New epoxy floor in my garage

[Klasik-69]

Xcarguy, I like your man cave too. Is that an AC Cobra in the picture ? I always wanted to build a cobra kit car, never got around to it. They share the same concept as the 7, good HP to weight ratio & light on weight.

[xcarguy]

Xcarguy, I like your man cave too. Is that an AC Cobra in the picture ? I always wanted to build a cobra kit car, never got around to it. They share the same concept as the 7, good HP to weight ratio & light on weight.

 

Klasik-69,

 

Thanks for the compliment on the shop. The Cobra in the pics is an ERA 289 FIA; one of the nicest I've ever seen and had the privilage of owning. I sold it shortly after buying my Stalker back from Sharkey (I didn't want to maintain two cars). The Cobra sure was a looker, but performance wise in comparision to the Stalker with the LS6, it just couldn't hang.

Edited February 16, 2013 by xcarguy

[Klasik-69]

Klasik-69,

 

Thanks for the compliment on the shop. The Cobra in the pics is an ERA 289 FIA; one of the nicest I've ever seen and had the privilage of owning. I sold it shortly after buying my Stalker back from Sharkey (I didn't want to maintain two cars). The Cobra sure was a looker, but performance wise in comparision to the Stalker with the LS6, it just couldn't hang.

 

Yes, it looked like a beautiful car. I can't seem to part with cars, it's like selling one of my kids. It's easier to just get a bigger garage :jester:. I have raced against some cobras that ran very strong and could hang with anything out there. Most of the better ones were strangely enough the 289 powered cars. It seemed like the 427 cars had guys with big egos and small skill levels.

 

The Stalkers are a very good value, and a car I strongly considered (still do). For around $28K, you have a very formidable track car. Add another 3 or 4K, and you have a very nicely finished super car. Caterhams dig a little deeper in the wallet but they are very well put together and work very very well. It's tough, so many choices these days. However, since my wife has told me more than once that she would really like to have a 1958 Corvette, black with silver coves, it may preceed the Stalker.

[edxdoc]

Wow! What is that gorgeous bare 7 in polished aluminum on that lift? That's a beautiful thing!

[Croc]

Why didn't I think of these details.........walk-in cooler, pole (& dancer), big screen TV with theater seating......what about a hot tub ?

 

Croc, I thought you live in NY city, where or how do you build a garage there ? 1700 sq foot is a nice size, don't forget the lifts. The four post can be wheeled around, two post are anchored.

 

I am on the hudson River opposite battery Park. My garage here is better suited for parking a submarine since it floods with a nor easter or strong storm tide. During Sandy it was flooded to the roof. The seven was moved out well before.

 

The garage is being constructed at NJ motorsports park. plenty of room to accommodate my toys plus bring my 2 20 yo restoration projects in from storage. Nice workshop downstairs with lifts, bathroom, workshop and bunks for those guys who want to rent a bed from me . i have plans for a ceiling projector to run videos on a white wall in the garage. I already have the stereo equipment sorted. Upstairs loft has living space, kitchen and full bathroom. Off that is a nice deck overlooking the track:

http://www.njmp.com/facility/accommodations-rentals/villas-new-jersey-motorsports.html

 

Construction begins in 60 days and is due to be finished Oct/Nov. Your photos did give me ideas. I was planning for a 2 and 4 poster lift plus the expoxy floors. Already know what I want in garage cabinets and workshop equipment.

[Klasik-69]

I am on the hudson River opposite battery Park. My garage here is better suited for parking a submarine since it floods with a nor easter or strong storm tide. During Sandy it was flooded to the roof. The seven was moved out well before.

 

The garage is being constructed at NJ motorsports park. plenty of room to accommodate my toys plus bring my 2 20 yo restoration projects in from storage. Nice workshop downstairs with lifts, bathroom, workshop and bunks for those guys who want to rent a bed from me . i have plans for a ceiling projector to run videos on a white wall in the garage. I already have the stereo equipment sorted. Upstairs loft has living space, kitchen and full bathroom. Off that is a nice deck overlooking the track:

http://www.njmp.com/facility/accommodations-rentals/villas-new-jersey-motorsports.html

 

Construction begins in 60 days and is due to be finished Oct/Nov. Your photos did give me ideas. I was planning for a 2 and 4 poster lift plus the expoxy floors. Already know what I want in garage cabinets and workshop equipment.

 

 

You left out a few details when you first posted. I've heard about these "garages"........more like another home, and best of all, at the track. Apparently this is a trend at the upper end tracks like Audubon and Spring Mountain. This is the best of both worlds, a garage, a crash pad, and at the track. It should be illegal to have that much fun.

