basement concrete and epoxy

[brian]

My wife has put the pressure on to finish the concrete floor in our 60 year old house. I thought at first about putting down self sticking tile but the concrete is quite rough and the tiles would not lay well. I have seen on tv a two part epoxy mix that is used to improve the concrete look on garage floors. It tooks great on tv. Has anyone experience with this product and would it work in a basement?

[Chris in Pickering]

My first thought would be a subfloor to level things off, but I can only assume headroom is @ a premium....
If your floor has been painted you will have a hard time using any leveling product.

[John Bartley]

It tooks great on tv. Has anyone experience with this product and would it work in a basement?

No experience with it but ... the St Albert cheese factory in Eastern Ontario has it at the entrance to their store in St. Albert (where else? :)) and it not only looks great, but appears to be holding up very well to commercial walk-in traffic.

cheers

[Julian]

Epoxy on a basement floor will either work brilliantly or delaminate in sheets and you'll be mad.
You need to be very careful.
The problem is moisture or more specifically, moisture vapor, which, if trapped by something like a relatively impermeable coating (such as epoxy) will go on pushing relentlessly against it until it pops it off.

Is your basement damp ...ever?
Seasonally?
Only after a 3 day storm?
Ever?

There is a simple test you can do for now ...lay a piece of clear poly on the concrete floor, about 2 ft square, tape down the edges and leave it for 48 hrs .... see any cloudiness or moisture droplets on the inside?
If you do ...don't paint!

That is "a field test" that is commonly used in the floor coating business (I'm in industrial painting and yes we do floors ...have for 20+ yrs).
Trouble with that test is it only tells you about the condition right then and its winter now and generally dryer .... basements are typically near or below the water table and this can be a problem in the spring sometimes.

Does your basement floor have a vapour barrier under it or is it concrete on grade ...if so ..don't paint.

Anyhow, here's the thing, epoxy on basement floors can tricky (and it can also work real well, under the - rare - proper conditions) and I could go on for several pages and we'd both be bored.

If you want more info or have more questions ...send me an email and I'd be happy to answer any questions

regards
Julian

[Lost in the Woods]

I used Dimplex laid underneath 5/8" T&G ply over which I layed laminate flooring. I could have laid carpeting as well. The Dimplex is the stuff they use on outside foundations and its advantages is that is allows the floor to continue breathing as long as it is left a half inch or so shy of the perimeter wall.

You can buy the Dimplex in pre OSB fastened 2'X2' squares at HD for about $6.50 a square. I chose to buy the roll and go T&G instead. Saved about 30 to 50% (can't remember exactly) this way, and ply is always better than OSB unless your the contractor/builder spending the money.

Kevin