Race Deck vs Epoxy. With Concerns.

I have concerns with both tiles and epoxy.

EPOXY-

Has anyone done a quality and longevity test to see what brands are the best ?

Application- sounds like a lot,.....of work and great preparation is a must. If you have any contaminates, it will look terrible. If this happens, you must sand that area down & reapply. Not only making you mad but, trying to match is a high concern.

I have two friends that used one of the company's epoxy. I do not know if they applied it correctly. It both garages after apx. 3 years, most of it was worn out/rubbed off ect.... and looked terrible.

What could of happened other than did not apply it correctly or a cheap knock off Menard's special ?

If you buy one of the best brands and correctly apply it, after the warranty is expired and the floor starts looking bad, how do you clean it up to put a brand new application down ?

Is it better to hire a professional garage (or other) flooring contractor ? And who to look for that has experience in the field ?

TILES-

As of right now, I don't have many questions but, I may later.
If you spill anything in liquid, water, antifreeze, oil, gas ect.... other than taking up the tiles in the area, what do you do ?

Is it difficult to remove those tiles whiteout breaking them ?
I have a two post car lift in my garage, how do I go around the posts or any other object ?

If you cut the edge's to go around the post, the locking edge is gone, what can I do ?

Like with the epoxy question, has anyone done a quality longevity test ?

(should I start a new post about these questions, I don't want to take this thread over) ?

Thanks,
Kevin

if you get tiles like Racedeck they fit pretty tight and can spill things with no problems. Its a non-fun job to lift a tile in the middle of the floor but it can be done. I have spilled LOTS on mine over the years and got flooded not once but twice, never any issue, there is plenty of airflow below the tile to allow to dry. Spilled water will sit on top for days and I suspect it evaporates more then seeps throug.

You would not have to cut out a entire tile edge for a post so you will still have some locking. My 4post just sits on top of the tiles.

Really,......your two post sits on top ?
I would think that would be too heavy and un-stable, because it's not as hard as plastic.

my FOUR post sits on top and has for 7 years, the tiles can easily handle the weight.

Sorry, four post. Boy, that tells me the product is tough !
Do you have any pics of your floor ?

Love the Dino. Way cool !

Thanks.

Hi
You can see many photos here http://www.racedeck.com/racedeckgallery/index.html

I believe the first one has a garage with various lifts.

Thanks

Question fer ya RaceDeck1-

If I painted some of the tiles with automotive paint to match the color of my Cobra, do you think it would hold up ? Or even in white paint, 427 COBRA or
Shelby 427 COBRA, ect......

If so,.... that would be cool.

Has anyone done a quality and longevity test to see what brands are the best ?

None done with the most available DIY epoxies that I know of. Some manufacturers/dealers do have test results, but I think most of them are in-house and not third party.

Application- sounds like a lot,.....of work and great preparation is a must. If you have any contaminates, it will look terrible. If this happens, you must sand that area down & reapply. Not only making you mad but, trying to match is a high concern.

It can be involved, but that depends mostly on the condition of the existing substrate. If it is in good shape, the application can span some time, much of it waiting for the coats to cure. A 2 car garage, with a floor in good shape, can be done in 3 days, with another couple of days to make sure it's well cured before rolling in the heavy stuff. Warm weather = quicker.

If you allow contaminants into the mix, depending on what it is it can cause problems. But truthfully, that just doesn't happen very often.

If you're talking about contaminants on the floor, be sure to sweep thoroughly before applying the mix.

If you're concerned about minor dings and divots that you don't want to fill, the flakes can hide a multitude of sins!

I have two friends that used one of the company's epoxy. I do not know if they applied it correctly. It both garages after apx. 3 years, most of it was worn out/rubbed off ect.... and looked terrible.

What could of happened other than did not apply it correctly or a cheap knock off Menard's special ?


Probably didn't apply it right, or used a cheap product, or a combo of the two.

If you buy one of the best brands and correctly apply it, after the warranty is expired and the floor starts looking bad, how do you clean it up to put a brand new application down ?