 

There is an outfit in New Jersey that sells polyurethane flooring products for garages I checked out before deciding on my floor material. I'll look them up and give you their number and web site to check out. They have an installer that works the NJ area that I talked to. He prepares garages, service bays for car dealerships and airplane hangars. He may be of use for your project if you don't have anyone in mind yet.

 

On the lifts, there are many to choose from. Classic, Direct, Atlas and many others. All are very reasonably priced and perform well. I like the 4 post lift from direct since I have the casters that allow me to move the lift wherever I want with relative ease. They claim you can move it around with a car on it but I doubt it would be with ease. Also, once you have your floors coated you will need to be careful moving around the lift with steel casters. Spinning the casters may damage the floor coating. I laid down masonite 1/8" sheets on my floor to move the lift to position, then laid the posts on a square piece of masonite to keep the floor protected. I learned my lesson on my detached garage at the house when I had the lift there and moved it in position, ended up scarring up the floor when I spun the casters.

 

I found that by having the two types of lifts allows me more options, depending on whether I'm working on brakes, exhaust, etc. The 4 post is good for storing one car above the other, or waxing one car without having to bend down or reach up.

 

Once you get this beautiful garage done, you will find you have so many more friends that you will need to get a pit bull to keep some out.:rofl:

[Croc]

I'll look them up and give you their number and web site to check out.

 

Thank you very much. I am tossing the options between epoxy, polished concrete or variation on that - liquid stone. I know I want something to keep the dust down.

 

For a 4 poster lift I am looking at backyard buddy as I like the design and safety aspects. For the second lift I am not sure if I want a 2 poster or just another 4 poster to help out with the storage aspects.

 

 

Once you get this beautiful garage done, you will find you have so many more friends that you will need to get a pit bull to keep some out.:rofl:

 

Yeah I know....they already hang around like a bunch of bad farts :rofl:

[Alaskossie]

Croc,

It may be too late for you now (with your plans already well underway), but for anyone planning a garage, or improving an existing garage, or just dreaming about a garage, here is an indispensable website:

 

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/

 

The variety of clever ideas, elaborate restorations, unique approaches, Garage Mahals, and wise advice, etc. is just mind-boggling.

 

A lot of you may already know of this resource; it can be a real time-consumer, if you get hooked (as I have been on occasion).

[xcarguy]

Direct Lift portable four-post lift dollies.

[Klasik-69]

Xcarguy, it looks like your wheels are urethane. Mine are steel so I had to be extra careful when moving my lift over my new floor. The urethane wheels are much easier on the floor. And, I like your idea of hanging them on the wall. Mine are just resting against the wall, your idea is better. My next project is now firmly on the board.

[xcarguy]

Xcarguy, it looks like your wheels are urethane. Mine are steel so I had to be extra careful when moving my lift over my new floor. The urethane wheels are much easier on the floor. And, I like your idea of hanging them on the wall. Mine are just resting against the wall, your idea is better. My next project is now firmly on the board.

 

Wheels are urethane; was an upgrade from Direct Lift. I went through the 'steel wheel' thing with my last garage floor-- urethane is easier to move around and less wear and tear on the floor.

Edited February 18, 2013 by xcarguy

[80-CU.IN.T]

I don't see a problem there. I think it shows a man with exceedlingly good taste and his priorities in life well sorted!

 

 

My motto is 'if you cannot beat them then join them!' So I am - new 1700sqft garage coming up in October! :cooldude: I am having so much fun working through garage equipment catalogs to spec out exactly what I want. Not sure how big the beer fridge should be though...:jester:

 

Agree 100% - I'm stile trying to sort out my life but at soon to be 52, I was hopping to be a quite bit farther along with the $$$$$$$$. :nopity:

Poor investments & expensive 1st wife (Nobodies fault but mine)

Stile - A relatively cheap learning curve - I sure hope I learned!

In the next 30+ years, I'm hopping to have much more room to expand in real-estate & toy department. Time will tell. If I were stile single I would move into a garage like that or an airplane hangar.

[Klasik-69]

Agree 100% - I'm stile trying to sort out my life but at soon to be 52, I was hopping to be a quite bit farther along with the $$$$$$$$. :nopity:

Poor investments & expensive 1st wife (Nobodies fault but mine)

Stile - A relatively cheap learning curve - I sure hope I learned!

In the next 30+ years, I'm hopping to have much more room to expand in real-estate & toy department. Time will tell. If I were stile single I would move into a garage like that or an airplane hangar.

 

 

You speak of airplane hangars. We have an air park in Apopka (just north of Orlando) that sells airplane hangar condos. Just like what Croc is doing at NJMP, the plane hangar below, the living quarters above. Some are huge and extremely well appointed, and very big bucks too. Apparently the airplane hangar condos are a popular new thing in a lot of places, kind of an extreme man-cave.

