Transforming the garage floor

We built a third garage bay with a storage loft above and enough space at the back for a workshop.

But the floor of the original garage was covered with what we suspect was cheap, 50-year-old, red linoleum tile that was glued down.  Someone apparently used the garage as a rec room during the history of the house.

Ranserve hacked away at the tile and glue for days. The glue just would not come up.

We opted to cover it with roll-out floor mats that we used at Sea Eagle, and we used heavy cardboard Ramboard to extend a walking path to the cars from the mudroom door into the garage — because if you walk on the glue, you will stick to the glue and drag it all over the house and into the cars.

With a recommendation from Ranserve, Steven hired Monty Patton and Krystal Flooring to grind clean the glue and top layer of concrete.

Monty, Jose and Roberto arrived about 930 am and finished about 4 pm.

Here’s a photo essay.

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A “before” shot. The yellow and brown crud is the glue. Heavy cardboard still laid on the floor as a walkway.

Another "before" shot.
Another “before” shot.
A closeup of the glue and crap. You can still see the pattern of the 12x12 tiles.
A closeup of the glue and crap. You can still see the pattern of the 12×12 tiles.
On his knees, Monty uses a heavy grinder to test clean a small section of the floor. Jose supervises.
On his knees, Monty uses a heavy grinder to test clean a small section of the floor. Jose supervises.
Jose takes over the heavy grinder and works by hand while Roberto navigates the big grinder back and forth across larger sections of floor.
Jose takes over the heavy grinder and works by hand while Roberto navigates the big grinder back and forth across larger sections of floor.
Shot from the other direction, Roberto on the large grinder, Jose on his knees grinding by hand.
Shot from the other direction, Roberto on the large grinder, Jose on his knees grinding by hand.
Working into the back corner on the side of the garage where Steven parks.
Working into the back corner on the side of the garage where Steven parks.
And finally into the far back end of the garage.
And finally into the far back end of the garage.
With the glue gone, with the bare concrete exposed for the first time since maybe the 1970s, it's time to spread and apply a hardener to the naked concrete.
With the glue gone, with the bare concrete exposed for the first time since maybe the 1970s, it’s time to spread and apply a hardener to the naked concrete.
The hardener reacts chemically with the concrete. It dries quickly. Monty, Roberto and Jose have to continually pour water on it, and push the water around with squeegees.
The hardener reacts chemically with the concrete. It dries quickly. Monty, Roberto and Jose have to continually pour water on it, and push the water around with squeegees.

And then we let it dry overnight.

This is the prize-winning after shot of a floor that has not been this clean since the house was first built.

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