Question on Racedeck Tiles Expansion

[MSG C5]

In reviewing the various thread on Racedeck installations, etc., I was curious how much expansion owners have experienced and in what climates.

I live in the Sarasota area of Florida so we don't suffer extreme temperature shifts. The garage can get toasty in the summer months (now), yet the coldest we get is in December/January when we may dip below freezing during the early morning hours, only to return back to at least 60 degrees during the day.

Has anyone had their floors buckle up as a result of not providing enough room for expansion? My current plan has the floor tiles covering the entire width of the garage wall-to-wall. The total measurement allows for 1.5 inches gap which should be enough if I split the difference in two along each side and center the floor correctly.

Do different typle designs, i.e. diamond vs. freeflow, etc. expand differently?

 

[RaceDeck1]

Yes 1.5" is correct and remember, after the installation put all of the heavy objects back on the floor at the hottest time of day to capture the expansion ( cabinets, lifts, lawnmowers, tables, etc)

 

[MSG C5]

Yes 1.5" is correct and remember, after the installation put all of the heavy objects back on the floor at the hottest time of day to capture the expansion ( cabinets, lifts, lawnmowers, tables, etc)

Thanks. The good news is that the only really heavy objects that will be on the tiles (at least initially) will be the automobiles.

I have Gladiator cabinets but they are all mounted to the wall with their geartrack system. I will have two wire shelving units on the tiles, however nothing particularly heavy except the cars.

Do the tiles expand on a daily basis based on mid-day heat, evening, etc. or just during extreme seasonal changes?

The overall width of my garage is slightly over 361 1/4 inches. A 30 foot width tile design brings me to 360 inches. That give me 1 1/4" extra spacing. Is that enough expansion room for a FreeFlow Florida garage floor? I'm also planning a slight 1/4" lip at the bottom of the walls due to some baseboard edging I plan to install. Since I live in Florida and the average temperature during the day is 85 - 90 degrees, the tiles should pretty much be fully expanded if I install them during the day correct? I've read in other threads where some people have left the tiles sit in the garage for a few days before installation to make sure they have already pre-expanded. Good idea?

 

[c7fx]

mine lift in direct sun. I live in Ohio and have 90 degree days to -10 degree winters.

 

[MSG C5]

mine lift in direct sun. I live in Ohio and have 90 degree days to -10 degree winters.

By "lift" do you mean they raise up and separate or do they expand? Are they installed wall to wall? If so, how much gap do you have between the tiles and the walls?

 

[c7fx]

By "lift" do you mean they raise up and separate or do they expand? Are they installed wall to wall? If so, how much gap do you have between the tiles and the walls?

I have tile on 1/3 of the garage so its free floating. The edge at the garage opening is where it lifts in direct sun. Lift means the edges raise about a1/2 inch kind of wavy. Not a big deal since I don't open that door often

 

[MSG C5]

I have tile on 1/3 of the garage so its free floating. The edge at the garage opening is where it lifts in direct sun. Lift means the edges raise about a1/2 inch kind of wavy. Not a big deal since I don't open that door often

Thanks for the clarification. Do you have the 3" edging connected to the tiles at the garage opening? This is the first I've heard of the Racedeck tiles raising up due to exposure to direct sun. This is a concern for me considering my garage faces south and I have a 3-car garage. I don't want a ripple effect across the front of my garage.

 

[Garage Flooring]

The expansion and contraction issue is not limited to RaceDeck. It happens with every solid garage floor tile. The trick is to use the right tile and to account for it ahead of time. http://www.garageflooringtile.com/tips-tricks/expansion-and-contraction/

 

[ARCTIC_RAGTOP]

I have RaceDeck in my 2 car garage, and in direct sunlight with the door open, the black tiles closest to the door will raise about 1/2" and be a tad wavy, just as c7fx said, however once I close the door or the sun isnt directly on them, they lay flat again. I imagine with a 3 car garage with no permanent weight on them, this will not happen. I have workbenches and toolboxes on top of them. My vote is for RaceDeck, I love mine. So will you.

