Floor solution for jacking loads
Discussion
New garage built. The builders have been a nightmare from start to finish and have cocked up the floor. We wanted a reasonably smooth finish to put down an industrial 2 pack floor paint but they laid a 20mm ballast mix to 100mm depth and topped it with a thin levelling screed to get the smooth finish, against our instructions.
They didn't spike the levelling compound so it dried wrong so that'll be scraped out but what do we put down that'll withstand the point loads from a trolley jack?
What we asked for was a finer mix that could be powerfloated back to a smooth finish and we were happy to pay extra to get the right result but they promised a screed would be fine then f
ked it up.
Safe to say they'll have no interest in breaking out the whole floor and doing it right, and there are more important battles yet to fight. They've been an absolute shower and we just want them finished and gone after 18 months on a 9 month contract.
TLDR. Spec me a floor levelling system as thin as possible that'll take half a ton through a trolley jack without shattering.
They didn't spike the levelling compound so it dried wrong so that'll be scraped out but what do we put down that'll withstand the point loads from a trolley jack?
What we asked for was a finer mix that could be powerfloated back to a smooth finish and we were happy to pay extra to get the right result but they promised a screed would be fine then f
ked it up.Safe to say they'll have no interest in breaking out the whole floor and doing it right, and there are more important battles yet to fight. They've been an absolute shower and we just want them finished and gone after 18 months on a 9 month contract.
TLDR. Spec me a floor levelling system as thin as possible that'll take half a ton through a trolley jack without shattering.
Epoxy is good, but the slab needs to be completely dry and free of contaminants or it won't adhere properly. Or you could just polish the surface of the slab?
ETA: Depending on how much jacking you'll actually be doing, another option is something sacrificial like those interlocking rubber tiles. They will eventually get chewed up by a jack, but when they do you can just lift the damaged tile and drop in a new one.
ETA: Depending on how much jacking you'll actually be doing, another option is something sacrificial like those interlocking rubber tiles. They will eventually get chewed up by a jack, but when they do you can just lift the damaged tile and drop in a new one.
Edited by kambites on Thursday 26th March 21:58
I had a similar situation. Ended up having the floor ground back as level as possible, then had Dotti vitreous ceramic tiles laid on a bed of adhesive thick enough to take up the level variance.
Have since used a trolley jack on this floor on a variety of cars, up to a 2.3 ton Q7, without issues. I use the jack on a piece of sacrificial 18mm ply, just in case.
Have since used a trolley jack on this floor on a variety of cars, up to a 2.3 ton Q7, without issues. I use the jack on a piece of sacrificial 18mm ply, just in case.
NumBMW said:
Level it off as best as possible and lay these https://www.ecotileflooring.com/product/e50010/
I have something similar and they are very good.Also have ecotiles too. Down for 7 years and no sign of damage from jacks and axle stands, used on a regular basis. The 1.8T milling machine has left an imprint around the edge, but I think that's acceptable.
The subsurface is important though. I was fortunate that the garage floor was screed when I moved in so it was a good surface to start with.
The subsurface is important though. I was fortunate that the garage floor was screed when I moved in so it was a good surface to start with.
wolfracesonic said:
I think getting in touch with someone like this, Ardex, is the best way forward; doesn t sound like you ve had the best luck with the project.
This looks OK: https://ardex.co.uk/product/ardex-k-15/Thanks for the advice.
Grind it flat - it has 20mm ballast in it, my understanding is it's impossible to grind these lumps flat, they'll tear out.
Just paint it - it's a coarse concrete mix, with a 5mm undulation over the whole surface from the pour.
Epoxy - yes, Interguard 740 was the plan (I get it easily through work)
Rubber matting - I expected a trolley jack to just plough into this type of product, but I like the idea of more comfort when I'm rolling around under the car. Might be the way to go and I could de-spec the paint to a general light duty floor paint.
Coming to the conclusion I'll have to continue with ply jacking boards which I was hoping to avoid.
Grind it flat - it has 20mm ballast in it, my understanding is it's impossible to grind these lumps flat, they'll tear out.
Just paint it - it's a coarse concrete mix, with a 5mm undulation over the whole surface from the pour.
