Porcelain Tile

[PhilMul]

Today I stopped in at Home Depot and talked to their tile expert. I asked which porcelain tiles can I use for my garage floor. He said, "You cannot use regular porcelain tiles. You have to get international super thick tiles otherwise the weight of the car will crush the tile." I left the store shaking my head because I thought any porcelain tile could handle the weight of my two cars. Am I wrong?


Phil

 

[Jack Olsen]

You are right. He is wrong.

I park my car on .59/each ceramic tiles.

But wait, you say, that car is up off the tiles. No, it's actually resting belly-pan-to-tiles, since I also tiled the top of the lift.

Here's me parking a 4-lb sledge hammer on the same tiles, repeatedly.



Click on the image to see the video.

Porcelain is stronger than ceramic.

 

[matty d]

You are right. He is wrong.

Of course...Seems like the salesman is really working hard to make some $$$.

 

[PhilMul]

Thank you, I thought I was in twilight zone for a moment. LOL! Is there any reason that I can't use 24" X 24" or 12" X 24" porcelain tiles?


Phil

 

[BRIANBB]

Tiles that big are harder to install. Just make sure there are no voids(air pockets) under the tile otherwise they will crack. Back buttering is a good idea.

 

[Shea]

Today I stopped in at Home Depot and talked to their tile expert. I asked which porcelain tiles can I use for my garage floor. He said, "You cannot use regular porcelain tiles. You have to get international super thick tiles otherwise the weight of the car will crush the tile." I left the store shaking my head because I thought any porcelain tile could handle the weight of my two cars. Am I wrong?

He was wrong and you are right. Here is an article that helps to explain the benefits of porcelain tiled garage floors and why they work well for many people.

 

[Slowbra]

I looked into tiling my floor based on Jack's posts. It was interesting to me based on cost and expected life, but the Lowes and Home Depot in my area never have porcelain tile anywhere near $.60 a tile. Maybe I looked in the wrong places, but looking through the aisles and in the clearance sections over months produced nothing like this. I'd tile if I can get it for that price, but not for $1 a tile.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I looked into tiling my floor based on Jack's posts. It was interesting to me based on cost and expected life, but the Lowes and Home Depot in my area never have porcelain tile anywhere near $.60 a tile. Maybe I looked in the wrong places, but looking through the aisles and in the clearance sections over months produced nothing like this. I'd tile if I can get it for that price, but not for $1 a tile.

In NoVA we see tiles like Jack's on sale for $0.59 all the time. Another alternative is to look on Craig's List. I can often find tile even cheaper there.

 

[BRIANBB]

Ceramic tile will work just as well. Which is whats on sale ALL the time at the depot.

 

[Slowbra]

Ceramic tile will work just as well. Which is whats on sale ALL the time at the depot.

Yep. I've seen ceramic on sale all the time, but never as cheap as $.60.

 

[N0tt0N]

Thank you, I thought I was in twilight zone for a moment. LOL! Is there any reason that I can't use 24" X 24" or 12" X 24" porcelain tiles?


Phil

I have 12"x24" tile in my garage. I selected it to help make the garage look a little bigger by stretching out the lines. As mentioned, as long as it is installed with no air gaps it is no different. Somewhat harder to level as you have fewer number of corners to align but if your floor is 'flat' (not necessarily level) it isn't a problem. Plus, you save $1 on grout since there is less of it! LOL

 

[Garage Flooring]

Today I stopped in at Home Depot and talked to their tile expert. I asked which porcelain tiles can I use for my garage floor. He said, "You cannot use regular porcelain tiles. You have to get international super thick tiles otherwise the weight of the car will crush the tile." I left the store shaking my head because I thought any porcelain tile could handle the weight of my two cars. Am I wrong?


Phil

I Don't sell Porcelain Tile but I do shop my competitors. I once asked them what 55 Mils meant and they told me 55 Millimeters. That of course would be over 2" thick.... I can't imagine the truck we would have to ship that on

The bottom line is I understand the allure of buying from home centers. Just don't get your advice there...

 

[Jack Olsen]

Yeah, to be clear: my tiles are NOT porcelain. They are ceramic. If I'd known I could get porcelain for $1/tile, I would have done that. But I didn't, and I've been happy with the ceramic tiles for over five years now.

Tiles are rated for hardness (which is really surface scratch resistance) on a scale of 1-5. You want 4 or 5 for a garage. They're also rated for coefficient of friction wet and dry, which is important in a garage. And they're also rated for moisture content, which will tell you if they are appropriate for use where the tiles might freeze. Each box of tiles will have those ratings either on it, or packed inside it.

 

[Slowbra]

Thanks, Jack. Despite reading (and drooling) your post I misunderstood that you had porcelain. Either way... If I ever saw a nice looking tile that meets the criteria above for $.60 I will be tempted to consider it.

