Best floor for garage

[frank358fr]

Hello folks,

I was wondering if I do my garage floor with swisstrax, epoxy or rocksolid formula.

I do live where I have 4 seasons. Spring, summer,winter and fall. I will do some basics mechanics for myself in the garage and our winter is rough. Around -15F.

What do you guys suggest me to get and why?

Thanks

 

[papp101]

I did Hellfire from Legacy.

4 coats with a basic grind prep. I wanted above all salt protection, and to make it a bit better than bare for oil spills. Stuff is nice, basic, and strong.

Pics from caulking the joints.


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[mikec35]

Anything painted on will need the floor properly prepped, and in most cases prep will be a lot more work than actually applying the product. If you are not willing to invest the time and effort for the epoxy type products I'd consider the snap and lock flooring. I used Armorpoxy Supratiles and they worked great for me. I used RockSolid but it started lifting not long after install. I prepped according to the instructions, ended up sanding and grinding and reapplying and it still lifted. Check out the flooring section of this forum, be prepared your head will swim

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I did Hellfire from Legacy.

4 coats with a basic grind prep. I wanted above all salt protection, and to make it a bit better than bare for oil spills. Stuff is nice, basic, and strong.

Pics from caulking the joints.


Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

Sweet!


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[RaceDeck1]

Check Out RACEDECK - The Original USA Made, Multi-Patetented Modular Flooring System for the garage http://www.racedeck.com

 

[maxpat82]

straight concrete with a sealer
(in quebec so I live in a snow/salt country too)

 

[Garage Flooring]

Hello folks,

I was wondering if I do my garage floor with swisstrax, epoxy or rocksolid formula.

I do live where I have 4 seasons. Spring, summer,winter and fall. I will do some basics mechanics for myself in the garage and our winter is rough. Around -15F.

What do you guys suggest me to get and why?

Thanks

With coatings..... Wait until spring. We also have some great tile sales right now. There is really not a best garage floor that fits everyone, every garage floor is different/ PM me if you want to go over details

 

[Armorpoxy]

There is no really 'best' answer. Always a trade off between cost, installation time, warranties, 'look', etc.

One comment is to stay away from anything sold at a home center. Lots of excellent options from terrific vendors on GJ who offer great support and very high quality products and offer coatings, sealers, tiles etc.

 

[Cairo94507]

I have never liked the big box store products; they seem to fail in short order. If I were to do a epoxy or floor coating I would definitely consult the experts and maybe even hire an expert, one who guarantees their work and is with a company of long standing, to do the install. And still, I would read up on how to properly do it and watch them prepare and apply it and take photos along the way to document the project. I would also suggest to make sure you do a non-slip finish.

 

[TitusLloydPullo]

Guesstimate for square foot cost for these plastic tile solutions?

Epoxy with the flakes including grinding is about $5sqft.
I've got to cover about 2200 sqft.

 

[kram71]

Guesstimate for square foot cost for these plastic tile solutions?

Epoxy with the flakes including grinding is about $5sqft.
I've got to cover about 2200 sqft.

2200 feet for a garage? That is really large.

 

[James-W]

I have the Racedeck diamond tiles and I love them. They look good, they clean up easily, and if I need to lay on the floor to work on something they are much nicer than laying on a bare concrete floor. If I spill something, I wipe it right up with paper towels. If I spill automotive fluids on bare concrete it would have a tendency to get all stained up.

 

[kram71]

I looked at Swisstrax today, and for approx 500 sq ft of the diamond plate 15.75"x15.75", it was $2400 before a 20% discount for ordering within a week, so about $1900.
I looked at the Craftsman tiles which are identical and made by Swisstrax except for fewer color options and they were about $1000 for the same area.

$1000? I thought Craftsmen were about $3 a foot

 

[kram71]

After watching several videos I think the tiles are not an option for me. The difficulty with spills or water from snow or rain on the diamond or coin tiles isn't going to work. The open grate type tiles would be even worse for small parts or chips, grindings etc.
The old floor was painted by the PO, so it's got to be repaint, Rustoleum epoxy, or matting.

