Installing VCT tile in the garage!

[erok01]

Tools needed:

1. Your choice of VCT tile
2. VCT floor adhesive.
3. Concrete etcher/ cleaner
4. Toothed trowel
5. Chalk line
6. Firm brisle brush
7. Floor roller
8. Heat gun
9. Utility knife
10. 12 pack of your choice of beer

Instructions:

1. Clean and prep your concrete with a concrete degreaser/ cleaner and a firm nylon bristle brush, thouroughly wash and rinse the floor and let completely dry.

2. Lay out your pattern on the floor with your chalk lines and trace over in marker. The adhesive dries clear so you’ll be able to see all these marks when you lay the tile.

3. The adhesive requires some time to set up, so apply the adhesive on the floor starting in a corner. Don’t cover the entire floor just work in sections. Allow the adhesive to set up, this should take about a half hour.

4. After allowing the adhesive to set up it is now time to lay your tiles. Start in the corner and lay the tiles in a stair step fashion.

5. Repeat process until you finish the floor.

6. Roll the floor with a 100lb floor roller.

7. Clean up extra adhesive that may of seeped through the cracks with some mineral spirits.

8. Allow 6-10 days for the adhesive to cure and dry completely.

9. Clean floor and apply your choice of sealer and finish to floor.

Sit back and marvel at your hard work!!

 

[ZRWON]

EROK01, Thanks for the great post! What was cost and where'd you find the best price on the tiles? Thanks, Bill

 

[aero]

I think you just sold another race deck when you mention every step and then the sealer

 

[428]

Nice floor

I don't know man, if it only took one 12 pack, that's not to bad.

That's about what, 1 beer per 18 sq. ft?

What size is it anyway?

 

[erok01]

single car garage. Took one full day of work. Total cost around $175 with sealer.

Now I went out and spent $50 on a industrial rubermaid mop bucket and wringer and I also got some different floor cleaner for about $8, and I got a mop and three different mop heads for around $25-30. All these extra items are not necessary but being **** about my cars paint finish has carried over to being **** about my garage floor finish.

as far as race deck is concearned $3.50 a square foot was out of the question. If you do get race deck there is still a days worth of work in snapping it all together.

My floor will shine while yours looks like matte plastic finish. To each is own!

 

[aero]

Its just too many more steps for my life=== Your floor looks great I know I would end up building a custom cabnet for the mop an bucket and the mop heads then I would reserch the floor wax It would never end I thing Im going to leave my floor the way it is But on the other hand?

 

[OH-MAN]

Erok01,
Damm it man I think you made me change my mind about the floor in my new garage. I really liked my epoxy floor in my previous home, But yours looks really cool.
Nice work!

 

[Wizard600RR]

I wouldn't recommend starting in a corner.


I'd suggest finding dead center of your garage, then work outwards from there in 4 sections. This ensures even trim sections on every side.

 

[erok01]

If you start in the middle do you still square out your garage?

I used the ol' 3,4,5 method and squared out the area and then used a sharpie to go over the chalk lines. In using that method I knew exactly what size trim pieces I would need. You don't want to be stuck on the ends with a short piece. You would ideally not have any pieces smaller then 6"x12", if so they have a greater chance of coming up.

I used this method because I wanted a black border around the perimeter of the garage. I guess if your not putting a border on then it wouldn't really mater were you start.

 

[RichardNorman]

How well does this type of flooring hold up to jack stands? I have considered installing the tiles for a while but am afraid I will cut them up with the jack stands. What about brake fluid or standing water from snow melting off the cars?

Of course I guess I could stop being so cheap and actually go buy a few tiles and try them under the jack stands the next time I put my car up!! Then I could do some chemical endurance tests with brake fluid.

Still leaves the question about how well they (or the adhesive actually) stand up to the presence of water.

 

[Bad_TCR]

Nice walk thru. Everyone's going to have their different ways. I like the idea of leaving the black trim around the outside. I'm a few days away from starting this same project myself. Curious too on the water/fluid hold up. Imagine it all comes down to the amount of wax you've got on the floor. Nice set up though. Me likes it. I'll be sure to post my experiences as I set my tile up.

 

[Doc]

Can you use a floor jack or jack stands without damaging the surface?

 

[spud]

call me dumb, whats VCT tile?

 

[Luckydevil]

call me dumb, whats VCT tile?

Vinyl Composition Tile made by Armstrong. Pretty much an industrial tile that is extremely inexpensive and looks good.

 

[Luckydevil]

Bringing this one back from the dead.

