Racedeck heaving!

[STICandy]

So the warm weather is finally here so I got my first opportunity to open the garage to find 10 mins later this happened.....



Soo, I assume the hoist not letting it expand is doing this. My only idea is to cut the racedeck out from under the posts and leave a bit of a gap around it to expand.

Any other suggestions?

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[bry@n]

I cut my flooring around the lift legs for the reason to allow the floor to expand. Looks as though it's contributing.

 

[Al G]

How would the lift be any different than a car parked on it? I'm glad my doors face north with no direct sun.

 

[STICandy]

How would the lift be any different than a car parked on it? I'm glad my doors face north with no direct sun.

It probably really isn't. The good think with mine is there won't often be a car parked on it with the door up.

The upside to a southern facing house is I can wash my car on a nice day in January not freeze my *** off and the driveway will dry while my neighbour is shivering with a frozen beer in his had across the street.

I cut my flooring around the lift legs for the reason to allow the floor to expand. Looks as though it's contributing.

Did that fix the issue? I left lots of space on either side of the garage for this reason.

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[396_425]

My east facing garage did exactly the same thing in about 10 minutes early one morning last summer. I do have space around the lift and all other immovable objects (walls, cabinets, etc). My friends, "can we see your shop," me, "yes just not in the mornings."

 

[STICandy]

My east facing garage did exactly the same thing in about 10 minutes early one morning last summer. I do have space around the lift and all other immovable objects (walls, cabinets, etc). My friends, "can we see your shop," me, "yes just not in the mornings."

So you never fixed it?

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[ndnboy]

Is this a common issue with Racedeck? Thinking of getting some soon.

 

[dubber]

I think you can also contact them for a suggestion. Thankfully with both of my garages going with FreeFlow I've never experienced that issue. My location does suffer from an 80 degree temp swing with -40 Celsius in the winter and +40 Celsius in the summer.

 

[hammlm]

STI Candy:

I had to do a double-take because that photo could conceivably be from my garage.

I have the same color combo, in a very very similar pattern.

Mine buckles like crazy. worse than yours. I have plenty of space on either side, and I undercut the garage door tracks. It's not "captive", but it still buckles like mad.

It happens everytime I have the door open in the afternoon; I get steady afternoon sun.

Also those front row or so of black tiles in my garage (I have the TuffShield) have all de-laminated --- that is to say the shiny coating is flaking off like bad dandruff. Racedeck sent me new tiles to address it, I just haven't installed them yet. I'm not sure what the cause is, but would seem it's either the direct sunlight, or perhaps water from putting the door up / down in the rain, but I suspect the sunlight. The very helpful person at Racedeck wouldn't let on what the problem was, but said she had seen it before, but that replacing the tiles always fixes it. They sent them out to me fast and free. I just hope that I don't have the same issues with the new tiles.

I love my floor, and it makes the garage 10x better, but I am disappointed by the buckling and the de-lam on the first row. Maybe I should replace it with regular Racedeck and not TuffShield?? hmmmm

 

[superskaterxes]

you secured your lift base plates with the racedeck inbetween?

 

[Garage Flooring]

It looks like maybe you did not leave the expansion gap all the way around (1/2")

Also, what time of year did you install this? Looks like maybe it was installed cold and not fully expanded as we would suggest going under a lift. It would really help to get those tiles in the sun, trim it up and put everything back while they are still expanded.

 

[STICandy]

It looks like maybe you did not leave the expansion gap all the way around (1/2")

Also, what time of year did you install this? Looks like maybe it was installed cold and not fully expanded as we would suggest going under a lift. It would really help to get those tiles in the sun, trim it up and put everything back while they are still expanded.

You are correct. The floor and the hoist were both installed in November. I did however leave the required space at the walls. I even went to the extent of gaping the baseboard from the floor to allow the expansion. I'm going to assume the hoist is the biggest culprit. I'll try letting the floor heat up and reset the hoist.

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[Garage Flooring]

In the for what it is worth category.... The two posts I can see are sitting right at the edge of a tile. I would be really tempted to cut a square out, sit the posts on the concrete and if you need to bold them down.

 

[396_425]

So you never fixed it?

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I don't know what the "fix" is, well I do. Remove the race deck and use porcelain tile or polish the concrete....

 

[kngelv]

Hmmm. I was pretty close to finally ordering but this is a concern. I also wonder why we have not seen a post from RaceDeck1 on this. He gave a thumbs up earlier today regarding someone using their floor rejuvenator but nothing here. He was upset a few weeks ago about comments from a SwissTrax person about his products but tends to avoid threads regarding issues with them. You can't have it both ways.

James

 

[396_425]

Hmmm. I was pretty close to finally ordering but this is a concern. I also wonder why we have not seen a post from RaceDeck1 on this. He gave a thumbs up earlier today regarding someone using their floor rejuvenator but nothing here. He was upset a few weeks ago about comments from a SwissTrax person about his products but tends to avoid threads regarding issues with them. You can't have it both ways.

