Rubber/Vinyl/PVC interlocking tile questions.

[Arkive]

I have a mostly new (1 year old) 1600 sqft garage that I was considering porcelain tile for a while, but for a few reasons have changed my mind. I'm now considering rubber/vinyl/PVC tile. I have a few questions:

1) What is the expected actual lifetime of these products? In my case we'll park our cars and I'll use it as a wood shop. At this price I'm looking for a lifetime solution (25+ with no issues other than cleaning). The garage will be temp/humidity controlled (mini-split) with no sustained direct sunlight, if that factors.

2) How much of a concern is moisture under the tile (no floor drain) if the only moisture the garage will see is from vehicles pulling in from the rain/snow? Tufflock seems to be tops in this category but is too expensive.

3) Rubber, vinyl, or PVC? Which, and why?

4) I want an attractive tile with a preferably hidden interlock for the tiles. Is this achievable for at/under $4 sqft?

In addition to that, has anyone who's gone with these regretted their decision in the slightest, or have some info you've gleaned for potential buyers like me? Thank you.

 

[CJDave]

Matching the flooring to intended usage is important. I have 500 SF of RaceDeck Free Flow in my garage and I love it. No complaints after 6 years.
The Free Flow might be the wrong choice for a wood shop but RaceDeck solid tiles seem to be options for your use. CJDave.

 

[SteveL]

Interested to follow this as I’m thinking of going the same route. Armopoxy has a 5.5mm tile with hidden seams and two different textures that I just found last night. $3.95/sqft so it’s in your budget. I am going to call to see if these would be appropriate for my use considering I do have a floor drain in one bay and wash inside during the winter months. The leather texture version would be ideal for your wood shop. I have a basement wood shop and yes, saw dust can be a *****.

 

[mepstein]

One way to get a lot of info is to get some full size samples and test them in your garage.

 

[CJDave]

I went with Free Flow mostly due to her DD dragging in the rain, slush, snow, ice and whatever else. All of that melts through the slots and drains under the tiles and to the overhead door. My classic Mustang resides in the other half of the garage and when I want to wash and detail the Mach 1 I put her DD in the driveway and put the Mach 1 in the center of the garage. There I can wash it without splashing the walls and stay out of the sunlight. After washing, I use the leftover wash solution to give the tiles a light brushing and hose rinse. Easy peasy.
The Free Flow would, I think, be ok in a wood shop with a thorough vacuuming after each session. Good luck. CJDave.

 

[Armorpoxy]

HI, our www.supratile.com comes with a lifetime warranty and in almost 20 years of selling them we have yet to replace one.

Our tiles are almost 2' square, not 1' size so they have 1/4 the amount of 'joint area' than polypropylene tiles and therefore much less of an opportunity for water to get through a joint. The joints are virtually watertight, we do not get any complaints about moisture or water getting under them. In fact, if you put a piece of paper towel underneath a Suratile joint, the towel will not get wet, the water won't migrate through the joint since the joints are made a few thousandths of an inch larger than they need to be so they need to be hammered together with a rubber mallet which assures an almost waterproof joint.

Pricing on the 4.5mm T-Joint Coin Pattern tiles with GJ discount runs $2.87/sq ft. These tiles are solid, not hollow like most tiles and therefore are much quieter to walk on.

Attached is a photo of a recent firehouse completed with Supratile.

We use these in industrial forklift and firehouse applications, so residential applications are not an issue.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I have a mostly new (1 year old) 1600 sqft garage that I was considering porcelain tile for a while, but for a few reasons have changed my mind. I'm now considering rubber/vinyl/PVC tile. I have a few questions:

1) What is the expected actual lifetime of these products? In my case we'll park our cars and I'll use it as a wood shop. At this price I'm looking for a lifetime solution (25+ with no issues other than cleaning). The garage will be temp/humidity controlled (mini-split) with no sustained direct sunlight, if that factors.

2) How much of a concern is moisture under the tile (no floor drain) if the only moisture the garage will see is from vehicles pulling in from the rain/snow? Tufflock seems to be tops in this category but is too expensive.

3) Rubber, vinyl, or PVC? Which, and why?

4) I want an attractive tile with a preferably hidden interlock for the tiles. Is this achievable for at/under $4 sqft?

In addition to that, has anyone who's gone with these regretted their decision in the slightest, or have some info you've gleaned for potential buyers like me? Thank you.

Rigid tiles generally keep moisture from being trapped and will not stain from tires. We have TrueLock HDXT in stock and also offer RaceDeck and others

 

[wags999]

What is GJ discount ? Is this a floating floor or glue down ? Looks interesting especially if you can eliminate grinding on a new floor. How would it hold up in our hot Arizona summers? Does it fade in sunlight? So many questions LOL..

 

[frankd]

I did a ton of research and ended up going with Garagedeck from bigfloors.com. One thing that I noticed is that many of these tiles sold by different brands are identical and actually are made in the same factory. I cant comment on free flow tiles as mine are solid but I will give you my experience.

If you are using this as a woodshop or if you plan on doing any "real" work in the garage I wouldnt recommend interlocking rigid plastic tiles. While I am happy with mine, I do notice some drawbacks:
- The joints between the tiles are not super tight so any standing water/fluid will seep through the joints and onto the garage floor. So if you spill oil or any other fluid you dont want on the concrete, you have to pull up the tiles which is a HUGE pain in the *** and hard to do without damaging at least the first tile. On the flip side, because its not super tight, the floor does "breath" a bit but I can tell you that any water that gets under the tile takes several days to dry unless you live in a very dry climate. when I'm doing any sort of work that I think might make a mess, I put a tarp down first to catch any fluids.
- The gaps between the tile will collect small amounts of dirt/saw dust so if you're using it as a woodshop, I would imagine that it'll be difficult to clean.
- When exposed to sun/heat the tiles WILL expand and at least in my case they will lift off the ground/buckle. I left PLENTY of space (1 inch +) around the perimeter of the garage for expansion but it still buckles. I think what's happening is that the little plastic "feet" under the tile get caught on the floor (rather than sliding across the floor when expanding) and don't allow for the expansion.

The reason I went with the rigid tile floor is because the concrete in my garage is 70 years old and patched, stained, pitted, etc. If it were in good shape I probably would have just gone with a sealer or epoxy if I had the cash.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi we offer a lifetime warranty and in almost 20 years have never replaced a failed tile.

 

[CJDave]

IIRC RaceDeck advertises their tile joints are tight enough that water doesn't seep through them. My Free Flow is 25' x 20' and I see no expansion/contraction with about 3/4" gap. I have had spills on the tiles and with the Free Flow obviously the spill goes through to the floor. Depending upon the liquid spilled I chase it with soap and water and flush with bucket or hose. CJDave.

 

[kngelv]

I have two samples of GarageDeck and two samples of RaceDeck. Yes they are made by the same company but they are not the same tiles. If you look at the underside you will see that the substructure and locking mechanisms are completely different. The RaceDeck is more secure and locks in much, much tighter. Thus the seams are tighter. If you lift the two connected GarageDeck tiles off the ground one of the tiles will lean down exposing a gap between the two while doing the same with RaceDeck will result in barely any movement. The big difference is the locking mechanism and tightness of seams. The RaceDeck also has a beefier underside.

James