Epoxy Floor Makeover | With a Shop Full of Tools!

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If you have concrete as ugly as mine, and epoxy floor makeover might be just what the doctor ordered. My Denver, CO shop has concrete floors that have moved quite a bit over the years and as a result it developed high spots and cracks that became trip hazards. My brother in law Jay rented a diamond grinder and took down the most offensive spots, but what was left was an ugly mess of a floor. So I decided it was time to apply an epoxy floor coating.
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[@SpencleyDesignCo]

I would 100% let the pros do this one! Nice work, Marc!

[@wb_finewoodworking]

I’m one of those who epoxied my own brand new shop/garage floor and it’s doing great after twelve years. I had the luxury of new floors with no stains and my tools were not moved in until about a month after the epoxy went down. I fully agree - It is a crappy job. Even with my wife’s help on cutting around the edge and the cuts it took the better part of a whole day to do 960 sq ft. The only reason we did the job was after we had the building built, insulated, had drywall installed etc. we just couldn’t afford the $5000 or more it would have cost to have it done. You were very smart leaving the job to the professionals.

[@slksol]

Ahh the joys of living on a glacial plain. I live in the Canadian Denver. Testing for Radon now and my husband is aware if we get a bad reading we are ripping up the flooring and epoxying the entire basement plus mitigation... and get the garage shop done while we're at it.

[@Sprint15s]

Looks awesome. You stated every perfect reason to hire the pros for this job!

[@rfphicks]

Those black mats are also great at absorbing impact if you drop a tool. Really improves the chances of your block plane staying in one piece!

[@lwleedy]

I had my Garage floor done, almost the same colors as you have. It really makes the place look better. And the only complaint is trying to find nails, screws, etc that I drop. I rented a Pod and still had to store my Sawstop and DeLorean at my neighbors. We moved everything hot water heater, washer, dryer etc. I also stripped all the walls and patched the drywall and repainted the walls and celing. It made a big difference I really like it

[@ramachandran8666]

Just the kind of content I appreciate as this is not only very informative but soooo relevant to the situation in my humble shop as well. You showing every detail of how you managed to make working space in a rather large (and enviable) shop area full of heavy tools to allow the entire shop to be finished with epoxy is priceless. For all the reasons you mentioned, I will not contemplate doing an epoxy coat in my shop as a DIY project. Thanks again for such excellent and valuable content for us less enlightened shop junkies

[@travis7500]

You mentioned that your finishing process has changed, and that you use fewer finishes these days. I think an update to your previous finishing videos is in order! I'm curious as to what you've found works the best through the years.

[@LucasHartmann]

Wave a flashlight sideways very close to the ground, the enlarged dancing shadows will tell you where your screws went.

[@rwind656]

That was interesting. I've never looked at epoxy floors. Thanks for not dragging it out, may I say I thought that was a good pace and well worth watching.

[@ThomasCustomWoodworks]

It looks awesome and makes me want to do it eventually in my shop. Thanks for sharing!

[@WoodcraftBySuman]

Its so satisfying watching things made more neat, clean, and shiny! Light reflection is a great tip - I had not considered that!

[@clarkhussey5865]

As a former epoxy floor contractor, they did a great job. As you said the most important step is mechanically grinding the floor. Polyaspartic without a respirator is nasty. Definitely a good contact buzz. Plus when you do an acid etch you have to wait for the concrete to throughly dry. Check the mats often. Make sure they are not adhering to the polyaspartic.

[@briangoulet8039]

Amen! I’ve done this before in an old shop I had and it was pretty grueling. It’s all I could afford at the time so that’s what I did and it was better than nothing, but it still wasn’t cheap or easy or fun. Glad to see you have a little nicer surface

[@sureshot311]

This is a fantastic addition to a shop I'd never think of. It looks incredible. Nice upgrade!

[@redgti81]

The Laguna table saws also have integrated mobile bases. Works great, I love my Fusion F3.