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I can see the pluses and minuses of both epoxy and tiles. The only great solution might be tiles above epoxy.

Care to share the solid tile videos you are referring to? I did some of my own tests. They will leak in the seams if I pour a bunch of water on them but since my cars only leak a drop of oil here and there I think I may be okay especially with an underlayment.

I see a company recommends sealing underneath but if I go through the days of work to grind then seal I figure I might as well put the epoxy down. I'm trying to avoid a lot of that prep and storing all my stuff outside for days.

I have seen some epoxy after it peeled. It looked like thin paint. Now I assume it was bad prep or bad epoxy but the epoxy was so much thinner than tiles. Also one of my neighbors has good epoxy but it still chipped where he dropped a tool. I figure if a tile dents you can just lift it up and replace it but fixing chipped epoxy would be harder.

 

[kram71]

This one in particular really trashes the garage floor tile idea, at least the affordable ones.
I mean, ok, he's a little harsh, but I understand the difference between the man cave garage or showroom garage for your baby, and a working garage, I have a working garage and I do stuff in there. There will be snow melt from my John Deere tractor with snow blower, occasional sawdust, I sure as heck drop stuff.

I had seen that video and when you mentioned videos I thought you might be thinking of that one. I took what he said in that video with a grain of salt because I wondered if he was for sure coming from a neutral point of view while making it. I'm not saying you should ignore it. I'm just saying maybe you should speak to people that have actually had tiles for years and ask their opinions as well.

Regarding snowmelt would it be so bad if some water got underneath tiles? Regarding saw dust I would not fear much getting through solid tiles. If you go ribbed you should be able to vacuum through them. Why not get samples of each and see how you feel?

For my needs I think solid will fit me better but ribbed look great.

I do not think there is any perfect answer so definitely go with what fits you best.

 

[kram71]

The underside of the solid tiles are supposed to be made so that water should flow under them. I'm not concerned about water. My concern is occasional oil drops from my cars but right now my floor does not have anything and its not too bad. I figure with the solid tiles blocking 95% of the surface area plus an underlayment I might be totally fine regarding oil. An outside thought would be to use an oil absorbent mat under the tiles just where my engines would be parked. That probably will not be needed in my garage.

 

[pbon]

I watched the whole video. I had shopped for garage flooring and my take on the plastic tiles was the same as the guy in the video — fine for a show garage or man cave and maybe ok for light duty use, but not suitable for a working garage. I bought the advanta tuff seal pvc flooring. It does cost more, but it’s a lot better. Mine has been down a little over a year and I like it. The video guy reports that an 80,000 SF warehouse has not had to replace a single tile in 10 years. He did say it will hold up to welding splatter, but I can say that welding splatter damages the pvc tiles — I have small burn marks on some tiles from welding and will be using welding blankets going forward.

 

[frank358fr]

straight concrete with a sealer
(in quebec so I live in a snow/salt country too)

What kind of sealer?

 

[James-W]

This one in particular really trashes the garage floor tile idea, at least the affordable ones.
I mean, ok, he's a little harsh, but I understand the difference between the man cave garage or showroom garage for your baby, and a working garage, I have a working garage and I do stuff in there. There will be snow melt from my John Deere tractor with snow blower, occasional sawdust, I sure as heck drop stuff.

All the guy does is trash the tiles without ever having had them in his garage. Just because he "thinks" the tiles will wear out or break down doesn't mean anything, it's just his opinion and we all know what an opinion is like. I have had my RaceDeck tiles in the garage for a few years now without issues. As far as I am concerned, without having had plastic tiles in his garage to use and to have first hand experience with the tiles, his opinions are worthless.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Just had a flake Polyaspartic floor put in. I like it except for one detail. When you drop something small, screw, pin etc. It is extremely difficult to spot or it could just be my eyesight

 

[pbon]

The utube guy seems very legit to me. But he is a working garage guy and most people here interested in plastic tiles are show garage guys. He knows the difference. Like he says, plastic tiles work great for show garages and even light duty work, but no one uses them in working garages for good reason. Treated concrete or epoxy over concrete or small ceramic tiles are best for working garages. I have the pvc Tuff Seal he likes most of the 4 garage tiles he reviewed and even though they are much more substantial than the plastic tiles, they also probably aren’t the best choice for a working garage. I have a wood floor so treated concrete or epoxy over concrete were not options.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Do the "lay the flashlight on the floor" trick. Works for me every time.

