# Garage concrete mess



## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Have had a longstanding issue with the concrete in my garage

Basically it keeps dusting, and is always chalky no matter what. Better in some areas than others but I put paint down on it thinking it'd stop it but nope, the paint just comes off with a very fine layer of concrete dust on it.

Obviously seems to go everywhere too, like car mats, in the house etc

Any idea how to solve this? Im in half minds just to layer it with tarmac or asphalt flooring tbh

Thanks


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## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

Have you tried concrete sealer on it.


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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

Rayaan said:


> Have had a longstanding issue with the concrete in my garage
> 
> Basically it keeps dusting, and is always chalky no matter what. Better in some areas than others but I put paint down on it thinking it'd stop it but nope, the paint just comes off with a very fine layer of concrete dust on it.
> 
> ...


You need to use a concrete sealant before painting. Can you go with that rubberised floor paint instead?


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## N58amx (Mar 7, 2018)

Rayaan said:


> Have had a longstanding issue with the concrete in my garage
> 
> Basically it keeps dusting, and is always chalky no matter what. Better in some areas than others but I put paint down on it thinking it'd stop it but nope, the paint just comes off with a very fine layer of concrete dust on it.
> 
> ...


That will be surfsce laitance in your concrete.
Grind it off brfore painting and job will be a good en.
Not sure of the size of your floor?

But you could use a sander , or grab a locsl floor layer, with a buffing machine
Will take him all of 10 minutes if he has the right gear


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## Chrislazski (Apr 21, 2015)

https://www.promain.co.uk/floor-pai...or-paint/acrylic-water-based-floor-paint.html

how about this ^^^

Looks like the concrete doesn't need to be acid etched or sanded when using it


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

Chrislazski said:


> https://www.promain.co.uk/floor-pai...or-paint/acrylic-water-based-floor-paint.html
> 
> how about this ^^^
> 
> Looks like the concrete doesn't need to be acid etched or sanded when using it


But it does say "Ensure the surfaces to be painted are clean dry and free from dust, " - which is the OP's problem?


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

The floor is 35m2

The paint actually said to thin down with white spirit for the first coat to seal the concrete and then paint neat for second coat

Problem being it keeps dusting no matter what so do I need to use a dedicated concrete sealer after removing the paint?


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

No, you need to remove the weak laitance layer until you are down to solid concrete. To do anything else simply means you will continue to have the finish fail as the weak surface continues to break up/dust. You always get this effect with concrete, my garage floor was poured more than 10 years ago and still has sections affected by laitance. In my case I’ve been putting off dealing with it simply as it means emptying it (or at least half of it) then acid etching/washing to remove the last of the weak layer, only then can I think about epoxy floor coating. 

In my house I used liquid (anhydrite) screed and this also had a laitance layer which I removed mechanically (scraping) before it could be tiled, so mechanical abrasion can also be used (as described above by a previous poster) but this can create a lot of mess.

The end result is all down to the prep, and unfortunately there are no short cuts if you want a lasting finish.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

shl-kelso said:


> No, you need to remove the weak laitance layer until you are down to solid concrete. To do anything else simply means you will continue to have the finish fail as the weak surface continues to break up/dust. You always get this effect with concrete, my garage floor was poured more than 10 years ago and still has sections affected by laitance. In my case I've been putting off dealing with it simply as it means emptying it (or at least half of it) then acid etching/washing to remove the last of the weak layer, only then can I think about epoxy floor coating.
> 
> In my house I used liquid (anhydrite) screed and this also had a laitance layer which I removed mechanically (scraping) before it could be tiled, so mechanical abrasion can also be used (as described above by a previous poster) but this can create a lot of mess.
> 
> The end result is all down to the prep, and unfortunately there are no short cuts if you want a lasting finish.


I agree this is what is putting me off also

There is a lot of it from what I can tell so it seems like i just have to cope with it or put something on top to prevent the dust actually coming up


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

Probably best to think about interlocking rubber/PVC floor tiles as these will give a good finish without needing to treat the floor first.


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## crash486 (Apr 6, 2015)

I've seen good results from a concrete densifier but horses for courses. Good article here -> https://allgaragefloors.com/stop-concrete-garage-floor-dusting/

crash486


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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

Basically, they use pretty cheap concrete in garage floors generally.

I had the exact same problem in our old house. I hoovered the floor up with an industrial vacuum and then put that ronseal sealant down. I think I did two coats.

I then painted the floor with floor paint. Good as new but can be bloody slippery if the floor is smooth.

Failing that, use the arcylic or rubberised (butyl?) floor paint. Both of which are more expensive from memory.


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

> Basically, they use pretty cheap concrete in garage floors generally.


So the only difference between concrete and a sand and cement mix is the inclusion of stones, right?

I can guess that when the mix was made it was a weak mix with an incorrect amount of hydraulic binder (Portland cement) to hold it all together.

See if you can find an engineer to assess it before anything else. It might have to be redone.


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## ollienoclue (Jan 30, 2017)

Andy from Sandy said:


> So the only difference between concrete and a sand and cement mix is the inclusion of stones, right?
> 
> I can guess that when the mix was made it was a weak mix with an incorrect amount of hydraulic binder (Portland cement) to hold it all together.
> 
> See if you can find an engineer to assess it before anything else. It might have to be redone.


I'm not a builder but if you look at the floor under your carpet and the one in a garage generally they are worlds apart, I presume the mix used is different and the way it is laid and finished differs.

Hoover the dust up with an industrial vacuum and seal it and the problem goes away.


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

ollienoclue said:


> Basically, they use pretty cheap concrete in garage floors generally.
> 
> I had the exact same problem in our old house. I hoovered the floor up with an industrial vacuum and then put that ronseal sealant down. I think I did two coats.
> 
> ...


I might give this a go, see if it works. Thanks for that


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Update, I did only half the garage just to see if it would work

But I got some everbuild 403 concrete hardener and dustproofer, stripped most of the paint and cleaned the dust thoroughly. I then sprayed 3 coats of this stuff with 24 hours between each coat. 

Seems to have worked so far, the car is sat on there and no dust on the tyres - will give it a week or so to see if it stands up to abuse of the car going in and out everyday and do the other side too.


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## koi (Jun 30, 2007)

Everbuild 403 is great stuff, been 4 months and not had any dusting. I made the mistake of getting the big 25L though, a little definitely goes a long way so got loads left over.


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