race deck

[SGKent]

1) when race deck is installed can water get under it? Thinking rain and AC condensation dripping off the car.

2) how durable is it for daily use in and out, working on things, rolling an engine hoist, or jacks on it occasionally.

 

[racerx51b]

No issue with water drainage with the Free Flow tiles. Those are the ones I have. If you have heavier items you might want to go with the more solid tiles or the free form XL tiles.

 

[Organized_Garage]

I have the RaceDeck Free Flow installed in our trailer which sees a lot of use and abuse. From our racecar, UTV's is summer and in winter snowmobiles, this flooring is susceptible to rocks, mud, ice, slush, water, floor jack and jack stand use however racecar only weighs 1000# so not too much weight on it, though have never had any marks or indents from it. Even the carbides from the snowmobiles have not made any major issues (very minor scrapes that you truly have to look for)

Have had no issues with the flooring. Been a great investment for us.

 

[dubber]

1) when race deck is installed can water get under it? Thinking rain and AC condensation dripping off the car.

2) how durable is it for daily use in and out, working on things, rolling an engine hoist, or jacks on it occasionally.

1. It will depend which model you go with. I have nearly 10 years of experience with their FreeFlow model which allows water to flow through the tile and out the pitch of the garage.

2. Tiles are very durable, but would be effected by very heavy loads on a point surface such as some jack stands. I use flat bottom jack stands as a result and have no issue.

 

[SGKent]

we have a few spots in the garage where water puddles in small puddles. My concern is does water go thru it and out under it, or is it impervious to the water so that any that gets on it just evaporates?

I looked at the free flow and see how air gets to everything. How do you keep sand and dirt blown into the garage from the wind from getting trapped and building up in the slots/grooves? I am looking for a maintenance free floor other than an occasional sweep and mop. I tried to find someone locally who did epoxy type finishes but after no one ever calls me back I gave up on that completely.

 

[Jinks]

Free Flow tiles will obviously allow water through. All tiles allow water to run out under them. The solid surface tiles will allow water, or any liquid, to stand on top & evaporate or be wiped up. The seams fit tightly, so liquid only penetrates slowly.

As for jack stands, floor jacks, lifting tools, etc., you will get dents & marks if you concentrate too much weight on too small a space. It's easy to overcome with thin pads to spread the weight. I have been in a hurry a couple of times & used a jack stand without a pad. You don't destroy the tile, you just dent/scratch it. You can leave it if it's not too noticeable, or simply replace the tile with a spare. Takes about a minute.

 

[SGKent]

Free Flow tiles will obviously allow water through. All tiles allow water to run out under them. The solid surface tiles will allow water, or any liquid, to stand on top & evaporate or be wiped up. The seams fit tightly, so liquid only penetrates slowly.

As for jack stands, floor jacks, lifting tools, etc., you will get dents & marks if you concentrate too much weight on too small a space. It's easy to overcome with thin pads to spread the weight. I have been in a hurry a couple of times & used a jack stand without a pad. You don't destroy the tile, you just dent/scratch it. You can leave it if it's not too noticeable, or simply replace the tile with a spare. Takes about a minute.

I am worried about mildew with the ones that hold moisture trapped under them.

On the free flow ones it looks like they eventually have to be lifted and cleaned under.

I really want something nicer than a painted floor that has to be scrapped and painted every 10 years or so. I thought about epoxy but no one around here returns my calls. Even people on this forum who sell the product gave up trying to find someone in this city of 3 million people who was reliable, or so they tell me because eventually they give up and no one calls me back.

 

[James-W]

If water gets under the tiles it will flow toward the overhead door, or toward a drain if your garage/shop has one. I am assuming your floor is sloped towards the overhead door or towards the drain if you have one.

If I spill something on my Racedeck tiles, I wipe it up right away. The tiles fit snugly, but if you let a liquid sit on it long enough some may find its way thru the seams. If you are worried about it, get one of those car mats that you drive on and it will hold any water, or other fluids, that may come from your car.

I put a pieces of plywood under my floor jack when lifting the car on the tiles and I have never had an issue with dents or scratches that way. Even if I didn't use the plywood I doubt I would have a problem. But, like a lot of things I do, I just feel better by using the plywood.

 

[RaceDeck1]

I have the RaceDeck Free Flow installed in our trailer which sees a lot of use and abuse. From our racecar, UTV's is summer and in winter snowmobiles, this flooring is susceptible to rocks, mud, ice, slush, water, floor jack and jack stand use however racecar only weighs 1000# so not too much weight on it, though have never had any marks or indents from it. Even the carbides from the snowmobiles have not made any major issues (very minor scrapes that you truly have to look for)

Have had no issues with the flooring. Been a great investment for us.

great looking install! thanks for choosing RaceDeck

 

[Jinks]

I am worried about mildew with the ones that hold moisture trapped under them.

