Disappointed with RaceDeck

[5mall5nail5]

So I moved and I pulled up my Racedeck flooring and now I am putting it back down. The most disappointing thing about this flooring is that I spent good money on it because it was "durable" now that I am putting it back down I am realizing how many burn holes are in it from welding.


race deck close enough by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

I cut the hole today and didn't realize until looking back at images that theres an obvious BB hole from a piece of welding slag. I weld about 3 - 5' above the tile. Racedeck advertises it as durable and talk about welding and such and ... honestly, a bit disappointed. I have a BUNCH of marks like this. Probably 10 - 12 tiles done. They also talk about how durable it is and that it can support a 4 post lift. Well, I used large foot print jack stands and the floor deformed. Very disappointing overall. Ugh. I am about 150 tiles short of finishing my new garage floor since moving and not sure I want to spend the money to pick up more racedeck or not.

 

[240sxguy]

I would assume racedeck would burn under welding slag. Actually I burnt a spot on the epoxy in my parents garage years ago. Man was dad pissed.

 

[cdd1]

I've never seen RaceDeck promise that you can weld on it without some burning. It is plastic, afterall.

The only promises I've seen is that petroleum products won't stain it and it's rolling weight strength

 

[Jack Olsen]

I think you might have your standards set too high. I don't know of any flooring product that stands up to welding slag without cosmetic damage, including plain old concrete.

 

[pepi]

How about liquids will they get to the floor beneath? Makes it kind of hairy if you spill the average stuff used in a garage, acetone, lacquer thiner, brake fluid, oil and so on.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Garage Floor Tiles are made from plastic. I do not sell Racedeck but any brand I sell would have done the same thing. We encourage the use of a welding blanket in areas where there is going to be consistent welding.

 

[SteveCh]

I am thinking that every other post I've read about RaceDeck or other plastic tiles and welding says that people put down mats or other protective things to keep the tiles from damage. I've only been in the forum for 8 or 9 months, but I think it's a given that protection is obviously needed for welding. I would not use a cutting torch anywhere near the tile without protection either. Obvious.

 

[bdamico]

Not really sure how you could have expected it to withstand that. I'm pretty sure Racedeck has never made such a representation here.

 

[EVLGNUS]

I have done a ton of research on RD and related products as I am getting ready to floor a new garage. I have never seen Race Desk represented as resistant to welding slag. I don't see how ANY plastic floor tile can be expected to withstand red hot molten metal. If that was your expectation, it was not very realistic.

 

[HAY YOU]

If you weld it’s amazing to me you didn’t know any better. Next time just throw down an old piece of plywood to protect the floor. If it was a concrete floor you’d have chips popped out of it.

 

[Jack Olsen]

And let's not forget: unlike just about every other flooring option, you were able to pick it up and take it to your next shop.

 

[matty d]

Plastic + fire = melt

 

[turbowoodworker]

Ever have hot slag in the shoe? Melts just like Racedeck.

 

[PowerDubs]

 

[5mall5nail5]

Guys I am not talking like hours of welding here. The smallest of small little sprits of sparks are burning it. I get that a BB sized molten piece of metal is going to melt it. I am talking like the sparks coming off an angle grinder permanently turning it black/dark. Oh, and the part about petroleum products not staining.. yeah, right.

 

[PowerDubs]

And for those that don't quote get the reference-




http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c41/Tauros81/bth_red-foreman-that-70s-show-dumb-***.jpg

 

[pepi]

And let's not forget: unlike just about every other flooring option, you were able to pick it up and take it to your next shop.

So I guess that means one would need to have the same floor area, sounds a bit limiting

 

[lloyd.plywood]

Well that answers my question. I was wondering if that would happen too.

 

[4xdog]

Racedeck is made from polypropylene, IIRC. That's a pretty versatile polymer, with near engineering-thermoplastic properties at commodity prices. One thing is doesn't have is high heat performance. But against hot welding slag, heck, there are few polymers that could survive. I wouldn't fault Racedeck or their choice of PP for that!

 

[Armorpoxy]

We sell our Supratile in auto body shops and car and truck repair centers regularly. Sparks won't affect them, of course welding slag will make a mark or discolor or slight melt. Epoxies which we also sell will also get damaged by welding slag.

 

[MSG C5]

And let's not forget: unlike just about every other flooring option, you were able to pick it up and take it to your next shop.

...or simply replace the damaged tiles.

 

[pepi]

True but with a color mismatch ^^^^^^

Supratile seems to be a better idea.

 

[graffix000]

Do any type of search on this site or anywhere else and you will see the floor won't hold up to welding. It's not really anything anyone here will be surprised about. Need to put down a welding mat to piece of plywood to protect the floor in the work area.

Even epoxy will mar from slag.

 

[Cryptic1911]

Basically anything but bare concrete won't hold up to any amount of welding. I go ******* with welding blankets in ours

 

[RaceDeck1]

Even our RaceDeck Pro , which is an metal topped modular flooring will pit with Slag. I know of no flooring that will not mar, burn, pit, or crack under welding slag... If there was one, it would be pricey.

 

[slickgt1]

And let's not forget: unlike just about every other flooring option, you were able to pick it up and take it to your next shop.

