Fabric Under Floor Tiles

[Willypu]

I just ordered TrueLock HD Extreme Diamond 12″ × 12″ × ½″ Garage Floor Tiles for my shop rebuild. My garage floor space is about 1,500 sqft.

I have read quite a bit about using landscape fabric under the tiles. I would like to be able to sweep/blow out the shop occasionally and once a year hose it out. The shop will be used for vehicle storage, a 4 post lift, wood working and general guy stuff.

Can anyone comment on if the product below would work well under the tiles to quiet them down a bit?

VEVOR Driveway Fabric Stabilization Geotextile Fabric 13x108' Underlayment Black

VEVOR Driveway Fabric Stabilization Geotextile Fabric 13x108' Underlayment Black | VEVOR US

Discover VEVOR Driveway Fabric Stabilization Geotextile Fabric 13x108' Underlayment Black, Large Geotextile Driveway Fabric and Heavy-Duty PP Material at lowest price, 2days delivery, 30days returns.

www.vevor.com

My shop build and rebuild story is in my signature. Thanks for the input!

 

[mepstein]

I can't comment on that exact fabric but I put the standard weed block under my tiles in my workshop attic and it made a nice difference on the plywood floor. Keeps thing quiet. The fabric cost me $20 at Lowes.

 

[rsanter]

First off, anything vevor brand should be avoided.
It’s crappy copes of the actual thing

Second, can you explain the benifits of this? Are you on concrete or on dirt?
If on concrete I just can’t see any benifits.
If on dirt I can see a benifit but I can better see putting down DG and compacting it

 

[kngelv]

It will quiet the tiles down on concrete but there will still be a bit of a clacking sound. Most people never notice it. I have FreeFlow. No sound at all. Actually makes the garage quieter than plain concrete because there are no more echos.

James

 

[kngelv]

I just read your garage build thread. So sorry about the fire. You did a heck of a job getting it all built. One thought. I would seriously think about getting the ribbed FreeFlow tiles if the others have not shipped. I did many tests and the extreme coin were the hardest to keep clean of all the plastic tiles. There are just too many ridges. Also the click clack sound is real on the solid stuff. The FreeFlow does not look dirty because all the loose stuff falls underneath and you can either blow, vacuum or hose it out. It quieted down my garage significantly because the internal echos off the concrete are gone. I am still mad I waited so long to do it but I smile every time I look at the floor. Here is a link to my thread. For some reason the pics make it look smaller than it is.

RaceDeck FreeFlow Installed after 11 Year Debate

Back on June 6th 2011 my very first post on this forum was in regard to RaceDeck flooring for my newly built garage. That garage is long gone and I never did put the flooring in. I have a nicer house but a much smaller garage - 19'6" x 17'6". I have endlessly debated putting some type of tile...

www.garagejournal.com

James

 

[mepstein]

I have free flow on the first floor and I love it. Just bare concrete underneath. The attic just gets foot traffic and I wanted to keep it inexpensive so I use solid tile.

Tiles are so easy to lay down and take up that you can add or subtract the fabric in minutes. Just take it up in large panels.

Here’s my free flow

 

[Willypu]

Thanks everyone for the input. The HD coin tiles are on the way so I will work with those. I will check on some other landscape brands. We grow blueberries and use a weed mat product, which is more heavy duty than basic landscape fabric, I may try some of that.

After all the reviews and research, I have just been concerned with the free flow design not because of the tile, but we live on a ranch in Oregon where there is A LOT of dust, dirt and sticky mud. It is a 2 mile drive on gravel roads to get to our house. In the winter those roads are muddy and in the summer very dusty.

In my mind, I would prefer to see the dirt on top of the tiles and sweep, hose and blow the shop out instead of knowing that it is imbedded in the free flow tiles and have to work to get it out from between the openings in each tile.

If we had paved roads around here, the free flow tiles would be ideal, but I just can't imagine what they would look like after a winter season with 60" of rain and several inches of snow with our gravel roads.

I will keep you all updated on which fabric I decide to go with.

I appreciate all the input, this is a great group and fantastic resource!

Jim

 

[Garage Flooring]

Any of the landscape fabric is fine. I would just grab whatever they have at the local hardware store

 

[CJDave]

I didn't use anything under my RaceDeck Free Flow and I have no complaints. CJDave.

 

[CSRPenFab]

I didn't use anything under my RaceDeck Free Flow and I have no complaints. CJDave.

Agreed. Same here, no fabric under FreeFlow. It's not needed since they don't make the "clickety clack" that solid tiles do. I used non-woven landscape fabric under my prior diamond tile floor and it made a big difference in noise reduction.

 

[rattle_snake]

I put one layer of fabric under TrueLock HD Extreme and it is still clickety clack. Suggest 2 layers, as it is cheap and easy to put down.

 

[mepstein]

Fabric under free flow sort of defeats the purpose. I have free flow on concrete and solid on the wood in the 2nd floor loft.
My free flow feels a little soft in spots because the concrete is a bit wavy. It’s the concrete’s fault, not the tile. I love the free flow. I put two layers of cheap fabric on the wood floor. It’s pretty quiet.
I would have liked porcelain tile on the concrete but it’s a really big project. Time, money and labor. I didn’t want to take the whole summer working on the floor. Each level took about 2-3 hours.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I do agree 99% of the time no fabric under free flow.

 

[RaceDeck1]

if you are going to use "fabric" under your solid top modular flooring ( not recommended) - you should use a synthetic/breathable material

 

[bluedog225]

Water under those tile is going to mildew, right? What am I missing?