Restoring garage floor

Quite by chance, when we had our kitchen redone, I took up the old 'cushion' flooring and put it in the garage. The idea was to show the chap laying the replacement the shape to help him cut out the new stuff etc (the new layout was much the same).

While the garage floor wasn't in bad condition, like all concrete floors, it is dusty etc. The cushion floor doesn't cover it all but more than enough to be worth while (its is a double garage and the kitchen isn't small).

Oil etc just 'wipes up', much less dust when cleaning etc. No trouble with slipping etc.

I'd not suggest buying new cushion floor but, if you can get some that is being disposed of, it is worth considering.

Or carpet - sections often come up on Freecycle etc when people are relaying rooms and it works rather nicely underfoot.

I don't drive a car on to it, but old office carpet floor tiles work very well in mine, in preserving the floor.

I would sweep up the loose stuff, give a good going over with SBR, then lay self levelling on it (patching any deep holes with a SBR mortar mix if needs be first)

I painted one once. Thats stabilized it.

PVA is good too.

PVA is less good for a damp floor.

I always cycle old carpet out via the garage/workshop. When it becomes too soiled I throw it away. Much nicer to stand on than bare concrete.

Indeed, I have a strip of carpet across the back, in front of the workbench.

Avoid areas where rain from a wet car etc may drip on it or it can get oil dripped on it when doing servicing etc.

When I built a shed from scracth about 8 years ago the floor was 18mm WBP. I painted it with a water-based(!) B&Q fence gloop of a horrible colour (too lurid to be used outside). It's a bit worn arount the doorway but OK. After re-roofing the brick shed last year I used the same stuff on the sound concrete floor and so far it's OK and there's no dust. Obviously no good for poor concrete.

Many thanks for the suggestions. SBR followed by self-levelling compound looks the way to go, and not too physically taxing either!

Please report back, I've got a similar job to do later this year.

Don't hold your breath! There's lots to do before the garage floor. It's low down on the list, but I like to get an idea as to what I intend to do, well in advance.

Having looked in a bit more detail this one looks like it's beyond resuscitation and will need breaking out completely and a new floor laying :-( Can anyone suggest a hard-wearing screed that will tolerate being used as a workshop floor, preferably without needing painting to prevent dust?

Maybe you're right, but... I can't help remember one wall that was disinteg rating, stuff fell off every time it was touched. Plenty of very dilute pva later it was solid enough to refinish and serve many more years. Then ther e was another wall where the plaster had crazed into pieces, many of which were wobbling slightly. Pour dilute pva down the back of the plaster pieces and it all became a solid finish again. What have you got to lose trying s ome dilute SBR?

Concrete dusts, its the nature of the thing. Epoxy is the ultimate concrete finish. A soaking in SBR could certainly help.

NT