Slippery floor

[Tim the Timber Turner]

After 10 years of hard use the concrete floor is starting to get very slippery. Mainly around the lathe and bench.

Red gum chips make it like a skating rink.

Question is do I grind it or use something like acid to etch it? I still need it to be reasonably easy to sweep.

I tried red wine which fixes most of my problems but it didn't work.

Any clues? thanks Tim.

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Some days I turns thisaway, somedays I turns thataway and other days I don't turn at all.

[Eastie]

There are a fair few floor paint products around, some finish flat, others like cement render - highly slip resistant even when wet. Look in the yellow pages under "Floor Treatment Products".
Another option for small areas is either rubber or rubber backed floor mats.
Absorbent ones (softer rubber or carpet)can also help reduce muscle ache in the legs and lower back when using machines for long
periods.
There are also places that will blast back concrete on site - look under Abrasive Blasting in the yellow pages. I had some pavers done a few years ago and it worked well.

Acid and the like = last resort.

Hope this helps
Mark


[This message has been edited by Eastie (edited 13 May 2002).]

[Tim the Timber Turner]

I use rubber mats now but one can't cover the whole floor with them. It would make it too hard to clean up.

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Some days I turns thisaway, somedays I turns thataway and other days I don't turn at all.

[Iain]

How about a coat of paint and a sprinkling of sand, used to use a similar thing in the manufacture of surfboards with sugar and epoxy. Imagine it would work.

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: http://community.webshots.com/user/iain49

[ubeaut]

Hey Tim, maybe you should try my trick. Spill 5 litres (or there about) onto the floor then chuck saw dust on it to soak it up. Then broom it around all over the place and let it dry so it can be easily picked up with a dustpan later. Then go to Sydney for a few days. Lo and behold, when you return you have the perfect non lip surface that can't be removed with anything. and further spills etc just soak on in with the rest.

Can't recommend it hightly enough.

Ah Shellawax............. is there anything it can't do.
http://www.ubeaut.biz/laughing.gif Hehehehehe

But seriously though. The slip is probably from years of built up wax etc from the turning. Have you tried giving the floor a good scrub down with a mix of turps and metho (about 50/50) this should remove what't making you slip. You could even add a little sand to the mix for a bit of abrasion.

[Tim the Timber Turner]

Wax? Who uses that stuff? Sorry Neil

I have used paint & sand on the back door ramp after the boss went A over T and asked me to fix it. It wore off after a while.

The problem goes back to the steel trowel finish to start with. It could be that Im getting unsteady on feet as the years go by.
Or there again it could be the the red wine.

[John Saxton]

Hi Tim,If you can ever get a hold of some heavy duty vulcanised conveyor belt strip ..then this helps with the floor around your lathe.
Over the years I have been turning I have found this great for a mat surface to stand on which can be taken out and cleaned with petroleum spirits once every couple of years.
It's heavy enough to stay in place by virtue of its weight and can be turned over after about a year or so of serious turning so that cleaning is only required every 2 years or so.
Get hold of a Mining company or industry that employs this and you may get what you need quite cheap.The stress it takes off of your legs assists also..a notable difference at the end of the day compared to a concrete surface...you'll be happier..your partner will be happier.
Just my 2c worth
Cheers http://ubb.ubeaut.com.au/ubb/smile.gif

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Johnno

[Bruce Bell]

Tim try a product called Armalon it is seeless non slip if left unpolished and makes it easy to clean an slurp up the red medication one ofteh needs to take after a hard day at the lathe.
Either that or drop all your used abrasive discs face down on the floor and rough ot up with your feet as you move around.


Tje chips are still flying.

[Eastie]

Agree with john, conveyor belt rubber is perfect - probably 10 times better than comercially available rubber mats.

[Vonrek]

Be carefull with any floor coatings. Had this done around a public swimming pool at work. The rep swore that it was the best thing, would even stick to the tiles in the changerooms with a bit of prep.

After a month, the stuff started to come up in great strips and had to be high pressure cleaned off. A real pain in the a@#$ at the end of the day.

However, the rep did bring a tool at one point to demo as part of the prep. I think it was called a "scabbling" (don't quote me) tool. Looked like an overgrown 115mm angle grinder. The business end had four rotating arms with numerous free running star like metal bits on them (kinda like a star wheel dresser). Made one HUGE racket when used but certaily roughed up the concrete and anything it touched. Was made by Metabo as i recall. Might be able to hire one and do the most imporatnt bits of your floor. As using this tool involves long hours of back-breaking bending, remember to take plenty of breaks and stretch in between!!

Cheers, Tim

[Tim the Timber Turner]

Thanks for all your suggestions.

I don't want to use a paint on finish because it will wear off over time.

The conveyor belt idea would work but would create a tripping hazard for cross traffic. In particular to visitors not used to the workshop layout.

I already have real good floor mats at the work stations. They are the remains of making sanding pads, natual rubber 10mm thick
and totaly full of 38mm holes. Pick them up and all the chips fall through making no dust. Brillant to stand on.

I did a bit of testing with a piece of old grinding wheel and found that it scored the surface enough to stop the slip but was still easy to sweep up.

A quick trip to the hire shop to see what was avaliable uncovered a terrazzo grinder
for $130 per day. A scabbler at $440 per day was a bit on the expensive side and would have make a hell of a mess.

A bit more shopping around uncovered a floor grinder. Its like a floor polisher on wheels but instead of a polishing head it has a diamond inesrts in the head. I think it will do the job OK. At $40 for half a day sounds more in my price range.

When I get the time, and the workshop clean, I will give it a try and report back.

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Some days I turns thisaway, somedays I turns thataway and other days I don't turn at all.

[Tim the Timber Turner]

The floor she is no more a slippery.

The diamond floor grinder worked a treat. I hooked up the shop extractor with a 3" hose, switched on the exhaust fans and put on a Racal.

It was a bit slow for a start but a bag of sand added a bit more weight. PERFECTO.

Initally the grinder only touched the high spots but with a bit more effort 95% coverage was achived.

It looks a bit patchy but the result is non-slip but still easy to sweep.

Even with all the dust control, when the job was finished a fine film of white dust covered everything in sight.

Now the next problem is where to store all the Harris Estate Shiraz that's being delivered next week............. Any more clues?



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Some days I turns thisaway, somedays I turns thataway and other days I don't turn at all.

[This message has been edited by Tim the Timber Turner (edited 18 May 2002).]

[Iain]

Problem number 2, I am always willing to help someone in their hour of need and my address is........ http://www.ubeaut.com.au/cheers.gif

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