Epoxy - yes, Interguard 740 was the plan (I get it easily through work)
Rubber matting - I expected a trolley jack to just plough into this type of product, but I like the idea of more comfort when I'm rolling around under the car. Might be the way to go and I could de-spec the paint to a general light duty floor paint.
Coming to the conclusion I'll have to continue with ply jacking boards which I was hoping to avoid.
Any aggregate can be ground flat, even granite; you just end up using more grinding wheels. What you may end up with grinding concrete made from coarse aggregate, especially if it wasn't pokered when pouring, is exposing air pockets which will then need filling, but there are epoxy grouts for that.
For lifting half-a-tonne, it's not a particularly heavy vehicle?
Perhaps at this stage of the project, it's worth looking at alternatives to the trolley jack. e.g. the air cushion types, which presumably can spread the load much more on your floor, as they don't need to roll as they lift.
How would the cost of a 2-post lift compare to taking an existing floor down 25mm? Man-maths...
Perhaps at this stage of the project, it's worth looking at alternatives to the trolley jack. e.g. the air cushion types, which presumably can spread the load much more on your floor, as they don't need to roll as they lift.
How would the cost of a 2-post lift compare to taking an existing floor down 25mm? Man-maths...
Edited by biggiles on Friday 27th March 17:43
2gins said:
Thanks for the advice.
Grind it flat - it has 20mm ballast in it, my understanding is it's impossible to grind these lumps flat, they'll tear out.
Nearly all concrete has 20mm ballast, it can definitely be ground. We supplied for a workshop floor and the company powerfloating it thought they'd do it the next morning.Grind it flat - it has 20mm ballast in it, my understanding is it's impossible to grind these lumps flat, they'll tear out.
By then it was far too hard and they paid to have it ground.
2gins said:
Thanks for the advice.
Grind it flat - it has 20mm ballast in it, my understanding is it's impossible to grind these lumps flat, they'll tear out.
Just paint it - it's a coarse concrete mix, with a 5mm undulation over the whole surface from the pour.
Epoxy - yes, Interguard 740 was the plan (I get it easily through work)
Rubber matting - I expected a trolley jack to just plough into this type of product, but I like the idea of more comfort when I'm rolling around under the car. Might be the way to go and I could de-spec the paint to a general light duty floor paint.
Coming to the conclusion I'll have to continue with ply jacking boards which I was hoping to avoid.
What’s wrong with ecotile that you can park an aircraft on?Grind it flat - it has 20mm ballast in it, my understanding is it's impossible to grind these lumps flat, they'll tear out.
Just paint it - it's a coarse concrete mix, with a 5mm undulation over the whole surface from the pour.
Epoxy - yes, Interguard 740 was the plan (I get it easily through work)
Rubber matting - I expected a trolley jack to just plough into this type of product, but I like the idea of more comfort when I'm rolling around under the car. Might be the way to go and I could de-spec the paint to a general light duty floor paint.
Coming to the conclusion I'll have to continue with ply jacking boards which I was hoping to avoid.
I've got 5mm thick Flexi-Tiles in my garage. No issues with using a jack or axle stands (albeit only a Lotus Elise). The side stand on my motorbike did make a slight indentation. Depending on how bumpy the floor is / how fussy you are, the tiles can go over imperfections.
You can buy up to 7mm I think, which are designed for commercial workshop use.
You can buy up to 7mm I think, which are designed for commercial workshop use.
Update
Ecotile costs - £500 - 900 depending on colours (black is cheaper as it's recycled material). I think that'll be out.
For now they've scraped out the bad leveller and poured a new 3mm later down with a Dunlop LX-E500 product. It's gone off properly but still full of air bubbles and pinholes.
I give up with these people, I'll fill it, sand it and paint it as planned and see where we are.
Ecotile costs - £500 - 900 depending on colours (black is cheaper as it's recycled material). I think that'll be out.
For now they've scraped out the bad leveller and poured a new 3mm later down with a Dunlop LX-E500 product. It's gone off properly but still full of air bubbles and pinholes.
I give up with these people, I'll fill it, sand it and paint it as planned and see where we are.
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