OrneryDuck
Well-known member
Hello GJ faithful, I've been away for a long time, because life gets busy, so busy in fact I'm now six garages divided from the first one I started when I first joined GJ. In that original garage I had a PU-epoxy floor professionally installed and it performed wonderfully but did have a few challenges.
Issues with -good- epoxy flooring:
-My circa 1940's Walker Roll-A-Car jack, AKA 'Big Bertha', would sometimes mar the chips from rolling or more-so sliding if the wheel hung up for any reason. This is normal and why the chips are there, to hide blemishes, but a consideration that would magnify with time. (I never experienced any finish failure, peeling, or other such concerns over 3yrs, so despite the wear, the finish never failed or even wore through.)
-Dropping a fastener mid-repair may have well been a wrap on the day. It'd result in at best a 5 minute detour to differentiate the small bolt from the various chips and textures of the floor, and at worst a 2 hour derailing.
-The cost and impact of install was very high. It was several thousand to do a 900sq.ft. garage, and while worth it for the quality that resulted, it meant a few days where NOTHING could be in the garage or even venture into it until cured. This was not a worry when I did the first 'grown up' garage, as we had it coated before we moved in. Now in my newest home, we're a few months into living here and the garage is chock-o-block with stuff and no where to stash it for floor refinishing.
Solution:
Enter something I've been hesitant of for many years, composite (plastic) tile flooring, though GJ has done nothing but reinforce how good it is / can be. Initially I was considering the plastic as a stop gap, buy me 3yrs, then get the floors professionally epoxied, but looking at them and several long-term reviews, I'm more and more sold on just going plastic as the final fix.
The question is -- what plastic flooring should I use? The two that stand out to me are SupraTile and RaceDeck, which having narrowed down to these two brands, I'm already closer to a solution. Which style is best though, in context of my use-case and needs?
Requirements:
-Tolerant to cars parked for extended periods
-Tolerant to rolling floor jacks, jack stands, and eventually QuickJacks
-Impact resistant to dropped tools
-Reduce slip hazards
-Resistance to chemical damage from potential spills (coolant, brake fluid, oil, or brake cleaner)
-Ease of cleaning in the event of a fluid spill
-Ease of cleaning in the accumulation of metal or wood dust
-Ease of cleaning for natural accumulations (dust, sand, and leaves)
-Mitigation for mold and mildew
-Tolerant to a high heat and high humidity environment (Florida is often upwards of 70-100f* and 60-90% humidity)
-UV stable (Allowing for use even if the garage door is open for a few hours a day without damage)
Wants:
-Ability to wash a car in the garage
-Quiet (minimal clicking/settling/rattling while walking on floor)
-Improved standing (or kneeling) comfort over concrete
-Positive light reflection versus absorption (To give the feeling of more light)
-Color selection a plus (though targeting a mixture of: light gray, dark gray, and medium blue)
-Affordable (Targeting 50% reduction in cost over a professional epoxy installation)
-Self-installable (All variants appear to be self-install friendly)
I like the idea of free-flow tiles, but worry about long-term risks if used to its benefit of washing, rinsing, etc. I don't have floor drains, but the floor is graded toward the door. I know from a recent coolant spill, that means little as it stays put until mopped up. I don't want standing water causing mildew/mold or even worse a slow degradation of the concrete below. Given the humidity and heat considerations of Florida, is this a worry? What about solid tiles as an alternative?
Who has used SupraTile in their garage/shop? How do you like it after some time? Which finish did you go with (coin, etc)? If you did it over again, would you still go the same way?
RaceDeck's floor designer is fun, and I've already got a tentative design in mind based on their options. The design here was done using their standard 12" tiles and some simplification to my garage (The main area for the cars/bikes is ~22.5ft by 19ft, with a 3" rise to the front (house entry) that is the 22.5ft width of the garage and about 50" deep at the deepest point (wall extends in and out a bit to a minimum depth of 28" -- dead space due to walls illustrated in 'black tiles') Their XLC flooring looks even better, but is it worth the presumed price difference, or even needed?
