Best flooring for garage??

[UroWerks]

Hello To all you fellow gearheads!!

I am looking to install a full rise scissor lift in my garage.Wit that being said.I wrench on cars all the time.my garage floor currently is unfinished.With the addition of a lift I was thinking of perhaps putting down tile or something.I am just curious as to what you guys think is the best finish and why??I am considering tile due to the fact that spills,leaks,drips, of various fluids can be easily cleaned up on a tiled surface rather than absorbed into the concrete.Just want to know your opinions and weight my options.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Epoxy/urethane system is a good option as well.

 

[MSG C5]

I just laid down Racedeck Freeflow in my garage and I love it for my needs. I also know guys who have it laid down underneath their 4-post lifts and it also works well. With any of these type of tile systems, the good thing is that you can remove individual tiles if they get damaged.

However, if I had a full service garage where I was performing heavy duty automotive work, rebuilds, etc., I would probably go with a more rustic look for my floor. I've seen some concrete floors finished with a more textured, worn in finish and it looks really good and is fully functional.

 

[slickgt1]

Porcelain tile hands down, or up whatever. The durability, waterproof, spill proof, super tough.... I can keep going, but there is so much info here about tiles as is. Just do a quick search, or click on a link in my sig.

 

[RaceDeck1]

Genuine RaceDeck is super durable, super easy to install and super easy to clean. Happy to send you some free samples to review if your considering the modular flooring route.

 

[JakeKohl]

And that pretty much sums up your options - except someone hasn't chimed in yet with just seal it.

Deciding on a flooring type is a tough choice. There are a lot of compromises and trade offs because garage floors have to endure a variety of abuses. It all boils down to how much time and $ you want to spend, how much experience you have, and who's doing the work.

I had previously considered a plastic tile like Racedeck and an epoxy floor. Racedeck is really simple to install and has a lot of appearance options - the cost is relatively good as well....but, I was concerned about how it would hold up to my abuses and the test pieces I played with had a "clop, clop" sound when walked on (although, later I discovered that placing a landscaping fabric under them can help reduce that noise). I then explored doing epoxy and after seeing some self-installed nightmares on this forum with poor prep and inexperience with the materials, I got a couple of quotes from pros. I wasn't really impressed with the contractors I met with and was concerned about proper prep and not having it peel up in a couple of years. I then ended up on the porcelain tile solution. It's tough and incredibly durable (if installed properly) and can stand up to just about anything.

All of these flooring options are good viable options - which is what makes this decision so tough for many of us. It took me a year to decide which direction to go and I'm not a slow decision maker!

 

[JimVonBaden]

Porcelain tile hands down, or up whatever. The durability, waterproof, spill proof, super tough.... I can keep going, but there is so much info here about tiles as is. Just do a quick search, or click on a link in my sig.

Jim

 

[Paultergeist]

Deciding on a flooring type is a tough choice. There are a lot of compromises and trade offs because garage floors have to endure a variety of abuses. It all boils down to how much time and $ you want to spend, how much experience you have, and who's doing the work.

I had previously considered a plastic tile like Racedeck and an epoxy floor. Racedeck is really simple to install and has a lot of appearance options - the cost is relatively good as well....but, I was concerned about how it would hold up to my abuses and the test pieces I played with had a "clop, clop" sound when walked on (although, later I discovered that placing a landscaping fabric under them can help reduce that noise). I then explored doing epoxy and after seeing some self-installed nightmares on this forum with poor prep and inexperience with the materials, I got a couple of quotes from pros. I wasn't really impressed with the contractors I met with and was concerned about proper prep and not having it peel up in a couple of years. I then ended up on the porcelain tile solution. It's tough and incredibly durable (if installed properly) and can stand up to just about anything.

Great post, Jake. The only other parameter that I think might be worth adding is "What kind of condition is the garage floor in currently?"

In my own case, the absolute cheapest option would be the DIY home-improvement store garage floor paint kit, but given the age and condition of my slab, such a method is virually guaranteed to fail. A reputable, professionally-installed epoxy floor coating would require so much prep work on this slab as to be cost-prohibitive for me. If I had a pristine slab which was fairly young, I might be tempted to try epoxy.

Racedeck was/is an attractive option, as it is really quick and easy to install, and will hide many small sins in the slab.

I am, however, leaning towards the tile option, as it is probably the cheapest option that is likely to stand the test of time, it will cover a lot of small defects in an older slab, and doing tile leverages my existing skill set (I am reasonably experienced with tile).

 

[Dakota00]

I am, however, leaning towards the tile option, as it is probably the cheapest option that is likely to stand the test of time, it will cover a lot of small defects in an older slab, and doing tile leverages my existing skill set (I am reasonably experienced with tile).

Then it's a no brainer choice!!!

