Flooring Dilemma Please Help

[Legacyruss]

I am movong from a rental condo to a rental home. I asked the owner if I could coat the floor with epoxy to keep the dust down. I told him it would increase his re-rentablity. Well he didn't go for it. So now I am in the dark as to what I want to do about flooring. My car is my baby and I need to start putting it into a garage worthy of her.

I am thinking about this garage floor mat which seems like a great alternative. http://www.bltllc.com/
Has anyone ever used this product or one similar with success?
I have also been looking at racedeck flooring which is do-able but a little out of my pricerange. My only other option is Sears carries a snap together flooring similar to race deck which is less money. Do you think it would be any good?

Thanks for any and all help....

Russell

I will be sure to post up picks once I get my flooring situation squared away...

 

[Indy300]

I am movong from a rental condo to a rental home. I asked the owner if I could coat the floor with epoxy to keep the dust down. I told him it would increase his re-rentablity. Well he didn't go for it. So now I am in the dark as to what I want to do about flooring. My car is my baby and I need to start putting it into a garage worthy of her.

I am thinking about this garage floor mat which seems like a great alternative. http://www.bltllc.com/
Has anyone ever used this product or one similar with success?
I have also been looking at racedeck flooring which is do-able but a little out of my pricerange. My only other option is Sears carries a snap together flooring similar to race deck which is less money. Do you think it would be any good?

Thanks for any and all help....

Russell

I will be sure to post up picks once I get my flooring situation squared away...

I think the BLT mat would be a great option for you. I found that Sam's Club beats everyone else's price by a long-shot! The only draw back is it shrinks/expands with temperature extremes (by as much as 2%. Hot tire may also stain.

 

[supercharged]

also, i think if you get it from sam's it comes folded up rather than rolled. i'm told that it leaves some major creases when shipped this way.. again, just what i heard and not a tip from personal experience. good luck!!

 

[Legacyruss]

Yeah I looked inot the Sam's club prices. They are really good, but I don't want it folded and it seems like they only sell the thin stuff. I am thinking of the 85 mil thick industrial stuff.

 

[dboat]

check out the other thread here with the Sams racedeck like flooring.. I just got a box..
Dana

 

[TER]

I debated epoxy, race deck, etc. and decided to postpone it until some major reconstruction is completed later this year. Rather than put up with a concrete floor til then, I bought two 9' x 20' BLT ribbed pattern from Sam's online about a year ago. They came folded and aside from being somewhat difficult to move around, I have had no problems with creases (they were totally gone within a couple of days -- it was 80-100 degrees so I'm sure that helped).

Once I got them lined up with 1/2 inch overlap they have stayed in position for almost a year with no problems with an active 2 car garage. Start to finish, installation was about half an hour. They will move around if you crank the tires while sitting still and will pull some when the tires first come off the ground, but it's not a permanent problem -- they straighten out by themselves.

I was also concerned they wouldn't be stout enough to hold up to floor jacks and jack stands, but they bounce right back. I did manage to cut a v-shaped divot when I dropped the frame onto a jackstand while removing a subframe bushing -- but that was a pretty extreme situation. Under normal, heavy use they have held up better than expected and are a treat for sweeping up and cleaning up oil, hydraulic fluid, brake fluid, anti freeze, you name it. All in all, what started as a cheap, temporary solution was better than expected and they still look pretty good. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[cdrewferd]

TER, do you have any installed photos of the roll out stuff? I'm thinking that this might be a good alternative for me. Also, have you tried to use any creepers on these, I'm not sure how good they would work.

 

[Indy300]

TER, do you have any installed photos of the roll out stuff? I'm thinking that this might be a good alternative for me. Also, have you tried to use any creepers on these, I'm not sure how good they would work.

I have a couple of product samples in front of me now. I don't think you'll be able to roll perfectly on the ribbed version while laying on a creeper with small wheels. I think it can be done, but not very smoothly. I think the coin pattern would work with a creeper better, but Sam's doesn't sell that style. You can go to their website and request some product sample to see up close and personal.

 

[TER]

Indy300 is correct, I have used a Craftsman creeper on the ribbed BLT but it takes more effort (still works though).

The coin pattern was my first choice, but Sam's only had ribbed style when I bought last year and only available online (so I didn't even have samples). I'll take some installed photos and post tomorrow.

Don't be oversold on this roll-out tile -- it is what it is -- an inexpensive solution that installs easily and looks good. But it definitely has a shorter life span than epoxy or racedeck. In my case it was a good value.

The main objection mentioned earlier in this thread -- creases from folding for shipment -- were a non-issue with my installation. Creases were gone in a few days; concrete dust and dirt were gone immediately.

 

[TER]

Here are the installed photos of the ribbed BLT rollout vinyl flooring, as well as a scan of the installation and cleaning instructions.

These are two 9' x 20' sections installed March, 2005. For evaluation, the photos show the side of the garage with the most use, which has only been broom cleaned with drips and spills wiped up -- as you might guess, it has never been scrubbed or hosed off. No sugar coating here.

Other photos show the center seam, a small v-shaped divot from a jack stand, and the transition from main floor to a slightly elevated (2") grade change near the front of the garage. Rather than cut the tile at the step up, I put some 2x6s down for a couple of weeks to form the "ridge" and extended the tile onto the shelf. It's worked out pretty well.

Hope this helps.

 

[js73751]

Thanks for taking the time to take and post the pics...
js

 

[jec]

I have the blt floor and it did come folded. I just layed it out in the sun for an hour and it layed perfectly flat