[80-CU.IN.T]

We have quite a few small airports in Middle to Southern parts of California that hangars are quite cheap to lease / rent. The only problem is the waiting list. This can be circumvented with a side $$$ deal which would pay for itself within 4- 5 years. Typical hangar $600.00 to $800.00 for 2500 + sq. ft. I probably shouldn’t post this because I will let the cat out of the bag

[80-CU.IN.T]

For lots of metal fabrication - Epoxy isn't a good idea. It burns & metal chips get imbedded into the epoxy.

Polished concrete is very nice & easy to clean. But gets damaged also. If you pour a floor, you can have the concrete Just about any color you want & then polish it - Beautiful & relatively durable

[xcarguy]

Agree 100% - I'm stile trying to sort out my life but at soon to be 52, I was hopping to be a quite bit farther along with the $$$$$$$$. :nopity:

Poor investments & expensive 1st wife (Nobodies fault but mine)

Stile - A relatively cheap learning curve - I sure hope I learned!

In the next 30+ years, I'm hopping to have much more room to expand in real-estate & toy department. Time will tell. If I were stile single I would move into a garage like that or an airplane hangar.

 

Hey, 80,

 

51 years young and still chasing the rainbow for that elusive pot o' gold.

:deadhorse:

 

And I absolutely agree with you on metal fabrication vs. epoxy; I have first-hand experience with such, and thus the main reason my floor is bare concrete. I did the floor in my garage at my last residence and within two year’s time, I had pretty much destroyed the finish with (you guessed it) lots of metal fabrication.

 

X

Edited February 18, 2013 by xcarguy

[Klasik-69]

You guys are right about welding splatter not being friendly to expoxy. I don't do any metal fabrication in this garage. I have my main business building where I have mig and tig welders, plasma cutters and other metal fabricating machinery. All the floors there are bare concrete.

 

I didn't know they could add color to the concrete when they do the pour, nifty thing. I guess then they can polish it to the finish you want.....maybe the best way to go and the most durable.

[HOTTTCAR]

A painted floor ( epoxy, urethane or acrylics ) is just that ........a painted floor. Painted floors are great if you want a show room but a disaster if you do metal, fiberglass or paint work in your shop, so have a clean room with a beautiful waxed painted floor for parking toys and plain polished concrete in the shop/ garage side that can be dust mopped or scraped to remove epoxy/polyester resin or what ever else falls on it. The more cars you build the more parking spaces you have to paint. Eventually you have to build another garage.

We built a 12 car garage to start with. By the time you move in 2 lathes, milling machine, shears, break, storage racks, metal cabinets, two benders, tig, mig, acetylene, 2 plastic, plasma, roller tool box, two poster lift, various belt/disk sanders, sink, hot water tank, big screen tv, surround sound speakers, Refrig, microwave, coffee pot, uranyl, pressure washers, 20ton, press inside and outside sand blasters, parts polisher, hundreds of small tools, 2 drill presses, welding table and assorted work tables. It is now down to a 6 car garage, so we built a 2 car down draft paint booth to park 2 cars in when not painting. After typing this i realized this car thing has really gotten out of hand. Damn I may go back needle point.

Gale

[xcarguy]

A painted floor ( epoxy, urethane or acrylics ) is just that ........a painted floor. Painted floors are great if you want a show room but a disaster if you do metal, fiberglass or paint work in your shop, so have a clean room with a beautiful waxed painted floor for parking toys and plain polished concrete in the shop/ garage side that can be dust mopped or scraped to remove epoxy/polyester resin or what ever else falls on it. The more cars you build the more parking spaces you have to paint. Eventually you have to build another garage.

We built a 12 car garage to start with. By the time you move in 2 lathes, milling machine, shears, break, storage racks, metal cabinets, two benders, tig, mig, acetylene, 2 plastic, plasma, roller tool box, two poster lift, various belt/disk sanders, sink, hot water tank, big screen tv, surround sound speakers, Refrig, microwave, coffee pot, uranyl, pressure washers, 20ton, press inside and outside sand blasters, parts polisher, hundreds of small tools, 2 drill presses, welding table and assorted work tables. It is now down to a 6 car garage, so we built a 2 car down draft paint booth to park 2 cars in when not painting. After typing this i realized this car thing has really gotten out of hand. Damn I may go back needle point.

Gale

 

Dang! I ran out of breath just reading your post. :svengo:

[80-CU.IN.T]

Dang! I ran out of breath just reading your post. :svengo:

 

 

Meeeeee TOOOOOOO -

 

I have several pieces of equipment but finding the time to utilize them on my own projects is my main problem. Unfortunately, nothing even close to HOTTCAR (NICE)

 

(Almost 52) – I’m stile just a pup – At least I keep telling myself that