Never tried that before. Generally just put head close to floor and looked from there.
:beerThanks for the tip

 

[kram71]

I liked that the guy he made the you tube video but I did not get the feeling that he was totally unbiased. My feeling is some people are better off with epoxy. Some people with rigid tiles. Some people with PVC tiles. There isn't a wrong answer. People just have to choose what works for them if anything. For example if someone "accidentally" throws a 50 pound vice straight down on epoxy it will most likely chip it and maybe the concrete as well. It may dent the solid tile as well. It may not dent the PVC but if someone "accidentally" throws a 50 pound vice straight down on a rigid tile wouldn't they be able to replace that tile for $3 where they may not be able to afford $6 a tile for a full garage?

 

[pbon]

He is biased towards a working garage. He dropped a 5 lb drill press vise 2 feet and camracjed a plastic tile. He knows they would not be a good choice for a working garage. That is his only bias. The guy who wants the show garage would be biased towards looks — he can make a pretty and colorful pattern on his floor and that works best for his needs.

I’d agree with him that treated concrete or epoxy on concrete is the best surface. That is what I would have if I had a concrete floor. And it can still look great. One guy painted a tile pattern on his concrete floor.

Yes, a 50 lb hunk of metal thrown at any floor is likely to do a little damage. That sort of thing happens occasionally in a working garage but not often. Much more common is the tools or parts dropping from the lift or oil or coolant or brake fluid or trans fluid spilling.

 

[kram71]

Here are the questions I would ask myself while watching that video. What would happen to epoxy if he dropped a similar vice? Then if the epoxy was damaged how would it be repaired? Would a vice dropped like that on a solid tile react the same as the less sturdy flow through? While rubber or PVC tiles are better for some folks won't they have a chance of tire tracks? How many tiles will someone in a garage drop vices on? If it is less than 300% of them couldn't somebody replace the $2 tiles they dropped vices on before they equaled the cost of the $6 tiles? Lastly if that same person wanted to make a video bashing PVC tiles (or epoxy) and plugging another company could he make a similar video?

 

[kram71]

I'm not saying the PVC are not good tiles. I'm sure they are very good tiles. I just felt like he had that conclusion determined before he made the video and then went about proving it. In an unbiased review I think you do not have a conclusion before you video and you look at the positives and negatives of each not just of one.

 

[pbon]

He had tested the tiles before shooting the video, so he had already determined the plastic tiles would not be a good choice for a working garage. He acknowledges they would be ok for a show garage or maybe light duty use. I think he was generally not a believer in tiles at all, but took a look at the request of a client. The only type if tile that surprised him in a favorable way was pvc. It is way more substantial than plastic, but probably not better than epoxy for a working garage. The pvc he had is expensive. Tuffseal is probably the most expensive tile available. But if an 80,000 SF industrial warehouse has not had to replace even 1 in 10 years, maybe they are worth it. Again, no working shops use plastic tiles, for good reason.

 

[marsh1]

my 2 cent after owning Swisstrax for 7+ years and now Racedeck XLC. Both free flow. If by working garage you mean commercial establishment or home garage with ongoing dirty projects + welding then I would hesitate recommended plastic tiles, especially welding.

Plenty of people fall somewhere in the middle. Having them for some time I have used jack stands have 4 post lifts and rolled things across it and dropped plenty of stuff. It holds up great. If you do damage one it is easy to replace although I have never needed to. Oil spills are harder to clean than bare floor or epoxy, but I have done it.

For me the real advantage is how well it handles pulling in a wet a dirty cars. This is a common occurrence in Houston and the free flow seldom needs cleaning. This is also the case after car projects that do not involve a heavy oil spill. The floor just continues to look close to new. In both houses there is a raised area around the cars that is epoxy. Other than if a small part actually falls between the ribs I am not sure that finding a dropped part is any easier on one than the other.

