dennisoates
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2013
- Messages
- 53
am trying to finish a floor for under 500 2 car 400 sq ft thanks
Is tile a good floor for a garage?
- Thread starter dennisoates
- Start date
zeebad1
Well-known member
It's a great choice, and I'm sure you'll hear that from several others on here.
This is 480 sq. ft., and the tiles cost $1.60/ea. I initially got some for $.68/ea, at Home Depot, and they weren't square. I returned them, and got these from a flooring store.
Very happy with how it turned out.
This is 480 sq. ft., and the tiles cost $1.60/ea. I initially got some for $.68/ea, at Home Depot, and they weren't square. I returned them, and got these from a flooring store.
Very happy with how it turned out.
KissMyWhiteSS
Well-known member
what is VCT? I am in the same boat here and cannot decide what to do.
KissMyWhiteSS
Well-known member
got it figured out nevermind
Shea
Well-known member
Here's a small article on vinyl composite tile that will explain a little more about what it is and how to install it. There are quite a few people here in the forum who have VCT floors and love em. I'm sure one or two will chime in here.
Very happy with my ceramic tile. Put it in five years ago.
mayday0017
Well-known member
In my opinion Ceramic or Porcelin is the only way to go.... holds up GREAT, and in the event you do mess one up it is easy and cheap to repair, compaired to Epoxy which is expensive to repair and never looks right unless you redo the whole floor again...
Just my 2 cents (current epoxy owner)
Just my 2 cents (current epoxy owner)
rickyboy
Well-known member
I don't see where you guys are located so excuse my questions .......if the answers seem obvious.
Under what conditions can a guy use these ceramic and vinyl tiles? Should you seal the concrete first? Or maybe after the tiles are down? What about slippage if/when wet??
I'm going to be doing a garage floor where the temps can be extremely cold in the winter {-25* C to -30* C} and in the high 90's in the summer. This past summer we had 100*C . Also I was wondering about unseen or detectable moisture coming up through the concrete, I was going to go with "RaceDeck" but if I can go with the cheaper methods I will .....gladly.
Actually never thought about ceramic tiles. What about breakage with them? I mean you drop a wrench or part and you'd be on your knees digging out grout and replacing the broken ones. I'd like to say I'd never drop anything but I know damn well I will.
Under what conditions can a guy use these ceramic and vinyl tiles? Should you seal the concrete first? Or maybe after the tiles are down? What about slippage if/when wet??
I'm going to be doing a garage floor where the temps can be extremely cold in the winter {-25* C to -30* C} and in the high 90's in the summer. This past summer we had 100*C . Also I was wondering about unseen or detectable moisture coming up through the concrete, I was going to go with "RaceDeck" but if I can go with the cheaper methods I will .....gladly.
Actually never thought about ceramic tiles. What about breakage with them? I mean you drop a wrench or part and you'd be on your knees digging out grout and replacing the broken ones. I'd like to say I'd never drop anything but I know damn well I will.
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mayday0017
Well-known member
Moisture issues I can not answer on, maybe someone else will chime in... As far as tiles getting broken, it should be very few and far between. As long as they are installed properly and don't sound "Hollow" when tapped you will be fine. I have seen tile hold up in a shop environment for years and years with almost no broken tiles. Also guys on here have made videos beating on their floor showing how hard it is to damage. Personally I recommend porcelin but I have seen ceramic too.
Pretty much anything can be damaged, but tile holds up the best to abuse in my opinion.. It is harder to chip then concrete/epoxy, and will hold up to heat better then racedeck and such.
Another perk to it vs say epoxy, is it won't have hot tire lift, and you can install it with out needing to empty the garage out for a few days.
Pretty much anything can be damaged, but tile holds up the best to abuse in my opinion.. It is harder to chip then concrete/epoxy, and will hold up to heat better then racedeck and such.
Another perk to it vs say epoxy, is it won't have hot tire lift, and you can install it with out needing to empty the garage out for a few days.
Dakota00
Well-known member
No, do not seal the concrete before tiling! The tiles themselves don't need to be sealed either, but I would suggest sealing the grout joints if you go with a light or medium grout color.
