LuvMyBlenny
New member
A properly applied and cured epoxy is stronger than the concrete it covers .
What to use on concrete floor in fish room
- Thread starter Ldagger
- Start date
A properly applied and cured epoxy is stronger than the concrete it covers .
This ^ , I put a 2part coating from ucoatit.com in my garage. I accidentally dropped a 13 inch brake rotor, on edge, from 4 feet up and it did not chip the floor. That stuff is tuff.
Aww7979
Member
The problem with all concrete floors is, nobody puts the effort into prepping them. Sealers, stains and existing paint/epoxy will cause adhesion issues. The transfer of water vapor through concrete is exceptionally strong and it is this, that causes the coatings to fail on the floor. The other component is, not all epoxies are created equally. The level of abuse, and the asthetics of the floor should dictate the system used.
Just about the best thing you could do is grind the floor to put a profile on the floor. A 60 to 80 grit profile will work. I would then use 100% solids epoxy primer and 100% solids epoxy top coat. The nice thing about the 100% solids epoxy is they are low voc and have no fumes which are combustible. They are also self leveling and can fill in cracks and spalled areas. You can put them on exceedingly thick and they will cure intirely with out geting "solvent entrapment" like other coatings. You can also add things like sand or walnut shells if your looking for a non slip additive.
On my garage floor I did as follows.
Ground the floor to remove the old coating and put a very aggressive profile on the concrete. I then put down Armorseal 33 epoxy primer. On top of that I put a coat of Armorseal 650 epoxy. Then while it was wet I brodcast sand into it until refusal. I put so much sand down that it would no longer take any more sand. The next day I used a shop vac and vacuumed up all of the loose sand and then put another coat of Armorseal 650 epoxy over that. I put the second coat down a little thinner than the first. When I was done, the floor had the same feeling as 120 grit sand paper, plus it was about a satin or semi gloss sheen because of the sand.
This floor is bullet proof. The studs on my snow tires don't even scratch it. You could use decoritive chips instead of sand. Armorseal 650 also comes clear so that you can see the chips.
Just about the best thing you could do is grind the floor to put a profile on the floor. A 60 to 80 grit profile will work. I would then use 100% solids epoxy primer and 100% solids epoxy top coat. The nice thing about the 100% solids epoxy is they are low voc and have no fumes which are combustible. They are also self leveling and can fill in cracks and spalled areas. You can put them on exceedingly thick and they will cure intirely with out geting "solvent entrapment" like other coatings. You can also add things like sand or walnut shells if your looking for a non slip additive.
On my garage floor I did as follows.
Ground the floor to remove the old coating and put a very aggressive profile on the concrete. I then put down Armorseal 33 epoxy primer. On top of that I put a coat of Armorseal 650 epoxy. Then while it was wet I brodcast sand into it until refusal. I put so much sand down that it would no longer take any more sand. The next day I used a shop vac and vacuumed up all of the loose sand and then put another coat of Armorseal 650 epoxy over that. I put the second coat down a little thinner than the first. When I was done, the floor had the same feeling as 120 grit sand paper, plus it was about a satin or semi gloss sheen because of the sand.
This floor is bullet proof. The studs on my snow tires don't even scratch it. You could use decoritive chips instead of sand. Armorseal 650 also comes clear so that you can see the chips.
nickjj
Premium Member
I used Rust Oleum Stoneffects on my fish room floor. It is a three stage application that you use on exterior concrete porch's because it is slip resistant. You put a primer coat down first then you spread with a trowel a coloured grit material and then top coat with a clear sealer. The floor has stood up well and it is not slippery at all when it gets wet.
Attachments
tkeracer619
New member
You can see the stained concrete floor in this photo:
This is exactly what my floor is like and it's awesome. It doesn't like duct tape so much but it sure repels the water and cleans up nice.
+1 epoxy floor. If youre not using a wood stand then Id also use a very dense rubber under the stand to prevent any pressure points.
The kind Im thinking of will not compress under the weight of the tank and is used on commercial flat roofs when they place a condensing coil or other heavy equipment on the roof. It looks kinda like thinner version of a gym mat but much much more dense.
I used it under my 550g
The kind Im thinking of will not compress under the weight of the tank and is used on commercial flat roofs when they place a condensing coil or other heavy equipment on the roof. It looks kinda like thinner version of a gym mat but much much more dense.
I used it under my 550g
Reefwithareefer
New member
I used this under my tank. I chose the aggregate design.
Before I installed the vinyl I made a rectangular frame out of 2x2, that was 10" wider/longer than the stand. I glued it to the floor with some dabs of PL400 adhesive. I then cut the vinyl to a size that allowed it to "roll" up, over, and down the outside face of the 2x2 frame, then glued vinyl to 2x2 with rubber cement (cheaper than what they sell and works fine). Now any spilled saltwater will be held inside the frame.
The saltwater does not harm the vinyl. I installed the same product on my pool deck 4 years ago and no issues.
I did not glue vinyl to concrete, no need to IMO.
In short. It looks good, keeps the water confined so it does not damage any other concrete or valubles on the floor, cheaper and easier than epoxy, do not need to repaint/epoxy every few years, can be moved to another location easily.
http://tufdek.com/product-category/vinyl-decking/
I should mention that they only sell to dealers, but may sell if it is a small enough piece. They do not want people to buy and install on a deck without training, bad installs make their product look bad.
I am an installer so it was not an issue to buy. There are other products out there like Duradek
Before I installed the vinyl I made a rectangular frame out of 2x2, that was 10" wider/longer than the stand. I glued it to the floor with some dabs of PL400 adhesive. I then cut the vinyl to a size that allowed it to "roll" up, over, and down the outside face of the 2x2 frame, then glued vinyl to 2x2 with rubber cement (cheaper than what they sell and works fine). Now any spilled saltwater will be held inside the frame.
The saltwater does not harm the vinyl. I installed the same product on my pool deck 4 years ago and no issues.
I did not glue vinyl to concrete, no need to IMO.
In short. It looks good, keeps the water confined so it does not damage any other concrete or valubles on the floor, cheaper and easier than epoxy, do not need to repaint/epoxy every few years, can be moved to another location easily.
http://tufdek.com/product-category/vinyl-decking/
I should mention that they only sell to dealers, but may sell if it is a small enough piece. They do not want people to buy and install on a deck without training, bad installs make their product look bad.
I am an installer so it was not an issue to buy. There are other products out there like Duradek
Last edited:
happyvalley
New member
My acid stained concrete in my fish room is peeling away due to the salt mist that splashes out of the sump. Other locations which get continuously dripped on and then neglected also are peeling. If I rinsed down with freshwater frequently I doubt I'd have a problem but I'm a little lazy.
I'm not sure I would use it again, but it looked cool in the beginning.
I'm not sure I would use it again, but it looked cool in the beginning.
Mrs. Music
New member
We used a concrete grinder to rough up the floor, (a serious pain in the butt) then did a concrete stain, and hi gloss clear coat. We love it.
smmiller506
New member
Rhinoliner and Line-X (the truck bed liner companies) make flooring products as well. Haven't tried it out though. I may use Rhinoliner on my steel stand, however.
Similar threads
