Flooring Recommendation for New Garage

[1150A]

Hi All,
I'm looking for a flooring recommendation for our new home that was just built. The slab was freshly poured several months ago, but the contractors worked on it, and I also left snow sludge in it that either has stained things, or could also still be drying. I tried scrubbing hard in some areas to clean and as you can see it started to take off a layer off the top. I assume this is some type of sealer the builder put on?

I wanted to prepare to figure out what I'm going to do to the floors. I'm stuck between Sealant and Tiles. Leaning towards Sealant but big advantage of tiles is I can get started on all that now in the winter. If I need to grind my existing concrete for sealant, again the tiles sound more appealing cause I'd like to avoid renting the equipment/hiring it out.

I do work in my garage and don't plan for it to be a showroom, BUT this is my first time in a brand new home and I also purchased nice cabinets so I do want to make it a little nice.

Use Case:
- Working on motorcycles
- Basic auto maintenance (rarely have needed carjacks)
- Occasionally parking car in it
- Woodworking
- Dog running around

Here are my thoughts on tiles vs concrete seal.

Tiles (racedeck/swisstrax)
Pros:
- easy to do and I can do it now in winter vs waiting for warm weather
- seems pretty slip resistant
- Don't have to prep concrete below?
- If I get freeflow type, less **** for my dog to eat on the surface
- Wife likes the look

Cons:
- Cost more $$$
- Concerned about getting snow/sludge down there in winter (might just need to use containment mat?)
- Concerned about oil/coolant/gas spills
- annual cleaning

Sealant
Pros:
- Cheaper
- Easier to clean

Cons:
- Need to wait till Spring/Summer
- Possibly more slippery
- Might need more prep if I want finish to look more uniform?

Any recommendations or input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[i4ni]

Sorry, but it looks to me like they waited too long to trowel it in my opinion. My 2 cents fwiw

 

[1150A]

Sorry, but it looks to me like they waited too long to trowel it in my opinion. My 2 cents fwiw

Not super familiar with the process. What is the issue if they took too long?

 

[i4ni]

From the pics it's hard to tell exactly what's going on but the surface looks like they just re wet it after it had set up too much and there was not enough cream to get a smooth finish or they may have tried skim coating the top with some sort of leveler. In my opinion it's going to keep delaminating the surface. The saw cuts look like they cut it too early also. More than likely the low bidder got the job and was short handed on the day of the pour. Unfortunately these things happen. Did you sign off on the work performed because that is sub standard quality?

 

[i4ni]

If you don't have an exit then Race deck would be the easist fix I'd say.

 

[1150A]

From the pics it's hard to tell exactly what's going on but the surface looks like they just re wet it after it had set up too much and there was not enough cream to get a smooth finish or they may have tried skim coating the top with some sort of leveler. In my opinion it's going to keep delaminating the surface. The saw cuts look like they cut it too early also. More than likely the low bidder got the job and was short handed on the day of the pour. Unfortunately these things happen. Did you sign off on the work performed because that is sub standard quality?

Gotcha. I do believe I see it delaminating already. This happened after I tried to clean the snow sludge out with warm water, dawn, and a stiff broom. Looks much worse than it did 2 weeks ago.

As for signing off.. unfortunately was rushing to get this house closed on time. Did not look at the concrete as closely till now.. one of the many issues we're running into.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I would not use a sealant over that concrete as is. It definitely will not be easier to clean than a good tile. Based on what you describe I would use Racedeck diamond.

 

[Swisstrax_Official]

Swisstrax tiles were designed for this type of climate hence the name SWISStrax. It’s ¾” thick design allows for all the snow/sludge/salt/mag chloride to fall through and channel out. During the heavy winter season most customers will Shop-Vac around the wheel wells to prevent build up or freezing. Then when Spring/Summer season rolls around you can do an in-depth clean with a pressure washer, garden hose, etc.

Please feel free to reach out to one of our Flooring Experts and they can put you in touch with customers nearest you experiencing your type of climates. Contact our garage flooring experts here.

