RaceDeck Tuffshield or Regular Diamond?

[kngelv]

I have four of each tile sitting connected on my garage floor. I think I'm in that paralysis by analysis stage. Can't make up my mind. I'll be doing general auto maintenance and a lot of work on motorcycles. Wondering how the Tuffshield looks after a few months in a "working" garage. A dollar extra per tile seems a little steep, but it sure looks nice. Thoughts?

James

 

[shovelhead91701]

I think you may have answered your own question! What do you think it will look like in a working garage a little down the road? I looked at the product as well personally but I do not have a "display" garage so I was afraid of spending the bucks and have it look like hell in a short period of time.

 

[RaceDeck1]

I have four of each tile sitting connected on my garage floor. I think I'm in that paralysis by analysis stage. Can't make up my mind. I'll be doing general auto maintenance and a lot of work on motorcycles. Wondering how the Tuffshield looks after a few months in a "working" garage. A dollar extra per tile seems a little steep, but it sure looks nice. Thoughts?

James

The patent TuffShield flooring is very durable, as it is not a paint or decal but rather a thick glossy layer molded into the flooring. With that said, it will take a beating but if you do manage scratch it, like any glossy finish item, you will see the scratch more easily than a satin finish, like the original RaceDeck flooring.
You will find our TuffShield flooring in many commercial applications where 100's of people a day traffic through, rolling equipment across, and so on that have been there for years and still look great.
We are happy to send you free samples too

 

[kngelv]

The patent TuffShield flooring is very durable, as it is not a paint or decal but rather a thick glossy layer molded into the flooring. With that said, it will take a beating but if you do manage scratch it, like any glossy finish item, you will see the scratch more easily than a satin finish, like the original RaceDeck flooring.
You will find our TuffShield flooring in many commercial applications where 100's of people a day traffic through, rolling equipment across, and so on that have been there for years and still look great.
We are happy to send you free samples too

Jorgen... You guys have already sent me samples. That's what I've been looking at every day for the past two weeks. The colors I have are the Royal Blue and Graphite. I already have a pattern in mind but am still debating whether to get the Tuffshield. Thanks.

James

 

[MJA502]

I will also be doing general automotive work, engine and trans swaps,modifications etc. I don't do welding so thats not a problem for me. I chose RaceDeck mostly because I didn't want to go thru the mess of grinding the floor. I also tend to move sooner than I think, so I could take it along. I thought the Tuffshield would be a little to glossy( too fancy) for a working floor, but after seeing the sample I went with that and am glad i did. Just did it so I can't tell you how its gonna hold up. Time will tell.

 

[danieldolin]

I can tell you that I did not consider the tough shield, that said the regular diamond tiles have a much nicer finish in person than what shows up in pictures. Much glossier than I thought. After owning for about 6 months now, it is holding up great and I would not have wanted anything more shinny. I already spend way too much time sweeping and mopping to keep it looking great, I can only imagine how OCD I would be if i had gotten the tuff shield.

 

[Bonefishmak]

I can tell you that I did not consider the tough shield, that said the regular diamond tiles have a much nicer finish in person than what shows up in pictures. Much glossier than I thought. After owning for about 6 months now, it is holding up great and I would not have wanted anything more shinny. I already spend way too much time sweeping and mopping to keep it looking great, I can only imagine how OCD I would be if i had gotten the tuff shield.

Interesting.....I was going to do TuffShield which I really like. I wish I would have had a regular sample sent to compare. At the time I was going either TuffShield or the flow tile. I'm not doing the flow for sure. Just not for me. So it's TuffShield or the regular diamond. Got any pics of your garage?

 

[AmericanGarageFloor]

Let me start by saying we do not sell RaceDeck. I have no intent of hijacking this thread. Racedeck is good product and has established a reputation for themselves in the industry.

If I were ordering a RaceDeck garage for my floor and if it was a working garage I would not go with the TuffShield. I would go with the Diamond. I do not doubt the companies position as far as the resilience of the product. I can tell you from what I have seen that the (any manufacturers) high gloss products look worse after a period of time than the standard products.

If you are going to go with a high gloss do some abrasion resistance testing and see if and how quickly the looks change. I have looked at thousands of tiles in my day and a shiny product LOOKS more beat up than the others.

Now if I was parking my Corvette or classic car we would be having a different conversation

Just my honest opinion.
American Garage Floor

 

[kngelv]

Haven't ordered them yet. Still debating the extra cost.

James

 

[Bonefishmak]

Ah...yeah I've debated for a year. I'm tired of debating and getting ready to move forward...

 

[chickenhauler]

I can't comment on the TuffShield, but I've abused my RaceDeck diamond for 9 months now and just made an order to replace some casualties. Some suffered from welding splatter, a few from dropped items leaving puncture wounds, but most are from hot items that were either torched off or fell after cutting.

The rest has held up impressively well, despite gritty rust being ground into them, and at times, having a layer of oil dry crunching on them while pulling transmissions. I'm downsizing the free flow tile area, because #1, it's hurts to kneel on them, and #2 rust and grit get into them and don't hose out very easily.

I'm very happy with my Racedeck, and the only gripe I have is that low lying areas that will puddle water will appear dry, but if I sit down on them, the water wicks up through the seams into my pants. If I had good slope on my floor, I'm sure that wouldn't be an issue.

 

[danieldolin]

Interesting.....I was going to do TuffShield which I really like. I wish I would have had a regular sample sent to compare. At the time I was going either TuffShield or the flow tile. I'm not doing the flow for sure. Just not for me. So it's TuffShield or the regular diamond. Got any pics of your garage?

I don't have any picks on my iPad to share, but do a quick search on my other theads, plenty of pics. I am also currently thr 5th picture on the racedeck gallery page on their website, though that changes as they post new pics!

 

[Bonefishmak]

I don't have any picks on my iPad to share, but do a quick search on my other theads, plenty of pics. I am also currently thr 5th picture on the racedeck gallery page on their website, though that changes as they post new pics!

Found some pics and your floor looks good! Think I'm going diamond and call it a day. It looks to be shiny enough as I was looking at TuffShield but, that might be overkill as I review. I'll just get some of the restore and cleaner you noted in another thread. Do not see it listed on the RaceDeck site but, I'll order it after I get my flooring installed...

Saves me a few nickels to for some other things I need to do to the garage.

I need to get a price on the lighting too that RD just came out with. That could be pretty cool.


Thanks!