On the free flow ones it looks like they eventually have to be lifted and cleaned under.

I really want something nicer than a painted floor that has to be scrapped and painted every 10 years or so. I thought about epoxy but no one around here returns my calls. Even people on this forum who sell the product gave up trying to find someone in this city of 3 million people who was reliable, or so they tell me because eventually they give up and no one calls me back.

Mine's been down over 5 years. I occasionally make a change to things in my garage/shop & either move or replace a tile or two. I've never had a problem with mildew, extra moisture, or dirt under the tiles. I don't have any fabric under them so nothing catches & holds moisture. You're probably dryer in Ca. than I am in Fla.

 

[Chevy350]

1) when race deck is installed can water get under it? Thinking rain and AC condensation dripping off the car.

2) how durable is it for daily use in and out, working on things, rolling an engine hoist, or jacks on it occasionally.

I have the solid (non free flow) coin top race deck tiles and haven't had to much of an issue with water, I'm sure some does sneak between the tiles, but being in AZ I'm not to concerned about it. They do pretty well with thicker fluids (oils) if you do a quick clean up.

I have had mine now for over 6 years and one of my bays is my main work area and have no issues rolling a floor jack, or other equipment around.

 

[frankd]

I didn't go with RaceDeck but went with a similar solid surface coin top floor from bigfloors.com I was also worried about water/oil getting through the cracks as well as moisture issues. I did a TON of research and couldn't find a single complaint about water/moisture issues with the solid tile.
While the manufacturers say that the seams are tight and allow very little water to get through... I dont buy it after installing mine. Fluid can definitely get through the tiles. If you wipe it up quickly you can prevent some of it, but if you're parking a wet, snow/ice covered car on those tiles the water will leak right through the seams.
But since the seams allow water through, they'll obviously allow air which will help keep everything breathing.

The floor is only a month or 2 old but I'm pretty impressed by the durability. Rolled my 44" harbor freight tool chest over it with no problem and it didnt leave any scratches or marks. I'd put down a small piece of plywood or something under a jack or jackstand though.

 

[SGKent]

thank you all. Jinks - which model flooring do you have? Smooth or freeflow?

 

[Jinks]

thank you all. Jinks - which model flooring do you have? Smooth or freeflow?

In the two car I have solid coin pattern, & in the shop I have solid diamond pattern with a few freeflow. The freeflow are for the sides of the garage door where I had to slope the floor. (long story) Free flow are more flexible so they will bend to the contour of the floor. I have 4 to 6 on each side of the door. You don't really have to take them up to clean, but it gives a new meaning to the name "Shop Vac". Sand, dirt, anything small enough to get down in them will come out easily with a vacuum....if you don't mind being caught using your wife's vacuum in the garage........

 

[mikeyr]

I have had Racedeck for a very long time...has to be near 20 years now. Restored several cars, moved once. Only issue I have had with it was plasma cutting or welding on it, have a few holes here and there.

My old garage flooded twice in the 9 years I was there and I never did anything with the Racedeck when I moved I pulled up the floor and everything looked as good as new underneath. My new garage flooded last year, it will never flood again I assure you, this time I really spent some time doing really big drains Again, I did nothing with the Racedeck to dry underneath it and when I pulled up some last month, it was as good as new underneath.

Luckily as you can see in the pics, the Mini was on its side so I could weld up rust on its bottom and on a old mattress when I flooded last year, so it didn't get submerged. There was about 3-4" of water in the shop.

 

[CJDave]

If you go with the solid tiles from RaceDeck, they have the same suspension system on the back that the Free Flow tiles have. That is a series of small tabs and grooves that lets any moisture that might get under the tiles to drain with the slope of the floor.
I've had 500 sf of Free Flow down for over 5 years with no complaint. Easy maintenance, looks great, easy on my bare feet, no staining. Whatever her daily driver drags in is easily cleaned. Any ice and snow that falls off her suv just melts and runs out from under the tiles at the overhead door. Then it seeps under the overhead door bottom seal. No muss or fuss. I use my garage to wash my classic Mustang in. Washing in the shade of the garage is handy and no rushing to avoid water spots. The leftover wash water is perfect for scrubbing the RaceDeck using a long handled brush and a hose. Love it. CJDave.

 

[Wild Horses]

Looking forward to installing RaceDeck under a 4 post lift. Everything I've seen says this won't be an issue. Fingers crossed.

 

[CJDave]

Looking forward to installing RaceDeck under a 4 post lift. Everything I've seen says this won't be an issue. Fingers crossed.

Wild Horses, you can search here for info on that topic. Floor tiles and lifts come up on occasion. CJDave.

