Open tile vs Closed tile vs Epoxy

[woodhouse]

Hello everyone, first time poster.

I recently bought a house with a 16x25 ft detached garage.
The garage will be used to store my S2000, and do some light work.
I don't really take the car out in bad weather, so snow and other elements getting in aren't too much of a concern.
My concrete is pretty beat up, and will need to be addressed. The flooring options I'm considering are:

-Epoxy:
We have some great reputable installers here on Long Island, so longevity would not be in question. I just feel like Epoxy flake floors are pretty boring looking and wont give me that appearance I'm looking for.

-Open/Free flow tile:
Hands down my favorite in the looks department. I just hate the fact that dirt and items such as small screws will fall through to the bottom. I feel like this floor will require more to clean, but it seems to be the most popular so maybe I'm wrong?

-Closed/Diamond pattern tile:
Least favorite in the looks department, but I think my favorite as far as function. I like the fact if something spills or drops I can easily address it.


I feel like I want the function of a closed tile, but the appearance of an open tile....but I don't think that's an option.

Has anyone been in the same boat and have recommendations?

 

[dcg9381]

What do you want the floor to look like? If you don't want boring, consider staining the floor (water based or acid stain) and go over it in clear polyurea. You can do mild to wild.... With all the benefits of epoxy.

 

[drmarkr]

Porcelain tile. Hands down, the best option. I have smooth race deck in one room in my home shop (not terrible but hard as hell to keep clean), epoxy in our current shop at the race track (chipped cracked after 10 years of heavy use), and had free flow in the previous track shop (absolutely SUCKED due mainly to how uncomfortable it is to work on as well as losing every small dropped part).

Our main work bay at the home shop is 12x24 porcelain. Spend the extra money and get it! Simple to keep clean and so nice to work on.

 

[woodhouse]

What do you want the floor to look like? If you don't want boring, consider staining the floor (water based or acid stain) and go over it in clear polyurea. You can do mild to wild.... With all the benefits of epoxy.

I was under the impression that metal flake is what helped with the coatings durability

Porcelain tile. Hands down, the best option. I have smooth race deck in one room in my home shop (not terrible but hard as hell to keep clean), epoxy in our current shop at the race track (chipped cracked after 10 years of heavy use), and had free flow in the previous track shop (absolutely SUCKED due mainly to how uncomfortable it is to work on as well as losing every small dropped part).

Our main work bay at the home shop is 12x24 porcelain. Spend the extra money and get it! Simple to keep clean and so nice to work on.

wont the tile crack if you drop something on it?

 

[DirtyV]

Having both free flow and closed tiles from Racedeck, I can appreciate your dilemma and unfortunately don't have a solid answer for you. I'll provide my thoughts to (hopefully) help you with your decision (not going to mention pricing, as that is based strictly on your budget).

Free flow - Looks better (subjective), better for areas that see water (great drainage), easier to keep clean looking (on surface), easy to clean, hard to keep clean underneath, not super comfortable without shoes, not as good for floor jacks / jack stands, not much sound at all when walking on it.

Solid tile - Doesn't look as good (subjective), not great for areas that see water/weather (no surface drainage), harder to keep clean looking due to greater surface area, easy to clean, more comfortable without shoes, very difficult to clean underneath, great for floor jacks / jack stands, more of a hollow sound when walking on it.

In summary, I think the solid tile is more functional and easy to clean while free flow is still very functional but more for aesthetics and water drainage.

 

[FJ4FUN]

If you want the creative options of tile along with the easy-to-clean serviceability of epoxy then consider VCT + our VCT Solution

 

[dcg9381]

I was under the impression that metal flake is what helped with the coatings durability

I don't know if that's true or not, but all the floors I do now are done the same way - stained concrete and polyurea. We've had no issues with durability on a properly prepped floor... I've done 4-5 floors in the last 2 years, including indoor residential. I just love the product.

I'd be concerned about tile cracking too. What about grout lines? Given you can minimize them and use modern epoxy grout... I'd assume wet tile is slippery as **** (just like polyurea without a slip agent).

 

[drmarkr]

You guys worried about tile cracking need to hit the search button to learn about the strength of PEI 4 or 5 porcelain tile. Properly installed it's stronger that concrete and definitely stronger and more durable than epoxy. And WAY easier to clean than racedeck.

 

[drmarkr]

There's a reason essentially every high end shop has porcelain tile floors....

 

[CSRPenFab]

I've got 1,000 sq. ft. of RaceDeck Freeflow tiles, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Looks great, and not really that tough to keep clean. The issue of dropping a bolt/screw is really a non-issue. I do a ton of bike repair, and often drop really small fasteners. I've found that the FreeFlow traps the dropped item close by and it's pretty easy to find and fish it out of the opening.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Hello everyone, first time poster.