+1.

OP, I think you were expecting a bit much from a plastic floor. But you did move it to your new shop, so that is a huge plus.

 

[Wildstar]

This Honda Fit I bought won't do 200 mph! I am so disappointed in the car. Same argument.

Right tool for the right job. It doesn't make any difference if you weld one an hour, once a day, or once a year, plastic melts when molten steel hits it. I see no problem with the floor's performance.

 

[tncatadjuster]

True but with a color mismatch ^^^^^^

Supratile seems to be a better idea.

Design around that with a black border or simply replace drop zone in black.

 

[Higgins]

So I moved and I pulled up my Racedeck flooring and now I am putting it back down. The most disappointing thing about this flooring is that I spent good money on it because it was "durable" now that I am putting it back down I am realizing how many burn holes are in it from welding.


race deck close enough by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

I cut the hole today and didn't realize until looking back at images that theres an obvious BB hole from a piece of welding slag. I weld about 3 - 5' above the tile. Racedeck advertises it as durable and talk about welding and such and ... honestly, a bit disappointed. I have a BUNCH of marks like this. Probably 10 - 12 tiles done. They also talk about how durable it is and that it can support a 4 post lift. Well, I used large foot print jack stands and the floor deformed. Very disappointing overall. Ugh. I am about 150 tiles short of finishing my new garage floor since moving and not sure I want to spend the money to pick up more racedeck or not.

When we built the 2nd garage, we finished the floor with an industrial epoxy coating with the understanding we would see some scuff marks over time, and that I needed to protect the epoxy floor from welding projects!

when large pieces of slag spray off they will burn the epoxy and leave a brown or black spots. To solve that problem, I place some SS sheets on the floor, or use a welding blanket!

So your options are either protect the floor while welding, or move your welding projects outside of the garage. I'm really surprised you haven't started a fire as yet!

 

[matty d]

A lot of posts on GJ like the vintage look; just look at that one thread with the wood floor...see how beat up that floor is???

Just as long as you dont want a shiny showroom floor, those slag marks actually look pretty cool.

 

[Blown V2]

Just as long as you dont want a shiny showroom floor, those slag marks actually look pretty cool.

Yep, gives it character!

 

[dubber]

This Honda Fit I bought won't do 200 mph! I am so disappointed in the car. Same argument.

Right tool for the right job. It doesn't make any difference if you weld one an hour, once a day, or once a year, plastic melts when molten steel hits it. I see no problem with the floor's performance.

 

[Wuaname]

I guess it seems this popular racedeck flooring is just for pretty basically.

 

[mikeyr]

I guess it seems this popular racedeck flooring is just for pretty basically.

yup, pretty restoration projects that require the body off the frame, engine work, gearbox work, suspension work, basically everything and while the restoration project looks like poop, it looks pretty on the Racedeck floor. But my Racedeck is getting to look pretty beat up after all that work on it, nothing 2 or 3 replacement tiles and a scrub brush to the rest of the floor wont fix, that is why i have Racedeck. It wont stand up to welding or plasma cutting, but its held up to everything else. My 4-post sits directly on the tiles, my MD-6XP sits directly on the tiles and the tiles take that beating nicely and oh yeah, I moved them to my current garage from old one too.

The original poster was unrealistic in his expectations, its not just a pretty floor, its functional, just not indestructable.

 

[5mall5nail5]

The original poster was unrealistic in his expectations, its not just a pretty floor, its functional, just not indestructable.

I don't think I am being unrealistic honestly. My former company had used some sort of similar tile in their helicopter hanger in an area where techs needed to crouch and lay on the ground and it was mint. It was much shinier than race deck and it held up to all the sheet metal skinning they'd do which included spool gunning aluminum plate, etc.

That said, after about oh... 12 hours of scrubbing with straight acetone and then mopping the floor with simple green, a scrub brush and mop, and about a dozen rags I was able to get much of the discoloration up. Nothing is going to cure the holes and stains, but at least I was able to scrub a lot up.

Garage Clean by Jon Kensy, on Flickr

 

[phins2rt]

Looks good!

 

[JohnX14]

I just ordered Racedeck for my garage a half hour ago. I like reading threads like this hearing pro's and cons and after reading this I am very confident that Racedeck will hold up to my expectations. (I didn't have any expectations of welding on it.) I understand the OP had higher expectations.

 

[Strouty]

I am confused, you put down a plastic floor product and expected welding spatter and grinding sparks to not damage it?

For the future I would like to mention that if you have a car in the shop when grinding, the windows and mirrors can and will be damaged by just simple sparks. You should cover those as well.

I am totally being an a$$hole, overall it looks good and now you have some character. You could probably sell it for more than you paid if you advertise the patina.

 

[thegarageguy]

you're telling me that molten metal will melt plastic? Crazy!

 

[mikeyr]

That said, after about oh... 12 hours of scrubbing with straight acetone and then mopping the floor with simple green, a scrub brush and mop, and about a dozen rags I was able to get much of the discoloration up. Nothing is going to cure the holes and stains, but at least I was able to scrub a lot up.

Like the garage A LOT, looks like a working garage with all the tools around. Wish mine was as organized.