Detroit GT Garage Mahal

[DakotaGT]

Thanks. Been told some conflicting info. I was told that polished concrete isn't very stain/scratch resistant. I would assume a good sealant would provide protection against moisture (oy, the Gulf Coast humidity) and against all but the most caustic fluids. Think it looks great, and with the added benefits of not needing any other materials, I would imagine it's also very cost effective.

I would say stain resistant, but not scratch resistant. If you go with a fairly light color though, the scratches won't show up nearly as much. I do a fair amount of work in my lower level garage, plus pull my tracked vehicle in and out, moving snowplow around, snowmobiles and trailer (and put the hitch/jack down) etc, and the scratches really show up on my dark brown/orange color. However, cleaning spills/leaks of virtually any kind are a breeze to wipe up. Overall I love it, but if you plan to actually use the garage to do work, go with a lighter color. JMO...

 

[DakotaGT]

Sorry, I was referring to stained and sealed/polished concrete.

 

[bonehead]

Thanks for the advice! My floors won't see much traffic other than going in and out with the cars. But good to know about the darker colors. My main concern was with stains from oil/fluids/tire marks, etc.

 

[DakotaGT]

No problem. The dark colors look nice, but between the scratches and the fact that it shows dust so quickly, I wish I had gone with a lighter color.

 

[BAT]

No problem. The dark colors look nice, but between the scratches and the fact that it shows dust so quickly, I wish I had gone with a lighter color.

Great looking floor. I was going back and forth with polished concrete but went in another direction. Do you find it very slippery wen wet? Did you add anything to your sealer like Shark Skin to prevent slippery conditions?

 

[jaxgt]

I have polished concrete. Mine is not at all slippery when wet. It seems relatively scratch resistant.
I had some sort of sealer put on mine, that will resist most stains if they are wiped up in short order.
Leaving a puddle of antifreeze on it for weeks on end will stain mine. I put drip trays under my old cars, in common drip locations.
Overall, I love them.

 

[DakotaGT]

Great looking floor. I was going back and forth with polished concrete but went in another direction. Do you find it very slippery wen wet? Did you add anything to your sealer like Shark Skin to prevent slippery conditions?

Thank you. No, mine isn't nearly as slippery when wet as it looks like it would be. I don't believe anything was added to the sealer, which I believe is actually a polyurethane and epoxy mix.

 

[zach05855]

I used a Hydroxy Compound sealer on my garage floor called Durmax. It is impervious to all fluids. once every few months I just wipe up any leaks and leaves no marks or indications that anything was there.

 

[bonehead]

^^Very nice, Zach! So, that's a polished concrete with a sealant?

 

[DakotaGT]

Gorgeous setup, and floor, Zach!

 

[zach05855]

No, just regular smooth finish, Used an integral buff color with a brown highlighter, then 2 coats of the Durmax.

 

[DakotaGT]

DBK, or any of you others with Garage Mahals, do you have any sort of special exhaust ventilation system for when you pull cars in/out?

 

[dbk]

Exhaust fans going in at the corners. Truth be told, wouldn't really need it if it was only Ford GTs. Problem is Ferraris. Some 458s sit for a couple weeks and it's a smoke show on start up. Extremely annoying.

 

[zach05855]

DBK, or any of you others with Garage Mahals, do you have any sort of special exhaust ventilation system for when you pull cars in/out?

Funny you should ask. I am going through this with my new garage. The county is insisting, due to the size of my garage that it is considered as a commercial garage. They are forcing me to install 3600 CFM air exchange system with CO2 sensors to control the system.

 

[Specracer]

^^^ thats insane..... You open the damn door to get the car out anyway.....

 

[zach05855]

^^^ thats insane..... You open the damn door to get the car out anyway.....

Try arguing with a civil servant. The standard for a commercial garage is that the ventilation system has to handle the exhaust of 3 cars running. My response was yes, if this was a car dealership service garage, but it's my house garage. All he would answer was that "this is the code".

The funny thing is it's a 30 car garage, in 3 seperate areas. The 7 car and 3 car area requires no ventilation at all, but the 20 is basically a wind tunnel.

My garage is 9 months behind schedule because of these morons, and WAY over budget.

 

[BAT]

Try arguing with a civil servant. The standard for a commercial garage is that the ventilation system has to handle the exhaust of 3 cars running. My response was yes, if this was a car dealership service garage, but it's my house garage. All he would answer was that "this is the code".

The funny thing is it's a 30 car garage, in 3 areas the 7 car and 3 car area requires no ventilation at all, but the 20 is basically a wind tunnel.

My garage is 9 months behind schedule because of these morons, and WAY over budget.

Haha....a 30 car garage. That. Is. Awesome.

 

[Darthvader]

Nice!

 

[Planecrazy232]

I would split the 20 car into smaller spaces to satisfy the civil servants so you don't need all that crazy ventilation and pull the walls out after C/O. Probably cost less in the long run.

 

[PILOTJPW1]

nevermind