[@jackknows6509]

Looks great and well done. Glad it worked out for you.

[@JTCUAMS]

“This thing called gravity”. Yeah that Newton guy was a real jerk. Although his fig cookies almost make up for it.

[@TonyStyx1]

Looks awesome! I'd love to get this done in my home garage someday.

[@darrylbrook5968]

Awesome result and choices, yes always a better choice if pros are available for the overall job.

[@StinsonBlueWagon]

I had an epoxy floor put in my garage. Expensive but it worth it. Yours looks great. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

[@_P0tat07_]

That looks awesome! They did a fantastic job. Also, reorganizing the shop layout is always an exciting process. Finding optimal places to put stuff just feels really good/satisfying.

[@kevinxxx1387]

Thank you, Mark. I found this very interesting and helpful. For the reasons you mention, I'm interested only in a professional application, and this video was very informative.

[@sgsax]

I've been wanting to do this in my own garage for a while now. I'm keeping it on the long-term plan. Looks great! I'm fairly confident in my DIY abilities, but I'd much rather have a pro do this kind of thing for me. Thanks for sharing!

[@ryankrienselokker6635]

Looks awesome! I’ve been contemplating doing the same thing in my shop

[@b3arwithm3]

This is a huge garage!

[@derekjarman1638]

Floor looks great!

[@rickmasten6409]

looks great!!! I understand having the Pros do the job and I only guess it comes with some sort of warranty always a plus .

[@woodwhisperer]

Yeah the warranty is a huge factor.

[@dallasrtucker]

@@woodwhisperer Yes ... what kind of warranty came with it?

[@samposton9101]

Looks great Marc!

[@aaroncashion7570]

I just want more break dancing. Could not agree more Marc. Zero interest in doing this myself. Thanks for sharing.

[@pmacedo6778]

Nice! Congratulations 🍾

[@glencrandall7051]

Great looking floor. I wouldn't do that job either. Definitely something left to the pros. Thank you for sharing. Have a great 2021 and stay healthy.

[@doingityourself1336]

Looks great. I recently did my own floors and taped up the door frame as you did - the smell still found its way upstairs, next time I'm taking a vacation!

[@befmx31]

Looks really good.

[@ForestWoodworks]

I like it a lot! Thanks for the production effort on there video too.

[@beverleythomas5708]

If you lay out about 4 large buckets of water in the room that has been painted or treated, somehow the water absorbs most, if not all of the smell overnight. Not sure how or why, but I have found it to work wonders in a freshly painted room here in the tropics. Greetings from Guyana.

[@GaryNorton_C]

Pro's did my basement and garage in 2001 it still looks good today, you will love it.

[@giovannipetitti1588]

great job congratulations it's a really nice color 💯👍

[@Mike.DeNinno]

Looks fantastic. My Sawstop has an integrated mobile base.

[@campbellmatt1]

Technically it's not integrated since we have to add it on after the fact.

[@arimadx]

My father in law is part owner in a wood flooring company and recently just bought all the tools to start doing epoxy floors. Hes doing ours for free and I couldn't be more excited! Only problem is the all my tools/machines/work bench arent on wheels and it's only a 2 car garage so I havent quite figured out what I'm going to do to get everything out of the way. Lol

[@Coolride1000]

Looks great.

[@briannelson605]

Looks nice!

[@marcgrayner]

My table saw (LAGUNA Fuzion (original model)) has wheels built into the base that can be raised or lowered to make moving around the shop easy. I don’t use it much but when I do need it, it comes in real handy.

[@alanbosma2159]

Looks great!

[@speedrrracer]

Would have been interesting to measure the ambient light levels at various points in the shop before and after, and verify if the new flooring actually makes it brighter, and by how much

[@user-dt9fo9cy8b]

My Laguna Fusion table saw has built in casters, too. Same as Powermatic

[@SteelBladeWoodworks]

Looks great!!!

[@josephawatson]

I have a theory that screws that either drop in a spot thats visible immediately or in a parallel universe never to be seen again, like socks in a dryer.

