Porcelain Tile Questions

[jmack]

First - thanks to everyone that posts their projects in this forum- it's been incredibly helpful as I've evaluated different options for improving my garage.

I was originally intending to do an epoxy floor in my garage (standard 2-car attached, 5-year old house) but after reading through some of the threads, the idea of doing a porcelain tile floor seems very appealing as both unique and durable.

Based on info in the other threads, I understand that I should look for at least a 12x12 size tile with a PEI rating of 5 and a friction coefficient of 0.6+ (sometimes labeled as ADA compliant). I found such a tile at reasonable price at Lowes. Here's a link to the candidate tile - appreciate any thoughts.

Part of the appeal of a poreclain garage floor for me is that since I intend to do the work myself, I have expereince installing ceramic tile floors in kitchens and bathrooms, have a wetsaw, etc.

For those that have installed porcelain tile, I'm curious as to what advice you have on the following two questions:

Floor prep - I have a polished concrete floor that came standard with the house when it was built 5 years ago. No major stains or anything like that. No cracks and never had any moisture issues. Aside from a good scrubbing to clean it up, is any other prep necessary such as grinding or etching, or can the thinset be applied straight to the polished concrete? Should I use a product like RedGard?

Transition edge - What do people use to transition up to the tile and protect the tile edge from vehicle tires? My concrete garage floor is approx 1 inch above the level of the driveway. I was thinking a rubber strip like this, but can't seem to find any tall enough that would cover the existing height of the concrete transition plus the added height of thinset+tile.

 

[84944Redline]

I'll add a thank you as well to the numerous members who have shared their tile projects and offered tips on how they did it and the products they used.

And this site is what got me into thinking porcelain is the way to go. I've not yet started, but I've got the tile picked out that I want to use. Now it's to the next step of preparing the floor.

I'm not the expert, but I'll try to provide some details from others that posted here. And I'm sure someone else will jump in if I provide incorrect advice or information.

Have you done a moisture test on your floor to see if any type of sealer is applied? I'm at this point now; water beads up on my floor and takes longer than a couple of minutes to soak in. I did a small test of muriatic acid to see if it would etch, and it did. Muriatic acid won't remove an acrylic sealer. I'll let someone else more knowledgeable advise on etching/grinding. You might be okay with a new floor. It might also depend on what thinset you're planning to use. I've read good feedback on VersaBond and FlexBond, and also Mapei's products.

On your choice of tile, it's a good start to begin with the specs., but I'd strongly suggest buying a few and taking them home to test. Not sure if you're picky about color, but it might look different in your garage than in the store. More importantly, I'd lay a few tiles out and put some water on them, then see how slick they are with different types of shoes. Only you can decide what's acceptable to you and any family members.

Check out Schluter systems for the transition edge. They have great products with different choices, but I think "Reno" is what you might be looking for. Stainless steel would be my choice, but have seen others use aluminum.

Good luck and looking forward to see how your project comes along!

 

[dmeadow]

I didn't use anything as a transition edge on my porcelain tile. I just had the tile laid about an inch and a half short of the edge of the concrete at the doors. I've had no chipping on those edges-- the porcelain is several times stronger than concrete, remember. I don't think you would have any problems as long as the edge is supported by thinset. Of course, an edge of some type would look better.

 

[Gerald O]

I'm going to be installing 24" x 24" tiles on my new garage floor--probably next spring due to other things needing to be done first. I've already got the tile. This tile is about 3/8" thick, unglazed through-body (color goes all the way through), and rectified. My plan for the edge transition at the doors is to just cut a 45 degree bevel off the edge with the wet saw.

 

[Jack Olsen]

I used patching concrete to wedge down from the tiles to the surrounding floor. No problems with it five years down the road.

 

[Bunkers]

How does Porcelain Tile hold up to tools being dropped and floor jacks being dragged around? I only have experience with Ceramic tile and keep thinking of how fragile it can be and how it chips so having a hard time convincing myself that tile would be a good choice.

 

[Bunkers]

Just found some good info Here

 

[Jack Olsen]

How does Porcelain Tile hold up to tools being dropped and floor jacks being dragged around? I only have experience with Ceramic tile and keep thinking of how fragile it can be and how it chips so having a hard time convincing myself that tile would be a good choice.

Both Porcelain and Ceramic tile will have a PEI hardness rating. Softer tiles will wear faster and be softer. But more often, the problem is that people are looking at bathroom and kitchen installs, where the problem is the way the tile is adhered (and sometimes the softness of the tile). This is PEI 4 rated ceramic and a 4-lb sledge hammer.



Click on the image for the video.

 

[dmeadow]

Just found some good info Here

LOL, I think that article was written entirely from information sourced in this forum.

On durability... So far I've knocked over an engine block onto my porcelain tile, dropped a 50 lb vise on it from 4 feet, knocked over an engine hoist, and dropped numerous tools. Not even a chip.

 

[JakeKohl]

FYI, PEI ratings only reflect the ability of the surface finish to withstand abrasion. The test consists of a vertical cylinder (open on the bottom) filled with steel bearings being moved constantly on the tile (presumably in a circular or back and forth motion). The amount of time it takes for that to scar the finish is what the PEI rating reflects.

 

[jmack]

Thanks for the feedback.

Redline- Good call on buying some tiles to try out. The tile I linked to above was appealing due to being a PEI 5 and on clearance for $0.36 / sqft, but after laying a few out and testing them, I'm afraid they will be far to slippery when wet. I guess that's the potential drawback of a glazed tile vs a thru-body. The local Lowes still has 450+ pieces of it in stock for 36¢ each in case anyone on here is interested and is in the MD/DE/So. PA region, feel free to PM me and I'll tell you which store.