 

[pbon]

If you aren’t spilling oil or coolant sometimes, it’s not really a working garage. But get some coolant or trans or PS or diff or brake fluid or engine oil through the grid and it’s not going to go away. Like the utube guy said, if you are just washing a car and your floor is sloped, you should be fine since soap and water should flow away. I think that contrary to what the utube guy said, most shops and garages are built with some slope.

 

[kram71]

If you aren’t spilling oil or coolant sometimes, it’s not really a working garage. But get some coolant or trans or PS or diff or brake fluid or engine oil through the grid and it’s not going to go away. Like the utube guy said, if you are just washing a car and your floor is sloped, you should be fine since soap and water should flow away. I think that contrary to what the utube guy said, most shops and garages are built with some slope.

If someone drops oil or coolant fluid on PVC tile or epoxy what would people do? Clean it up right? If you drop it on diamond or coin solid tiles couldn't a person just clean it up in a similar manner then pull 1 or 2 tiles up just to check if any made it through the seams?

I have had a few oil stains on my garage floor. It hit it with degreaser and a wire brush. If I have a solid tile I think it would eliminate a large amount of that happening.

I also think there are different kinds of working garages. My neighbor basically has a wood machine shop setup in his garage. He makes furniture. It is a working garage but he does not spill any significant amounts of oil or coolant.

My other neighbor has epoxy. He has done a lot of auto work in there including pulling a transmission. He has chips in the epoxy from various jobs.

I have read the PVC tiles are more susceptible to tire stains. That is from people that sell them so they do not have much reason to put them down.

My point is I do not know that any answer is perfect for everyone. I think all 3 solutions have some possible pros and cons. I found the video to be lacking in neutrality.

 

[nealric]

Regardless of his bias going into it, or whether he had ulterior motives, the issues he raised regarding small object drops and spills resonated with me.
Of course I'm not worried about dropping an anvil on the floor, no coyotes or road runners in my garage, and if I'm hoiking a vise or anvil around to where I could drop it, I deserve what I get for being stupid.
I said before that I am going to be dealing with occasional spills, considerable snow melt, and small objects, from little nuts, bolts and washers to some sawdust and grinding swarf.
For me, the open tiles are problematic for the particulate and the solid tiles are problematic for the liquid.
The open tiles, while better for water evaporation are problematic for dropped items. The solid tiles, while better for dropped items simply have no means of inducing air flow, so I have no doubt liquids would stay under there for a long time.
Mold grows well at temps over 60, and that's where my garage is. I can't think of anything that would disturb my peace of mind more than knowing I have a dark, warm, damp petri dish under my flooring.
I think I am just going to go with colored epoxy.

Nothing wrong with epoxy as a choice, but mold really isn't an issue with tiles.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=240467

Granted, mine have only been down for a few months, but they were down through hot and humid late fall in Houston, and the undersides of the tiles look exactly like they did when I put them down (I recently pulled some up to install a transition strip).

I think the combo of snow and particulates is a legitimate concern. I went with solid tiles because I deal with particulates (sawdust, metal shavings) regularly, but don't have to deal with snowmelt. I will be working on fluids with cars, but will simply put down an absorbent mat in the area before doing anything where significant fluids could be spilled. Worst case scenario is it's a bit of a PITA to clean up due to the need to pull up a few tiles. I may weld, but it's occasional enough that putting down a welding blanket wouldn't be a big deal.

 

[RaceDeck1]

When we first invented RaceDeck, we really looked at all of the issues that were common in the residential garage - From daily use of vehicles going in and out, daily temp swings, durability, ease of installation, cosmetics and near the top of the list, moisture issues from rain, snow, vapor barrier breach, etc...

Our patented full-suspension modular flooring is engineered to combat mold/mildew and water issues. The understructure on 'all' of our garage floors are channeled to all moisture, air and liquids to flow freely. The materials we use do not promote odor causing mold and mildew and the locking system works to allow for more expansion and contraction during temperature swings. Our FreeFlow style floors even perform higher in these wet conditions.

 

[pbon]

What happens if you dump a quart of transmission fluid on the solid top tiles? Will it seep through to the floor below? A gallon of coolant?