 

[MSG C5]

The expansion and contraction issue is not limited to RaceDeck. It happens with every solid garage floor tile. The trick is to use the right tile and to account for it ahead of time. http://www.garageflooringtile.com/tips-tricks/expansion-and-contraction/

I have RaceDeck in my 2 car garage, and in direct sunlight with the door open, the black tiles closest to the door will raise about 1/2" and be a tad wavy, just as c7fx said, however once I close the door or the sun isnt directly on them, they lay flat again. I imagine with a 3 car garage with no permanent weight on them, this will not happen. I have workbenches and toolboxes on top of them. My vote is for RaceDeck, I love mine. So will you.

Thanks for the information.

My current garage floor has residential-grade epoxy. It looks nice, but is not durable enough to withstand hot and rain-soaked Florida tires so I installed the rubber parking mats a few years ago. Those now looks like ****! If I choose a free-floating tile system, I plan to create a large parking pad to cover the three car parking zones. The tiles will be installed wall-to-wall and cover the entire width of the garage, however I will have edging trim both at the front (near the opening overhead garage doors) and the rear because I plan to keep some section just epoxy where I have most of my tools, benches, etc. located. Plus, the way the garage is designed, it has a lot of angles and cuts near the back that would be too much of a PITA to cut tiles into.

All of my storage units are installed on the wall off the floor, so the only weight the tiles will endure will be that of the cars and two light wired shelving units.

I'm also hoping that since I'm considering the open grid like tile design like the Racedeck Freeflow, that those type of tiles don't raise or expand as much as the solid tiles due to the reduced surface.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Agree with the comments here. Any manufactured product will expand and contract due to temperature swings so installation allowances must be figured in.

We carry an incredibly strong adhesive that bonds our Supratile to the concrete which can be used affix the tiles that get exposed to sun to the floor. This will prevent any buckling from direct sunlight and heat. Normally not required but can always be added to the area that may be affected.

No tile of any brand should be installed in direct sunlight, heat or extreme cold so that when things swing the other way problems don't occur which then would need the floor to be adjusted.

 

[MSG C5]

In talking with RaceDeck, I was told that if I install the tiles during the day when it's hot (about 90 degrees in Fl this time of year), the tiles will be fully expanded. If they fit at that time of installation, I will not have any issues with the tiles further expanding.

The challenge is if you install your floor when its cold outside as the tiles will further expand when the temperature warms up. That should not be my case on a warm Florida day.

 

[TigerGA]

My tiles will raise up at the garage door when exposed to direct sun. Best bet is to install in the summer and leave tiles in direct sunlight for a few hrs before install.

 

[matty d]

In talking with RaceDeck, I was told that if I install the tiles during the day when it's hot (about 90 degrees in Fl this time of year), the tiles will be fully expanded. If they fit at that time of installation, I will not have any issues with the tiles further expanding.

The challenge is if you install your floor when its cold outside as the tiles will further expand when the temperature warms up. That should not be my case on a warm Florida day.

I agree. Near Sacramento, California, its 100+ alot of days during mid summer; ideal time to install plastic tiles and not worry about expansion.

 

[MSG C5]

My tiles will raise up at the garage door when exposed to direct sun. Best bet is to install in the summer and leave tiles in direct sunlight for a few hrs before install.

Do the tiles located at the front of your garage, near the garage door, raise up due to the tiles expanding and squeezing them up or do they raise up, or curl up, regardless even if you left enough room for expansion?

My garage faces south, so I certainly would not want any tiles to raise up or curl up every time I have the garage door open during the height of the day, which is often.

I'm also considering the free-flow design which from what I've read does not have the same expansion issues due to reduced surface area.

 

[SteveCh]

The front part of my tiled floor receives sun for several hours a day. The highest temp' we've had since I installed the tiles has been 95 F. or so. No raising of tiles or anything. No problem. I don't have any heavy objects on any part of that front portion of the floor, except two tires of my truck, so it can move as it wants.

Edit: my tiles are Free Flow.