James

Exactly. My father-in-law wanted a plain solid grey deck in his three car garage after he had seen mine. Very simple, no cabinets, no machines, nothing but flooring and walls. His garage also faces east. I left a minimum of 3/4" around the entire floor area. After a couple of weeks he called and said his floor had buckled, so, I didn't know what he could possibly be experiencing. Sure enough, his floor looked worse than the one pictured on this thread. After that event, I experienced the same thing. There's more to the issue than wall spacing....

 

[gasserdan]

So why not quit complaining and call racedeck. Seems easy enough.

 

[kngelv]

This old thread has good information on this issue.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211821&highlight=Expansion&page=2

Here is an article from Garage Flooring LLC about this problem.

https://www.garageflooringllc.com/expansion-and-contraction/


It appears that there is much less of a problem with the freeflow type tiles than the solid type. I don't like the freeflow very much so it leaves me leaning toward looking for something else. One of the guys in the thread I linked had expansion issues with a RaceDeck parking pad that had nothing on it nor any objects closer to it than four feet. I have debated this for too long and with the extremely heavy items I have on the floor perimeter I don't think tiles will work for me. Still wondering when/if RaceDeck1 will chime in.

James

 

[RaceDeck1]

Hello
99% of any expansion issue that someone has is due to something with the initial installation. No two garages are the same ( from size, shape, lifts, facing sun, enviromental temp swings as much as 50+ degrees in a single day, etc) so if there is an issue, the best way to get the floor installed and set correctly is to call us directly. We will go over your particular garage over the phone, with pics of your garage . I have PM'd asking to have him call our office. There are also many many threads where I have gone step by step explaining what the floor is doing and proper installation for a particular garage set-up.

 

[RaceDeck1]

This has been posted in the past to explain what 'Capturing Max Expansion" means....

"I will try to better explain 'capturing the expansion' ; This is the best example of what I am trying to explain -
Let's say we are in Arizona and in the center of a large parking lot with no obstructions. If we take a floor that is 25'x25' place it in the center of the lot in the early am and park two cars on it, one on each end, let's also say it's around 50 degrees this morning. By mid day we are seeing temps of 90+ degrees and the floor now has a huge wave in it.. The reason, the floor has expanded and can not push the cars out, so it goes up ( the path of least resistance).
Now let's try this again, We place the floor out in the center of the lot in the early morning, but we do not park anything on it. Later in the day we come back and the floor is flat and perfect. Now we drive the same two cars on the floor at mid day when its 90+ degrees out and have no issue, we come back in the morning and it's still perfectly flat, we come back at mid day again and yes! it's still flat...Why? Because in the middle of the day when it was 90+ degrees out and nothing was on the floor, it was at max expansion. When we rolled the cars on it and later cooled, the floor could no way contract and pull the cars in.
This example is the same if we had placed heavy objects like cabinets, tables, lawn mowers, boxes, bikes, chests, lifts, etc... when it was hot. The smallest items can cause an issue ( like up against garage door rails. lag bolts stick out from concrete, trimming too close when tiles cold, etc) ".

My personal garage floor has been in for nearly a decade, faces west, sees temp swings in the summer of more that 30-40 degrees each day, has a 4 post lift, and cabinets. I have zero expansion issues.

 

[kwschumm]

This has been posted in the past to explain what 'Capturing Max Expansion" means....

"I will try to better explain 'capturing the expansion' ; This is the best example of what I am trying to explain -
Let's say we are in Arizona and in the center of a large parking lot with no obstructions. If we take a floor that is 25'x25' place it in the center of the lot in the early am and park two cars on it, one on each end, let's also say it's around 50 degrees this morning. By mid day we are seeing temps of 90+ degrees and the floor now has a huge wave in it.. The reason, the floor has expanded and can not push the cars out, so it goes up ( the path of least resistance).
Now let's try this again, We place the floor out in the center of the lot in the early morning, but we do not park anything on it. Later in the day we come back and the floor is flat and perfect. Now we drive the same two cars on the floor at mid day when its 90+ degrees out and have no issue, we come back in the morning and it's still perfectly flat, we come back at mid day again and yes! it's still flat...Why? Because in the middle of the day when it was 90+ degrees out and nothing was on the floor, it was at max expansion. When we rolled the cars on it and later cooled, the floor could no way contract and pull the cars in.
This example is the same if we had placed heavy objects like cabinets, tables, lawn mowers, boxes, bikes, chests, lifts, etc... when it was hot. The smallest items can cause an issue ( like up against garage door rails. lag bolts stick out from concrete, trimming too close when tiles cold, etc) ".

My personal garage floor has been in for nearly a decade, faces west, sees temp swings in the summer of more that 30-40 degrees each day, has a 4 post lift, and cabinets. I have zero expansion issues.

