Confusion

[keithtp]

I am purchasing a new home. It is new construction so the garage floor hasn't had anything more than construction supplies on it. I want to put something on the floor, and had almost decided on RaceDeck tiles. But the more I read on this forum and elsewhere the more unsure I get. At my age, it doesn't take much to get me confused . We live near Chicago. The garage is a standard 2-car garage, about 20 by 20. I suspect that there are as many opinions as there are members of this forum, but can somebody help me reach a decision?

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Keith:
Many good options. Use the "search tool" to help narrow your search.

 

[Cave Creek Ray]

Keith,

You came to the right place... Choices...choices!

As a former Chicagolander (Arlington Hts) I know what your floor will be up against. I am not sure how RaceDeck works under dripping, black-snow icicle gunk drippings from hell that form on cars up there 3-4 months out of the year. All that melt has to have somewhere to go and it will be under the tiles, you can be sure. You can seal your concrete to prevent staining but, the soot & cinder-laced ****** is going to load up your garage under those tiles. I suppose you can take them out every summer and hose the gook out and then reassemble the tiles. Somebody will be along to give you advice who has used them in these conditions.

You might consider having a pro come in and roll on a really nice epoxy floor. Over time it may show shrinkage cracks and wear tracking but, its easy to take care of and clean up. In your climate, a solid waterproof floor might be a better answer.

Welcome!

Ray

 

[Garage Flooring]

I am purchasing a new home. It is new construction so the garage floor hasn't had anything more than construction supplies on it. I want to put something on the floor, and had almost decided on RaceDeck tiles. But the more I read on this forum and elsewhere the more unsure I get. At my age, it doesn't take much to get me confused . We live near Chicago. The garage is a standard 2-car garage, about 20 by 20. I suspect that there are as many opinions as there are members of this forum, but can somebody help me reach a decision?

In our business we offer RaceDeck, coatings, mats and just about every type of flooring. Its not a question of which product is better, but a question of which product is better for you. You would have to try pretty hard to find someone who is not happy with their RaceDeck floor. Tons of happy coatings customers too.

When I think of Chicago I think of COLD and SNOW. I would strongly consider something like the RaceDeck Free Flow tiles or TrueLock HD garage tile http://www.garageflooringllc.com/garage-floor-tiles/ BUT before I can make an informed decision, I need to know a little more about how you use your garage.

 

[keithtp]

In addition to parking two cars, I am hoping to do some woodworking in the garage. I have a table saw, lathe, bench top drill press, etc. (all on wheels) that I think I can line up in front of the cars to be pulled out as needed. Wood finishing will involve stain, varnish, polyurethane, etc. depending on what I am building. Of course, finishing will be done with drop cloths protecting the floor.

Since we are moving from a two story, 4 bedroom house with full basement to a two bedroom quad with no basement, I suspect the garage will also see a lot of service as a storage area. I'm planning on putting in cabinets and overhead storage for that.

Yes, it does get cold here, and we do get a bit of snow now and then . Snow does tend to accumulate under the car fenders then drop on the garage floor, but it doesn't leave as much dirt as you might expect. What it does leave can be swept out or hosed off pretty easily (yes, even in winter).

If I do epoxy, I will be looking for a professional to do it. Unfortunately, Angie's List doesn't help much there so if somebody has suggestions or recommendations, please send them to my email ([email protected]).

Thank you for the feedback.

Keith

 

[Garage Flooring]

In addition to parking two cars, I am hoping to do some woodworking in the garage. I have a table saw, lathe, bench top drill press, etc. (all on wheels) that I think I can line up in front of the cars to be pulled out as needed. Wood finishing will involve stain, varnish, polyurethane, etc. depending on what I am building. Of course, finishing will be done with drop cloths protecting the floor.

Since we are moving from a two story, 4 bedroom house with full basement to a two bedroom quad with no basement, I suspect the garage will also see a lot of service as a storage area. I'm planning on putting in cabinets and overhead storage for that.

Yes, it does get cold here, and we do get a bit of snow now and then . Snow does tend to accumulate under the car fenders then drop on the garage floor, but it doesn't leave as much dirt as you might expect. What it does leave can be swept out or hosed off pretty easily (yes, even in winter).

If I do epoxy, I will be looking for a professional to do it. Unfortunately, Angie's List doesn't help much there so if somebody has suggestions or recommendations, please send them to my email ([email protected]).