[@normgraham6658]

and 10mm sockets....

[@doubledarefan]

And Sharpie pens.

[@andresfelipemoscosohernand2371]

For some reason I always thought this process was a lot more expensive. Definitely worth getting it done by a pro. Thanks for sharing!

[@jl9782]

I did my own with a kit from home depot and its been strong and still looks good 5 years later. I dont think a pro is the only option depending on senerio

[@magnus2230]

@@jl9782 Did you grind or etch? Do you remember the brand? You can rent a big grinder from HD....Considering DIY for my ~500sq.ft.

[@jl9782]

@@magnus2230 etch

[@SwallowForge]

Looks great and Is very practical. I wish i had the possibility to do that in my industrial unit. Oh well, its due a big clear up soon. As ever, you are quite the inspiration. Thanks Marc.

[@nealbecker6075]

Thumbs up just for the opening :)

[@Badaim117]

Looks great Marc! They made it look easy! I went DIY with epoxycoat last year to save on cost. Overall, it looks good... but I have had issues with sawdust "staining" the coating. Hope you don't run into the same issue. I believe it is the anti-slip material that is actually being stained, so I plan to sand my top coat down and re-apply a more durable polyurethane topcoat with no anti-slip material. I'm hoping that solves my issue!

[@opichocal]

I’ve coated my garage floor twice. I can say the crap Home Depot sells is a complete waste of time and money. One week later the tires started peeling up the epoxy. Then I ground down the whole floor and used the best epoxy and clear coat that Sherwin Williams sells. Materials were about $500. I’m really hard on floors and it’s holding up well. One tip is don’t let any acid or chemicals near the epoxy. It will damage and eat through the paint.

[@bigguix]

super jealous of your shop !! (that focus tho!!)

[@incognitotorpedo42]

I DIY'd my garage long ago. Best thing I ever did in there, but God did it stink! An organic vapor respirator was a must. I didn't grind, and don't remember etching, and didn't have adhesion problems except in one area where there was oil on the floor. It's been almost thirty years, and is starting to look tired. I'd love to see it done again, but the thought of moving all my crap is too much. If the space was empty, I'd do it myself again.

[@nicwatson1225]

My ($550ish) Delta tablesaw has a integrated mobile base 1 side has a push down caster and 2 stationary... Thats how I sweet talked the wife. "If I need to move it to work on your car." Lol

[@stannisthemannis4199]

Hey, I’m actually playing assassin creed black flag while watching and then i noticed the flag at 8:36, amazing.

[@Wordsnwood]

DIY your floor coating? That's nuts, right Matt Cremona? 😁

[@powder749]

SHOTS FIRED!

[@MCsCreations]

Pretty interesting process, dude! And it looks beautiful! 😃 My workspace was built recently and we used big tiles... I don't know the correct name in English, but it cleans pretty easily as well! 😊 Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@owendukes145]

The space looks a lot more professional

[@tchiksguitars]

You've got a like, but that's only because of the.break dance move !!

[@visigoth4602]

I had a similar multiple part coating done in my garage and really like it. Super durable so far. One downside for me that I've found is due to parking the car in the garage water now doesn't have the ability to soak into the concrete. So have had to put down mats around the car to soak up any rain/snow melt runoff.

[@woodwhisperer]

Yeah I guess being waterproof has some pros and cons. Thankfully, our cars stay in the driveway where they belong. ;)

[@fosteredwoodworks]

That looks great. I've been debating doing this on my garage floor but the smell is what has deterred me. Also, can we get more of these dancing videos? Nicely done haha

[@hutchabodefarms126]

Laguna F3 Table Saw has integrated mobile wheels.

[@cidercreekranch]

The Ryobi TS3650 has built in mobility. Though it's a contractor type saw.

