Need floor tile advice for those in the snow/ice climates

[rxtrom]

I have been going back and forth on rust bullet / epoxy / floor tiles - solid / and floor tiles- pass through.

It is not as much as the money as it is the value and how long the solution will last for my use and environment - just like everyone else i guess.

SO while we just had a fluke snow storm here in New England the past 2 days I am in my garage measuring and taking pictures in slush and water from snow falling off the 2 cars we use daily to calculate Sq footage on a future application. What a mess... and there is not much to do about it in the winter. The sand and brine stain the concrete until the spring when I can power wash it out. So I am currently leaning toward the pass through tiles where the water and junk can just sit underneath the tiles until spring where, I am assuming I can powerwash or rinse it through the tiles without pulling it all up.

Can someone from the wintery climates who possibly went with the swisstrax ribtrax or similar application shed light on how they like it, use it, and clean it?

Thanks for any input.

 

[piker28]

<--New Jersey

I just put in my part Solid part Pass Through floor tile setup. My thought was solid for the spots where I mainly park or work on the cars and the pass through for drainage. I have yet to use it during winter climates so can not attest to how that will work out.

After doing all my research there is no perfect solution. Epoxy or tiles will still get a mess it really leads to what is easier to deal with and does not cause the floor to be slippery and etc. I went the tile route mainly for ease of install and the fact that epoxy has to be done right in order for you to get a good end result.

Also I wish I remember where on this forum I saw it but the tiles you can take apart in sections and pull them out with ease. There was a user who does this in his garage every so often to clean.

 

[rxtrom]

<--New Jersey

I just put in my part Solid part Pass Through floor tile setup. My thought was solid for the spots where I mainly park or work on the cars and the pass through for drainage. I have yet to use it during winter climates so can not attest to how that will work out.

After doing all my research there is no perfect solution. Epoxy or tiles will still get a mess it really leads to what is easier to deal with and does not cause the floor to be slippery and etc. I went the tile route mainly for ease of install and the fact that epoxy has to be done right in order for you to get a good end result.

Also I wish I remember where on this forum I saw it but the tiles you can take apart in sections and pull them out with ease. There was a user who does this in his garage every so often to clean.

Thanks for the feedback. Interesting solution. Can you attach a photo of your garage so I can see how the mix of tiles looks like as well as let me know what brand you went with?

 

[Garage Flooring]

I have been going back and forth on rust bullet / epoxy / floor tiles - solid / and floor tiles- pass through.

It is not as much as the money as it is the value and how long the solution will last for my use and environment - just like everyone else i guess.

SO while we just had a fluke snow storm here in New England the past 2 days I am in my garage measuring and taking pictures in slush and water from snow falling off the 2 cars we use daily to calculate Sq footage on a future application. What a mess... and there is not much to do about it in the winter. The sand and brine stain the concrete until the spring when I can power wash it out. So I am currently leaning toward the pass through tiles where the water and junk can just sit underneath the tiles until spring where, I am assuming I can powerwash or rinse it through the tiles without pulling it all up.

Can someone from the wintery climates who possibly went with the swisstrax ribtrax or similar application shed light on how they like it, use it, and clean it?

Thanks for any input.

Products like the ribbed tile are designed to give you a a safe walking surface that is dry and allow the moisture to flow through. We have a special on them right now for GJ members.

Another thing to consider, if you go a different direction is a containment mat. In the winter these are our #1 selling item: http://www.garageflooringllc.com/auto-floor-guard-containment-mat/ We are overstocked and they are on sale as well

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi
If cost is not the major factor, we recommend our solid PVC Polymer SupraTile www.supratile.com We offer a 20% discount to GJ members and the tiles carry a 25 year warranty, and to date we have never had to replace one.

Chosen by fire dept's nationwide, www.armor-tuff.com.

They install in hours, are virtually indestructible and are not slippery, and because they are oversize at about 21" square have about 1/4 the joints of a standard 12" square tile floor. Plus the solid tiles are not noisy when walking on.

 

[Shea]

Also I wish I remember where on this forum I saw it but the tiles you can take apart in sections and pull them out with ease. There was a user who does this in his garage every so often to clean.

Here you go:

It's Rick and his Audi Double Garage. It's a nice setup!

 

[rxtrom]

Thanks ArmourPoxy, but I feel like I definitely need something ribbed or pass through or the water will just pool, sit, and dry on the surface.

 

[RaceDeck1]

Our patented FreeFlow flooring is ideal for wet, snowy, muddy and sandy enviroments.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Thanks ArmourPoxy, but I feel like I definitely need something ribbed or pass through or the water will just pool, sit, and dry on the surface.

PM Sent

 

[RaceDeck1]

a close up of the freeflow

 

[piker28]

Here is my messy setup. This is pretty much middle of the night when I finished so mind the mess. I went with the GarageFlooring HD tiles

 

[rxtrom]

Here is my messy setup. This is pretty much middle of the night when I finished so mind the mess. I went with the GarageFlooring HD tiles

Thanks for the pic. That looks good. How do you like the sound when walking on them? Did you put down landscape fabric?

 

[piker28]

Whoops think I did a boo boo with a big photo.

I did not put the fabric down but sort of wish I did. You can definitely hear yourself but it really does not bother me to much. I was concerned with the fabric and the ribbed tiles.

 

[rxtrom]

Hopefully others chime in who use ribtrax or similar in my climate. I know they are out there however I suspect once a person's floor is done they tend to not hang around the forums. Their questions are all answered for the most part..

 

[Denwood]

I did a Racedeck free flow pad, but with containment as we have the snow/slush/salt/sand issues in winter. I used a layer of EPDM rubber first, then the free flow floor over that, with modified edge ramping to contain melt and direct to a drain. The first winter results were great..no leaks, and the floor did not move at all. Plastic tile has very low "adhesion" to a finished floor, so the EPDM completely solves the issue of tile movement. The thread covering install is here:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309814

Final result:

 

[RaceDeck1]

I did a Racedeck free flow pad, but with containment as we have the snow/slush/salt/sand issues in winter. I used a layer of EPDM rubber first, then the free flow floor over that, with modified edge ramping to contain melt and direct to a drain. The first winter results were great..no leaks, and the floor did not move at all. Plastic tile has very low "adhesion" to a finished floor, so the EPDM completely solves the issue of tile movement. The thread covering install is here:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=309814

Final result:

Thanks for sharing one of our favorite RaceDeck parking pad installations with the patent FreeFlow style flooring.

 

[montac]

Love my race deck free flow. 3 years of the New England winters and still gets compliments every time. So much so that my neighbors want it and one of friends just installed it. Wonderful customer service as well.

Charlie from CT

 

[Temaweaver]

Montac is that a recent pic or from the original install?

 

[montac]

Montac is that a recent pic or from the original install?

That was from a year and a half ago I believe. But it still looks the same today. After the winter I just hose it down and it looks good as new. I am continually impressed. The nice thing about the free flow is the water and ice don't collect so the floor is not dangerous in the winter.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[CJDave]

I just finished my second full winter with RaceDeck FreeFlow. Love it Here in SW Ohio we get our share of snow and slush deposited on a garage floor. Easy to maintain and looks great. I get many compliments. Glad I chose RaceDeck. My avatar shows half of my 2 car garage. CJDave.

 

[Garage Flooring]

You can find more great pics of ribbed tiles here: http://www.garageflooringllc.com/2016/03/15/truelock-hd-ribbed/

Before

After