We recommend a 3 layer system; A primer coat of Wolverine Coatings BondTite 1101 (that sticks like there's no tomorrow), the pigmented body layer of LiquaTile 1184, and a clear coat of either more BondTite 1101 or EnduraShield 2254 (UV resistant, crystal clear, and harder).

If over time the floor is showing some wear you'd do some simple prep and just reapply the clear coat where needed. You don't need to get down to the concrete and put down the entire system again.

Is it better to hire a professional garage (or other) flooring contractor ? And who to look for that has experience in the field ?

Personal choice. Plenty of members here have gone the DIY route with great success and results.

Besides the satisfaction of a job well done, doing it yourself can save you a ton of money. With our system figure the cost for the epoxies is under $1.50 per square foot.

A contractor would probably charge $5/ft2 and up for the job.

FUNFR-Question fer ya RaceDeck1-

If I painted some of the tiles with automotive paint to match the color of my Cobra, do you think it would hold up ? Or even in white paint, 427 COBRA or
Shelby 427 COBRA, ect......

If so,.... that would be cool.

Click to expand...

FUNFR2 - We do have a special primer that can be applied to RaceDeck ( poly-pro plastic). It will hold up as well as the quality of paint you are using. We also do custom logos, just give us a ring and we can work to create exactly what you want.

Hey all I thought I'd post my experience since I used this forum to help me decide on a floor product. It was between race deck or epoxy for a 3yr old over-sized one car garage that I build motorcycles and other small (physically) projects. I found a local epoxy floor guy who quoted $6 a sq ft for 100% solids with mechanically grinding the cement for prep which seems to be the going rate in MA and NH. I expressed my concerns about racedeck or epoxy. Turns out he installs both and would help me decide which was a better option for me. I actually use the garage building maintaining and refurbishing everything from motorcycles to recently a bobcat. He said liquids and winter road sand/salt will fall into the cracks and the floor should technically be removed every 6 months to clean it out. I was already leaning towards epoxy but with my OCD tendencies that pushed me over the edge. I'd like to be able to hose it out. I ended up going with epoxy and love the result. I did have one problem. It was installed on a cold and rainy day. The installer left my "hotdog" garage heater on at 76 degrees to help it cure on the cold day. Unfortunately it cured very fast creating bubbles... they returned the next day removing the entire bubbly blistering epoxy floor and redid it. For this reason I am glad I hired a professional. Had I done that myself which is totally possible I would have been in a big mess. They also offer a lifetime warranty and will come back to repair any problems. Hire a pro have it done right and enjoy your new floor! its awesome!

jcrawford05 said:

Hey all I thought I'd post my experience since I used this forum to help me decide on a floor product. I was already leaning towards epoxy but with my OCD tendencies that pushed me over the edge. Hire a pro have it done right and enjoy your new floor! its awesome!

Click to expand...

X2 what he said! Good luck with your decision either way. Just take your time and do your homework like your doing. Research this site, get opinions, make a selection based off your needs/expectations and do it right the first time. You won't be sorry!

If you go epoxy, I would do a full flake coverage. I've seen full flake and standard flake and full looks way better.

Hi
In an effort to answer your questions, since we carry and have a ton of experience with both, see our responses in caps for clarity.

Has anyone done a quality and longevity test to see what brands are the best ?
WE DONT KNOW OF ANYONE THAT HAS TESTED BRAND VS BRAND. ALL MFGRS SUPPLY THEIR OWN TESTING. WE OFFER FULL DATA SHEETS WITH ABRASION TESTING.

Application- sounds like a lot,.....of work and great preparation is a must. If you have any contaminates, it will look terrible. If this happens, you must sand that area down & reapply. Not only making you mad but, trying to match is a high concern.
CORRECT, BUT THIS PROBLEM IS RARELY REPORTED. IF A BUG OR SOMETHING GETS ONT HE FLOOR IT CAN BE EASILY REMOVED AND A VERY LIGHT SANDING AND IT'S GONE. REMEMBER, THIS IS A GARAGE, NOT A DINING ROOM TABLE AND WHEN YOU ARE STANDING 6' ABOVE THE FLOOR MINOR IMPERFECTIONS DISAPPEAR. USING FLECKS HELPS GREATLY TO HIDE IMPERFECTIONS AND BREAKS THE FLOOR UP VISUALLY.

