Porcelain tile & moving heavy stuff.

[Steves32]

One of the frequent asked questions I see here is how do wheels roll across a grouted porcelain tile floor. Same as any other floor. My engine hoist & stand both have steel wheels. I roll them all over the floor w/o issues. Just pulled this from the 34 Ford- rolled it across garage while hanging from hoist (engine & trans together), removed trans & bolted engine to engine stand. Just FIY.

 

[SunsetsAndFriends]

Very cool! Nice tile job, by the way.

 

[jhelrey]

Are those tile 14x10?

 

[Steves32]

12x12 tiles. Wide angle lens did some goofy things to tiles. Look at 1st pic near tool box wheels for a better tile size view.

 

[Dragster Racer]

I'm floored (lol) that there is not enough give under the tiles to break them. Just an old assumption of mine that is just plain not right!
Doesn't the grout get just dirty and all get out though?

 

[Jess]

If properly installed, tiles will be fine under load. If they are not properly set, then voids will cause issue. I back butter every tile for load bearing floors. When we bring in really heavy stuff, a few sheets of plywood will spread the load.

 

[rayra]

...and help prevent edge and corner chipping. Something as thin as pressboard will work. Flush grouting helps even more.

Using a 1/4" notch and working the mortar bed such that the troweled lines run diagonal to your tile edges will also help ensure the tile edges are fully supported.

 

[Steves32]

No chips & I beat the hell out of this floor. All tiles are back buttered & solid as a rock. Joints are 1/8" & grout is flush with top of tiles. Grout is grey. Same color as dirty garage liquids.
That's a puny SBC- maybe 400 lbs- 500 w/ trans. I did the same with a blown 392 hemi & trans. That setup tipped the scales at close to 800 lbs. I've also rolled my big tool boxes in & out- they weigh thousands.

 

[PaddycakeFTW]

This is exactly what I was wondering about. I like the tiles but wasn't sure how they'd work with jacks, engine stands, etc. Thanks so much for posting this.

 

[Tempest 455]

I've seen forklifts on porcelain tile many times.