 

[TigerGA]

Do the tiles located at the front of your garage, near the garage door, raise up due to the tiles expanding and squeezing them up or do they raise up, or curl up, regardless even if you left enough room for expansion?

My garage faces south, so I certainly would not want any tiles to raise up or curl up every time I have the garage door open during the height of the day, which is often.

I'm also considering the free-flow design which from what I've read does not have the same expansion issues due to reduced surface area.

If you'll let the tiles heat up in the summer sun, then install, they shouldn't raise up...installing the tiles while they are at their maximum expansion is the key.

 

[dubber]

I have the free flow style and in my experience they don't have the same expansion as other solid surfaces may have (if in fact they do). I left a half inch on both sides when i installed it, which was in February. We get both ends of the temperature spectrum here and even in the summer with 40 degree Celsius weather i didn't notice a change.

 

[robsled]

I installed TechFloor tiles two months ago in July with temps of 90+ and I left 2 inches on each side for expansion. I did this without knowing the tiles would actually expand! Just a little common sense I guess.
Well, they don't expand a little bit....they expand a lot. I have a southern facing house and garage and opening the garage causes severe buckling within 10 minutes. TechFloor rep keeps telling me that they are working on a replacement tile that will take the expansion without buckling and will send them to me as soon as they are ready.....holding my breath.
Up to 5 inches of buckling!

 

[RaceDeck1]

I installed TechFloor tiles two months ago in July with temps of 90+ and I left 2 inches on each side for expansion. I did this without knowing the tiles would actually expand! Just a little common sense I guess.
Well, they don't expand a little bit....they expand a lot. I have a southern facing house and garage and opening the garage causes severe buckling within 10 minutes. TechFloor rep keeps telling me that they are working on a replacement tile that will take the expansion without buckling and will send them to me as soon as they are ready.....holding my breath.
Up to 5 inches of buckling!

I don't know much about Techfloor other than they are made by Weathertech, the car floor mat people, they recently jumped in the modular flooring market. I have looked at their tiles ( for other reasons) but here is my guess as to what is going on.
While all modular floors can expand, how much and what the they do is dependent on several factors, the locking system, the material it is made from and the installation. The only thing a customer can control is the proper install. From what I can tell, their flooring is made from a soft material ( like their floor mats), some sort of blended PVC & filler? and the softer the material the great the expansion. The other is their locking system, I am not sure what their theory is on it other then connecting to other tiles? ( locks are very important in modular flooring and play a major role in working properly in the garage enviroment).
My suggestion would be to call them and have them tell you how to remedy your issue. If I knew more about their system, I would be happy to try. Good Luck

 

[MSG C5]

I installed TechFloor tiles two months ago in July with temps of 90+ and I left 2 inches on each side for expansion. I did this without knowing the tiles would actually expand! Just a little common sense I guess.
Well, they don't expand a little bit....they expand a lot. I have a southern facing house and garage and opening the garage causes severe buckling within 10 minutes. TechFloor rep keeps telling me that they are working on a replacement tile that will take the expansion without buckling and will send them to me as soon as they are ready.....holding my breath.
Up to 5 inches of buckling!

That's really bad, especially considering you engineered in an extra 2 inches for expansion.

I was told by Racedeck that if I install my floor when it's warm (shouldn't be a problem since I live in Florida and the average daytime temp reaches 80-90 degrees this time of year) that the tiles will be fully expanded. If they fit at install, they will not expand any more. I am also considering the Freeflow design which has less surface area as well. I will not have an extra 2 inches to play with and my home/garage face south with my garage doors open a lot, especially on the weekend as I'm in the garage often working on projects.

 

[SteveCh]

My Racedeck gets sun every sunny day. About a third of my floor receives direct sun throughout the morning and until early afternoon. This is Free Flow. I have no noticeable problem with the tiles lifting or anything. No doubt they do expand some, most materials do. But I don't see it. Temperatures here, this time of year, are maybe low fifties at night and low nineties by midday. No problem with the Racedeck.

Can't speak for 100+ F. temperatures, but based on my experience, I doubt there would be a problem.