During the 6-10 day cure time, how sensitive are the tiles/adhesive? Could you bring your stuff (toolboxes, shelving, workbench, etc) back in the garage without messing up the setting?

 

[The Hot Rod Grille]

I moved everything onto the new floor tiles within a couple of hours of finishing the installation. The trick is to allow the adhesive to "dry" the required time before laying the tiles on it. The adhesive that I used was yellow when first applied and turned to clear when ready for the tiles.

Jim
The Hot Rod Grille Garage

 

[Luckydevil]

Cool, Thanks Jim. Your flooring looks awesome.

Did you use a sealer or some sort of topcoat to get it glossy?

 

[keyspider]

VCT tile

What happened to the original pics in this post?
Am I the only one who cant see them?

 

[The Hot Rod Grille]

Cool, Thanks Jim. Your flooring looks awesome.

Did you use a sealer or some sort of topcoat to get it glossy?

Luke,

Thanks for the compliment! I applied two coats of a commercial-grade liquid floor wax to get the shine and protection. I intended to use a buffer to polish to floor, but haven't had the need to do it yet. This summer I replaced the fuel lines, water pump, radiator, new alternator and brackets when I installed air conditioning on the '34 Ford, so I have definitely used the Hot Rod Grille as a "working" garage! The floor shows no signs of damage from the use, although I did put down a sheet of plastic on the floor when I was draining the fuel tank. Spilled antifreeze wiped up with no stains on the black and white VCT tiles.

Jim
The Hot Rod Grille Garage

 

[86swb]

Vinyl Composition Tile made by Armstrong. Pretty much an industrial tile that is extremely inexpensive and looks good.

That is not a dumb question. I too would like to know. Anybody?

 

[86swb]

Wow, your garage looks nice. Looks like a play room -garage. Where is the best place to get this vct tile?

 

[REFLEXX]

For jackstands, just use an extra piece of tile (flipped over) or mudflaps.

my 2.5c

 

[The Hot Rod Grille]

Wow, your garage looks nice. Looks like a play room -garage. Where is the best place to get this vct tile?

Thanks for the comments! The Hot Rod Grille Garage serves duties as a "working" garage for projects on the '34 Ford and '70 Vette, to weekend 50's parties and a meeting place for the local pinball club. My wife and I usually eat dinner in the garage a couple of times each week. Earlier this evening one of my neighbors called and asked if they could bring some out-of-town guests over to see the Hot Rod Grille. One of my favorite things is to share the experience with other folks and watch them have fun! If you are ever are in my area, stop by for a root beer float at the soda fountain and a few games of pinball.

I purchased my VCT and installation supplies from a local flooring supplier, but it can be ordered from Lowes, Home Depot or most carpet suppliers. Good luck with your project!

Jim
The Hot Rod Grille Garage

 

[Jason B]

- VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile). Available from HD for .58 sq/ft and what you typically see in grocery stores. I can install the whole garage for <$500. Possible disadvantages are the adheisive and oil stains in the tile seams. I've heard about waxing the floors to proctect them but then they might be dangerous when water enters the equation.

The above quote was from another forum from a guy that used the VCT tiles.

I don't have a lot to spend, and want that checkered black/white look.

1) How does it hold up with hot and cold temp? I'm in PA...

2) What about when water and snow gets on it. Am I going to fall?

I really, really love the look of this VCT and it doesn't seem to cost more more than epoxy. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[thrytis]

2) What about when water and snow gets on it. Am I going to fall?

I haven't had the opportunity to try snow on my VCT, but with water and saw dust it is less slippery that i had anticipated. I'm careful walking on it, but i haven't felt like my feet are slipping around. This is with five coats of polish applied with a mop, so it is somewhat rough. I imagine if you used a floor buffer to get a real glossy shine it would be a different story.

Eric

 

[curlyws6]

I really like the VCT route more the longer I look at it (the checkerboard look is really neat looking ). I have a few questions:

- How 'forgiving' is having a level floor to install VCT? My floor has some imperfections / unlevel surface from the pour of the slab. Nothing really nasty but you can tell when you really give it a look. What is the best way to correct this if a completely level floor is essential?

- How slick is the floor when it is wet? Is there any way to seal it yet still have good footing (we use the garage for get-togethers).

 

[RickP330]

Re: VCT tile

What happened to the original pics in this post?
Am I the only one who cant see them?

