Planned on VCT - But should I go RaceDeck instead?

[Colin Len]

A couple years back I happened across some Armstrong VCT for cheap so I bought enough for my garage but haven't gotten around to installing it yet. I'm looking at a "garage refresh version 3.0" that may happen early next year so was making plans to lay the VCT at that time. Then, today I got an offer to buy some used silver and black RaceDeck for $1/sf and am considering going that route instead. I'm interested to hear everyone's opinions on any pros/cons between the two. Are there any other factors I should be thinking about here? At the moment I'm pretty much stuck dead in the middle with this decision. I'd kinda rather not go out and spend $400 on new flooring when I already have something usable but I also realize that in the long run I'll kick myself for letting that stop me if it's the right decision. My thoughts so far:

VCT PROS

• Durable
• Can be sanded/refinished/polished
• Cheap/Free (I already have it, and only paid like $80 a few years back)
• I like the idea of a lighter colored floor for aesthetics and light reflectivity

VCT CONS

• Would require floor prep - filling pits in floor at a minimum
• If there are any moisture issues with the slab this could be an issue with the adhesive over the long run.
• It's glued down - so not easy to remove if I ever wanted to do something different.
• Possibly tough to keep clean since they are a light color - e.g. tire marks from my sticky track tire. And likely harder to clean than Racedeck. Also, this VCT is a commercial/industrial version that has a little bit of a rough finish for slip resistance. So I worry that rough finish may hold dirt easier.

RaceDeck PROS

• Easier to install
• Gives a softer, more insulated feel to the floor
• Can be removed fairly easily, even resold possibly
• Grey is a good balance between not being too dark but also still hiding dirt/debris compared to white
• Based on the quantity that the seller has I could do solid silver, silver/black checkerboard or silver center with a black ring around the outside.

RaceDeck CONS

• Possible buckling due to heat from the sun. I read this a couple times here but not sure how much to worry about it. My garage door faces East so it would get the morning sun. I usually keep the door closed but not always.
• Possible shifting - I had read here about people's tiles shifting forward ever so slightly due to parking a car.
• They are the diamond tiles which I'm not crazy about since I generally hate the look of diamond plate. I'd prefer the coin pattern but beggars can't be choosers.
• The diamond texture also seems to be not as ideal for rolling things around on vs the coin pattern.
• Grey/silver is maybe kinda boring.
• Probably doesn't stand up to welding as well. I won't be doing a ton but it will happen occasionally. Most of the time I'd try to weld outside but that won't always be practical.
• Unsure how solid a bench would be if it's on top of the race deck. I'm taking about a bench that you'd use to really wail on things, something you didn't really want to have any "give" to it.

Here's my garage floor now - 75yrs of who knows what sorts of dirt, oil, paint, debris... Total it's about 330sqft and is in fairly good condition - no cracks or uneven areas but it does have some 1/4"-1" pits in the surface in some areas. I will likely be getting rid of some or all of the blue cabinets so that isn't necessarily a big design cue going forward.



Here's the VCT I have already. It's white with a sorta blue fleck to it and I picked up a couple boxes of the blue as well in case I wanted to add an accent (there's no enough for a checkerboard pattern).



I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts and what other things I should be thinking about here to help make my decision. Thanks!

 

[The Cobbler]

from someone that has laid hundreds of thousands of feet of VCT, and zero racedeck , I would choose the vct , especially if I already had it and the colour was what I could live with. But I'm a cheap old curmudgeon! LOL .

 

[Steve in UT]

Unless you wax vct immediately after laying it, the seams get nasty black and imposible to clean. Also, you might do a test to see if the glue will actually stick to your oil soaked floor.

 

[Colin Len]

from someone that has laid hundreds of thousands of feet of VCT, and zero racedeck , I would choose the vct , especially if I already had it and the colour was what I could live with. But I'm a cheap old curmudgeon! LOL .

I'm cheap too, but don't mind spending money where it's worthwhile to do so.

Unless you wax vct immediately after laying it, the seams get nasty black and imposible to clean. Also, you might do a test to see if the glue will actually stick to your oil soaked floor.

My plan was to wax/polish immediately after installation to try and give the best chance possible for it to stay looking good. I had thought about dirt but not the seams specifically and that's a very good point. I suppose that's one big benefit to having the black/white checkerboard.

And I think the floor will be OK. I wouldn't say it's oil soaked but it does have a lot of stains. Luckily I think most are quite old so not really fresh oil on there.

 

[Ckerch]

I just laid 2600 sqft of VCT and really glad I went with it. Obviously I don't have any long term experience but from prior posts, if it gets too dirty, you just strip and rewax. I did put a sealer down before the wax to help with any potential stains.
I had a few (smaller) oil stains and I gave it a couple of treatment of lacquer thinner with cat litter on top. That seems to breakdown any surface oil film.

Good luck

 

[CJDave]

After 6 years I have no complaints or regrets for buying Race Deck. Mine does not shift. I have some cabinets and a deep freeze as well as my roller tool box setting along the back wall. Entering the garage under impulse power and not under warp drive helps. I'm not sure your VCT will stand up to welding any better than the Race Deck. I have FreeFlow tiles and my tool box and floor jack roll very nicely on it. Race Deck is a breeze to install. Good luck. CJDave.

