VCT tile now done. Looks great!

[Mac Attack]

Attached Pics.

 

[comp]

looks good ,,, i like it

 

[Silver Bullet]

Mac,
I really like the black/grey you used. Do you happen to know what colors they were? Are they Armstrong?

 

[mykingdomlisa]

hum good if i have a new one i'd like to use it

 

[tlcollison]

Very nice looking installation. Would you please keep us posted on how the floor is holding up?

I have been considering the same product for my shop. However, my discussions with Armstrong technical support indicate many potential problems using the VCT for this application. They recommend the floor never go below 55F, indicate that the antioxidant used in the rubber for tires will cause yellowing, and that standing moisture/water can creep through the joints causing lifting; to name a few.

But I agree the cost and appearance is very tempting. Looking forward to hearing your update. Thanks.

TC

 

[05_gmc_slt]

How often do you VCT guys have to wax your floors?

 

[SteveB]

Temps - I installed my VCT in 90 degree temperatures but in the winter the ambient air has gone as low as 40*, insulated but not heated.

Staining - its a fact that tires will leave a brownish stain on VCT. Most of us have come up with slices of carpet, thin metal strips, some sort of floor protection. The stain is a royal PIA to remove if left too long.

Standing water/seepage - I reside in a very dry climate with no water seepage problem so cannot honestly address that concern.

Waxing - about every 6 months I sponge mop on an application of Armstong Floor Polish after first cleaning the tiles with Armstrong Floor Cleaner (also sponge mop and pail of warm water with diluted product). It takes about 30 minutes to completely dry. I have never used an electric buffing/polishing machine of any kind.

As I have stated in the past, VCT may not be for everyone. Personally, I don't know how it holds up to welding spatter, rolling heavy objects around or a real heavy duty commercial type useage. I have used a creeper (left tiny wheel marks which are no longer visible), always put thin metal plates under jacks/jack stands and park my cars on the darker colour tiles so that the staining is not as apparent.

My install is coming up to 2 years old, still has a great shine, no peeling/chipping/lifting of any sort and gets tons of compliments from my car buddies and even non car people who think my garage is some sort of cool rec room/garage/hang out area.

YMMV

 

[Jabberwalk]

I just removed a VCT floor due to the tiles "scooting" and breaking as a car applied brakes in the garage. It happened 1-2 times a year and the homeowner got tired of replacing broken tiles. Be sure to use a quality adhesive to help prevent this. VCT is inexpensive and easy to install, however it can be a maintenance nightmare compared to a quality floor coating. But I am biased!

BTW nice looking floor Jason!

(another) Jason

 

[Mac Attack]

Mac,
I really like the black/grey you used. Do you happen to know what colors they were? Are they Armstrong?

Sorry for the late reply.

The tiles are Armstrong - I bought them at the local Home Depot. I combined the leftover tiles into one box, and that one is labeled 51910. Don't know if that was the speckled black or the speckled gray, but you should be able to see from the display they have.

Tire staining (or any other rubber for that matter) does occur on the tiles. I put my compressor pads and tires on top of black tiles so that it is only noticeable from a few feet away. My recommendation is to plan your installation where your vehicle tires will just happen to be placed over black tiles.

Also, I would prep the floor as if I were doing epoxy or paint (paint removal, degreasing, acid etch, etc.). I only wanted to lay the tiles once. I used Roberts 2057 adhesive, also found at Home Depot. It does get down to 5 degrees F some nights here in SC, but my insulated garage never drops below 45F on the floor. Over the year I've had the floor, no tiles have shrunk, raised, shifted, etc. I have not replaced any tiles either. I turn my 2700 lb vehicle on the floor (I would be a little hesistant doing this with a big SUV) with no problems. I clean and apply polish via mop maybe every 4 months since the garage is used quite a bit and it gets a few scratches here and there.

I would do this again in my next garage since the only drawback for me is that the floor is slippery when wet.

If done properly, the tiles will last the life of your garage (look at Walmart floors, Target, grocery stores, etc).

 

[mtne]

Wow, what a great thread!

I've been looking around and haven't seen any references to sissor type lifts. I've a couple of HandyLift motorcycle lifts, as well as a large rolling toolbox to consdider. Any experiance or recomendations on their use with VCT? Once they're set they generally don't move buy I like having the option...... Also, any real experiance with the grinding/welding issue? I'm guessing that VCT gets pretty scarred up with that activity, but it's not a major part of my shop life so I hope to abate as best as possible when doing it.

Thanks!