I also have a small area [about 10' x 5'] which is RD solid tiles. This area gets some sun exposure, but not as much as the Free Flow area, maybe only three hours a day. Still, I see no expansion issues there, either.

 

[albaran]

My Racedeck also buckles in direct sun. I wonder if I replaced the first row of solid tiles with freeflow would solve the problem.

 

[RaceDeck1]

My Racedeck also buckles in direct sun. I wonder if I replaced the first row of solid tiles with freeflow would solve the problem.

contact us and send us and we can see what is going on, typically a small install adjustment is all that is needed.

 

[robsled]

I don't know much about Techfloor other than they are made by Weathertech, the car floor mat people, they recently jumped in the modular flooring market. I have looked at their tiles ( for other reasons) but here is my guess as to what is going on.
While all modular floors can expand, how much and what the they do is dependent on several factors, the locking system, the material it is made from and the installation. The only thing a customer can control is the proper install. From what I can tell, their flooring is made from a soft material ( like their floor mats), some sort of blended PVC & filler? and the softer the material the great the expansion. The other is their locking system, I am not sure what their theory is on it other then connecting to other tiles? ( locks are very important in modular flooring and play a major role in working properly in the garage enviroment).
My suggestion would be to call them and have them tell you how to remedy your issue. If I knew more about their system, I would be happy to try. Good Luck

Thank you.

I have been calling and emailing them since the install and they seem genuinely concerned about taking care of the problem. The "temporary fix" was just to just send me more tiles that had no effect at all. The "permanent fix" is still in R&D according to them, so my floor looks awful every time I open the garage door.

I partially blame myself for not doing a little more homework on this problem before I purchased the tiles....BUT there is no indication in any of TechFloors website, brochures or ads even remotely letting the consumer that this will likely be a problem and to be aware of the fact.

I build high end scale model cars for my clients and some local customers come to my house to pick up their completed models. My desk and work area is in the garage and if I open the garage door while the customer is here, they immediately see the tile start to morph into some living thing trying to escape the garage! NOT a good ad for FloorTech!!!

 

[RaceDeck1]

I wish you luck with getting your floor right, sorry I could not help you with any suggestions on their flooring.

 

[albaran]

I also had the Racedeck tile lifting slightly in direct sun. I contacted Racedeck and they gave me two tips that solved the problem. I cut slits in the 3" edging strips and they sent me some freeflows to replace the first row of solid tile. I can't tell you how happy I am with the fantastic customer service that Racedeck provides.

 

[MSG C5]

I also had the Racedeck tile lifting slightly in direct sun. I contacted Racedeck and they gave me two tips that solved the problem. I cut slits in the 3" edging strips and they sent me some freeflows to replace the first row of solid tile. I can't tell you how happy I am with the fantastic customer service that Racedeck provides.

Good to hear.

So the freeflow tiles don't lift in the direct sunlight compared to the solid tiles?

What did cutting slits in the 3" edging accomplish? Were the edges also lifting or lifting only because of the tiles?

 

[albaran]

Yes, it appears that the sun goes through the free flow so they don't heat up as much as the solid tiles. The slits in the edging act as expansion gaps.

 

[dubber]

Wow, brutal to see those Tech floors buckle like that.

I would say the whole floor tiles expansion would be extremely minimal if any with Race Deck Free Flow tiles as they allow air to move freely. I've had my tiles in both extreme temperatures and they haven't moved at all.

 

[5mall5nail5]

By "lift" do you mean they raise up and separate or do they expand? Are they installed wall to wall? If so, how much gap do you have between the tiles and the walls?

Mine were not wall-to-wall and if sun bakes on them with the door up they bow upward regardless of not being wall to wall. They come back down as they cool.

 

[5mall5nail5]

contact us and send us and we can see what is going on, typically a small install adjustment is all that is needed.

