Is This a Good Idea or a Bad Idea?

16 years ago

Hello! I'm new to this forum so if this has been covered before, my apologies.

I've been toying with the idea of using a garage floor paint coating in my w/o basement which we recently had finished. The sump pump is located in this part of the basement as well. My concern is that when the electricity goes off, so does the sump pump. (We had a flash-flood in our basement once & don't want a repeat)

I don't want to take the chance of ruining any carpeting or laminate/hardwood flooring and I'm not sure we want to put money into ceramic tile as we are thinking of selling in the near future.

I've seen this product as HD. It's a Garage Floor coating, that when finished almost has an almost terrazzo-like look.

Has anyone used something like this in their basement or garage before? If so, are you happy with it? Also, is this a plus or minus for re-sell?

I'm a bit concerned as it says there's a 3 year warranty, but I think that refers more to a garage due to more wear & tear than a basement.

I'm including a link, but it doesn't really show the color range or color flecks as in the brochure which really does make it look like terrazzo.

Opinions or experience with this product would be greatly appreciated! TIA

Here is a link that might be useful: HD Garage Floor Coating

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

jerry_t
16 years ago
I have done that a few times on garage floors. It works good and fairly easy for anyone to do.

What you need though, is a sump pump that has a battery powered backup system. That would be a very wise investment for homes depending on sump pumps.

I finish basements too on occasion and part of the deal is to have the old sump pump replaced.
sweeby
16 years ago
Sorry to be negative, but I've seen that stuff on floors, and personally, can't stand it. IMO, it doesn't really look like anything except an inexpensive camoflauge for some type of unknown problem.

If you're doing it for resale, I'd greatly prefer a plain floor paint. At least then, you KNOW it's just paint. Simple, honest, know-what-you're getting paint.
Related Discussions
Big bluestem a good idea or a bad idea.
Q
Comments (7)
Both grasses are very large and pretty aggressive. Indian grass in particulare is a beautiful plant, but it seeded itself all over my garden and overwhelmed other plants. I would only recommend either of these them for real prairie restorations. For a semi-shade setting I recommend wild rye, river oats, or bottlebrush grass -- all moderately tall, with nice-looking seed heads. They will probably spread by seed, too, but I find them easy to control.
...See More
Glass Greenhouse; Good Idea or Bad Idea?
Q
Comments (8)
Yes, you can build a nice little working greenhouse from old windows. We did a 10x16 one about 15 years ago and I am still using it. Here it is in it's original configeration...All windows were wood framed salvage material. We cleaned them up, removed all old hardware. The roof windows are old double glazed, french doors. They were tempered glass. The side windows were old single glaze, storm windows. The north side did not have many windows and all solid walls were insulated. There is an automatic roof vent and a small exhaust fan on a thermostat. It is wired for electricity but I use a 50 gallon barrel filled from a hose as my water supply. I used to keep it modestly heated in the winter and covered it with a clear solar pool cover for those months.Because most of the windows were already 100 years old and the french doors were never meant to be roofing material, after a dozen years there began to be some rot. We did a major renovation of the south side roof and front wall. I found 2 used commercial skylights for $25 and bought some used modern vinyl windows from a salvage yard...a couple of them open and have screens. The building is still very useful as a greenhouse and also retains heat better now.
...See More
Enclose Formal Space to Make Office Space. Good Idea or Bad Idea?
Q
Comments (8)
I think it definitely would add value to your house because the next owner wouldn't have to go through what your going through now. I think you're right that people want more usable, functional space. Too many people think they want totally open spaces but they end up with what you have now with wasted and useless space. and in furnishing those purposeless areas, they end up with something that looks like a furniture store showroom. Boring! I agree with squaring it off and placing the French doors facing the foyer. An added benefit when finished, is you gain some wall space in your living room for a wide but not too deep statement cabinet that could hold a lot of the kids' toys and games. If you have frequent guests and need an extra bed, I like the idea of a fold-up couch or desk/bed set-up to give the room an extra function.
...See More
Insurance for iphone 7? Good Idea or Bad Idea?
Q
Comments (28)
anglo, I'm the family tech support department. My kids are grown and out of the house now, but over the years, I've "supported" Macs, iphones, ipods and the ipad. Supporting involves using them when necessary to resolve problems. I was the one who needed to set up network (not just wifi) connections to a Windows system when a kid wanted to transfer school files to the family backup system. It was nearly impossible and much too hard. I debugged update problems, user problems, other hardware and software issues. I'm also in Silicon Valley and have a closer exposure to Apple and things and people in the Apple world than people elsewhere might have. Apple makes excellent hardware and software but I would call it on a par with its competitors on other platforms, not superior to. What they do excel at is creating marketing excitement and buzz, and passing out Kool-Aid to users to make them think they are in a special place when they use Apple products and convince them their products are worth premium prices. I have nothing against Apple products and I admire the company for what it's done to get to where it is. Personally, I think their products are overrated. I really dislike the inflexibility of their stuff compared to what can be done in the PC and Android worlds and I'm happy to not have to use any of it on a regular basis. Apple customers are maybe the happiest customers I can think of (considering other consumer products) and for that, both they and the company get what they want. I'm completely understanding of that. But it's not for me. PS - I have two grand-kids under 5, both of whom use iPads from time to time. The units are in padded, bunker-like protective cases. Both were told - you have to be gentle with these. If you break it by dropping or throwing it, it will be gone and never fixed. There have been no problems.
...See More
katclaws_mo
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you both for your input.