I recently bought a house with a 16x25 ft detached garage.
The garage will be used to store my S2000, and do some light work.
I don't really take the car out in bad weather, so snow and other elements getting in aren't too much of a concern.
My concrete is pretty beat up, and will need to be addressed. The flooring options I'm considering are:

-Epoxy:
We have some great reputable installers here on Long Island, so longevity would not be in question. I just feel like Epoxy flake floors are pretty boring looking and wont give me that appearance I'm looking for.

-Open/Free flow tile:
Hands down my favorite in the looks department. I just hate the fact that dirt and items such as small screws will fall through to the bottom. I feel like this floor will require more to clean, but it seems to be the most popular so maybe I'm wrong?

-Closed/Diamond pattern tile:
Least favorite in the looks department, but I think my favorite as far as function. I like the fact if something spills or drops I can easily address it.


I feel like I want the function of a closed tile, but the appearance of an open tile....but I don't think that's an option.

Has anyone been in the same boat and have recommendations?

We use open tile in our showroom and detail shop. Hands down the easiest product to keep clean. Typically we just shop vac the floor. Once in a while we pressure wash through it

 

[woodhouse]

You guys worried about tile cracking need to hit the search button to learn about the strength of PEI 4 or 5 porcelain tile. Properly installed it's stronger that concrete and definitely stronger and more durable than epoxy. And WAY easier to clean than racedeck.

I believe you, just new info to me that's all. I appreciate your input, but I think it might be a little overkill and costly for what I m going for.

I've got 1,000 sq. ft. of RaceDeck Freeflow tiles, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Looks great, and not really that tough to keep clean. The issue of dropping a bolt/screw is really a non-issue. I do a ton of bike repair, and often drop really small fasteners. I've found that the FreeFlow traps the dropped item close by and it's pretty easy to find and fish it out of the opening.

We use open tile in our showroom and detail shop. Hands down the easiest product to keep clean. Typically we just shop vac the floor. Once in a while we pressure wash through it

you guys are both pushing me towards the open look....care to share some pics?

 

[Garage Flooring]

Tons of picture on the website https://www.garageflooringllc.com/category/garage-floor-tile/

 

[CSRPenFab]

I believe you, just new info to me that's all. I appreciate your input, but I think it might be a little overkill and costly for what I m going for.





you guys are both pushing me towards the open look....care to share some pics?

Here's a couple of my RaceDeck FreeFlow:

 

[mikeyr]

my issue with free-flow tiles is every time you drop a nut or washer, its going all the way to concrete. I drop too many to have a free-flow floor since I work on my cars in the shop. If it's strictly for looks, then free-flow is fine. I started with Racedeck when the laundry was in the shop so my wife had to be able to walk out there barefoot, now it's a stand alone shop but I still would not get free-flow. Only thing to really think about is how much welding and plasma cutting do you do ? that stuff has really damaged my Racedeck, even body solder will melt the tiles a little. I used to cover the tiles with a welding blanket but that got tiresome after a decade.

 

[woodhouse]

Here's a couple of my RaceDeck FreeFlow:

Man the free flow looks are truly second to none.

my issue with free-flow tiles is every time you drop a nut or washer, its going all the way to concrete. I drop too many to have a free-flow floor since I work on my cars in the shop. If it's strictly for looks, then free-flow is fine. I started with Racedeck when the laundry was in the shop so my wife had to be able to walk out there barefoot, now it's a stand alone shop but I still would not get free-flow. Only thing to really think about is how much welding and plasma cutting do you do ? that stuff has really damaged my Racedeck, even body solder will melt the tiles a little. I used to cover the tiles with a welding blanket but that got tiresome after a decade.

I hear you.....I will be doing zero welding in the garage, it will mainly be used just to do oil changes and routing maintenance on my car. But I understand your thought process here.

 

[woodhouse]

At this point I'm narrowed down to the free flow or the closed coin design.

 

[kngelv]

The one benefit of dropping bolts, nuts and washers on FreeFlow is they tend to stay close. With solid tiles they bounce much farther and are not as easy to find. Just have a pair of needle nose handy and you're good.

James

 

[DirtyV]

At this point I'm narrowed down to the free flow or the closed coin design.

I understand the mixed opinions on losing stuff in the free flow tile (for me it is quite an annoyance but not the end of the world... just something to consider), but beyond that, regarding car work and fluids specifically, spills can be a chore to clean up as well (pics) .. I replaced some of my free flow with solid tiles for this reason. Again, just offering info to hopefully help with your decision making! Good luck!

 

[woodhouse]

I understand the mixed opinions on losing stuff in the free flow tile (for me it is quite an annoyance but not the end of the world... just something to consider), but beyond that, regarding car work and fluids specifically, spills can be a chore to clean up as well (pics) .. I replaced some of my free flow with solid tiles for this reason. Again, just offering info to hopefully help with your decision making! Good luck!

love the input....but man you guys aren't making this any easier!