 

[workhurts]

Thought I had posted but guess not. What do you folks recommend with the moving parts of the scissor lift that contact the floor? I can't imagine it would be kind to tile, epoxy or anything else for that matter. I've been trying to think of what would make a good sacrificial layer for the 'wheels?' to roll on.

Some roll on thier own track and others don't.

 

[bdamico]

Is it me or are people getting lazier?

There is a guy here with a scissor that rolls on tile -- you just have to look.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Thought I had posted but guess not. What do you folks recommend with the moving parts of the scissor lift that contact the floor? I can't imagine it would be kind to tile, epoxy or anything else for that matter. I've been trying to think of what would make a good sacrificial layer for the 'wheels?' to roll on.

Some roll on thier own track and others don't.

Our concrete repair material is commonly used in applications where steel wheels are in direct contact with the substrate. It is a polymer liquid mixed with (3) different sized granules of silica sand.

Also....

If you wont do epoxy, porcelain tile or modular garage tile, "Just Seal It"!!

 

[JakeKohl]

Our concrete repair material is commonly used in applications where steel wheels are in direct contact with the substrate. It is a polymer liquid mixed with (3) different sized granules of silica sand.

Also....

If you wont do epoxy, porcelain tile or modular garage tile, "Just Seal It"!!

Thank you! and there it is.

 

[workhurts]

hrmm. Lazy? I did a search and the first 5-6 posts show people with self contained lifts, or lifts below the level of the garage or a guy asking how to protect the floor and someone suggesting sheet metal or something like that.

I can't remember whether the guy with the nice Porsche has his setup all enclosed or whether it rolls on tiles. As far as I can tell, a sample size of 1 or 2 or 3 isn't exactly gospel.

I have epoxy and I still have no idea how that (with a urethane topcoat) will look after a few years of rolling back and forth directly onto the floor. So, I either believe everything will be ok or I use a sacrificial layer of some kind. To be precise, a sacrificial layer that don't like like dog doodoo.

Not sure if the post was directed at me or not but even if it wasn't, sometimes new informaiton beats old information in an old post. Heck, maybe we should run boards like the muds of old. Don't let people post or ask questions unless they've performed 10 searches and have been here a week

Is it me or are people getting lazier?

There is a guy here with a scissor that rolls on tile -- you just have to look.

 

[BRIANBB]

Put the whole thing on a piece of 1/4" steel plate painted to match your floor. When the lift is down you cant see the plate. When the lift is up it will help protect the floor. Or paint the plate to match the lift itself. Rollers directly on the floor will leave marks.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Hello To all you fellow gearheads!!

I am looking to install a full rise scissor lift in my garage.Wit that being said.I wrench on cars all the time.my garage floor currently is unfinished.With the addition of a lift I was thinking of perhaps putting down tile or something.I am just curious as to what you guys think is the best finish and why??I am considering tile due to the fact that spills,leaks,drips, of various fluids can be easily cleaned up on a tiled surface rather than absorbed into the concrete.Just want to know your opinions and weight my options.

The title of your post caught my attention. You will see me post many times that there is no such thing as 'Best flooring for garage' but best flooring for YOUR garage. As I read your post, the key line is this "I am considering tile due to the fact that spills,leaks,drips, of various fluids can be easily cleaned up on a tiled surface rather than absorbed into the concrete."

It would not be good business for me to recommend an interlocking garage floor tile. Simply put it does not meet your stated objective. Spills will go through, and they will be absorbed.

Legacy has (as always) made a great suggestion. A good FULL BROADCAST epoxy system would be ideal. If you work with lots of small screws, bolts and nuts, using a solid color flake will make those easy to find. Just make sure you check the chemical resistance of the fluids you are concerned about against both the base and top coat in the system you chose.

PVC Mats such as the G-Floor system MIGHT be a good fit, but I do not think they are the best fit for this application. It could be if you went fully adhered and used their hard coat stain blocker.

PVC tile such as TrueLock PVC, TrueLock Premier or Tuff Seal would be an outstanding choice if a garage floor epoxy is not for you. I would either top coat the tile or use a good cleaner and polish system.

 

[Track t-4]

If UroWerks' only concern is "spills,leaks,drips, of various fluids can be easily cleaned up", why wouldn't the G-floor be a good fit for this application? Isn't that one of the positive reasons for going with that alternative?

 

[Garage Flooring]

If UroWerks' only concern is "spills,leaks,drips, of various fluids can be easily cleaned up", why wouldn't the G-floor be a good fit for this application? Isn't that one of the positive reasons for going with that alternative?

What I meant to say is that it is not the best fit of all the products on the market. Its a great product. The application described sounded like a relatively heavy use application. PVC tiles are much thicker and heavier. Also, given the concern for leaks, etc, if something got stained it is much easier to replace a single PVC tile than a whole PVC roll.

Epoxy, PVC Tile and the G-Floor are all good options. In this specific case, if asked for the BEST option I would go either full broadcast epoxy or PVC tile