My new garage (and interlocking rubber floor staining problem...)

[travicus]

Hello all, this is my first post here and I wanted to show you all my new garage (finally finished) and see if I could get some advice on what to do about a staining problem I am having with my floor.

Any advice on any sealers, anti-graffiti coatings, etc. that may alleviate this would be very helpful.

I used interlocking flexible rubber garage tiles that are supposed to be very durable and stain resistant. When I did my initial testing on a sample tile, this seemed to be the case, as grime and grease wiped right off and black rubber (I had my snow tires on at the time) did not mark the white tiles.

Inevitably, when the floor was done I found that my summer tires leave deep yellow stains in the white and light grey tiles that are impossible to remove.

After testing using a polishing bit on my Dremel tool I found that the yellow stain has actually penetrated about a millimeter into the tile itself! My other vehicle which has a different brand of tires on it also marks, so this is not just a freak incompatibility with one set of tires. This should not happen with a set of garage tiles.

I noticed the problem after less than 2 weeks of use on the new tiles. I would appreciate it if anyone knows of any sealer or coating that may alleviate this problem. Popping down a few fresh tiles will be easy-- I just need some way to keep this from happening again.

If there is any more info that I should have included, please let me know and I will post it.

I will be in contact with the company on Monday and will post an update.

Thanks for any suggestions,
--Travis

 

[dd564]

That's a nice looking floor. What is the climate like where you are?

Has it been rainy, salty roads, anything like that? It would be odd (I would think for the rubber to stain those tiles.

What brand of tiles are they? Where did you buy them from?

 

[cgallery]

Seeing as the stain is penetrating, and there is nothing liquid on the tires, I wonder if the problem isn't some sort of chemical reaction between the floor and the tires. Perhaps hot tires make it worse?

Have you contacted the manufacturer of the tiles?

 

[TONE]

have you tried simple green?

 

[travicus]

Thanks for the replies all.

dd 564, I am in WV and the climate here hasn't been anything too extreme lately. A little rain, but no snow or salt. Not sure if I should mention the specific company yet (unless they tick me off), but they seem to be working in good faith at this point. The tiles are flexible and made of PVC.

Cgallery, you are thinking along the same lines as I was and the company seemed to agree with this hypothesis. Seems strange for a garage tile to react with tires, though. They are performance summer tires, but not R-compounds or anything crazy-- just DOT legal street tires.

TONE, I haven't tried simple green, but as the stain penetrates deep into the tile I wouldn't think any cleaner has a chance. The affected tiles need replacing, the question is how to keep it from happening again.

Update:

I have contacted the company and they agreed to replace all the affected tiles, though they couldn't guarantee that this wouldn't happen again. They suggested that I use black tiles for where the car tires sit. Though this is an option, it won't work as well with my floor pattern, so I want to try a couple other things first:

A company called SoSafe makes an anti-graffiti system. I bought a quart of the stuff to try on some off cuts and see if it allows tire marks to wipe off. It supposedly creates a barrier that holds grease, paint, etc. on the surface by filling in the pores in a surface. If all else fails, there is a solvent they sell that allows the clear coat (and whatever is stuck to it) to wipe away. I will try this on some off cuts when it comes in next week and report back with some pictures.

There is another company called armorgarage.com that specifically makes a urethane PVC tile sealer. Sounds like a safe bet, right? Well its $130/gallon! I will keep this one on the back burner for now, but may explore it more as a last resort.

I'd appreciate any more recommendations/feedback you all might have.

Thanks,
--Travis

 

[travicus]

Does anybody have any experience with urethane coating on PVC tiles? I need something that is not going to stain, yellow, or crack. The stuff at armor garage looks like the real deal, but I have heard a lot of promises... I am thinking I will ask if I can send them some sample tile fragments to coat and then put them to the test (under tires, jackstands, etc.). If they hold up and look good, I guess that's an answer. The product is quite expensive though as I mentioned above ($130/gal)

Does anybody have any experience with anti-graffiti coatings? If not I will post mine after I test it in a week or so.