New member looking for advice on what to use on floor

[jdwilson44]

Just joined this site and so far I have found a bunch of useful information for my upcoming garage project. One of the biggest issues I still have to resolve is what I am going to use to finish off the concrete floor. I have seen all of the epoxy floor finishes that are out there and know that is one of my options. The other two options I was considering were the snap together type tiles and the Armstrong VCT type glue down tiles.

I was looking for some advice as to what would stand up the best over the long haul as well as what is easiest to install. Cost is not really big factor for me as long it is within reason. The option I that I am leaning towards is the VCT tiles but I am not sure how they will stand up to things like jack stands, welding and grinding residue, etc. I will be using the garage for general car repairs on my personal cars as well parking a tractor, doing auto body work, welding, grinding, etc.

Thanks for any advice.

[bmwpower]

Your concerns are common. In my opinion, there are pros/cons of both systems:

The big concern I have with tiles, is that there are seams where liquid could seep into and potentially loosen the glue behind the tile. On the plus side, if you damage a tile, you could simply pull up the damaged tile and replace with a new one. As long as you have jack stands, etc that do not have sharp feet you should be ok. The tiles are pretty tough, but a sharp enough edge with enough weight behind it could cut the surface. If your garage floor is not perfectly flat, I could see where installing these tiles may be a problem.

Epoxy is much more time consuming to install. There's a lot more prep work. You can't simply stop in the middle of the install to take a break like you can when installing tiles. However, the final product is totally seemless. Sharp items can still pierce the surface, though, so you still need to be careful. Chemical resistance (with an poly top coat) is second to none. Auto shops, chemical warehouses, etc. use this type of floor coating. Another downside is that there are a host of different brands of epoxy, all with different characteristics.

[jdwilson44]

I spent some time looking on the Armstrong site and saw that they also make the vinyl flooring in larger rolls which apparently can be put together and have the seams welded. If the flooring itself would stand up to being used in a garage this would seem like a pretty good solution since you would not have all the seams that you would get with the tiles.

[dwiegman@uwc.edu]

When I was younger (10 years ago anyway), my dad used some vinyl in front of his workbench and never had a problem with it. Not sure what he used for an adhesive but it worked great and was easy to clean. This was in Illinois where freeze/thaw happens with still no problems. He did not use it where he parked the vehicles so I'm not sure about traffic and/or tire marks. It would make sense to me to use the vinyl as an option as it will probably be the most cost-effective. I don't do much maintenance work other than the typical oil change and tune-up stuff so I'm not worried about jack stands or other related problems.

How about some of the new paints that are out there? I was at Home Depot last week and saw some specifically made for garage floors. Anyone use them? They do have a full spectrum of colors available so that it what made me think about it!

[Concrete Video]

I've heard epoxy floors pit from welding, but I'd be scared of that for tiles too. I'll probably go bare floor with oil stains.

[byrdman]

It's bare floor and oil stains for me too. I've researched epoxy for a while before deciding it wasn't for me. I know when it works, people seem to really love it, but here's some things that convinced me against putting anything on my floor:

Epoxy: :
No matter how good a epoxy product is supposed to be, you WILL find a complaining customer who swears they followed all the directions, worked their ass off installing it, spent a lot of money and is not satisfied. For every compliment, you find complaints.

Apparently metal grindings/filings that find their way to an epoxy floor cause rust spots that can't be removed. Welding slag will take the finish off.

Epoxy will show all the imperfections in your floor, and is slick when wet. This means adding flecks to hide the imperfections, and grit to prevent the slips. I'd be afraid that the flecks would prevent me from finding small objects I've dropped. The grit needs to applied with precision to get an even application - enough to prevent slippage, but not so much as to cause a rough surface you can't clean well.

VCT tile:
Maybe he didn't know what he was talking about, but the guy at Lowe's told me this stuff does not repel gas/oil/antifreeze on its own, you have to periodically recoat it with something to keep it effective.

Jack stands, etc tend to dig into VCT if not covered in carpet or similar.

My floor is not finished that well. I think with the bumps, peaks and valleys that tile would not look so hot for me.

Snap-together tiles (race deck, etc):
First and foremost, TOO EXPENSIVE. I don't know what your means are, but check the price on this stuff before saying that price is not really a factor for you. What size is your garage? Also, it just doesn't seem at home in a bodyworking shop. Just my opinion! It looks great for a storage showroom kind of garage, and I'll bet it's easy to install(or even remove and take with you).

[bmwpower]

Sure, you'll find people that hate epoxy, this brand or that brand. My thought is that if I'm going to actually work in the garage, it doesn't matter if it gets damaged here and there. I will do everything in my power to prevent it from peeling, etc. If it doesn't work, at least I can say I tried.

[Hartz]

:dunno: If you search the internet long enough, you'll find someone who complains about free sex and beer, too.

[awdirtdrifter]

Lol!

[Concrete Video]

:dunno: If you search the internet long enough, you'll find someone who complains about free sex and beer, too.
:lol: