Garage Floor Confustion

Simba · Jun 15, 2009

I want to put down interlocking tiles in my garage but I'm confused on the many options. I've read the horror stories about warping in the heat of summer and about the tiles coming apart if you happen to turn the car's wheel. Does anyone have a suggestion you'd like to share?

mikeyr · Jun 16, 2009

RaceDeck...

enough said...

ok, maybe a tiny bit more to say, I have seen my tiles lift in the doorway when the hot sun was on them, never harmed them and they have been down many years, it was never bad enough to look into why. There is NO way that RaceDeck will come apart when you turn the wheels.

Shocker · Jun 16, 2009

I have the Garage Deck down in my shop. It is a less expensive version of Racedeck. Made from the same material and locking mech. but the undertile pattern is different.

I have been pretty happy with it. I do see some of what MikeyR has seen in the hot sun. With the sun beating down on the tiles, you get some expansion and lift. I cut a bit more out of the corners near the garage opening, but it didn't go away fully. You can really see the expansion as those gaps between the tiles really shrink down.

As for the tiles splitting when steering. I have had 2 incidents when pulling my Dodge 1500 truck in to the shop.

The first time, there was a snapping sound where about 5 tiles split apart while driving in. The second time, I was turning the wheel and when finished parking, there was a 8 inch rise in part of the tiles directly in front of the drivers wheel.

Driving straight in had zero problems. I also have the foam underlayment (laminate) under the tiles and there was very little weight on the floor on the whole and those things might have played a part. There was no damage after each incident and the tiles were able to snap back just fine.

XR80David · Jun 17, 2009

Simba said:
I want to put down interlocking tiles in my garage but I'm confused on the many options. I've read the horror stories about warping in the heat of summer and about the tiles coming apart if you happen to turn the car's wheel. Does anyone have a suggestion you'd like to share?

Racedeck won't come apart when turned on, but, the sun warps it definitely... If you have heard about the tile coming apart this probably happened on a cheap knock-off tile that is 1/8 as durable as Racedeck. I still choose to go with epoxy though. I had Racedeck at one point, didn't like it,but have nothing against it.

Shocker · Jun 17, 2009

Mine did come apart. It is GarageDeck. It is made by Racedeck. It is there more budget flooring. It is NOT one of the cheap Chicom tiles.

Personally, I think it was just issues with the underlayment and having no other items on the floor holding it in place.

RaceDeck1 · Jun 17, 2009

Underlayment and the various types can cause issues with some garage enviroments. If you feel you need it, you can call us and we will suggest what will work best.

ironroad 9c1 · Jun 18, 2009

if you want to work in your garage, avoid the tiles. and just coat the floor.

Shocker · Jun 19, 2009

Listen to Jorgen, he knows what he is talking about.

jtthebrick · Jun 3, 2017

Just put Race Deck down for the first time for a customer with a 27' x 29' garage. It is a three bay with two overheads and western sun exposure in NW Ohio. I have installed floorcovering of all types for 17 years and run my own business. The customer initially wanted vinyl composition tile (VCT) or a Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and because of it being a garage and fluctuation in temperature changes I talked him out of it and found Race Deck "garage floor tile". Bad mistake! This material does not need to be on the market as a product designed for an environment subjected to direct sunlight or fluctuation in temperature. The floor has plenty of expansion and buckles in the doorways causing a trip hazard. The customer service has lousy solutions for example, switching the first three rows out with the free flow tile

. How about this one, when the floor is at its hottest and at full expansion to screw it down to the concrete

. The instructions specifically stress that it is a floating floor and to NOT adhere or fasten it to the substrate. This is something I already know as an installer but I just wanted to reiterate the simple facts. This company is only offering a refund on material and no compensation for any labor cost. This a terrible product and needs to NOT be advertised as a garage floor or have it's intolerance stated for consumers to make an informed decision. This customer of mine is ready to file a lawsuit for full compensation and rightfully so. Steer clear of Race Deck!

jtthebrick · Jun 3, 2017

Just put Race Deck down for the first time for a customer with a 27' x 29' garage. It is a three bay with two overheads and western sun exposure in NW Ohio. I have installed floorcovering of all types for 17 years and run my own business. The customer initially wanted vinyl composition tile (VCT) or a Luxury vinyl tile (LVT) and because of it being a garage and fluctuation in temperature changes I talked him out of it and found Race Deck "garage floor tile". Bad mistake! This material does not need to be on the market as a product designed for an environment subjected to direct sunlight or fluctuation in temperature. The floor has plenty of expansion and buckles in the doorways causing a trip hazard. The customer service has lousy solutions for example, switching the first three rows out with the free flow tile

. How about this one, when the floor is at its hottest and at full expansion to screw it down to the concrete

. The instructions specifically stress that it is a floating floor and to NOT adhere or fasten it to the substrate. This is something I already know as an installer but I just wanted to reiterate the simple facts. This company is only offering a refund on material and no compensation for any labor cost. This a terrible product and needs to NOT be advertised as a garage floor or have it's intolerance stated for consumers to make an informed decision. This customer of mine is ready to file a lawsuit for full compensation and rightfully so. Steer clear of Race Deck!

Shea · Jun 4, 2017

This is a suspicious post(s) if I ever saw one ^^^^

Actually, this south facing garage did just as RaceDeck recommends and it works great.

ard · Jun 4, 2017

Shea said:
This is a suspicious post(s) if I ever saw one ^^^^

Actually, this south facing garage did just as RaceDeck recommends and it works great.

