Thinking about RaceDeck Flooring

[Missile]

This is my first post on Garage Journal. What a great site.

Just finished painting my garage. I would like to finish the floor next. I was think about a 100% solids epoxy covering and I am also considering RaceDeck flooring.

I've read a lot of posts/threads and still have some questions.

I have a four post lift in my garage that is not bolted to the floor (and I have no desire to bolt it).

I've read that some people have issues with the lift sliding on the plastic tiles. Not sure if this is a common occurrence but I was considering buying 4 RacePro tiles (metal topped), 1 for each of the 4 lift posts to rest on. Have others done this or had any experience with the lift sliding or walking on the plastic tiles?

My garage floor is not perfectly level. Should I use floor leveler (kind of like a tile prep) or is the RaceDeck flooring somewhat tolerant of an uneven floor?

Some say the RaceDeck floor will result in a click clack sound as you walk on it. Some use synthetic landscape fabric underlayment and others say there is no need. I figure maybe the different experiences may have to do with how even the floor is or not. Again, this is just speculation, but I'd be curious how other people have dealt with underlayment or not and whether a slightly wavy floor may contribute.

I use my garage as a work shop and regularly use floor jacks, jack stands etc. on the floor. Any real life experiences with the floor becoming dented or damaged from lifting equipment?

 

[James-W]

First off, welcome to the site!

I have Racedeck and I didn't put anything under the tiles. The clicking sound is not very loud and I hardly even notice it, so it is not objectionable to me. Some people seem to feel it is a problem, I don't.

I am certainly no expert on this, but I would think a four post lift would be heavy enough so that it would not slide on the Racedeck floor tiles, at least not very easily. I guess if you ran into the lift with the car, then it would probably move a bit, but barring a mishap, I don't think having the lift move around on its own would be a problem.

 

[Missile]

Thanks James.

 

[James-W]

Epoxy floors look VERY nice too, but there is quite a bit of prep to do before doing the epoxy. If you can do the prep work yourself, it would save you quite a bit of money. You can rent the equipment to do the prep work, but even with the right equipment, it still takes a lot of time and effort to do the job. Still, a lot of members here have done it themselves and it turned out really nice.

 

[CombatNinja]

If the lift doesn't walk on concrete I see no reason it would walk on Race Deck. If it serves you well as is, just get your Race Deck and cut around the bases of the posts, takes like 10 minutes.

Race Deck will be forgiving of an uneven floor to a point. I would say that if you can feel an unevenness if you walk on it in bare feet, it is probably too uneven. I figure the floor can't be that bad if you have a lift on it that is not secured down.

As for the 'clacking' sound of Race Deck, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Maybe if it was installed in a library it would be an issue but it has never bothered me. I decided to forego the fabric underlayment for a couple of reasons. I live in a moist climate and my slab has no vapor barrier so I get a bit of humidity coming up in warm, wet conditions. Second, I went with the Free Flow tiles so I could use a leaf blower to push all the junk out of the garage with the tile in place. I just don't see that working with fabric under there. Had I been going with the solid tiles and live in a drier climate with a vapor barrier down, I may have gone with the fabric. Each shop has its own needs and set of conditions.

 

[mikeyr]

well over a decade with my 4-post on top of Racedeck with no issues.

also no fabric under them, I don't want the fabric to get wet and stay wet, my old garage flooded twice during the time I had the Racedeck...my new garage I hope wont flood with El Nino.

 

[ViperJon]

My garage is more of a show garage than a working garage, although I have and do change oil etc in it. I used the Racedeck "Tuffshield" tiles mainly because of their more glossy appearance. I also used the synthetic agricultural underlayment just in case there was any clacking noise. Really don't know if it helped, but it was $50.00 or less so why not. The Racedeck breathes by virtue of it's design not worried about it staying wet. No water really used in there anyway. The synthetic won't degrade and mold.

When I first installed the RD, the weird sort of hollow sound you make walking across the floor was noticeable by ME. My wife didn't even hear it, my friends didn't. Sort of hard to describe but it's obvious you are walking on plastic. But...6-8 months later I don't even hear it. I mop the floor now and then and use a leaf blower to blow out any debris. It is really maintenance free. I've used floor jacks, jack stands without leaving a mark. Even my cheapo Harbor Freight stands didn't leave a mark.

All in all I'm pleased with the floor and pleased I got the better looking "Tuffshield" tiles. My floor is white and black. Looks great, white gets dirty. I knew that going in so no surprise there. But white tiles may not be the best choice for a real "working" garage.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi, our SupraTile solid PVC polymer tiles are super quiet and make zero noise when walked on and are priced about the same as hollow tiles. They are also about 2' square so they have 1/4 the amount of joints!

See www.supratile.com

 

[Chris05gto]

My 4 post lift isn't bolted down and it doesn't move......BTW I have FreeFlow floor.

 

[Jinks]

My shop area is an add-on at the end of the original house. Part of it was an existing bedroom so there was some difficulties matching floor height & driveway height. There's a little uneven area at the joint that the Racedeck tiles cover well. At the garage door we had to dish the entrance 4" or more. The tiles handle the drop just fine, but at each corner there is a steep decline that the solid tiles wouldn't tolerate. I used free flow tiles at those two points. They conform to the floor just fine.

 

[markz]

Do the freeflow tiles cause a problem for ladies heels? The last thing I need is to install and wifey hates it because she got a heel stuck and feel.

 

[soapii]

Do the freeflow tiles cause a problem for ladies heels? The last thing I need is to install and wifey hates it because she got a heel stuck and feel.

The better question would be......who let her in the garage?

--Joe

 

[TAMPAGT07]

Do the freeflow tiles cause a problem for ladies heels? The last thing I need is to install and wifey hates it because she got a heel stuck and feel.

The better question would be......who let her in the garage?

--Joe

Now wait a second Joe... Women and Heels are allowed in the garage... Just as long as they are laying down on their backs with the heels facing up towards the the ceiling.. When you are done, immediately ****** them into the house...

 

[mikeyr]

why the house, don't you want them to leave after you are done ? if you ****** them into the house they might stay !

(just in case my wife of 37 years is reading this, Hi, of course you can stay)

 

[carreradt]

I installed RaceDeck about a year ago and we love it. 800+sqft, in FL. The doors face to the north, no buckling, no clicking and it looks fantastic. I did put landscaping fabric under half of it and you cannot tell the difference. Much better to walk on with or without shoes than bare concrete. I do car mx on it and it cleans up easily with Simple Green. I cannot tell you how many people have stopped and commented on it and wanted more info about it. People are attracted to my floor, I swear. We just love it, makes the garage look like a showroom and brightens it up. Zero negatives!