See this video of our friends at RAD Garage cleaning their Swisstrax flooring:

Be sure the checkout our pages comparing Swisstrax to other popular flooring options: https://www.swisstrax.com/compare-flooring.html

 

[Blackbyrd]

Not sure ifnthe flow through floornhas the same issues, but since it's a floating floor mine clacks when walking across it. Sounds similar to high heels on hard surface. I've heard some people put down a barrier mat like flower bed liners and it helped cut down on tha5 noise. Other than that, I mop once or twice a year depending on what I'm doing.

 

[mikeyr]

my Racedecks are 20 or so years old now, front half of the garage where the car is parked are flawless, I park my daily car there and do my "clean" work on the other car, to me clean work means the assembly of the car, body work (currently hammer dolly work, when I get to the leading of the car, I will move it to the back), put parts on kind of stuff. The back half is where all the welding gets done along with car painting and those tiles are not so flawless anymore . I am going to buy one of those inflatable paint booths and replace those tiles in the back someday soon (hope to this year, after welding and primer-ing the last few parts). But I am extremely happy with the 20 or so years lifespan. my only concern is I will do only about half the back so I will have new and old tiles, it might look odd. Oh and the garage has flooded twice and I didn't even bother to lift the tiles up, seemed to drain the water from under the tiles quite quickly. All I had to do was remove the edging at the garage door and let the water flow.

I would do Racedeck and cover your concrete and stop worrying about it.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Swisstrax tiles were designed for this type of climate hence the name SWISStrax. It’s ¾” thick design allows for all the snow/sludge/salt/mag chloride to fall through and channel out. During the heavy winter season most customers will Shop-Vac around the wheel wells to prevent build up or freezing. Then when Spring/Summer season rolls around you can do an in-depth clean with a pressure washer, garden hose, etc.

Please feel free to reach out to one of our Flooring Experts and they can put you in touch with customers nearest you experiencing your type of climates. Contact our garage flooring experts here.

See this video of our friends at RAD Garage cleaning their Swisstrax flooring:

Be sure the checkout our pages comparing Swisstrax to other popular flooring options: https://www.swisstrax.com/compare-flooring.html

I thought it got its name because that is where Randy Nelson was from

 

[DirtyV]

It looks to me like you need to have them tear out that slab and pour a new one.

 

[Armorpoxy]

If considering tiles, take a look at our www.supratile.com solid pvc industrial grade tiles. Super quiet to walk on and lifetime warranty!

 

[1150A]

I would not use a sealant over that concrete as is. It definitely will not be easier to clean than a good tile. Based on what you describe I would use Racedeck diamond.

If I were to go the sealant route, would do you think would need to the concrete before applying it?

 

[1150A]

It looks to me like you need to have them tear out that slab and pour a new one.

Curious to why you suggest that? Does it look badly done or? Not sure if it just looks bad or if possible structural thing too.

 

[DirtyV]

I had the same issue with my garage pad before closing on/moving into our house. We pressed the builder, who pressed the concrete company. What we discovered was, according to the concrete truck logs, the crew had been delayed on the way to our house and stopped to add water to the concrete mix. We consulted a third-party concrete company who confirmed/concluded that too much water added to the concrete mix led to spalling and cracking due to uneven curing. According to Google, "Freeze/thaw cycles, so common in Colorado in the wintertime, exacerbate spalling by causing water in the concrete to expand creating pressure that breaks a weak top layer of concrete." Unfortunately, it was going to get worse, much worse, over time. Ultimately, they tore out 1600 sq. ft. of concrete and re-poured the garage floor. We were ready to cancel the contract, as heartbreaking as that would have been. They offered to recoat the floor instead of tearing it out, but aforementioned third-party expert said absolutely do not get a top coat as that would be masking a problem that is sure to return. An absolute nightmare overall.

 

[P0234]

Curious to why you suggest that? Does it look badly done or? Not sure if it just looks bad or if possible structural thing too.

Its garage journal, give it a while and someone will come in telling you to tear the house down and start over.

 

[DirtyV]

Yep, that was my suggestion, huh? Tear down the house and start over?

No, in fact I've experienced this exact issue. It's simply not repairable in any kind of reliable way. It can be patched ("Band aided") at best. Sometimes the correct answer isn't what you want to hear.

"Its garage journal, give it a while and someone will come in starting drama about something they probably have no clue about or experience with"

Do you see this part that the OP posted? "Any recommendations or input would be greatly appreciated!"

