Shop/Garage Floors

[88Racing]

Here's something to think about if you want that "clean" look for your garage or shop floor.

Certain studies are now being done on epoxy, rubberised, and plastic floor coatings. The potential hazard is that the worker and/or home owner may build up a static charge while working or walking on these surfaces.(Just like carpet)

Potential problems:
1. Explosion from working on fuel systems.
2. Arcing of circut boards.
3. Flash fires from solvents.

Some of the factors being looked @:

1. Thickness of material being used.
2. Types of shoes being worn.

Some of the proposed remedies:
1. Use of grounding straps.
2. Removal of flooring surface.
3. Reinstall floor with metal type filings intermixed in floor application.
4. Reinstall floor with anti-static rated surface.
5. Others not announced yet.

However, there are some floors on the market right now that are anti-static rated.

So maybe just concrete is the best bang for your buck.

Lars

[Caforddude]

Good info..Thanks

[kokopellimotorsports]

This is not good, my buddy just painted his. Now he will have to see if his is anti static rated.

Ty

[secondarychaos]

That's good info, thank you.
good'ole concrete has yet to fail me.

[JWBFX4]

That's good info, thank you.
good'ole concrete has yet to fail me.

x2 :whathesaid: Good find though :beers:

[88Racing]

The only reason I posted this is that the dealership that I work pt for is going through litigation with the flooring company right now.

He had 3 pcms and a diesil chip that got arced out. 1 pcm was gm the other one was toyota and the other one ford.(All confirmed by mfgs) All different techs. Thank goodness no fires. Also on cold dry mornings had problems with scan tools not working correctly.(Vehicles in shop over night)

DIY kits seem not to be a problem. Its the thick 3 to 5 part kits that pros put in that are the culprit.

Oh ya the lawyers are having fun with this one. The finger pointing has already begun.

Lars

[Power Hungry]

The anti-static rated stuff is not cheap! Edge had their manufacturing floor redone a couple years back with the anti-static flooring and it was quite expensive. Of course, not nearly as expensive as it would have been to replace damaged electronics, so it was a smart move.

For the average garage, I don't know how practical it is. One thing to keep in mind is also just how slippery the coating is when it is wet. Many of the rubberized coatings are slipper as all heck when wet and I've hit the floor hard more than a few times because of it. Even vinyl tile flooring is slippery although it seems like we had less of a static problem with that than the rubberized coating.

Just my :2cents:.

[88Racing]

Used to think it was funny to come up behind someone while they were working and "zap". But after the ordeal with the electronics and potential explosion hazard its not to cute anymore.

Most of the floors up here put a lot of grit in them to aid in the traction problem when wet.

Lars

[EddiesF150]

I'll stick to my concrete floor :2thumbs:

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It may have stains on it (ahem... from the previous owner) but it beats rolling around in the dirt!

[Jackpine]

Dang! Your garage doesn't look like you live in it! It's impossible to do any real work and keep it that neat! :D

- Jack

[Power Hungry]

A clean garage is a sign of serious mental illness! :rofl:

[88Racing]

I won't post any of mine then.

Lars

PS I hear voices in the garage "Clean me" over and over till it's done.
Naw, that's just the wife!

[ChuckD]

If my garage was clean I wouldnt be able to find anything.

[EddiesF150]

Dang! Your garage doesn't look like you live in it! It's impossible to do any real work and keep it that neat! :D

- Jack

Are you kidding? You can't even SEE the floor now! :mecry:

I've got that mustang up on jack stands, stripped down to the body, and the engine on an engine stand. Takes up ALOT of space, and while I'm gone all week at work (yes, I leave on Sunday night and get back on Friday or Saturday), the wife and kids just pile things up in there and I don't have time to clean it anymore.:shrug:

As soon as I'm cleared to lift things again by my doctor, I'm gonna be in there cleaning, though... :yesnod:

P.S. Somehow a card table wound up in there, and all my tools have migrated from my toolbox to the table top...

[jimmyv13]

If my garage was clean I wouldnt be able to find anything.

so true :thumbs up yellow:

[txarsoncop]

Our firehouse bay floor is coated with a Tnemec epoxy product. I could find out exactly which.

Company that applied it said it was most commonly used in hangars... None of the above mentioned static problems in 10 years, however it IS slicker than owl snot when wet. More than one FF has provided a little impromptu entertainment running across the bay... :hehe: I suggested adding sand when they laid it down but what do I know?

It has been absolutely impervious to LARGE amounts of brake fluids, various ff foams (very base liquids) and hot tire pickup. The sun has been murder on the exposed sections though. They should have offered the UV adder to us...

I know I'm the new guy here but, for the average garage owner I think the static issue is going to be a non-issue as it pertains to coatings, UNLESS you were parking on one of those La-Z-Guy vinyl mats or using the foam mats/pads at your workbench. I was seriously considering the mats too, I've got too much stuff to move to do the floor now...

FWIW, we've been using rubber mats on top of bare concrete, sealed concrete and the epoxied concrete for 20 years with no static problems.

For 10 years we've also been using foam mats on the epoxied concrete and never noticed a static problem.

In both instances there's always been some amount of water around whether or not that's had some effect I honestly don't know.

[88Racing]

The anti-static rated stuff is not cheap! Edge had their manufacturing floor redone a couple years back with the anti-static flooring and it was quite expensive.:.

bill,

I know not every home owner is not going to go out and purchase one of these floors.

I was just posting the info of where I work part time and what the problem was. FYI another shop in town is having the same problem. Different flooring company but same type of product different manufactorer.

As stated before the DIY kits appear safe. They are thinner applications. It's the floors with the 5-7 part apps that have the problem. They are usually up to 1/4" thick.

Small chunks of rubber to stand on appear to have no problem.
Mats to park on, no problem.

LARGE shops that want a floor coating you'd better look into it.

Lars

[txarsoncop]

bill,

As stated before the DIY kits appear safe. They are thinner applications. It's the floors with the 5-7 part apps that have the problem. They are usually up to 1/4" thick.

Small chunks of rubber to stand on appear to have no problem.
Mats to park on, no problem.

LARGE shops that want a floor coating you'd better look into it.

Lars

I can understand that, wasn't trying to be argumentative, just posting our experiences. The way the thread was heading it appeared it could scare members off of doing anything.

The Tnemec was only a 2 part epoxy and very thin. The bay however is pretty large at 80'x100'.

Now, if only the slab had been done correctly to begin with we wouldn't be looking at potholes and exposed rebar... :doh:

[88Racing]

I can understand that, wasn't trying to be argumentative, just posting our experiences. The way the thread was heading it appeared it could scare members off of doing anything.

The Tnemec was only a 2 part epoxy and very thin. The bay however is pretty large at 80'x100'.

Now, if only the slab had been done correctly to begin with we wouldn't be looking at potholes and exposed rebar... :doh:

OOPS!

Pot holes in a fire house?
Crappy concrete job!

Lars

[txarsoncop]

Yeah. Pretty sure the steel's supposed to be more than 1/4" deep! :doh:

They got in a hurry the day of the pour even though one of us pointed out that the steel wasn't gonna be deep enough. By "they" I'm referring to an ex-head of dept and ex-board pres who were "overseeing" the project.

Like putting kids in charge... :sigh: Now we may end up resurfacing the whole thing. That should be cheap.... r-i-g-h-t!

[88Racing]

bill,

I have seen a lot of those project go great. However, I have seen a lot more of them go bad! Seems like some of those guys are so book smart but when a real world application comes along they are brain dead.
More so on city, county, and commercial. States seem to be a little smarter and hire everything out most of the time.

Lars