Torn between Garage Roll floor and hard tiles

[frankd]

I've been reading through a bunch of flooring threads over the past few weeks and with all the black Friday deals I'm looking to busy some flooring relatively soon. My garage is 19' deep by 21' wide... but its not completely rectangular because the entrance to the house cuts into the garage space taking about 30 square feet.

The current concrete is in pretty bad shape, its cracked in several spots, covered in stains, and has a few patches. I'm not interested in the time/labor of doing an epoxy. The floor is also pitched towards the garage door. I'm not sure how much. It's not noticeable by eye or anything like that.

If I go with a roll I only want one seam so I'd basically need to buy almost 500sq ft of flooring even though I only need about 380 sq ft. So while the cost per square foot is cheaper, I'd have alot more waste with the roll...so the pricing between the rolls and hard plastic are pretty similar.

So here are my questions:
1- There seems to be a bit of a moisture issue on one side of the garage. Not standing water but a bit of dampness. trying to figure out where its coming from but I'm afraid that the roll flooring will trap the moisture and cause mold. is that something I should be worried about?

2- Since the floor is pitched to drain out of the garage door, will both floor types sit flat and follow the contours of the floor?

3- One of my concerns with the plastic tile is spill clean up. I've read that they're "breathable" but that also must mean that any water or spills will go past the tile and onto the concrete below. I'm mostly worried about road salt/grime. If I'm doing an oil change or something I can just put down a mat first. I know the cements already in bad shape but I dont want to make it any worse.

Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kram71]

I've been reading through a bunch of flooring threads over the past few weeks and with all the black Friday deals I'm looking to busy some flooring relatively soon. My garage is 19' deep by 21' wide... but its not completely rectangular because the entrance to the house cuts into the garage space taking about 30 square feet.

The current concrete is in pretty bad shape, its cracked in several spots, covered in stains, and has a few patches. I'm not interested in the time/labor of doing an epoxy. The floor is also pitched towards the garage door. I'm not sure how much. It's not noticeable by eye or anything like that.

If I go with a roll I only want one seam so I'd basically need to buy almost 500sq ft of flooring even though I only need about 380 sq ft. So while the cost per square foot is cheaper, I'd have alot more waste with the roll...so the pricing between the rolls and hard plastic are pretty similar.

So here are my questions:
1- There seems to be a bit of a moisture issue on one side of the garage. Not standing water but a bit of dampness. trying to figure out where its coming from but I'm afraid that the roll flooring will trap the moisture and cause mold. is that something I should be worried about?

2- Since the floor is pitched to drain out of the garage door, will both floor types sit flat and follow the contours of the floor?

3- One of my concerns with the plastic tile is spill clean up. I've read that they're "breathable" but that also must mean that any water or spills will go past the tile and onto the concrete below. I'm mostly worried about road salt/grime. If I'm doing an oil change or something I can just put down a mat first. I know the cements already in bad shape but I dont want to make it any worse.

Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Depends on which tile you get. I watched some spill and cleanup videos from people that installed them. It seemed very little if any got through the solid tiles. Cleanup seemed very reasonable. Worse comes to worse you can always pull a tile or two up but based on the videos I do not think that will be needed in my case.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi as a seller of epoxies, 'hard' tiles and mats we can comment a bit.

1. 95% of the tiles we sell are the www.supratile.com heavy duty solid PVC tiles. The joints are virtually watertight so if you put a piece of paper towel under the joint and pour a liquid on the joint, the paper will remain dry so spills won't leach through the joints. Joints on hollow tiles may not prevent liquids from passing through as well.

2. In the event there is moisture buildup under the joints of the tiles, the joints will allow vapor pressure to escape and we do not ever get complaints about moisture building up under them.

