RaceDeck/GarageTrac Question

[LIMagna]

Hello everyone. My name is Charlie and I'm new here. I've been gathering information for a garage floor makeover and ran across GarageJournal. I've already gotten most of my questions answered by the fine folks here and have even reached out to RaceDeck1 for assistance. I'm torn between RaceDeck Diamond and GarageTrac at moment and just trying to finalize order details (tile color, quantity, etc.). My garage is 20' 4" wide and 19' 8" deep. Subtracting the requisite 1/2" per side expansion factor and the 3" edge at the entrance puts me at 20' 3" in width and 19' 4" depth (give or take a half inch). I've used the layout tools on both the RaceDeck & BigFloors sites but they seem to only add full tiles even when a partial tile is required. Given that I'll need less than 4" at the top and less than 3" at one side (factoring in any tile gap over those lengths), I would think a single tile could cover both parts as long as I keep the two sides heterosexual. However, I would need to turn the pieces for one side 90 degrees in order to install them. It seems that the RaceDeck pattern is perfectly symmetric on all four sides so things should line up perfectly as far as the "diamonds" are concerned. The GarageTrac, however, is only symmetric on opposite sides so the patterns wouldn't meet properly. This is probably not a very big deal being that this edge would be hidden or covered in most areas by the other stuff in the garage but I just figured I'd post this hear to get some feedback in case I'm completely missing something (which could very easily be the case given that I've got zero experience with any of this stuff).

Thanks for listening.

 

[danieldolin]

you will need full tiles to complete the job. The pattern on the tiles may be symetrical, but they can only really install one direction (once you pick it) as 2 edges are male and 2 are female... I would just order enough tiles to do 20x20 and cut the depth to what you need and leave 2" on the edges for your expansion gap. I left the recommended 1/2" and had to go back and re-cut more off the tiles as this was not enough for expansion when exposed to sunlight. If yours do not expand that much, you can try to fill in the gaps with the scraps from your depth tiles if you want, but you will not be able to "snap" them in as they will not line up with the male/female pattern. You could maybe just slide them in on the bare male edge running against the side wall or cut off the loops left on the female side and accomplish the same.

 

[LIMagna]

I understand the requirement for male-female connections but as you point out, there are two sides of each so technically, you could turn that very last row (the small slice I cut) and everything should work properly as the adjoining tile section (the next piece you cut) will also face the same way so it should clip into its neighbor just fine. I have no problem ordering some extra tiles but would rather not end up with a pile of extra border tiles but if I follow the online configurator, I end up having to order 420 sq. ft. and that doesn't allow for any extra center tiles (I'm doing the border in one color and the center in a checkerboard of two additional colors). I think I'm going to settle with a 410 sq. ft. order that cuts down on the edge tiles a bit but adds a few centers just in case. Thanks for the advise on the expansion gap ... we'll see just how much space I have once I clip the tiles together and adjust as necessary. I have no problem leaving a slightly larger gap as most of the edges won't be visible once we put everything back in the garage.

 

[DocRocket]

Personnally, I haven't used either one, but from other interlocking floor projects (laminates, etc), I would say that you would be ahead to order the extra and return the unused parts for a refund if possible, rather than be 90% done, waiting for the remainder to be shipped when it turns out that what you have in mind will not actually work the way you think. Just my $0.02.

 

[bdamico]

Buy what it tells you to buy (and even a few extra of each color). See if you can use less tiles and keep some spares for the future

 

[Garage Flooring]

Buy what it tells you to buy (and even a few extra of each color). See if you can use less tiles and keep some spares for the future

I tell my customers to calculate their floors in square tiles instead of square feet and to round everything up. So you would need 21 tiles by 20 tiles which is 420 tiles. However, what size are their ramp edges and will you be placing them along the entire front edge?

As to which one, they are both great products. I assume you have gotten samples of both. I found that some of Racedeck's higher end product has a nicer sheen to it and is worth the extra money

 

[LIMagna]

The ramp edge is 3" and yes, I'll be putting that across the entire front. I've taken that into account I think. I'm all for having some extra tiles and wouldn't hesitate to purchase more than I need if this was my local Home Depot but since shipping the tiles back would probably cost more than the tiles themselves (at least for me to ship them), I'm inclined to shoot for what I really need plus a few extra. I suppose an extra 10 or 20 sq. feet in 400 sq. ft. really isn't that much but I hate to cut up more tiles than I really need to. I am leaning toward the RaceDeck though as I think the GarageTrac is just a little too busy on the surface.

Thanks all for your comments.

 

[Garage Flooring]

The ramp edge is 3" and yes, I'll be putting that across the entire front. I've taken that into account I think. I'm all for having some extra tiles and wouldn't hesitate to purchase more than I need if this was my local Home Depot but since shipping the tiles back would probably cost more than the tiles themselves (at least for me to ship them), I'm inclined to shoot for what I really need plus a few extra. I suppose an extra 10 or 20 sq. feet in 400 sq. ft. really isn't that much but I hate to cut up more tiles than I really need to. I am leaning toward the RaceDeck though as I think the GarageTrac is just a little too busy on the surface.

Thanks all for your comments.