[@tekviper9]

hmmmm use a pod and build a temp ramp food for thought. Thanks for sharing,

[@rfguy8499]

Good call on not doing it yourself. Diamond grinding the concrete beforehand is required to get good adhesion as I understand it. By the way, those "rocks and things" you mentioned in the beginning of the video are what is known as "aggregate". Looks fantastic.

[@randyrodriguez4643]

I went one better, and bought a house that already had an epoxy garage floor. :D Looks great, Marc.

[@woodwhisperer]

Now that's the smart way to do it! :)

[@philshock3805]

@@woodwhisperer How much do you want... and when can you be out? :)

[@Angus565]

My motto is ‘Why do it yourself, when you can pay someone else to do it’ ?( they’ll do it faster, cheaper & can deal with the “what if’s “ better.

[@holdemNE1]

Something like this Pro's do in a week, we do in a month. Enjoy your new floor.

[@MrYanngo]

I have a small garage workshop. Was a similar situation initially. I opted for a porcelain tile flooring that I did myself. Toughest kind of flooring and cost me total 500$ cad by doing it myself. Epoxy would have cost me more than 2000$ for a pro job. Don't know what it's worth about radon, though.

[@jackgetzler3451]

My Ridge table saw that I brought in '97 has a mobile system

[@robertbamford8266]

Good information. Grinding and specialty epoxy and finishes! Happy to let the pros do it. Although I like the idea of a (big) pod. Did you pay a premium to spread the work over two complete cycles? Thanks for the video.

[@bradmeacham6982]

Hummm... Dropped screws, nails, hardware. Get thee a "mettle picker upper". AKA a magnetic pickup! I use and extendable one in my shop a lot. Even if you don't k now exactly where the thing-a-ma-bob went, you can just go fishing for it with the magnetic pickup.

[@etwoodworks]

Looks great! Wondering about floor leveling. Was your floor already level? Was that a consideration?

[@jonfarrell9053]

I’m a diy on about everything but there are plenty of large jobs that’s just better to pay a professional crew to do it rather than mess something up on such a large and expensive scale. Floor looks great

[@andrewbrown8148]

That's a great look~! I'd love to do my shop, but 1300 sq. feet would break the bank. I'll have to see what kind of rates are available here in GA. Thanks Marc~!

[@Bhupendra_Bharat]

Nice bro 👌👌👌

[@woodwhisperer]

Thanks ✌️

[@paulpennington816]

Floor looks Great 😊. I have seen the floor kits done by home owners and they don’t last or look as good as your floor!

[@thewoodlesworkshop.157]

This is a rework ...? It was awesome. :)

[@brading84]

Looks really good, I’d like to do that to my garage, did the grinding help with any leveling issues ? I have some uneven spots in my slab

[@woodwhisperer]

The grinding they did was just at the surface. Most of my high spots were already ground last year.

[@DARTHPLATITUDE]

Break dancing......... noice

[@cziizi]

I'd be interested to see how long it lasts. how well it stands up to traffic. i guess that would be a subject of another video, faaaaaar in the future.

[@harleywood9588]

The Laguna Fusion 2 & 3 has an integrated mobile solution

[@johnnymontipora9656]

But is it the gold standard?

[@wgustavus]

I did not see in the comments and could not tell from the video if you did anything special to create the 2 halves to apply the epoxy. Did you create a dam or any other barrier to keep them separate during the process? Also, how did you find the pros to do the job? Thanks.

[@mikegallagher782]

Looks great Marc thanks for sharing. Did the cracks in the old concrete reflect through in the new epoxy? It was hard to tell from the video.

[@woodwhisperer]

Not that I can see. It leveled out really nicely.

[@magnus2230]

@@woodwhisperer How thick do you think the epoxy layer is? I aso wonder about the expansion loints and future cracking., though in an older floor it has probably settled/cracked/expanded as much as it will....

[@m.renner9650]

Laguna saws have built in wheels

[@crmcbrideww]

To the people who can't understand paying someone to do this job when you can do it yourself... When you're a small business you have to not only think about saving money but also how much you would lose by taking the time to be away from your business. I bet Marc would make more in those 4 days from working on marketing, than he would saved from taking off those days off to do the project. Coupled that with having actual professional do it, makes a lot of sense!