'Did' what? What did rd recommend and what did they do? Screw it down to the concrete when at max expansion??

polizei1 · Jun 4, 2017

Don't forget SwissTrax

Shea · Jun 4, 2017

ard said:
'Did' what? What did rd recommend and what did they do? Screw it down to the concrete when at max expansion??

This is a south facing garage with three rows of the Free-Flow in front. Sun doesn't have much of an affect on the Free-Flow and it expands very little. With the door open, the sun hits the first few rows on a regular basis without any problems of expansion. No tiles were screwed down.

The boxes were set outside to warm in the sun before the installation. Doing this allows the tiles to be installed at some expansion already and makes for a more accurate installation when making your cuts to stay 1/2" away from the walls. If the floor does expand, it won't expand nearly as much if the tile was installed at colder temperatures.

66HertzClone · Jun 4, 2017

Shea said:
This is a suspicious post(s) if I ever saw one ^^^^

Actually, this south facing garage did just as RaceDeck recommends and it works great.

I was thinking the same thing, especially when we see that is his first ever post here.

Armorpoxy · Jun 5, 2017

Our solid PVC www.supratile.com when heated a lot will expand slightly as would most any product in direct sunlight. For that reason we always advise, and post on our website that floors that get tons of sun (south facing) we do suggest gluing down the first few rows with our special epoxy adhesive.

We also recommend installing leaving about 1/4" around the perimeter to allow for the expansion. Installation of inexpensive vinyl cove hides the small gap and has never been an issue.

see www.supratile.com

Coasterbuilder · Jun 5, 2017

Armorpoxy said:
Our solid PVC www.supratile.com when heated a lot will expand slightly as would most any product in direct sunlight. For that reason we always advise, and post on our website that floors that get tons of sun (south facing) we do suggest gluing down the first few rows with our special epoxy adhesive.

We also recommend installing leaving about 1/4" around the perimeter to allow for the expansion. Installation of inexpensive vinyl cove hides the small gap and has never been an issue.

see www.supratile.com

So what effect does gluing have on expansion? I have installed these tiles and don't like the buckling at the joints. Would gluing help with that?

Armorpoxy · Jun 6, 2017

The use of the adhesive locks them to the floor and they wont buckle, they just expand slightly into each other and you won't see any 'joint buckling' nor tile lifting.

We use these in firehouses which are very demanding environments with heavy equipment, water, lots of gear being dropped on the floor and with huge open doors that many face South.

See www.armor-tuff.com.

Cairo94507 · Jun 9, 2017

I am going with porcelain tile- period. Not messing around with coatings or any floating tiles. I want to do it once, do it right, and never have to deal with it again. May be a little more up from, but it will last forever (however long I have left).

jtthebrick · Jun 10, 2017

So maybe the free-flow tile in the first three rows works great. However the customer doesn't want three rows of free-flow filling up with **** that they have to constantly clean out. You know Northwest Ohio, salt and sand from the winter and they have a partial stone driveway. If you go to racedeck website none of those pictures show a floor with 3 rows of free flow tile at the garage overhead doors. Like I mentioned in my original post this product is unstable and should not be on the market if they cannot provide the customer with the material they want in a design they want not to mention none of these issues are mentioned on their website. You may have a south-facing garage but does it receive direct sunlight? I have my doubts after seeing the performance of the floor I put in which consists of the colors red, graphite and alloy. That was another one of customer services points was that the dark color of the graphite attracts more heat and therefore it is acceptable to do what it's doing. Terrible product!

jtthebrick · Jun 10, 2017

Another point I would like to make is why is the senior member and the CEO of these companies telling us on this blog how to correct the problem and acknowledge that these problems exist but none of that is mentioned on their website. Probably because it's junk!

jtthebrick · Jun 10, 2017

Be sure to abrade the surface or acid wash and neutralize the pH being sure that you test the pH before doing that because most garage floors have a sealer that won't allow your mortars to bond and a bad pH will erode your mortar bed over time. I agree with you my friend a tile floor mortared down is the way to go.

Shea · Jun 10, 2017

jtthebrick said:
So maybe the free-flow tile in the first three rows works great. However the customer doesn't want three rows of free-flow filling up with **** that they have to constantly clean out. You know Northwest Ohio, salt and sand from the winter and they have a partial stone driveway. If you go to racedeck website none of those pictures show a floor with 3 rows of free flow tile at the garage overhead doors. Like I mentioned in my original post this product is unstable and should not be on the market if they cannot provide the customer with the material they want in a design they want not to mention none of these issues are mentioned on their website. You may have a south-facing garage but does it receive direct sunlight? I have my doubts after seeing the performance of the floor I put in which consists of the colors red, graphite and alloy. That was another one of customer services points was that the dark color of the graphite attracts more heat and therefore it is acceptable to do what it's doing. Terrible product!

We get it - you personally don't care for RaceDeck or any other polypropylene modular tile system I assume. That's fine. However, the overall huge success of this type of flooring system begs to differ. Do people occasionally have issues with it? You bet - but the same can be said for just about any other type of flooring. There isn't one flooring system, coating, or sealer that makes everyone 100% happy.

The garage in the picture does receive direct sunlight (SoCal). It's actually worse in the winter months when the sun is lower on the horizon. It will shine in another foot past the free-flow tiles. So far, no issues.

Tommy8776 · Jul 17, 2017

I installed Swisstrax (Ribtrax) last week and so far am very happy.

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