I don't understand the second example. If two cars are parked on the floor AFTER it has expanded, then the floor cools off, the floor has to contract. Right? So does that means the tiles will then separate since the contracted dimension (vinyl shrinkage) has to come from somewhere?

 

[66HertzClone]

Yes the floor will contract, the joints of the tiles will not let go under the strain. I'll bet it you tried to separate one tile from another under these conditions you would have a very difficult time.

 

[kngelv]

I live near Detroit. What happens if you install it on a 85 degree day and then a week later we get a crazy heat wave and it's in the mid 90's for five or six days? Will I have a problem then?

James

 

[RaceDeck1]

I live near Detroit. What happens if you install it on a 85 degree day and then a week later we get a crazy heat wave and it's in the mid 90's for five or six days? Will I have a problem then?

James

If installed properly, then no. We have millions of garages floored with RaceDeck around the world in all kinds of sizes, shapes and climates. As i mentioned above, the initial install done correctly is key to any floor. Sometimes when a floor is not installed properly mid winter, the effects will not be noticeable until spring and summer where temp swings are 30-40-50+ degrees

 

[RaceDeck1]

I don't understand the second example. If two cars are parked on the floor AFTER it has expanded, then the floor cools off, the floor has to contract. Right? So does that means the tiles will then separate since the contracted dimension (vinyl shrinkage) has to come from somewhere?

No the patented positve locking system keeps them locked ( RaceDeck is not vynil or rubber product, which have much greater expansion and contraction rates.

 

[STICandy]

If installed properly, then no. We have millions of garages floored with RaceDeck around the world in all kinds of sizes, shapes and climates. As i mentioned above, the initial install done correctly is key to any floor. Sometimes when a floor is not installed properly mid winter, the effects will not be noticeable until spring and summer where temp swings are 30-40-50+ degrees

I fully understand what's going on and how to fix it. I just wish I had've know this before I laid the flooring in November since my hoist will not go out my garage door. I hope I'm able to lift the hoist off the floor on a hot day enough to flatten it out and set the hoist back down. Now I have to work out a plan....

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[nbdqgi2]

RaceDeck1 -
What are the general guidelines for a "properly installed" floor??

 

[kngelv]

If installed properly, then no. We have millions of garages floored with RaceDeck around the world in all kinds of sizes, shapes and climates. As i mentioned above, the initial install done correctly is key to any floor. Sometimes when a floor is not installed properly mid winter, the effects will not be noticeable until spring and summer where temp swings are 30-40-50+ degrees

In other words it seems that installing it winter is a bad idea. I don't like the "if installed correctly" comment. Your website install instructions make no mention of capturing the expansion. What temperature should it be to install the tiles? My garage perimeter has extremely heavy toolboxes and cabinets with the middle of the garage fairly open. There is no way the tiles will expand toward the edges because of the perimeter weight which means going up in the middle is the only possible path.

James

 

[copperhead37]

I have the same buckling issue with my racedeck tiles. I have mine for 3 years now. What I can say is that there is NO way to CAPTURE the expansion. That is pure none sense. My floor buckles every wear a car is parked on it. ITS A GARAGE FOR PARKING CARS.... the capture expansion idea will only work if you never move your vehicle off the floor. UNREALISTIC.... the first time you leave then return the floor goes back to buckling. ASK ME HOW I KNOW!!!!!! Bottom line is if the sun hits your tiles directly and anything (car,lift, heavy object) is sitting on the floor the floor will buckle. As for I am about to rip it out and toss it. (Black,grey,blue solid diamond tile- Florida sun)

 

[RaceDeck1]

I don't understand the second example. If two cars are parked on the floor AFTER it has expanded, then the floor cools off, the floor has to contract. Right? So does that means the tiles will then separate since the contracted dimension (vinyl shrinkage) has to come from somewhere?

The patented locking system absorbs the contraction, they are engineered to do so. the tiles are not strong enough to pull the cars or heavy inward ( or outward ). Capturing maximum expansion during install has worked 99 % of the time ( placing all heavy equipment, cabinets, tool boxes, lifts, equipment, etc) , as the modules will not expand beyond "max exapansion'. the most challenging color is black.. on a 80 degree day a white tile in sunlight will be 80 and a black can heat up to nearly 160+/-

99% of the time it is an issue of expansion and contraction, or something touching the floor keeping it from moving during thermal swings ( poles, garage door rails, cabinets, walls, etc) aka,... an initial install issue. We have millions of racedeck garage floor customers over 20+ years and it is fractional the times we could not correct the issue with installation issue... When someone has an issue during the install, we have a team that is happy to walk them through their install on the phone or through email with photos.. Of course the very few who have an unusual installation or application, matter too and we do everything we can to make our customers happy...

 

[RaceDeck1]

RaceDeck1 -
What are the general guidelines for a "properly installed" floor??

Hi - Please feel free to call or email us, even include a few pics of your garage and we can give you a step by step guide on how we suggest you install your garage floor.