 

[RaceDeck1]

I'm not biased at all -- you should definitely go with RACEDECK

 

[uppster]

I just spilled automotive paint in my garage. Think about an accident on your new floor. I am a flooring installer, and thought many times of putting a nice floor down. Glad I never got around to it. My opinion only.

 

[Colin Len]

I just spilled automotive paint in my garage. Think about an accident on your new floor. I am a flooring installer, and thought many times of putting a nice floor down. Glad I never got around to it. My opinion only.

It will definitely take some getting used to but I'm OK with that. I'll learn when I need to lay down drop cloths or otherwise add some extra protection. For me, I believe it will be well worth it to have a nice floor even if that means a little extra caution.

UPDATE: I've decided to pass on the RaceDeck. Partly because I realized timing was bad and I couldn't store it all until I had time to install and partly because it just didn't seem to be the best option. The potential cons of VCT didn't worry me as much as the potential cons of the RD.

 

[yetisas]

awesome

 

[R1100purist]

Any lead on where you found race deck for a dollar per square foot?

 

[The Cobbler]

I just spilled automotive paint in my garage. Think about an accident on your new floor. I am a flooring installer, and thought many times of putting a nice floor down. Glad I never got around to it. My opinion only.

I iinstall too . I have VCT. LVP, in stock, and also have bare concrete

 

[Colin Len]

Any lead on where you found race deck for a dollar per square foot?

They were just used from a local private seller. If you're not in a hurry you could setup some saved searches for OfferUp/Ebay as well as check Craigslist regularly.

 

[ponjohn]

I just laid 2600 sqft of VCT and really glad I went with it. Obviously I don't have any long term experience but from prior posts, if it gets too dirty, you just strip and rewax. I did put a sealer down before the wax to help with any potential stains.
I had a few (smaller) oil stains and I gave it a couple of treatment of lacquer thinner with cat litter on top. That seems to breakdown any surface oil film.

Good luck

Any photos?

 

[Ckerch]

Any photos?

Never posted pictures before so hopefully this works

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Carl

 

[larry4406]

Ckerch (Carl) - that floor looks amazing!

 

[gabeancounter]

That is super sharp! Really like the layout for each door.

 

[55chevy]

I have had VCT for 20 years. Keep it clean and waxed. You will need to buy some black rubber runners to park on or the VCT will become brown from hot tires. Mine is black and white.

I have other spaces that are bare concrete for dirty work. If you ever plan to weld, paint, use paint stripper, etc, I would leave it bare.

Good luck with your space

 

[Colin Len]

I have had VCT for 20 years. Keep it clean and waxed. You will need to buy some black rubber runners to park on or the VCT will become brown from hot tires. Mine is black and white.

I have other spaces that are bare concrete for dirty work. If you ever plan to weld, paint, use paint stripper, etc, I would leave it bare.

Good luck with your space

I'd been wondering how big of an issue the tires would be on the floor. I store a track car in the garage so it doesn't see a lot of use and doesn't have hot tires often. But, I had planned on using some leftover carpet squares I found at work at least as a precaution in the beginning until I figured out how big of a concern it would be.

 

[Ckerch]

I'd been wondering how big of an issue the tires would be on the floor. I store a track car in the garage so it doesn't see a lot of use and doesn't have hot tires often. But, I had planned on using some leftover carpet squares I found at work at least as a precaution in the beginning until I figured out how big of a concern it would be.

Thank You Larry4406 and gabeancounter for the compliments.


Colin
I don't have any real experience with tires leaving marks yet but from the prior post I have read, it is not only the hot tires can cause marks but the outgassing the tires emit. The common thing is to put a commercial vinyl backed carpet (which is what I am using) or a vinyl/rubber square under the tires. To me that is a small piece to pay.
One other thing you want to look out for is when you lower your vehicle, the tires can put some side load on the tiles causing them to move if left for a long time (over night for example). The easy fix is to move the car back and forth until the tires is flat again.

Good luck with your project.

 

[RaceDeck1]

great thread

First let me say that no one garage flooring system is the best choice for everyone. You will find people who love epoxy, love raw concrete, love carpet, love Modular Flooring and love VCT.. What ever makes you happy in the garage is what you should go with
When we first invented modular garage flooring decades ago, it came out of a need for many issues for the DIY home garage owner. Don't want to bash any competitor or other system, but here are a few of what we feel are advantages with the multi-patented RACEDECK garage flooring system

+ A true easy DIY system that simply interlocks with no adhesives or fasteners. Installation typically just a few hours
+ Extremely durable, will not crack, chip or peel up
+ resists petroluem products and household chemicals
+ Full suspenion channelled under-structure to prevent odor causing mold and mildew issues ( commonly found in most garages)
+ will no react or stain from tires
+ over 20 styles to choose from - including our multi-patented 'Self-Draining' systems which are ideal in wet, snow climates.
+ patented PowerLock system keeps floor in place
+ Handles vehicle rolling loads in excess of 80,000 lbs
+ easy to repair a damaged section - easy to clean
+ can be taken with you if you move
+ made in the USA - 29 Patents - The Original Modular Garage Floor

https://racedeck.com/faqs/