DIY Basement floor

[Redpappy]

I am curious on what others do to their basement floor(brew room). I am looking at epoxy, floating floor, laminate. Just not sure what would be good/cheap to do. I'm curious on what others have done, to help me decide.

 

[Tallgrass]

Some time ago I worked in commercial printing. During a slow period, two of us coated the floor of the entire plant in an epoxy coating. I was there 10 years after that and the floor never failed. It withstood a forklift, electric pallet jacks and chemical spills. Much easier the sweep too. The only prep we did was a good vacuum.

It was a Sherwin Williams product and if I remember correctly Grey was the only choice of color but here may have been one other color. You could always throw that confetti in there to snaz it up if that's your thing. Expensive but cheaper per Sq ft than other flooring options and durable.

 

[matt_m]

For my brewing area I tiled right over the concrete which was in good shape and I didn't have to cross any control joints. Cost wise it was pretty cheap I think we paid 89 cents a tile plus thinset and grout.

I also had to do something for tools. The saw rental for a few days would have been more than buying a cheap saw. I looked for a few days on Craigslist and Facebook marketplace but didn't find anything so I ended up buying a Skil tile saw at Lowes and went with the middle of the line option on the rest of them and think I spent about $150. Once I was done I sold them for about 1/2 what I paid new so net I rented everything for maybe $75 for a couple weeks. The person who bought them was planning to do the same so she got an even better deal.

I did the Home Depot Lifeproof click-lock vinyl in the rest of the basement. We like it so much we are going to do all the bedrooms with the same product in a different color. I didn't want that in the brewery though for fear of a spill running to an edge and seeping under.

If you paint, be sure to put the grit in it. That stuff can be like walking on ice when wet without.

 

[Joshuah57]

I am also curious to other people's experiences with basement floor coverings. I am slowly painting the walls of the basement now and plan on doing the floor last. It has a gray paint on it now, but it is chipping in many spots (mainly in the utility area). This will be a total of around 1800 sq ft, so cost will definitely be a factor. I don't have any issue with moisture or water in my basement, but the floor isn't too flat in some areas. At this point, I was leaning towards a quality concrete paint or some time of epoxy kit.

 

[FrostyBeach]

I used the Lifeproof LVP flooring too and like it a lot. It can tolerate imperfections in floor level and is really easy to install. I bought a pallet and they loaded on my trailer with a forklift. It's easy to clean and waterproof.

 

[sfrisby]

I used the Lifeproof LVP flooring too and like it a lot. It can tolerate imperfections in floor level and is really easy to install. I bought a pallet and they loaded on my trailer with a forklift. It's easy to clean and waterproof.

So you use this lvp on a brewery floor? I know it says waterproof but can it really stand a hose down at the end of a brew day? Thanks.

 

[verboten]

Not a basement, but I am building a false floor in my 12x20 attached garage, the main part will be 2x4 on their side, and the brewery area will be 2x6 so I can put in a trench Drain. All areas will have a vapor barrier on the concrete and foam insulation between the floor and concrete.
I should have a moderately comfortable floor, and it will be easier to control the temps I hope.

*edit* and now I realize you said floating, not false.
Oops

 

[matt_m]

I used the Lifeproof LVP flooring too and like it a lot. It can tolerate imperfections in floor level and is really easy to install. I bought a pallet and they loaded on my trailer with a forklift. It's easy to clean and waterproof.

Good call. We had ours delivered and it was a @#$%ing disaster. I'm probably going to rent a truck when we do the bedrooms.

So you use this lvp on a brewery floor? I know it says waterproof but can it really stand a hose down at the end of a brew day? Thanks.

Maybe waterproof in the field but these floating floors need a gap at the edges which you typically hide under a shoe molding. They explicitly state they should not be caulked around the edge. I'm not sure what you'd about water (or worse, wort) that gets to the edges and then runs underneath the flooring.

 

[FrostyBeach]

I'm not sure what you'd about water (or worse, wort) that gets to the edges and then runs underneath the flooring.

That would be a mess. It's true that you couldn't hose it down but I have never had a need to do that. My floor has quite a pitch away from the walls so it runs away from the edge. The temperature in the brew area on the floor is pretty constant. I don't think that the floor will expand or contract much, but i did leave the required gap.

If that's a big concern then some 12x12 ceramic tiles can be inexpensive too.

 

[SanPancho]

Not as “finished” of a look as tile, vinyl, wood, etc but easy as sin and cheap. id use penetrating sealer. Thers good specialty products, but the henrys 10lb sealer at HD is fine. After that you can do a top sealer. The top sealer can be recoated as needed. Pretty simple if you want it to be. Works in our brewery well. You can even use concrete/patio paint over the top sealer. As long as you dont drag heavy stuff across it the paint holds well. Also easy to touch up.

the only prep you really need is a good sweep/vacuum, powerwash it, let it dry, then roll on the sealers.

 

[Redpappy]

So you use this lvp on a brewery floor? I know it says waterproof but can it really stand a hose down at the end of a brew day? Thanks.

why do you hose your brew room down?

 

[sfrisby]

why do you hose your brew room down?

Floor might be more accurate than room.

 

[Redpappy]

Floor might be more accurate than room.

ok.. so why do you hose down your floor?

 

[Redpappy]

I used the Lifeproof LVP flooring too and like it a lot. It can tolerate imperfections in floor level and is really easy to install. I bought a pallet and they loaded on my trailer with a forklift. It's easy to clean and waterproof.

did you put a barrier between the concrete and final?

 

[sfrisby]

ok.. so why do you hose down your floor?

I’m sure you are not trying to be smart with me so I’m genuinely trying to understand your question. Because brew day is messy?

 

[FrostyBeach]

did you put a barrier between the concrete and final?

No, it is designed to be installed directly on below grade slabs. It has an attached pad on the back too.

 

[matt_m]

Yeah that’s one of the beauties of the product. No vapor barrier, no pad. Just sweep the floor and lay it down.

 

[Redpappy]

I’m sure you are not trying to be smart with me so I’m genuinely trying to understand your question. Because brew day is messy?

.

No i'm not trying to be smart. For my self, i have i brew out on my porch, in which i have some plastic sheets covering my deck, and i just wipe up stuff as i go... and yes, i do go through a few rags on brew day. edit:- i do 5 gal biab. So i only have the one kettle, and no pumps, simple process

 

[Calfj60]

I am super happy with my LVP floor

 

[sicktght311]

I am super happy with my LVP floor

I have a very similar LVP flooring in my basement. I've had issues with planks separating here and there, but in areas unrelated to my brew area. The brew area has been perfect and the LVP holds up nicely to spills

 

[Brewbuzzard]

I am also curious to other people's experiences with basement floor coverings. I am slowly painting the walls of the basement now and plan on doing the floor last. It has a gray paint on it now, but it is chipping in many spots (mainly in the utility area). This will be a total of around 1800 sq ft, so cost will definitely be a factor. I don't have any issue with moisture or water in my basement, but the floor isn't too flat in some areas. At this point, I was leaning towards a quality concrete paint or some time of epoxy kit.

Go with epoxy but there are two choices, acetone two part or water base. I prefer the two part acetone but the fumes are extremely strong and explosive if confined. No matter what anyone says, no paint job is better than the clean and prep. Do it right do it once.

 

[Jayjay1976]

why do you hose your brew room down?

If I had a dedicated brewing space I would definitely need to hose it down from time to time, just to know its clean.
Heck, StarSan is cheap enough that I would mop with it weekly.