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Concrete floors: To treat or not to treat?

12 years ago

I've had some mixed advice from people on whether or not to treat my newly poured concrete floors in my converted garage/entertaining area. I love the look of the natural concrete, but many have said that I'll be cleaning up dust all the time and that I should seal it in some way. What is your experience if any?

This is the look I love and am on my way to creating something quite similar:

modern dining room design by seattle architect Pb Elemental

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Comments (4)

User
12 years ago
Homeowner applied "sealers" are pretty useless in a garage area. You want an industrial epoxy coating in clear if you like the natural concrete look. That's not cheap, but it is the only thing that will hold up to vehicle traffic and spills. If you don't mind a color, there are several DIY 2-part epoxy garage paints that work OK for light vehicle traffic.
alphonse
12 years ago
"... but many have said that I'll be cleaning up dust all the time and that I should seal it in some way."

The "dust" is concrete fines. There are a variety of sealers that will work for what sounds like mostly foot traffic. One low tech method that has a pleasant patina is paste wax cut with methylated spirits (alcohol).
One drawback to sealing, it will hamper any later adhesion of other flooring material.
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hilltop_gw
12 years ago
I'm a homeowner, not a professional so take it for what it's worth. In our farm shop we used a product called Sonneborn Kure-N-Seal. I'm sure there are other products, this one was carried/recommended by a local concrete business. It cures, seals and dust-proofs concrete. They make both a solvent base and a water based. They both leave the floor looking just like concrete. It makes the dust sweep up much easier and moisture doesn't penetrate through as easy so it dries faster. The more coats you put on the thicker the finish. In the store they had a display that they'd put many coats on and it had a glossier look, but I'd wonder if it would get slick for the floor. The solvent based is REALLY stinky and will make you loopy if you don't have open windows. The water base still stinks but not as much.

What I don't think you want: The two-part epoxies, because it's an actual coating. With it you mix two parts together and it chemically bonds to the floor. I've used it in a garage and on stairs and it works fine but it's not the look you're after. I've also used H&C solid color Concrete stain on an exterior surface, but I didn't like that because it came off after awhile. H&C does make a concrete sealer wet look but I don't know anything about it. http://www.hcconcrete.com/products/clear-sealers/concrete-wet-look/

We had our floors dyed a dark color in our farm office and the contractor put a sealant over it and then wax. I wouldn't recommend a dark surface or the wax finish because the dust shows on the dark surface and in my opinion the wax makes the dust adhere so it's difficult for me to clean it the way I'd like. Maybe it would be different with a light color floor in a house. I like to be able to scrub a floor to get it clean and you're not supposed to do that with a waxed surface.
kudzu9
12 years ago
I have a modern house with concrete floors throughout. They were finished by using concrete stain and then a clear, semi-gloss sealer was mopped on. There has never been any dust. The floors are now 10 years old and look fine. The sealer gets re-done about every 5 years.

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