I don't think that's accurate. I had a ~15 x 20 tile pad installed in a 3 car garage in the middle bay with NO walls near any edge... it was just a pad for working on my car to not have to go direct on the cement, and if I left the garage door up the tiles, with nothing on them would buckle. The fact is, your garage door is say... 8 ft wide. That means on either side of that I had 3-4 tiles. The buckling is due to the fact that the locking system keeps everything square and since the back is not buckling like the front (due to direct sun) the front center has to go some where. It does not have the strength to stretch the rear portion of course, so the front buckles up. I would see 3 - 4" on my grey (I want to say Graphite) diamond race deck tiling. I don't think it's an installation error because mine was merely floating on a garage pad with no one tile anywhere near (like 4 - 5' away!) from any garage wall with nothing placed on top.

The only thing I see working to keep the buckling from happening is either 1) don't put them in direct sun or 2) make the locking system allow for stretch in one direction so the back pushes out with the front of a flooring system. But still, then you're expecting 8 tiles (8 ft frontage with door up) to be able to push the surrounding tiles out - that's a lot of weight and friction to contend with.

My new house won't be as bad as I face North East if standing in the garage looking out. I also have 3 or 4 mature oak trees over the driveway area so I should have minimal issue.

The funniest part though was when I removed the tile from my former location and laid them out on the driveway to hose them down and scrub them clean. They were all lifting/wrinkling/buckling. I had them in strips of like 3 or 4 tiles x 6 or 8 tiles because it was easy to move that way and fit in a truck. They were buckling all over the place lol.

 

[MSG C5]

So based on the feedback received so far and my unofficial test, the open-faced tile like Racedeck Freeflow does not rise or curl in the direct sun/heat, but the solid-faced tile like Racedeck Diamond can rise or curl in the direct sun/heat.

I had placed a black Racedeck Freeflow tile as well as a black Swisstrax Ribtrax at the end of my garage floor at the door opening, in direct Florida 90 degree sun for over 6 hours and neither one raised or curled. However, both were pretty hot to the touch afterwards.

 

[5mall5nail5]

So based on the feedback received so far and my unofficial test, the open-faced tile like Racedeck Freeflow does not rise or curl in the direct sun/heat, but the solid-faced tile like Racedeck Diamond can rise or curl in the direct sun/heat.

I had placed a black Racedeck Freeflow tile as well as a black Swisstrax Ribtrax at the end of my garage floor at the door opening, in direct Florida 90 degree sun for over 6 hours and neither one raised or curled. However, both were pretty hot to the touch afterwards.

Were you able to get a single solid RD tile to curl? Mine didn't - it would only curl as a like 4 - 5' section. And man, does it hurt walking into the garage not realizing the floor is 4" lifted and drilling your lower ankle with that plastic edge

 

[RaceDeck1]

So based on the feedback received so far and my unofficial test, the open-faced tile like Racedeck Freeflow does not rise or curl in the direct sun/heat, but the solid-faced tile like Racedeck Diamond can rise or curl in the direct sun/heat.

I had placed a black Racedeck Freeflow tile as well as a black Swisstrax Ribtrax at the end of my garage floor at the door opening, in direct Florida 90 degree sun for over 6 hours and neither one raised or curled. However, both were pretty hot to the touch afterwards.

You will find that with most any black surface in direct sunlight will get 3-6 times hotter than a light colored surface.

 

[cramar]

I have been calling and emailing them since the install and they seem genuinely concerned about taking care of the problem. The "temporary fix" was just to just send me more tiles that had no effect at all. The "permanent fix" is still in R&D according to them, so my floor looks awful every time I open the garage door.

It's been almost 6 months since then. What has been the result? Did you get a permanent fix from TechFloor?

 

[chickenhauler]

My Racedeck does like the picture of the techfloor when the door is open. There's entirely too much weight on the perimeter of my garage to allow movement. Free flow tiles aren't as bad, but they will all hove and bubble too, especially when it's 95 with direct sunlight. Bringing a hot car in, on a hot day will hove up everything under the lift since the catalytic converter is like a torpedo heater pointed at the floor. A quick spray of cold water settles everything back down though. If I ever get around to putting a/c in, I'm sure the "problem" will be gone.