capt.Ron

I have home on the coast that has a garage under it. The concrete looks to have been poured with sea shells as part of the aggregate in the mix. The surface is really rough and pitted. Anyone have any experience with resurfacing products? I would like to have a slick surface that I could stain and seal.
thx!!!

NJTman

Post a picture of the surface. Concrete spalling can happen when the concrete was installed in poor conditions, such as excessive water in the pour, prior to initial set. Spalling can also be caused by salts or chemicals.

You can rent a "concrete grinder" which looks like a floor buffer with square grinding stones on the bottom of it. Scarify the surface and flatten out what you can. Thoroughly clean the surface with a pressure washer, then you can apply a new surface coating to it. If you're going to skim coat the concrete with a new cementious surface, any masonry supply can provide you the correct product.

Personally I would use a "bonding agent" in the surfacing mix to ensure proper adhesion. Bonding agents are also available at your local masonry supply house. It looks like a white milky fluid in gallon jugs. Follow the instructions for prep and application to the letter, as if you want to get the best results. Once it's "skim coated" then let it cure for 28 days. Cement products require that time to fully cure, and a little longer if it's really cold outside. Cement, cannot be allowed to freeze under any circumstances in it's wet form.

After your waiting period is over, go to your local paint supply and buy a garage floor coating system. I bought mine at sherwin williams, but any good paint store will do.. It's a two part waterbased epoxy that makes a magnificent surface out of what looks like crapola. I added the colored flakes to the surface while wet, and then seal coated it with the recommended clear. My customer was ecstatic, and it still looks great 2 years down the line. Pretty much impervious to just about any chemical other than acids or paint remover.

They have different colors than the grey with speckles, so check around.



BTW, this house is on the NJ Shore......

SIXSLUG

Good advice from NJT,

Go at least 2" thick with the overlay material, we use pea gravel with Buckshot fiber in it, 6 sack...

Let cure as suggested, then finish with whatever paint/sealer/ epoxy you like..

Colo_River_Ram

Get a hold of the local Line-X shop they do floor coatings as well..

NJTman

Really ????? That would be freaking awesome !

NJTman

Under ideal conditions, yes.


With a standard garage, you wouldn't be able to do with without modification of your pull down doors, aprons, and entries into the home. Code Req. here is 4" minimum from garage floor surface to interior surface with a 90 min rated entry door. If you added 2" to the garage floor, a single 4" rise to the other floor wouldn't pass code any longer, and if you had a stair to the first floor, your first riser would be toast.

You can skim coat, but surface prep and bonding agents are a must. Even more important is to follow the manufactures installations to the letter.

capt.Ron

Eh don't really want a line-x surface. I want the stained concrete look.
CODE???? We don't need no stinking code!!!!
The rise to the next floor is actually around 10'. This is a coastal home on stilts. The garage is under the house.
Quickcrete sells this product.

SIXSLUG

I'm more the tear it up and replace it guy.

The majority of the overlays I have experience with are, well, overlays and haven't held up well over time. If you can, just overpour it with fresh concrete and hire good finishers...