Temperatures will not affect properly installed tiles, make sure when laying that you use the proper thinset with a thaw protection like Kerabond/Keralastic system. I've done a few garages and never had any issues or problems with tiles popping, cracking or any damage complaints.
If you do a search on this forum, you'll find a lot of info and pictures regarding tiling a garage floor.
myslow2002gt
Well-known member
100*C huh?
To answer your questions, if you use the correct thinset as mentioned above, freeze and thaw transitions will be perfectly fine on the tile. I suggest you backbutter each tile you install to ensure no voids.
As for breaking the tile, it generally isn't a problem. I actually dropped a 15" crescent wrench off a 6' step ladder twice last weekend and all it did was bounce off the tile - causing no damage at all.
fixcasa58
Member
i have used the cheap HD tile in my weight room and it has worked out great. I am a little concerned with slipperiness in the garage as we walk in and out during rainy times. Thoughts?
All tiles are rated for hardness, a PEI rating, which goes from 1-5 -- you want 4 or 5, as well as coefficient of friction, different numbers meet different codes -- mine were rated for outdoor mall use, so they're not very slippery, as well as moisture content, which will determine if they will be okay with freeze/thaw cycles.
My tiles were .59/sf at Home Depot and this is a very short video of me hitting them with a 4-lb sledge hammer.
My tiles were .59/sf at Home Depot and this is a very short video of me hitting them with a 4-lb sledge hammer.
Can't be more happy with it. Coming up on 3 years with some serious abuse to it, and not one issue.
uh... how did you get the X5 on 4 ramps? Is there enough clearance between the car and ground to put a set of ramps behind the front wheels?
JimVonBaden
Well-known member
I have VCT, and it is decent. However, for the very few dollars more, I would go with Porcelain. Tougher, no maintenance, and looks great!
Jim
I have had vct in my garage now for about 10 years and I could not be more unhappy with it.
It looks great when it is first put down but it needs consistant maintance to keep it looking good and shiny. You will need to own a floor buffer or have a rental place on speed dial if you want to keep it looking presentable. If you park a vehicle on a white tile it leave a stain that can only be removed by wet sanding. Now more polishing.
I am in the process of laying Racedeck over mine and so far it looks awesome!
Mickm
It looks great when it is first put down but it needs consistant maintance to keep it looking good and shiny. You will need to own a floor buffer or have a rental place on speed dial if you want to keep it looking presentable. If you park a vehicle on a white tile it leave a stain that can only be removed by wet sanding. Now more polishing.
I am in the process of laying Racedeck over mine and so far it looks awesome!
Mickm
BUCKNERBUCK2
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2011
- Messages
- 145
Agreed with all of these post. I did my floor last year, 550 sq ft with PEI 5 tile from home depot. It was $1.50 sq ft. Cheaper than alot of vinyl options, or even an epoxy from some places.
Keep in mind that you can do half the garage at a time, then work on the grouting. I couldn't do epoxy with all my tool boxes and tools with no other garage.
After a quick mopping...
I have done things to this floor (floorjacks and dragging table saw) that would tear up VCT or epoxy. Doesn't leave a mark on the tile. Plus, I am in Michigan and the drainage from my wifes car runs down the grout lines and out the door No issues so far at all.
Keep in mind that you can do half the garage at a time, then work on the grouting. I couldn't do epoxy with all my tool boxes and tools with no other garage.
After a quick mopping...
I have done things to this floor (floorjacks and dragging table saw) that would tear up VCT or epoxy. Doesn't leave a mark on the tile. Plus, I am in Michigan and the drainage from my wifes car runs down the grout lines and out the door
No issues so far at all.fixcasa58
Member
Jack - Thanks for the info. I have been enjoying your garage website - It seems to be the media darling in the world of garage organization. I am too cheap to install Recedeck. I was looking at VCT, but I remember what a pain it was to maintain, as we had it in our kitchen growing up, and it was my job to strip it once a year. Cheers, Paul
It has 4 wheel air suspension from the factory. So yea, I can put all 4 ramps under the car. It is pretty freaky as the car seems to lift up when going up all 4. My biggest concern is my ceiling height, but the X has about 4 inches of room under the garage door opener. With this setup, 2 floor jacks, and 4 stands, I can do pretty much anything in the garage.