Jack-Thanks for the suggestion on the concrete wedge/ramp. I think that will be perfect for my application since the raised slab happens about 3-4" inside the garage door. That way I can run the tile to the edge, use the concrete patch to make a wedge down and not have any impact on the garage doors.


While I was back at Lowes, I found this tile as a potentially better option. Its' PEI 5, with a wet friction coefficient of 0.74 (highest I could find). It's 8"x16" and has an almost stone-like texture. I have some prep tasks to complete, so I think I'll keep an eye on the price and see if it goes on sale between now and the spring.

For now, I want to paint the foundation wall beneath the drywall and lay down some polyurethane caulk to seal the gap between the slab and the foundation wall. I may also have to do some light grinding at the edges of the slab as there are a few bumps/chunks here and there (probably left over from when they built it). I'll try to take pictures and post updates on here along the way so others can benefit as I have from the collective wisdom.

 

[Bunkers]

That is pretty convincing! I bought about 400sqft of porcelain tile from Costco at $1.74 sqft, they are 12x24. I just bought this house and has a 6 car garage and was planning on using the tile for one of the rooms but am now going to use it in the garage and purchase some more for the remaining 900sqft.

I have been racking my brain with different brands of Epoxy and am honestly sick of all the differing opinions and so forth, tile may just be the ticket.

 

[borgdog]

Thanks for the feedback.

While I was back at Lowes, I found this tile as a potentially better option. Its' PEI 5, with a wet friction coefficient of 0.74 (highest I could find). It's 8"x16" and has an almost stone-like texture. I have some prep tasks to complete, so I think I'll keep an eye on the price and see if it goes on sale between now and the spring.

I just laid that same tile down in both entries and the kitchen at my cabin. It looks awesome. The rough texture did prove to be a bit more of a pain when grouting though as squeegeeing off the grout leaves quite a bit in the low spots. Here is my basement entry mostly laid, and before grout (only pic I have).

 

[Gerald O]

Had a claw hammer fall of the top of a step ladder onto my recently tiled mudroom floor. The tiles are a wood-look glazed porcelain. It didn't break the tile but it did leave a small chip in the surface. Not being through-body tiles, the chip shows as a white colored spot against the dark woodgrain surface.

This is why I insisted on through-body tile for the garage floor. The color goes all the way through and chips won't show as a different color. It will be a working shop, so I expect the floor to get a lot of abuse.

 

[WVBrady]

...So far I've knocked over an engine block onto my porcelain tile, dropped a 50 lb vise on it from 4 feet, knocked over an engine hoist, and dropped numerous tools. Not even a chip.

I hope you wear steel toed shoes!

 

[dmeadow]

I hope you wear steel toed shoes!

All the time! I'm a clumsy *******!

 

[jmack]

Just got my free samples from BuildDirect. Can't believe they sent them overnight FedEx!

I got a few colors of both the Takla Starlight and Montana products. These are all available in various sizes from 12x12, 18x18 and 24x24.

The Starlight tiles are very thick and substantial - better than anything I've seen at local home improvement stores. While nice, they are 3.30-3.70 per sqft before delivery charges. Delivery charges seem to bump the cost up another 60-70¢ per sqft, but I guess that depends on where you live in relation to the warehouse they are shipping from.

Montana series is also very nice, somewhat thinner than the starlight, but still PEI5 rated and still feel tougher than the tiles I've sampled at Lowes. More affordable at ~$1.80 / sqft (after delivery charges it's closer to $2.50 / sqft).

I intend to check the local tile distributors to see if they carry the same brands as BuildDirect. I guess you have to look at the total cost / sqft, but it's hard to look past a $300 delivery charge.

 

[slickgt1]

Links in my signature will show some durability tests.

I am one of those that can tell you what has been dropped, but I am not a person to go pull out my iphone every time **** happens, so I generally don't have pictures to back it up.

But I do serious cabinet making in the garage. And I do some heavy duty car maintenance. Lets put it this way, I have old BMWs, and the only time they go to the shop, is to get an inspection, or to mount tires.

The one item I thought would deff chip my tile, is when I dropped my old school 18 Dewalt drill, with a 1/2" auger bit, and it hit the floor bit down from 8' high. It made a spark when it hit. Not even a scratch.

Not even mentioning that I jack up my 5k lbs X5 from the engine subframe, without anything under the jack or the stands when I lower it on them.

 

[ScaldedDog]

I intend to check the local tile distributors to see if they carry the same brands as BuildDirect.

I believe Takla only sells through BuildDirect. I think the Montana is the perfect garage tile, but I need 1800sf, and just can't justify the cost.

Mark

 

[bazzateer]

Porcelain tile is so expensive over here. Think I'll have to buy a 100 sq feet here and there off eBay until I've got the 600 sq feet I need. Then I'll have to come up with a pattern to utilise the various colours and sizes I end up with!

 

[Gerald O]

...
The Starlight tiles are very thick and substantial - better than anything I've seen at local home improvement stores. While nice, they are 3.30-3.70 per sqft before delivery charges. ..

After seeing that Starlight tile you're going to have a hard time settling for anything less. That's basically the same tile I got from them except it was called "Film Noir". It ended up on clearance for .99 cents. If you can wait a while you might find what you want on sale.

 

[Gerald O]

I believe Takla only sells through BuildDirect. I think the Montana is the perfect garage tile, but I need 1800sf, and just can't justify the cost.

Mark

The "Takla" that I got from them was actually made by Fiandre USA:
http://www.granitifiandre.com/

Maybe someone else carries it under another name.