Concrete floor in tracking room?

[NathanEldred]

We did a dark hi gloss coffee color epoxy on our concrete in our main tracking room. It looks great and sounds great (bass trapping, clouds, and appropriate absorption with moveable gobos around the room though). Some people think wood is a necessity, I don't agree, generally reflective is reflective IME, especially when we're talking about wood with layers of thick polyresin...maybe raw rustic type wood floor would be different, but not the 'modern' stuff. The epoxy process required an acid wash, the fumes were killer (took me a month to feel normal again, and we had plenty of ventilation too). Acid has to be completely cleaned with mopping before putting down base coat, then 2-3 layers of epoxy (same with stain). Mopping took 3 short days. Took me and one helper about 16 hours total of labor over 6 days (lots of drying time too). Do not get these fumes near your child or wife, they will be damaged. In my next room in a few years, I think I'm going to do a combination of epoxy concrete, floated wood, and some carpet with a combination of difussion and absorption on the walls and ceiling.

[davey boy]

This floor was already here when I built the studio. It's a very cool stained and cut concrete with inlays. I like it. The room has a nice ambiance to it. I didn't want to the expensive of wood or a floating floor, plus I don't have a problem with isolation.

[2leod]

Originally Posted by GPl

That really does look sweet. Is that logs with chinking on the right side ? Floor looks good. I was wondering what to do with a concrete floor as far as looks. The 2 colors/sponge look seems like a plan. Got a place I'm hopefully going to buy with a Shop/Barn on the property. 25 x 40 something I think and the floors concrete but bare. Nice high ceilings though.

Nice looking room Doug.

Thanks Michael!

The "logs" are cedar offcuts - I went to a small mill nearby to pick up some tongue & groove to put on the doors (I wanted wood ones but they were too spendy, so I covered exterior doors with with T&G) and they were lying there in a pile. The offcuts are the first cuts of the log to square them up for the saw, essentially scrap so I picked them up for a buck and a half each ( ), stripped the bark off and fixed them to the wall with burlap in between.

I went kinda nuts trying out different media for the sponging - plastic bags, fiberglass insulation, old rags and different sponges. That was the most fun part of that job.

I hope that shop/barn deal comes together for you!