 

[Shea]

Don't forget to check Lowes as well if you have one in your area. They have some good deals occasionally as well. Sometimes it just takes a little patience to find a good deal.

 

[Steves32]

I have porcelain tile from Lowes.
It's very non-slip & PEI 5 & rated for exterior commercial.
It's been down about 1 1/2 years now w/ no regrets. I looked at the on-sale stuff but it was always in limited stock or some oddball color.
I found what I wanted, ordered it & had it shipped to my house. Tiles were about $2.75 a sq ft though- just for the tile.

Do your homework though- there are no tile experts at the big box stores. Go to a tile store for that.

 

[TheGunCollector]

I just ordered some samples from BuildDirect and they seem pretty sweet. $1.79/ sq/ft.

 

[gc427]

Home Depot's "Expert Tile Guy" is obviously an idiot!

There are plenty of threads with ceramic or porcelain tile installed in garages that are parked on and cars worked on etc.

Look around and you will find a lot of great info.

 

[ScaldedDog]

I just ordered some samples from BuildDirect and they seem pretty sweet. $1.79/ sq/ft.

Which one? I am just finishing up putting the Montana in Lightwood in mine. Pulled my 8000lb Excursion in last night for the first time. I thought it'd crack like so much praline, but it didn't.

Mark

 

[TonyG]

Jack, what did you use to seal that tile with? Garages will have plenty of nasty fluids finding their way to the floor.

 

[BRIANBB]

You would only have to seal the tile if it was pourus which his is not. Seal the grout or not if it is dark or black. Oil, brake fluid wipe right up on tile(on mine anyway).

 

[Jack Olsen]

Exactly. I have inexpensive (PEI 4) tiles and the basic Home Depot grout -- not epoxy grout and no sealant.

Now, everyone should know that I'm lazy as a dog and that drives a lot of my decisions. But I used dark brown grout so that nothing would stain it. I have gotten oil and latex paints all over it. I've dripped chemical strippers on it (as well as mineral spirits, turpentine and acetone). I've spilled every kind of automotive fluid on the stuff, including gasoline and lots of (stinky) gear oil. Everything wipes up easily with a rag or paper towel. If the paint has dried on, you just scrape it with a razor blade.

And as I've said, I've had it for over five years now. In the category of under-a-buck-a-square-foot floor treatments, I don't think there's anything that beats it. (It might just win in the price-is-no-object category, too.)

Driving on tile is not the thing that's going to hurt it. Even with an 8,000-lb truck, you're distrbuting the load in four patches, and the point of impact is a flexible tire, which conforms to the surface and distributes the force without high spike loads. Jack stands will deliver that weight in a more pointed way. Rolling a 500-lb engine assembly on the little steel wheels of a floor jack concentrated a lot more force on my floor. But with my tile, I've done all of the above without problems.

 

[ScaldedDog]

I was actually joking about my 8000lb truck. It really is 8000lbs but, if you do the math, it only applies 40psi to the tile.

Mark

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[Stick895]

In NoVA we see tiles like Jack's on sale for $0.59 all the time. Another alternative is to look on Craig's List. I can often find tile even cheaper there.

Habitate for Humanity runs stores in some areas, (NoVA) being one, where they have all kinds of doors, building materials (esp. tile), etc. You have to be flexible and able to live with limited choices.

 

[mygarageone]

Habitate for Humanity runs stores in some areas, (NoVA) being one, where they have all kinds of doors, building materials (esp. tile), etc. You have to be flexible and able to live with limited choices.

Not sure about your location but our habitat seems to be pricy for there stuff.
I have actually found things cheaper at Menards & Lowes and that shouldn't be as there stuff is donated to them.

 

[slickgt1]

I got my porcelain at Lowes. It was one of those, oh ****, PEI 4 and 5 for $1 moments. This is also because of Jack. But yea, nothing special. Cheap. The only thing I really spent money on was Epoxy grout. Everything else I did with the cheapest material possible. Links in my sig for pics.

 

[Slowbra]

What is the total investment per sqft? Say the tile runs $.60...will the rest of the materials cost $.40 or more per sqft?

 

[JimVonBaden]

What is the total investment per sqft? Say the tile runs $.60...will the rest of the materials cost $.40 or more per sqft?

If you get $0.60 tile, you should be able to bring it in under $1.00 with cement and grout so long as you don't go with epoxy grout.

 

[Steves32]

If you get $0.60 tile, you should be able to bring it in under $1.00 with cement and grout so long as you don't go with epoxy grout.

Or use thin sets like Flexbond like I did that costs about 30 bucks a bag instead of 6 bucks.

 

[kerryt1]

Not sure how to embed on this forum, but this sums it up for me: (10 sec)