[@shockjock35]

He could also write off as a business expense.

[@jaymzx0]

This, so much. Time is money. There's a reason why you don't see the owner of a delivery company out there changing the oil in the trucks themselves. It's a low-value return for the time spent. As you mentioned, there are better things he can do with the time while his shop is unavailable. As soon as this floor was done, Marc was back to making an income by recording videos for us to enjoy. In fact, I hope this video (and our pleasing of The Algorithm™ by liking and commenting) alone pays for his floor. Worth it.

[@joshwilkie8370]

Floor looks gteat. The Ridgid r4512 (and 4520) has integrated, drop-down casters. Its no Powermatic but its nice.

[@AlexSwavely]

Sawstop has it as an option.

[@j316finewoodworking6]

Beautiful...congrats... Question if ya have time...how do I get my name out there? I have only been Woodworking for a couple yrs and nov 2019 business boomed...I was selling on Twitter until the purge on Jan 6...now...nothing. any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance

[@tundrawhisperer4821]

Hi Mark, Which blast gate system are you using? Thx

[@woodwhisperer]

iVac

[@davefundingsland9870]

I was surprised to see you lift your jointer by the infeed and outfeed tables. Did you have to recalibrate them when you moved them back?

[@woodwhisperer]

Nope. Certainly not the most ideal way to lift the jointer but if the jointer holds its settings well it shouldn't be an issue.

[@cheryldawkins7486]

What is that banner/ print on the ceiling?

[@scottroy6195]

george costanza pose

[@janeblogs324]

Total cost and size?

[@JeffreyMoon1974]

Thank you for posting this. I have considered this for my garage floor and if the price point is comparable here in New England, then I may consider having this done professionally as well. Doing it yourself might save some money, but how much is your time worth?

[@bearlywood9451]

I sure hope they didn’t make the floor like sandpaper with the grit they added to the topcoat. When one of my former employers had the entire factory done the finish was horrible. Impossible to move anything without a crane or wheels and whenever something spilled, well forget cleaning it up because it stains immediately due to having too grippy of a surface. It just lets all the gtinding dust and liquid spills accumulate and look worse than the original floor. Another former employer had the new testing are done and it was great - not slippery and cleaned up easily with a scrubber daily.

[@miningbruno]

How big is Mark's shop? That is a very large space, for a home annex.

[@gms8994]

I think he's said it's a 3-car garage converted? I could be wrong, though.

[@miningbruno]

@@gms8994 seems wider, 3-tractor is more like it (and off to the side there appear to be no garage doors); still curious about the overall dimensions though.

[@ardemus]

I spent the last few minutes of the video staring at the toe kicks on the furniture behind you, trying to figure out what I'm seeing. It looks like the furniture was pushed across wet flooring and totally mushroomed the finish up around the wood, which makes no sense. It could be damage to the furniture, but you make nice hardwood stuff so the edge probably isn't a ragged mess. You also just totally cleared out and cleaned the floor, so their shouldn't be any debris, but debris is the only thing that makes any sense at all. What is that floor coloured debris around the furniture toe kicks?

[@woodwhisperer]

The cabinets were not removed for the epoxy so the epoxy goes up to the edge.

[@wojciech_migda]

It is not the cross ventilation...you either got accustomed to the smell, or it "killed" all your smelling nerves or you got (let's hope not) covid ;-). But honestly a beautiful floor!!!

[@shumakerwoodworking4093]

Did I spy the new iso tunes link on your bench?

[@woodwhisperer]

Yup

[@shumakerwoodworking4093]

@@woodwhisperer how do you like them? I thought they fit great but I wished the volume level could be louder. I guess I’m used to Apple sound 😂

[@woodwhisperer]

I like them well enough. Volume is ok for my ears. Comfortable and good battery life.