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I was wondering if anyone knows how to water proof concrete flooring. Is there a way to prevent cracks from happening? And is there a way to water proof it so that I can wash it without it becoming wet? And to get rid of the gritty feel that just holds in dirt? My garage floor is always filthy and you can sweep it, but it just holds dirt in all the porous holes. And you can spray it out with a hose, but it just gets messy and the soaks into the concrete and stays wet for a really long time. And it has a crack that I want to get rid of or patch and then I want to prevent new cracks from forming. Any advice would be great, thanks.
There is only two kinds of concrete-
Concrete that will crack, and
Cracked concrete.
Can you waterproof- sure. But what you want is polished concrete. After it's polished you can apply a sealer- that concrete will squeege dry in two minutes.
Repairing cracks is a no win proposition most of the time. Especially if it has displaced (one side is lower/higher than the other). Generally, the only alternative is to caulk with a concrete specific caulk.
Wow. Not good news about the cracks. It is just a slab, cheaply done is my guess. So, some questions....
1. the garage floor paint, do you need to seal it after you paint it?
2. the concrete specific caulk, can you paint or seal over it?
3. what is polished concrete?
4. is there a specific sealant for concrete?
5. what is a 2 part epoxy?
thanks.
Wow. Not good news about the cracks. It is just a slab, cheaply done is my guess. So, some questions....
1. the garage floor paint, do you need to seal it after you paint it?
NO
2. the concrete specific caulk, can you paint or seal over it?
Seal yes. Paint no. It's silicone; doesn't except paint.
3. what is polished concrete?
It's a honing process- it can be polished to the point that you can see a reflection.
4. is there a specific sealant for concrete?
Stuff like Thompsons Water Seal can be used on concrete- but I don't recommend it.
5. what is a 2 part epoxy?
Two part epoxy is just that- 2 parts. You mix them together and they create a strong bond. You have limited working time with epoxy. There is also concrete stain. Stain is the preferred material for garages because it won't lift from hot tires like epoxy does.
thanks.
When I built a model home I had the painter paint the floor of the unfinished areas of the basement with concrete stain. He did two coats heavy. It definitely made keeping the floor clean easy. The cleaning crew would go through with a wide dust mop- not bad for unfinished basement.
So does anyone suggest painting the concrete or staining the concrete? Which is less messy or less time consuming?
The results I would like are to color it something other than the normal gray that it is and to water proof it so if I spill a drink or something I can clean it up easy and dry it with a paper towel or something and not have to worry about mold or wetness plus if it is really humid out I don't want the floor to be wetish, and then I would like something that I can clean easily, keeping dust and dirt and such off easily without it going into all those pores of unfinished concrete. Thanks.
I like the two part epoxy paint, comes in all colors. Either way you will need to repair the cracks. Shows up less with the epoxy. A web like material glued across the cracks.
A bit of sand or grit is mixed in with the epoxy to give you grip. It is very slick without the grit.
With the epoxy any spills can be picked up with a napkin. Park a old VW on it and the oil can be removed with the same napkin, no stains afterwards.
Last edited by ferretkona; 04-22-2010 at 03:40 PM..
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