 

[mikeyr]

on the pics above of my flooded garage, next to the Mini is a wooden framework, that is on top of my scissor lift, the wood was there to support the Mini when its on the lift since I had no sub-frames on the car. In other pics posted here before is my 4-post lift that has been sitting on top of Racedeck tiles near 20 years now (I think I bought the tiles in 2001 or 2002 but don't remember exactly)

 

[Falcon67]

I am worried about mildew with the ones that hold moisture trapped under them.

On the free flow ones it looks like they eventually have to be lifted and cleaned under.

The drag strip used Race Deck for the ground floor of the tower in the "office" where you pick up run cards. The tower gets water under the skin any time it rains more than a little bit. The tiles were removed after about a year or so because of mildew/mold buildup under the tiles. The floor is flat and of course not sloped for drainage. Airing out the place after a rain didn't seem to help in the long run. Yes, the major issue is that whoever built the tower did a poor job of managing runoff, but mildew and mold will build up unless standing water is dealt with promptly.

 

[CJDave]

Looking forward to installing RaceDeck under a 4 post lift. Everything I've seen says this won't be an issue. Fingers crossed.

Does the user name Wild Horses reference an interest in Mustangs with wheels not hooves? CJDave.

 

[samb]

I didn't want to create another thread on this but I have a timber framed garage going up in April and want to put racedeck down. I have concerns that if water were to eventually get trapped under the tiles that it might rot out the wood with time. The timber garage does sit on top of some treated bearers so maybe I am overthinking the issue?

If those that have experience of Racedeck or similar modular garage flooring could advise me pro or con- I will think of other options, potentially jsut sealing the concrete. Who knows. Racedeck does look superb though.

 

[CJDave]

samb, For sure the Free Flow won't trap water. My buddy has solid RaceDeck tiles in his garage with no complaints. If you look at their website there is a picture of the underside of the tile showing the tabs and grooves the keep the tile from laying tight against the floor therefore allowing the water to escape. I believe that Race Deck claims that their joints fit closely enough that water doesn't seep between the solid tiles. CJDave.

 

[mikeyr]

the solid tiles drain all the water just fine, I have a tiny slope in my garage, like 1/8" per foot and after the flooding, it all went out the garage door.

 

[GRivera]

I've been paralyzed trying to decide on the right flooring for my 30x40' pole barn as it will get heavy use on weekends from floor jacks, engine stands, changing oil, trans fluid, brake jobs etc. Not a commercial shop but we have 4 vehicles and I do all maintenanace.

After reading all these posts it seems that even with the solid tiles, oil can seep through and stain the floor underneath. Is this correct? Also, do the solid tiles move when turning wheels?

 

[kram71]

I've been paralyzed trying to decide on the right flooring for my 30x40' pole barn as it will get heavy use on weekends from floor jacks, engine stands, changing oil, trans fluid, brake jobs etc. Not a commercial shop but we have 4 vehicles and I do all maintenanace.

After reading all these posts it seems that even with the solid tiles, oil can seep through and stain the floor underneath. Is this correct? Also, do the solid tiles move when turning wheels?

I do not own the solid tiles yet but I took a few samples and tested it by pouring water on them.

If you take a bottle of oil and pour it on top it can leak through the seams but you would probably know about that much oil and clean it off. I would guess that 95% (or more) would stay on top of the tile with only a tiny bit getting through the seams.

For me my cars have very small leaks. The odds of those drops landing on a seam and going through are small. Plus I'm going to put landscape material underneath so I'm not very concerned about my small oil drops making it through the solid tiles.

 

[GRivera]

Would roofing paper underneath the vinyl tiles, like is done under hardwood floor, result in the tiles being more susceptible to movement?

 

[RaceDeck1]

Would roofing paper underneath the vinyl tiles, like is done under hardwood floor, result in the tiles being more susceptible to movement?

We don't recommend anything under your floor, but if you do.. simple breathable synthetic landscape has worked for many

 

[GRivera]

Thinking about a material that would prevent stains

 

[Jinks]

I've been paralyzed trying to decide on the right flooring for my 30x40' pole barn as it will get heavy use on weekends from floor jacks, engine stands, changing oil, trans fluid, brake jobs etc. Not a commercial shop but we have 4 vehicles and I do all maintenanace.

After reading all these posts it seems that even with the solid tiles, oil can seep through and stain the floor underneath. Is this correct? Also, do the solid tiles move when turning wheels?

First, the tiles don't move when turning wheels. I back in & have to make large corrections both in backing in, & leaving. No problem with the tiles moving.

OTOH, if you're going to be doing a LOT of jack, jack stand, heavy equipment work you will need to protect the tiles. They will dent if too much pressure is put on a small area. You can prevent this by using thin pads under such tools, but you do have to remember to do so. The tiles leak very little, so staining the floor beneath is pretty unlikely. My floors have been down for a lot of years. I make changes once or twice a year, & have never found a stain.