I have two friends that used one of the company's epoxy. I do not know if they applied it correctly. It both garages after apx. 3 years, most of it was worn out/rubbed off ect.... and looked terrible. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF USERS ON GJ THAT HAVE EXCELLENT RESULTS WITH MANY SUPPLIER'S PRODUCTS. IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY DID NOT APPLY IT CORRECTLY, OR HAD OTHER FLOOR ISSUES.

What could of happened other than did not apply it correctly or a cheap knock off Menard's special ? COULD BE EITHER ONE OR BOTH, OR THE FLOORS WERE BAD PRIOR AND NOT REPAIRED PRIOR TO COATING. COATINGS WILL GENERALLY NOT FIX A FLOOR.

If you buy one of the best brands and correctly apply it, after the warranty is expired and the floor starts looking bad, how do you clean it up to put a brand new application down ? LIGHT SANDING AND RE-APPLY.

Is it better to hire a professional garage (or other) flooring contractor ? And who to look for that has experience in the field ?
ALWAYS BEST TO USE A PROFESSIONAL. CHECK REFERENCES.

TILES-

As of right now, I don't have many questions but, I may later.
If you spill anything in liquid, water, antifreeze, oil, gas ect.... other than taking up the tiles in the area, what do you do ? THERE IS NO NEED TO PULL TILES UP IN 99% OF CASES. OUR SUPRATILES HAVE SUPER TIGHT JOINTS AND LIQUIDS DO NOT GO THROUGH THE JOINTS. ALSO LESS THAN 1/10% OF THE SURFACE IS JOINTS SO SPILLS STAY ON THE FLOOR UNLESS YOU USE THE RIBBED TYPE OF TILES.

Is it difficult to remove those tiles whiteout breaking them ? OURS YES, OTHERS WITH TABS/LOOPS NOT AS EASY.

I have a two post car lift in my garage, how do I go around the posts or any other object ? JUST TRIM AROUND THEM. WE HAVE CUSTOMERS WHO ALSO INSTALL OVER OUR TILES WITHOUT ISSUE.

If you cut the edge's to go around the post, the locking edge is gone, what can I do ?
THE POSTS ARE SMALL AND WONT AFFECT THE LOCKING SINCE THE LOCKING EDGES ARE MUCH LARGER THAN THE POSTS.

FUNFER2 said:

I have concerns with both tiles and epoxy.

EPOXY-

Has anyone done a quality and longevity test to see what brands are the best ?

Application- sounds like a lot,.....of work and great preparation is a must. If you have any contaminates, it will look terrible. If this happens, you must sand that area down & reapply. Not only making you mad but, trying to match is a high concern.

I have two friends that used one of the company's epoxy. I do not know if they applied it correctly. It both garages after apx. 3 years, most of it was worn out/rubbed off ect.... and looked terrible.

What could of happened other than did not apply it correctly or a cheap knock off Menard's special ?

If you buy one of the best brands and correctly apply it, after the warranty is expired and the floor starts looking bad, how do you clean it up to put a brand new application down ?

Is it better to hire a professional garage (or other) flooring contractor ? And who to look for that has experience in the field ?

TILES-

As of right now, I don't have many questions but, I may later.
If you spill anything in liquid, water, antifreeze, oil, gas ect.... other than taking up the tiles in the area, what do you do ?

Is it difficult to remove those tiles whiteout breaking them ?
I have a two post car lift in my garage, how do I go around the posts or any other object ?

If you cut the edge's to go around the post, the locking edge is gone, what can I do ?

Like with the epoxy question, has anyone done a quality longevity test ?

(should I start a new post about these questions, I don't want to take this thread over) ?

Thanks,
Kevin

Click to expand...

The question is not which product is better but which one is a better fit for you. How do you use the floor and what is your experience with a grinder, etc. I could give you a sales pitch on either, and it would be 100% true. I could show you customers that are ecstatic with either. I can show you "failures" with either.

Give us a call, or send me a PM. Go over how you will use your garage and we will help you get going in the right direction. Understand this. In almost every case it is the salesperson, installer or homeowner that caused the customer not to be happy. The product(s) perform the same every time.