Is there anyway to get the original pictures back? I too would like to see them.
Regards,
Rick

 

[sasquatchpa]

Curly--- I used to lay armstrong at work. Any imperfections in the "deck" will show up after foot traffic let alone car traffic. The deck should be smooth to a 1/16". Prep time should be 3 to 4 times install time. All it is, is work. Take the time do a good prep and it will look good a long time. Do it fast, slap it down and the floor will look like ****.

 

[Jason B]

What is the best way to fill in cracks and make the smooth? I have a two year old house and there are some cracks in it.

 

[Jason B]

What is the best way to fill in cracks and make the smooth? I have a two year old house and there are some cracks in it.

Anyone????

 

[sasquatchpa]

Jason:
Use spackling for thin lines, but use a thinset product for 1/4 or bigger. Try a masons supply store or a comercial flooring store. tell them what you're doing and they will tell you whats used in your area.

 

[ZIN]

single car garage. Took one full day of work. Total cost around $175 with sealer.

Now I went out and spent $50 on a industrial rubermaid mop bucket and wringer and I also got some different floor cleaner for about $8, and I got a mop and three different mop heads for around $25-30. All these extra items are not necessary but being **** about my cars paint finish has carried over to being **** about my garage floor finish.

as far as race deck is concearned $3.50 a square foot was out of the question. If you do get race deck there is still a days worth of work in snapping it all together.

My floor will shine while yours looks like matte plastic finish. To each is own!

I was just wondering if your floor is still shinning? Can you share some info after a couple years with your flooring?

 

[erok01]

Still holding up well. I've replaced a tile where my jack didn't slide and it tore up a tile, no big deal though. I sealed it after originally doing it but have yet to do it again. I'm finishing up some items as we speak and hope to be done within the month, then I'll reseal it.

I do wish I would of used a different color then white. It does tend to show dirt and tire marks. Grey would of been perfect. But if I had to do it over again, I'd still choose the tile over the epoxy. $.02

 

[SteveB]

Its been just over a year since I installed my VCT floor. Total area about 550 sq. ft., liquid polish has been applied twice with a sponge mop and left to dry. Overall, I'm very happy with the product.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/281382/14

 

[icnsltmfg]

Steve looks great...quick question as my VCT is in the garage and ready be put down shortly. It looked like you put the adhesive down on the entire floor before you laid any tiles down. I thought you needed to do it in sections. It didn't dry too quickly? You were able to walk on it to lay the tiles?

 

[SteveB]

When you spread the adhesive (with the correct trowel) it is milky in colour. After a few hours, depending on the ambient temperature, it turns clear. Only then do you lay the tiles. The adhesive has formed a chemical bonding with the concrete.
I had chalk-lined my floor and you can see this through the adhesive. My wife helped me to lay the tiles in a centre to outer the edges pattern. We walked on the freshly laid tiles at times but when the adhesive is clear it is no longer tacky so you can walk on it too. You don't want to bring in any pebbles or **** so be sure the soles of your shoes are real clean.

It took us about 90 minutes to place all the tiles (550 sq ft). Renting a cutter was $20 well spent. I then rolled the entire floor in both directions, closed the garage door and stayed away for two days. Then I went in with a rag and some cleaner to remove any adhesive build up. Surprisingly there was very little. After 5 days we were able to drive our cars into the garage.

I hope your install goes as well.

 

[Danimal]

Any problems during the winter? All of the VCT tile companies seem to recommend against using VCT tiles when the ambient temp will go below 55*F.

-Dan

 

[SteveB]

We don't usually get severe winters here. My garage is insulated but not heated. I monitored a thermometer in my garage this past winter because I too was curious as to what, if any , effect the colder temperatures were going to have on my VCT flooring. Temperatures seemed to bottom out around 5C which is close to 40F inside the garage. Overall it was closer to 10-12C (50-55F) in there most of the time. There is no sign of any damage to the tiles.

 

[Jason B]

Just some quick questions.

1) Do I need to etch the concrete before VCT install? The concrete is 2 years old. Or what else do I do to clean it?

2) I have some small cracks in the concrete. Should I fill these with something beforehand?

pic

 

[comp]

Still holding up well. I've replaced a tile where my jack didn't slide and it tore up a tile, no big deal though. I sealed it after originally doing it but have yet to do it again. I'm finishing up some items as we speak and hope to be done within the month, then I'll reseal it.

I do wish I would of used a different color then white. It does tend to show dirt and tire marks. Grey would of been perfect. But if I had to do it over again, I'd still choose the tile over the epoxy. $.02

what is the sealer ???