3. Mats are 100% not breathable and have no joints other than a seam so any moisture could build up. In the past we have had reports of moisture buildup with mats. The other issue with mats is that if you damage them or they get a cut or tear, they cannot be repaired. Tiles can always be popped out and replaced in the event of damage, but tiles are not nearly as soft as mats so they damage hardly ever. Also mats are much more prone to buckling especially if you plan on doing a wall-to-wall coverage adn hit your brakes a bit fast or turn your tires on them. In our experience because of these potential problems we don't sell nearly as many mats vs. tiles.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I've been reading through a bunch of flooring threads over the past few weeks and with all the black Friday deals I'm looking to busy some flooring relatively soon. My garage is 19' deep by 21' wide... but its not completely rectangular because the entrance to the house cuts into the garage space taking about 30 square feet.

The current concrete is in pretty bad shape, its cracked in several spots, covered in stains, and has a few patches. I'm not interested in the time/labor of doing an epoxy. The floor is also pitched towards the garage door. I'm not sure how much. It's not noticeable by eye or anything like that.

If I go with a roll I only want one seam so I'd basically need to buy almost 500sq ft of flooring even though I only need about 380 sq ft. So while the cost per square foot is cheaper, I'd have alot more waste with the roll...so the pricing between the rolls and hard plastic are pretty similar.

So here are my questions:
1- There seems to be a bit of a moisture issue on one side of the garage. Not standing water but a bit of dampness. trying to figure out where its coming from but I'm afraid that the roll flooring will trap the moisture and cause mold. is that something I should be worried about?

2- Since the floor is pitched to drain out of the garage door, will both floor types sit flat and follow the contours of the floor?

3- One of my concerns with the plastic tile is spill clean up. I've read that they're "breathable" but that also must mean that any water or spills will go past the tile and onto the concrete below. I'm mostly worried about road salt/grime. If I'm doing an oil change or something I can just put down a mat first. I know the cement already in bad shape but I don't want to make it any worse.

Any help/guidance would be greatly appreciated.

I would take rigid tiles over a roll any day (Polypropelene not PVC)

 

[frankd]

Thanks for the replies! I'm leaning towards the hard (not flow through) plastic tile. Which one would be better for an uneven/pitched floor? Also, does dirt/mud tend to get caught in the cracks/seams of the hard plastic tile making it hard to clean?
I've also seen that you recommend landscaping fabric under the tiles for noise. Will that affect the drainage? I'm just worried about water/mud getting under the tile. It seems strange that they are watertight enough that fluids generally wont go below the seams... but somehow still breathable.

 

[kram71]

Thanks for the replies! I'm leaning towards the hard (not flow through) plastic tile. Which one would be better for an uneven/pitched floor? Also, does dirt/mud tend to get caught in the cracks/seams of the hard plastic tile making it hard to clean?
I've also seen that you recommend landscaping fabric under the tiles for noise. Will that affect the drainage? I'm just worried about water/mud getting under the tile. It seems strange that they are watertight enough that fluids generally wont go below the seams... but somehow still breathable.

I'm far from an expert but I believe if you look at the underside of the tiles you may see why they are said to be "breathable".

 

[frankd]

I'm far from an expert but I believe if you look at the underside of the tiles you may see why they are said to be "breathable".

Yeah, I see what your saying... I'm just curious as to how breathable they are. I'd imagine any water that gets under the tile would take a very long time to dry...which could pose an issue in the warmer months with mold, etc.

Then again, I did some digging and can't seem to find anyone that complained about the issue so I'm probably just being paranoid.

 

[Shea]

Mold will not grow on the tiles. Plus, with the slab pitched toward the opening, the cracks you refer to, air that flows under the tiles, and the fact that you didn't mention the concrete being sealed, are all examples of how the water is going to dissipate via air circulation, drainage, and absorption by the concrete.

We have a RaceDeck tiled garage floor in one of our family's homes that sees a lot of use. It's been washed down in areas, wet cars have parked on it, oil spills have been made, and very little has made it to the concrete underneath. Water will get to the concrete if allowed to sit for a while, but it's far less than you may imagine. Just request a few free tile samples from your vendor of choice and test for yourself. The results may surprise you