 

[James-W]

What happens if you dump a quart of transmission fluid on the solid top tiles? Will it seep through to the floor below? A gallon of coolant?

How do you spill a whole quart of transmission fluid or a gallon of coolant? I could see maybe a cup full or something like that. But a quart, or a whole gallon?

I keep paper towels in the garage at all times. If I do accidentally spill something, I wipe it up right away. If you let the spill sit on the floor for awhile, it may seep thru the joints, but it would certainly take awhile to do so. Just wipe it up right away and you won't have a problem.

You can always lay a tarp down to catch any spills, I do that when I change oil on the cars or the rider lawnmower. I lay down the tarp and drive the car or the mower on top of it. I seldom spill anything, but if I do spill something, the tarp catches it. If I spill something and it falls on the tiles, I wipe it up right away.

 

[kram71]

How do you spill a whole quart of transmission fluid or a gallon of coolant? I could see maybe a cup full or something like that. But a quart, or a whole gallon?

Most oil bottles are designed so that would not happen. They burp and hesitate after a while by design. It would take some real bad luck to hold a gallon of coolant upside down for that long as well. I have had oil and coolant accidents though not to that large degree. I could see it if an oil drain plug falls and a pan is not lined up. Ditto for draining a radiator. Are these things possible? Sure but its a interesting way to live life. People have carpets, white couches, marble, etc in their houses. All sorts of things in life can be effected by random accidents. Can we even say for 100% certainty that the rubber tiles would not leak an ounce or have tire stain issues?

 

[pbon]

Ask any mechanic if a car he is working on has ever lost a quart of oil or gallon of coolant in the floor. I just work on my own cars and I have done it. Using a containment mat helps, but you won’t find many mechanics using them because they get in the way. But for the guy who does occasional projects and can work more slowly because time is not money, they are a good idea. But just letting the spill occur and wiping it up is easiest. Are you going to stop in the middle of your rod bearing job to clean up all the oil dripping down? Have you ever pulled a full transmission pan (hard to drain modern ones that have no drain plug) and not spilled a drop? Have you ever released a block drain and had no coolant splash past your recovery pan? Have you ever pulled a cylinder head on an angled motor and lost no oil or coolant?

PVC tiles like Advanta Tuffseal are waterproof. Armorpoxy claims its Supratile is virtually waterproof. No one making solid plastic tiles claims this.

PVC tiles reportedly have worse tire stain issues than plastic tiles.

 

[nealric]

Ask any mechanic if a car he is working on has ever lost a quart of oil or gallon of coolant in the floor. I just work on my own cars and I have done it. Using a containment mat helps, but you won’t find many mechanics using them because they get in the way. But for the guy who does occasional projects and can work more slowly because time is not money, they are a good idea. But just letting the spill occur and wiping it up is easiest. Are you going to stop in the middle of your rod bearing job to clean up all the oil dripping down? Have you ever pulled a full transmission pan (hard to drain modern ones that have no drain plug) and not spilled a drop? Have you ever released a block drain and had no coolant splash past your recovery pan? Have you ever pulled a cylinder head on an angled motor and lost no oil or coolant?

PVC tiles like Advanta Tuffseal are waterproof. Armorpoxy claims its Supratile is virtually waterproof. No one making solid plastic tiles claims this.

PVC tiles reportedly have worse tire stain issues than plastic tiles.

I think there's a big difference between a hobbyist and a professional mechanic. A professional mechanic isn't going to care if the floors look pretty in the first place. For hobbyists, if you know doing a messy job like pulling a head, you plan accordingly and put a mat down.

 

[seancassey]

Question - do you really have to use ACID to clean your concrete garage floor before applying any epoxy or paint .. I am always concern when it comes to dealing with ACID.

 

[seancassey]

Check Out RACEDECK - The Original USA Made, Multi-Patetented Modular Flooring System for the garage http://www.racedeck.com

Looks Amazing. Good Job

 

[Stingrayraleigh]

I live in Massachusetts. I had my garage floor done in epoxy. The water forced its way up through in a couple spots and cracked it.