Thank you for the feedback.

Keith

Email sent

 

[RaceDeck1]

We ( RaceDeck) are based and manufacture in Salt Lake City, Utah - So we understand snow, road slop, and temp swings quite well and I can tell you not only from the many customers who use our products in the harshest of enviroments, but from my own garage application which is located in the mountains where we drive our SUV and Truck in all winter long with snow and slop coming in on the cars and when we come out in the morning the floor is nice and clean, no slop or mess on the floor

 

[Armorpoxy]

An interlocking tile floor like those mentioned above or our Supratile solid industrial grade tiles are virtually impossible to fail. Plus zero downtime for the install.

 

[James-W]

If you park cars in the garage in the Winter months, then you would want the free flow tiles, preferably with a way of allowing the water to drain off as the snow/ice melts. But if you want to do woodworking as well, then you don't really want free flow tiles, you would want a solid tile for easy sawdust clean-up.

 

[retfr8flyr]

I was in your position 2 1/2 years ago, when I decided to do a garage makeover. I do auto work in one bay and woodworking in another bay of my 3 car garage. I looked at all the options and decided on doing an Epoxy floor. I think it was one of the best decisions I made. I love my floor and it handles woodworking great. Everything cleans up effortlessly, dust is greatly reduced, finish spills just wipe up and it looks very good. I went with full flakes and poly top coat and I highly recommend that for the floor. Here are a couple of shots of my woodworking bay, which I have to share with all my lawn equipment.










Like you plan to do, I have everything mounted on mobile bases so I can move them wherever I need them. I have been beating on this floor for 2 1/2 years now and it still looks like the day I finished putting it down.

 

[Armorpoxy]

A good quality (not home center type) epoxy floor with a urethane topcoat will be your best choice for value. They are more work to install, but cost about 1/3 or more than tiles. To get a good job always follow your manufacturer's directions, and make sure to prep the floor properly.

 

[James-W]

Epoxy floors look VERY nice, but the prep is pretty extensive and tedious, not to mention time consuming. I have heard it mentioned on this forum that rust bullet is quite a bit less prep intensive, so that may be a good option if you are considering epoxy but are concerned about the floor prep.

 

[keithtp]

Thank you for all the feedback. I am concerned about the amount of prep required for epoxy since at this point, I do not have the time to do it myself. I did get one estimate for having it done, and it seemed rather steep. So at this point, I am leaning toward tiles.

 

[James-W]

Thank you for all the feedback. I am concerned about the amount of prep required for epoxy since at this point, I do not have the time to do it myself. I did get one estimate for having it done, and it seemed rather steep. So at this point, I am leaning toward tiles.

I have Racedeck tiles, but not the free-flow tiles. I have the diamond tiles. I do quite a bit of woodworking and I find the sawdust on the tiles is super easy to clean-up with a good quality push broom. I also have a shop vac for any "hard to get at" areas of the floor.

I don't park the cars in the garage very often, just when the forecast is for hail or high winds, something like that. Since my cars are not inside during the Winter months, I don't have a problem with ice and snow melting and the resulting water getting all over the floor. So for me, the tiles worked out really well.

 

[mikeyr]

I would get the regular Racedeck tiles because of your woodworking and not the free-flow ones. The regular tiles fit together pretty tightly and I would bet the large majority of the water from the snow melting would flow right off the tiles with very little leaking under the tiles. But what does get under the tiles will just flow to the lowest point and drain or dry up anyway, not a big deal. When my old garage was flooded (twice) I didn't pull up the tiles to dry under, I just let it dry naturally. When I lifted up my tiles to move to new garage, the floor looked just like it did 10 years earlier when i put the racedeck down.

 

[Trey T]

If you don't have the time to apply epoxy, because it does take 2-3 days to cure enough for heavy traffic, go with plastic tile.

I have epoxy but I did look into them both and I chose epoxy mainly because of the cost for DIY. However to get someone to install epoxy it may cost more than plastic tile DIY.

Looking back, I'm glad I got epoxy. It's so easy to clean and it looks natural. Plastic tile, I think would look cheesy, it would standout too much from my garage; just too flashy. I think flooring should look subtle and let other elements appeal a long with it to ahve a balance.

 

[slickgt1]

Damn so many replies, and no one recommended Porcelain Tiles. Click links in my signature for more info. Or search here. You want to do a floor once and forget about it. That is the only solution.