, but my older concrete floors were somewhat textured and so that 
> texture now adds a measure of grip to the floor.  Had I asked to have the 
> floor polished by the shot-blaster I could have had a mirror-smooth 
> finish, but I probably would break my hip walking around the car.
>
> I was able to choose my color from a palette of at least 90 colors.  I 
> went with a simple grey, but kept it very pale so as to further brighten 
> the garage.
>
> The first vehicle I put in on the new floor was the '64 Rampside. 
> Remarkably, the floor is so clean and bright that even without turning on 
> the lights in the garage I could see clearly all the way under the truck.
>
> A friend in my local club did his garage floor in a similar fashion about 
> 8 years ago, and his floor has held up nicely.  So I am optimistic about 
> the durability of my floors.
>
> An added bonus:  This new house has enough garage space (five bays) that I 
> am going to be able to give up the rented garage and keep all the Corvairs 
> at home!  I'm not entirely sure how I pulled this off, but somehow Sue 
> endorsed the idea of moving to a house that has fewer rooms and more 
> garages!
>
> --Bob
>
> Robert W. Marlow
> Vairtec at optonline.net _______________________________________________
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