** I'm so gosh darn excited**

mountain eagle

 

[Mac Attack]

Here's a picture of the yellowing that occurs on black tiles:

For reference, this is my daily-driver with super-sticky summer only tires. The car has been parked in this spot for a year. Not really too noticeable....

 

[Jason B]

looks good everyone.

 

[sammerdog]

Beautiful floor option. Anybody from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan try this yet? In my corner of Michigan, winters can be a little more extreme. We hit -10 to -15 below zero regularly and for three to five days at a shot. Any experience (pro or con) in extreme conditions?

 

[thehatguy]

What kind of prep is necessary to install the tiles over an existing epoxy painted floor. The epoxy has the flakes in it that were thrown on the wet surface during installation.

Thanks

 

[Jason B]

What kind of prep is necessary to install the tiles over an existing epoxy painted floor. The epoxy has the flakes in it that were thrown on the wet surface during installation.

Thanks

Nothing special at all. Just spray off the floor and be sure it's free from dust/grime. That's it and that's the beauty of VCT. Virtually no prep, and no worries that you did it wrong, not like Epoxy.

 

[thehatguy]

Thanks for the reply.

I wasn't sure if the glue might react with the existing clear-coat I put over the expoxy.

I put down the U-Coat-It system and it is lifting up where we park the cars. Quite unsightly.

Looking at your tile job, it really doesn't look like 4' squares. Must be an illusion.

Looks good!

John

 

[thehatguy]

Well the floor is done!

Me and 2 other guys did it in 5 hours yesterday. Put the VCT right over the previously installed epoxy flooring. The only thing I did to the previous floor was to rent a floor finisher and sand the floor to roughen it up a bit.

This VCT install went so smoothly it was almost scary. Very pleased with the results.

Now I need to get the wax down. Plan on doing this today and had a few questions if anybody would care to chime in:

What type of mop to use to for the wax? Just a typical sponge mop?

There are some scuff marks on the tiles that happened during indtallation. Do I need to get these off prior to waxing? If so, what to use to remove them?

I plan on 4-5 coats of Armstrong wax and then hit it with a buffer for that final shine. Overkill???

Let me know your thoughts.

John

 

[volvo]

.
John, very unique choice of colors, Looks great, I like it...H We have seen, Blue/Red/Black/dark brown, checker style floors and they all have looked good. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Silver Bullet]

Looks great. I'm planning to install VCT in a few weeks. How long after install do you have to wait to put stuff back on the floor? I may have to do my floor in sections so I'm wondering how long I have to wait to move stuff back onto the tiled area.

 

[thehatguy]

I put some light weight items on the floor after a few hours.

I won't put the cars in the garage for 3 days.

Waxing now. 1st coat down, 4 more to go then the buffing begins.

Will show polished pictures later.

John

 

[thehatguy]

Well, I used a low speed buffer with a white pad and the results weren't any different than just using the wax by itself.?

Any clues as to how to get that mirror finish???

John

 

[helopilot]

Well, I used a low speed buffer with a white pad and the results weren't any different than just using the wax by itself.?

Any clues as to how to get that mirror finish???

John

Put a 100% cotton towel underneath whatever pad you are using and go to town.

 

[Silver Bullet]

How long does the adhesive take to set up? I'm trying to figure out how much of a section to put down before I start laying tiles. Can't wait to get this project started!

 

[Jason B]

30 min, after you spread it down, then you have HOURS to lay the tile, or you can start laying pretty much instantly.

 

[irisservice]

Well, I used a low speed buffer with a white pad and the results weren't any different than just using the wax by itself.?

Any clues as to how to get that mirror finish???

John

you want to use a high speed buffer with a white pad..

 

[HiHoSilver]

awesome,

I might be sold on using tile.

I do have a couple of question, does the floor have to be perfectly flat? my garage is 24X26 with a 4" center floor drain, so all four sides drain to the center, but it is not a steep slope, maybe a 1/2"-1" drop in elevation. someone mentioned laying the tile out in the sun to make them a little flexible, this might help
this is a concern because, checking them out at HD, the tile seemed pretty brittle. Also, I wash my cars in the garage during the winters, would this be a problem for the tile if sealed.

everyones floor looks great.

 

[Jason B]

awesome,

I might be sold on using tile.

I do have a couple of question, does the floor have to be perfectly flat? my garage is 24X26 with a 4" center floor drain, so all four sides drain to the center, but it is not a steep slope, maybe a 1/2"-1" drop in elevation. someone mentioned laying the tile out in the sun to make them a little flexible, this might help
this is a concern because, checking them out at HD, the tile seemed pretty brittle. Also, I wash my cars in the garage during the winters, would this be a problem for the tile if sealed.

everyones floor looks great.