View attachment 1487378
Thank you in advance for suffering my rambling and any advice you have to offer.
Issues with -good- epoxy flooring:
-My circa 1940's Walker Roll-A-Car jack, AKA 'Big Bertha', would sometimes mar the chips from rolling or more-so sliding if the wheel hung up for any reason. This is normal and why the chips are there, to hide blemishes, but a consideration that would magnify with time. (I never experienced any finish failure, peeling, or other such concerns over 3yrs, so despite the wear, the finish never failed or even wore through.)
-Dropping a fastener mid-repair may have well been a wrap on the day. It'd result in at best a 5 minute detour to differentiate the small bolt from the various chips and textures of the floor, and at worst a 2 hour derailing.
-The cost and impact of install was very high. It was several thousand to do a 900sq.ft. garage, and while worth it for the quality that resulted, it meant a few days where NOTHING could be in the garage or even venture into it until cured. This was not a worry when I did the first 'grown up' garage, as we had it coated before we moved in. Now in my newest home, we're a few months into living here and the garage is chock-o-block with stuff and no where to stash it for floor refinishing.
Solution:
Enter something I've been hesitant of for many years, composite (plastic) tile flooring, though GJ has done nothing but reinforce how good it is / can be. Initially I was considering the plastic as a stop gap, buy me 3yrs, then get the floors professionally epoxied, but looking at them and several long-term reviews, I'm more and more sold on just going plastic as the final fix.
The question is -- what plastic flooring should I use? The two that stand out to me are SupraTile and RaceDeck, which having narrowed down to these two brands, I'm already closer to a solution. Which style is best though, in context of my use-case and needs?
Requirements:
-Tolerant to cars parked for extended periods
-Tolerant to rolling floor jacks, jack stands, and eventually QuickJacks
-Impact resistant to dropped tools
-Reduce slip hazards
-Resistance to chemical damage from potential spills (coolant, brake fluid, oil, or brake cleaner)
-Ease of cleaning in the event of a fluid spill
-Ease of cleaning in the accumulation of metal or wood dust
-Ease of cleaning for natural accumulations (dust, sand, and leaves)
-Mitigation for mold and mildew
-Tolerant to a high heat and high humidity environment (Florida is often upwards of 70-100f* and 60-90% humidity)
-UV stable (Allowing for use even if the garage door is open for a few hours a day without damage)
Wants:
-Ability to wash a car in the garage
-Quiet (minimal clicking/settling/rattling while walking on floor)
-Improved standing (or kneeling) comfort over concrete
-Positive light reflection versus absorption (To give the feeling of more light)
-Color selection a plus (though targeting a mixture of: light gray, dark gray, and medium blue)
-Affordable (Targeting 50% reduction in cost over a professional epoxy installation)
-Self-installable (All variants appear to be self-install friendly)
I like the idea of free-flow tiles, but worry about long-term risks if used to its benefit of washing, rinsing, etc. I don't have floor drains, but the floor is graded toward the door. I know from a recent coolant spill, that means little as it stays put until mopped up. I don't want standing water causing mildew/mold or even worse a slow degradation of the concrete below. Given the humidity and heat considerations of Florida, is this a worry? What about solid tiles as an alternative?
Who has used SupraTile in their garage/shop? How do you like it after some time? Which finish did you go with (coin, etc)? If you did it over again, would you still go the same way?
RaceDeck's floor designer is fun, and I've already got a tentative design in mind based on their options. The design here was done using their standard 12" tiles and some simplification to my garage (The main area for the cars/bikes is ~22.5ft by 19ft, with a 3" rise to the front (house entry) that is the 22.5ft width of the garage and about 50" deep at the deepest point (wall extends in and out a bit to a minimum depth of 28" -- dead space due to walls illustrated in 'black tiles') Their XLC flooring looks even better, but is it worth the presumed price difference, or even needed?
View attachment 1487378
Thank you in advance for suffering my rambling and any advice you have to offer.