jerry, I didn't even know they had a battery backup system. I will look into that for sure, especially now with the rainy spring weather that is coming.

sweeby, thanks for your honest opinion. I've never seen it in an actual application & that's why I was asking.
I do have carpeting in another basement room (the dry side), but wouldn't want to take the chance of water damage on the walk/out side.

Also, I wanted something that would be easy to keep clean since this room goes directly to the outside & thought this paint technique might accomplish a nice terrazzo look without the worry of damage or huge expense of ceramic tile or hardwood/laminate.

FWIW, I'm not trying to mislead anyone or raise any red flags to a potential buyer as water seepage would have to be in the seller's disclosure statement anyway.

Water seepage in the basement on a regular basis isn't the problem....losing electricity to run the sump pump is.
Guess I am back to square one again trying to figure out the best surface for a basement floor.
Thanks again, for your replies.
deucedown
16 years ago
Is that the garage floor finish that comes in a kit with the paper grafitti (didn't spell it right). I was going to buy that kit, i think it cost around a hundred dollars. I didn't do the kit because a gentleman their thought it would look girly with the speckles (paper grafitti).

Afterward I went to my uncles house, I forgot that he did this in his basement (raised ranch). After seeing his, he went with the gray floor paint, I wish I did this in my garage/office...it's heated. It gave my uncles basement floor a finished look and the paper grafitti that you sprinkle then seal over made it look more custom. My wife agreed and she said I should of done what he did!!! Figures, hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions.
Circus Peanut
16 years ago
hi Katklaws,
i can't really weigh in on the floor paint issue (although definitely post back if you've found something you like, since I want to paint my basement also) but I can pass on that there are sump pump models that run off water pressure if the electricity fails. Not sure how the pricing runs on these vs getting a spare battery back-up pump, but I am contemplating these options myself for the sump in a home i just purchased.
good luck!
mjjones453
16 years ago
It might be worth getting an appraisal to see if it is worth putting in the ceramic tile! I would imagine that you do want to get top dollar from your house. Sorry, I think I am watching to many HGTV shows!

Is This a Good Idea or a Bad Idea?

Comments (6)

jerry_t

sweeby

Related Discussions

katclaws_mo
Original Author

deucedown

Circus Peanut

mjjones453

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Is This a Good Idea or a Bad Idea?

Comments (6)

jerry_t

sweeby

Related Discussions

katclaws_moOriginal Author

deucedown

Circus Peanut

mjjones453

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

katclaws_mo
Original Author