As long as you have a few extra you should be good, but I would not plan on using a cut piece more than once

 

[LIMagna]

I think I have my answer ... I do appreciate the feedback and advice but the diagram I've attached illustrates what I meant with my original question. The piece on the left was cut from the right side of a full tile (same orientation as the full tile in the diagram) and would be used to fill the gap along the left wall (looking up from my garage doors). The piece on top was a portion of the remaining tile rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise and would be used to fill the gap at the top of my garage (opposite the doors). It would seem that this should work to fill the gaps I'll have around the edges of my project without resorting to wasting an extra full tile to accomplish the same thing. I will certainly order more tiles than I need because even when I measure twice, I've been known to still mess things up

 

[danieldolin]

I think I have my answer ... I do appreciate the feedback and advice but the diagram I've attached illustrates what I meant with my original question. The piece on the left was cut from the right side of a full tile (same orientation as the full tile in the diagram) and would be used to fill the gap along the left wall (looking up from my garage doors). The piece on top was a portion of the remaining tile rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise and would be used to fill the gap at the top of my garage (opposite the doors). It would seem that this should work to fill the gaps I'll have around the edges of my project without resorting to wasting an extra full tile to accomplish the same thing. I will certainly order more tiles than I need because even when I measure twice, I've been known to still mess things up

your diagram will work... but you will have a problem when you get to the corners and the edge tiles. once you rotate, you no longer have the corect male / female edge facing the correct way in all directions, so something will be off when you get to the end...

 

[LIMagna]

Thanks, I understand your point (hadn't considered that at all) but I'm not sure the extreme corners will matter that much. Nothing will be standing there so to just lay the tile in place would be good enough. In fact, I can probably use a scrap piece to make a custom corner for the upper left side piece that's missing in my diagram, one that will mate appropriately with the two pieces. The other (right) side ends flush with the end of the last tile so I can just cut off the extending rungs (no edging to deal with). The last part would be the forward left corner which is off to the side of the garage door, in an area you are unlikely to see and that corner, if I leave things the way they are shown in the diagram, will actually be properly configured with respect to the adjoining tiles so I think I'm good. Thanks though for pointing out the issue I do have to deal with.

 

[RaceDeck1]

LIMagna -
You have received a lot of good information and feedback here and I think you are on the right track. You can also call us and/or send in some pictures of your garage area for us to look over and offer any additional input. Also, feel free to order additional flooring and if you do not use it, you can send it back for a full refund.
Thanks for considering RaceDeck

 

[LIMagna]

Just placed my order for RaceDeck with Jenn. Can't wait to get working on the installation

Thanks to all for the help and especially to RaceDeck1 for treating Garage Journal members so well (even us newbies).

 

[RaceDeck1]

Just placed my order for RaceDeck with Jenn. Can't wait to get working on the installation

Thanks to all for the help and especially to RaceDeck1 for

treating Garage Journal members so well (even us newbies).

Thank you for choosing RaceDeck! I look forward to seeing your new garage

 

[LIMagna]

And Here It Is!

Just thought I'd tack this onto the end of the thread I started ... This past weekend I had an opportunity to get most of the RaceDeck installed in my garage. Because of a little mishap with UPS, some tiles were damaged in transit (they apparently dropped a box on its corner pretty hard), so I've got a few edge spots that will need filling in next weekend. You should know that the folks at RaceDeck (namely, Jennifer Storms) immediately stepped up and sent replacement tiles to me as soon as I notified them of the damage and that package just arrived yesterday so I'm sure that in short order on Saturday, I'll be able to finish things up completely.

In the mean time, the vast majority of the job is complete so I thought I'd share some photos. Installation really is a "snap" (sorry, just had to throw that out there). I had all of the primary tiles in place in probably two hours or so. I spent much more time cleaning up the cement floor and removing things from my garage than actually dropping down the tiles. Of course, cutting around the cabinets and filling in the spaces at one side and at the top took substantially more time but again, all of this could probably be done easily in one day (or afternoon) for a 400 sq. ft. garage like mine.

Anyway, here are the pictures ...

 

[RaceDeck1]

Your new garage looks great and thank you for sharing. Happy to hear that your UPS mishap is being handled asap. I will share your note about Jennifer with her colleagues

I am going to post some of your photos on our FaceBook page too ,Thank you for choosing RaceDeck!

 

[LIMagna]

Thanks Jorgen! Feel free to use the photos as you see fit. Jennifer gladly included a pair of the jack pads I had seen mentioned on the forum to help prevent the kickstands on our two bikes from marring the floor and I have to say I'm very impressed with them. I'll probably call to order a few more to actually use as jack pads for my floor jack and jack stands. I love the rubber backing to keep them from sliding around ... very nice!

 

[Nascar4401]

Looks SUPER!

 

[RaceDeck1]

Thanks Jorgen! Feel free to use the photos as you see fit. Jennifer gladly included a pair of the jack pads I had seen mentioned on the forum to help prevent the kickstands on our two bikes from marring the floor and I have to say I'm very impressed with them. I'll probably call to order a few more to actually use as jack pads for my floor jack and jack stands. I love the rubber backing to keep them from sliding around ... very nice!

We put on our Facebook page to share with over 14,000 fans and it will go in our website galleryhttp://www.facebook.com/RaceDeck

 

[Bonefishmak]

This is RaceDeck diamond right? Looks awesome!

 

[LIMagna]

Thanks! Yes, it's RaceDeck diamond.

 

[darkk]

We did ours quite a while back, I see we have similar taste...ours is the circle track style.

 

[LIMagna]

The red and gray combo does go very nicely together, doesn't it.

 

[RaceDeck1]

The red and gray combo does go very nicely together, doesn't it.

Why yes it does!