Leave it to the peanut gallery to offer nothing but drama to a conversation. Good job!

 

[P0234]

Yep, that was my suggestion, huh? Tear down the house and start over?

No, in fact I've experienced this exact issue. It's simply not repairable in any kind of reliable way. It can be patched ("Band aided") at best. Sometimes the correct answer isn't what you want to hear.

"Its garage journal, give it a while and someone will come in starting drama about something they probably have no clue about or experience with"

Do you see this part that the OP posted? "Any recommendations or input would be greatly appreciated!"

Leave it to the peanut gallery to offer nothing but drama to a conversation. Good job!

Sorry your ego got hurt. You posted one sentence with nary a reason to support YOUR OPINION. Which, even if his floor was a total train wreck needing replacement as you stated (it's not), he could have used a tile system like racedeck, or possibly real tile.

Frankly, there is no reason to post such a discouraging one liner to someone looking for some help.

 

[FJ4FUN]

Based strictly on what is presented for a reliable coating application, at a minimum, you'd be looking at shot blasting and a high-build coating. You've noted that tiles are an acceptable option... Go for it!!

 

[Armorpoxy]

Very often on problematic projects when considering all of the repair work and chance of failure tiles are an excellent option.

 

[Garage Flooring]

If I were to go the sealant route, would do you think would need to the concrete before applying it?

Not a direction I would go. If you did you would want to clean it really well

 

[DirtyV]

Sorry your ego got hurt. You posted one sentence with nary a reason to support YOUR OPINION. Which, even if his floor was a total train wreck needing replacement as you stated (it's not), he could have used a tile system like racedeck, or possibly real tile.

Frankly, there is no reason to post such a discouraging one liner to someone looking for some help.

The individual sought opinions, and I shared mine. When asked for more details, I provided additional insights based on my real-life experience. Your repeated responses seem unproductive and filled with unwarranted criticism of GJ at large. Your contributions to this conversation are devoid of value. I suggest you refrain from further engagement if you're unable to contribute constructively. This isn't about ego; it's about the quality of discourse. Interjecting without substance or experience only undermines the conversation. Moreover, your proposal of a tile system doesn't tackle the underlying problem, which could potentially lead to further complications down the line. I strongly disagree with your assertion that the flooring doesn't require replacement. It seems you either possess expertise in concrete flooring or share my firsthand encounters with such matters, correct? I won't be replying to you again in this thread, but suffice it to say you are being hypocritical.

 

[P0234]

The individual sought opinions, and I shared mine. When asked for more details, I provided additional insights based on my real-life experience. Your repeated responses seem unproductive and filled with unwarranted criticism of GJ at large. Your contributions to this conversation are devoid of value. I suggest you refrain from further engagement if you're unable to contribute constructively. This isn't about ego; it's about the quality of discourse. Interjecting without substance or experience only undermines the conversation. Moreover, your proposal of a tile system doesn't tackle the underlying problem, which could potentially lead to further complications down the line. I strongly disagree with your assertion that the flooring doesn't require replacement. It seems you either possess expertise in concrete flooring or share my firsthand encounters with such matters, correct? I won't be replying to you again in this thread, but suffice it to say you are being hypocritical.

I'm really disappointed you're not going to reply anymore. I was looking forward to your explanation as to how a hole was going to open up under his race deck floor and eat everything in his garage because he didn't rip out his brand new slab based on your one line recommendation.

 

[i4ni]

I'm really disappointed you're not going to reply anymore. I was looking forward to your explanation as to how a hole was going to open up under his race deck floor and eat everything in his garage because he didn't rip out his brand new slab based on your one line recommendation.

Post # 16. Explanation and pics.

 

[P0234]

Post # 16. Explanation and pics.

I guess I missed the part where it collapsed and ate his cars. Unless OP is on a post tension slab, the worst that can happen is the floor will crack under the tiles. Oh and if he's planning on a lift, that's going to require some attention.

I mean if OP has the ability to file a warranty claim against the builder and get a new floor, yes that is the answer! Otherwise, who cares. Ripping out the floor and doing it over unless they absolutely want a gleaming glossy epoxy floor is just a waste of cash.