What was the final cost for your flooring project?

[Red Leader]

Hey all,

I've been trying to do some research on some different flooring options for my garage (1950s Craftsman Garage - http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103099) but every time I learn something about flooring, I get more confused on the price and want to start all over. Here's the basics of what I've found out:

Epoxy:
cheap and straightforward cost in an all-encompassing DIY kit, but I don't think it would work well with my floor (uneven, cracks, hard to move stuff out for periods of time)

VCT: from what I know, really cheap and looks good. Just not sure about long term durability and install on an uneven floor.

Porcelain tile: was really getting excited about this options with $1 tiles until I started reading about the cost of the epoxy grout: $100+!!!

Wood: I'd still love to do a wood floor! I know install and upkeep would be a bit of a pain, but it would be so cool and I could reuse cheap wood and do it over time.

Racedeck: One of the more expensive options, but install and durability are non issues.

So, I'm kinda back at square one. The more I learn, the farther back I seem to get

So, with that, maybe you guys that have already done this can help out.

If you can list your:

Flooring type: (VCT, Epoxy, Tile, Wood, Racedeck, other...)

Sq ft covered: #____

Final cost: $_____ (and completed cost per sq ft: $____)


This would be awesome!!!

Thanks guys!

 

[NNate]

It sounds like environment the flooring is used in is important too. i.e. does it get real snowy with temperature swings, etc.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I moved it to the flooring forum.

You do not need epoxy grout. I spill oil all over mine and I have regular grout. Just use a dark color grout (brown or black), so that it can stain all it wants and no one will ever be able to tell.

440 square feet. $270 for tile. $30 for thinset. $40 for grout. Final cost was $340, which is 77 cents a square foot. (Note: this is going from memory and a current look at the materials and their coverage -- I know I bought more thinset and grout than I ended up using. Also, I bought kneepads, a notched trowel, sponges, a bucket, a scorer/cutter and a cheap Harbor Freight tile saw.)

And here's my little helper sweeping it up:

 

[PecosBill]

Your thinset cost looks a little low, Jack. With porcelain tile it is best to use a modified thinset, and that should run you between $15-20/bag. A 50# bag, and a 3/8" notch trowel (the minimum size you should use with 12" tile) will get you 70-75sf. This means about 6 bags were needed, and that should've run between $90-120.

 

[Chuck W.]

For 960 Sq Ft of VCT I spent just under $1000 three years ago. Then added a used high speed polisher for $250. The below photo is when the floor was 3 1/2 years old. If I was to do it over, I would look into black and white Porcelain tile. That said, I am very happy with the VCT.

 

[thegarageguy]

There's always a cheaper way to go...as long as it meets your expectation is all that matters

 

[Jack Olsen]

Your thinset cost looks a little low, Jack. With porcelain tile it is best to use a modified thinset, and that should run you between $15-20/bag. A 50# bag, and a 3/8" notch trowel (the minimum size you should use with 12" tile) will get you 70-75sf. This means about 6 bags were needed, and that should've run between $90-120.

That could easily be. To get my number, I just looked up the basic thinset on Home Depot (it's what I used; my tiles are ceramic), and figured six 50# bags based on the specifications' coverage estimates. The basic stuff is $5.47 a bag, according to the website.

My budget for the whole project, including buying a tile cutting saw ($40), was $500. As I remember, I still had a fair amount of the money left over when the job was done.

Tile is inexpensive, durable, easy to clean, and much thicker than any epoxy I've ever seen. It's not the best or only treatment for a garage floor, but I've been thrilled with mine.

It's important to note: I'm not a pro. My tiling job was bare-bones and learn-as-you-go. It's probably safe to say that if I did ten floors, enough would go wrong that I'd opt to spend more money for better tiles or thinset. But I only had the one floor to do, and it's been almost four years now since I did it and it's holding up great. Maybe I was lucky -- but it's something I appreciate every time I go into the garage.

See my tile strength test.

 

[WVBrady]

Question for Jack

Jack: Your floor looks nice and you have had good luck with it. Why do you suppose more people don't do what you did? Do you think it would be appropriate for a cold climate where the temperature might occasionally get below freezing?

 

[PeterT]

I've done a lot of tiling, and I've found you can get a real steal at Lowes. Go into there flooring deptartment, and many times you will find 5 or 6 broken bags of thinset. Same for the grout, if you aren't too picky on the color, you can usually get a real steal.
I was in there about 2 mths ago, and a worker was loading pierced bags of both grout and thinset on a flat bed cart. THere must have been about 12 bags of thinset and 10 grout. I offered him $10 for the entire cart and he said DEAL.