Moving into a small industrial space to do some glass art and production. The easy answer for any other use of the space would be paint/vinyl garage floor style coverings. Can't do that though because if the glass falls on those types of coatings (glass hits the floor all the time) it will burn/fume.
The floor has seen many previous uses including automotive so there are motor oil splotches everywhere. It's been pressure washed by the landlord, but still looks pretty bad.
I'm going to try some dish-soap scrubbing and potentially bleach/H2O2 but don't want to ruin my chances of using some other sort of coating. (I've ready you shouldn't use acid cleaners if you're going to use and acid-stain, but don't know if that type would work in this situation)
So, does anyone know of:
- a non-flammable/meltable surface covering for floors?
- a way to renew large areas of concrete to like-new
- a stain that can take the heat and mask the other discolorations.
Thanks /diy
>>983104
Is there some reason you're doing this other than aesthetic value?
As for solutions, maybe cover the floor surface of the work area with some heavy-duty plastic tarps, and then build some kind of clay or ceramic playform on top of that? It should be heat resistant enough, and you can just smash it up when you have to vacate the industrial space.
A pressure washer with medium (like sand stuff). it's like sand blasting the shit clean.
>>983124
That's the main reason, I'll be teaching classes and having customers come in who might be spending thousands of dollars (lets hope) on the shiny things I've made there. Presentation goes a long way to those types of people. If they think I'm slumming it in my workspace, they won't as easily be able to justify the cost.
>>983126
Thanks, I have a pressure washer, unsure if it's compatible with anything non-liquid, but I'll look into it.
Acid wash.
Hey OP, sounds like you might want to look into polished concrete. Don't know about a sealer that's heat resistant but it'll give you a cleaner and industrial type look. Think floors at the home fepot.
>>983193
this guy has the right idea. only thing you gotta realize, most concrete floor coatings take 28 days to cure to their advertised performance.
but if you choose the right coating for what your doing, they will last pretty much for the life of the concrete itself
>>983198
I think you are getting mixed up.
Most concrete itself takes 28 days to cure.
Many sealants can take as little as 24 hours.
On most sealant or precautions it will tell you to "wait until concrete has fully cured (28 days) before applying".
>>983172
Don't use actual sand for pressure washing or sandblasting, it'll fuck up your lungs.
Mate the best option by far is to hire a concrete grinder to restore the concrete and then boiled linseed oil (heat resistant etc) to seal the concrete.
>>983488
This is the way to do it. A concrete resurfacing guy can do dustless grinding which will remove all the unwanted shit from the top of your slab and not trash your space with toxic dust which will get everywhere and last for years.
We had our driveway acid washed and it came out super nice. I would totally look into that!
>>983191
underated post
>>983104
>I've ready you shouldn't use acid cleaners if you're going to use and acid-stain
what
no
you might be getting confused with exposed agg
cured concrete like that is prime for an acid wash.
These people submerged broken mirror pieces in epoxy...
I'm sure there are tons of things you could do to that floor
>>983922
That not only is the stupidest floor covering I've ever seen, but it doesn't even look like that's the case. No visible epoxy on those broken mirrors. Epoxy isn't exactly crystal clear. Don't believe everything you see on Pinterest next time.
>>983193
>>983198
>>983219
I do concrete polishing for a living. Concrete fully cures at around 28 days after it's been poured. That is because concrete will shrink as the water in the mix evaporates. Since the water in the mix evaporates and the concrete changes sizes it is recomended to not install any type of flooring until it has been fully cured. This is also where you get cracks on the concrete. Sealents normally want between 6 to 24 hours to cure, polyethylene sealers are usually the ones that require 24 hours. I'd also recomend a polished concrete surface be sealed, I don't offer a warranty unless I install a sealer.
OP if you polish it it'll remove all the grease oil etc from the top however it'll still show a slight stain on the finished surface. I've had clients that have done light welding on sealed concrete without a problem, don't know about molten glass tho. If you choose to not make it too glossy/ go to a higher grit you can get it done at a very good cost, think 2-4 $/ft^2 depending on the condition of your concrete.
>>983961
I remember seeing more photos, I'm pretty sure they actually did it.
OP could just recement with a thin layer...
I've seen automotive shops with interesting floors that weren't concrete or cement..
Look around on Google images of shop floors you like and ask /diy/ what it is.
>>983967
Concrete polishing is a good option, but for the sake of people who are unfamiliar with concrete, I want to clarify the whole 28 day thing. Waiting 28 days has nothing to do with evaporation. The strength gain is from an ongoing reaction (called hydration) in which cement particles react with the water still in the mix to form a crystal matrix around the aggregate. It just takes a long time, in fact the concrete in the Hoover dam will still be hydrating in hundreds of years, just seeing very slow strength gains.
We typically say 28 days because that is when it reaches about 90% of it's possible strength, after that the wait to get appreciable strength gain gets to be absurdly long.
>>983104
dilute muriatic acid to even the suface, scrub, then laquer/eurethane for silky smooth long lasting waterproofing
>>984678
I made a concrete fireplace which i polished. Took months for it to settle on a uniform shade. Surprised me just how long the cure time is
OP Reporting back. I just went manual labor ninja on the floor and got pretty good results with about 14 hours of work.
Scrapers for gum, paint, or waxy/oily buildup above surface level. Dish detergent scrub right over the darkest stains. Pressure wash. Re-soaped and scrubbed some of the oiliest bits during pressure washing.
It's not pristine, but it's a hell of a lot better.
Looks like acid may be something I look into and then use a non-flamable sealant.
>>983967
Have you ever used BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil) as a sealant?
Everyone else here mentioning epoxy or other garage floor coverings...I'll just let you imagine what a blog of 2000 degree glass settling on that smells like.
>>984730
BLO is incredibly flammable, if you soak a shop rag in it and ball it up, it will spontaneously combust if left in the sun or in a non-room temp envrionment. I imagine 2k degree glass will set the dance floor on fire pretty quickly.
>>984684
Any pics?
>>984684
I'm referring to the concrete itself, curing won't affect the color, so that isn't what you were observing. Perhaps you put some sort of densifier on there which affected the color, or else that is just how long the surface took to dry out after being polished.
I don't know about flame-resistance, but I've seen this epoxy coating done before by a sub contractor on a job I was working on, seemed pretty easy and took just 2 days with 2 guys. Its one day to acid etch and clean the concrete, another to spread the epoxy and let it cure. They sell different colors and decorative flakes and shit for it too.
Pic related is probably the most entry-level (bought at big box stores) product you'll find but I would guess there are specialty brands that make something more suited for what you need if this exact product wouldn't work
>>983377
if he is a glassworker he will be doing thing much worse for his lungs
the number of pristine hot shop glass floors i've seen is maybe one. just make a separate gallery and sales floor area. i've been in chihuly's shop. its clean but not spotless. its cramped, small and hot. people just see molten glass and dont see much else.
