New concrete workshop floor - clear sealer?

[gasket999]

My new workshop is finally done. The floor is currently bare concrete: 86m2 of C35 that has been power floated - so very smooth/flat but still very matt and not polished to a gloss. I need to prep the floor before moving in the tools and projects (mainly cars, so oils and paint plus grinding/welding dust etc.)

Originally I was planning to use epoxy. But I've made a mistake in having it power floated: when I call the epoxy companies (like ResinCoat) they say that the floor needs to be mechanically ground to key it for epoxy - partly because the floor is new (it was laid in April) and partly because of the power float.

Thinking abut what the coating is needed for: as it's a new floor we don't need to hide stains, it looks lovely. So I guess we're looking to give it a sheen and make it oil and paint resistant and to toughen the surface for when rolling jacks and heavy machinery around.

So I've been looking at clear sealers like this from Floorseal. It seems pretty idiot proof and in my mind a couple or even three coats would be very easy to lay down over the course of a weekend with no masking and it would only cost about £100 plus materials. Has anyone used clear sealer on their workshop floors or do I need to suck it up and pay to have my lovely floor keyed?

 

[qwakers]

I'd just use sbr

 

[brightspark]

I'd just use sbr

id second that. 2 coats hardly thinned dont lay it on 2 thick mind just use a big roller its watery to start off with

 

[RWD3M]

Following advice received here, I used SBR bond on the concrete floor of the wife's shed and I'm well pleased with it.

 

[gasket999]

Thanks all - I'll have a small trial with it and ee how I get on.

 

[AVI_8]

My pad was floated, then painted with epoxy paint, the paint manufacturer told me to put the first coat on slightly watered down with thinners, it’s been absolutely fine and hasn’t lifted anywhere.
Speak to the company supplying the paint they’ll tell you the ratio of thinners for the first coat

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Would a polyaspartic type epoxy paint be an option?

There's a number of those products that use a 1k primer followed by 2k topcoat, and are suitable for use on a floated floor as long as it's scrupulously clean when the primer goes down.

I used it in my workshop (because it was free from my ex-housemate's dad), and it has held up incredibly well.