The slope won't be a problem since it's gradual. You can wash id you seal it.

 

[HiHoSilver]

The slope won't be a problem since it's gradual. You can wash id you seal it.

thanks Jason, your garage floor looks awsome,* I think the tile may be the way to go, I do not plan on do any heavy or real dity work in the garage for a while, i just completed the dirty part of an auto restoration, body work is going to be done somewhere else.I would rather buff the floor than touch up paint.

 

[Itzkwik]

awesome,
I do have a couple of question, does the floor have to be perfectly flat? my garage is 24X26 with a 4" center floor drain, so all four sides drain to the center, but it is not a steep slope, maybe a 1/2"-1" drop in elevation. someone mentioned laying the tile out in the sun to make them a little flexible, this might help
this is a concern because, checking them out at HD, the tile seemed pretty brittle. :

You can also heat the tiles up with a MAPP/propane torch to help them "bend" or fit over an irregular or uneven surface.

 

[Mac Attack]

this is a concern because, checking them out at HD, the tile seemed pretty brittle. Also, I wash my cars in the garage during the winters, would this be a problem for the tile if sealed.

These floors ARE VERY SLIPPERY WHEN WET. I would not take a chance using these if you're planning on washing your cars on them.

My tile has been down over a year (I've attached pics above), and when I wash my cars in the driveway and walk into the garage, just having a little bit of water on the soles makes it very slippery. I've lost traction a few times. My 3.5 year old daughter has fallen once already and learned her lesson. I don't let my wife park in the garage because of the slippery floor (at least that's what I telll her).

I just wouldn't take a chance... unless a sealer could be put on that wouldn't make it as slippery.

 

[HiHoSilver]

itzkwik & Mac Attack

thanks guys, noted. do not have kids, but have wife, she does not park in garage, kicked her out when I bought the 2007 coupe, other side has 73 convert.

we do use the garage as the main entrance to the house, guests use front door.

after reading about the epoxy coating, them seem to be slippery as well unless a ton of "grit" is used, seems to me it would defeat the purpose of a smooth floor for easy cleaning.

may check into the safety tiles mentioned above

 

[Dragster Racer]

Those floors look really nice. Does it give you vertigo in person though. Just looking at the pictures makes my eyes start to glaze over!
I have determined that even though my shop will be nice when I am finished, I can't do any of the nice looking floors. Too much gravel, tire chains and fab work in my shop. I really like yours though.

 

[slowpoke993]

you are inspirational. I would like to do this in my garage but can you tell me if it will stand up to the cold weather we get in the Phila. area. My garage is not heated.

 

[SteveB]

My garage isn't heated either (but it is insulated) yet after 2 Canadian winters the VCT has held up just fine, no cracks, lifting, etc.

Click on my link below for some pretty pictures.

 

[raffaelli]

You can use this to resolve your slip problems. I use this on several large box stores. They have a very low slip co-efficient.

When I tile my garage, I will use this.

http://www.armstrong.com/commflooringna/product_details.jsp?item_id=383

 

[HiHoSilver]

I ordered tile on Monday this week at a local HD, plan to install last week of May. will post pictures afterward.

Thanks for everyones input...

 

[ScaldedDog]

You can use this to resolve your slip problems. I use this on several large box stores. They have a very low slip co-efficient.

When I tile my garage, I will use this.

http://www.armstrong.com/commflooringna/product_details.jsp?item_id=383

I just got some samples of this stuff, and I plan to use it when the garage is done.

Mark

 

[sizzler90]

You can use this to resolve your slip problems. I use this on several large box stores. They have a very low slip co-efficient.

When I tile my garage, I will use this.

http://www.armstrong.com/commflooringna/product_details.jsp?item_id=383

I was thinking of using this also. But it looks like it would be a pain to clean. Any input on this?

 

[OtherPete]

I was thinking of using this also. But it looks like it would be a pain to clean. Any input on this?

Its also much more expensive - Lowes.com quotes $76 per 45 sqft box ($1.70/sq ft). As compared to Armstrong Classic Black Imperial Texture Excelon which is $30 per 45 sqft box.

Anyone found a cheaper online source for the Safety Zone tiles?

 

[thrytis]

Its also much more expensive - Lowes.com quotes $76 per 45 sqft box ($1.70/sq ft). As compared to Armstrong Classic Black Imperial Texture Excelon which is $30 per 45 sqft box.

Anyone found a cheaper online source for the Safety Zone tiles?

Safety Zone tiles would be special order from Lowes or Home Depot. If you can wait, both stores typically have 20% off special order flooring a couple times a year.