Tile around door and oil tank question

[moverton99]

Newly retired. Finally rehabbing the garage. Decided to use plastic tile because there are oil stains that have been there for years and probably sunk deep into the concrete. I worry about any coating adhering to it even if cleaned up. And I can do the whole job without a contractor. $
Two spots I'm not sure how to handle with tile.

1. Around the door's sunken ledge. The doors close into a 3/4" depression in the concrete (marked in red). The edging would end at the edge of the depression. But that leaves me with a 3" gap to the left and right of the door (marked in green). Not sure how to trim those out without leaving an exposed edge on the sides of the door. Also, seems like it would require me to cut 1/2 tiles (blue rectangle) across the rest of the front of the garage.
(not clear in picture but space between blue rectangle and wall is raised concrete about 3" high)
Am I thinking about this right?


Oil tank is probably easier. Just what to do around it's feet. Just cut out circles? But then how would you get the tile in place. Can't lift the tank. Maybe cut the tile in two through the hole???

 

[Firebrick43]

It is very likely that you will be forced to remove the oil tank in the next few years. Insurance companies around here are only allowing outdoor twin wall tanks and even then they are jacking up rates. If you don't put in the new tank they drop you.

Most are choosing to switch to propane.

 

[moverton99]

It is very likely that you will be forced to remove the oil tank in the next few years. Insurance companies around here are only allowing outdoor twin wall tanks and even then they are jacking up rates. If you don't put in the new tank they drop you.

Most are choosing to switch to propane.

Interesting. I'll look into it.

 

[Gutman]

Without seeing the whole tank and piping configuration, it's hard to say, but might loosening some pipe clamps and using a floor jack or bottle jack to bump it up 1/4" to 1/2" to slip tile under it work?

 

[moverton99]

Without seeing the whole tank and piping configuration, it's hard to say, but might loosening some pipe clamps and using a floor jack or bottle jack to bump it up 1/4" to 1/2" to slip tile under it work?

Maybe, but it's plumbed in with inflexible pipes to furnace. I just thought maybe there was some common solution for things like poles or support beams.

 

[mike93lx]

It is very likely that you will be forced to remove the oil tank in the next few years. Insurance companies around here are only allowing outdoor twin wall tanks and even then they are jacking up rates. If you don't put in the new tank they drop you.

Most are choosing to switch to propane.

I havent heard of this. Much of new England is on oil for heat and outdoor tanks won't work in the winter very well, at least without some form of heater. Every house I have seen with oil has the tank in the basement

 

[moverton99]

For oil tank issue... I called a tile company; they said the common way was to cut the hole and then cut the tile side to side and install in two pieces.

 

[mike93lx]

For oil tank issue... I called a tile company; they said the common way was to cut the hole and then cut the tile side to side and install in two pieces.

If the tile has enough flex, you may be able to cut the hole and then make a single cut to an edge

 

[Firebrick43]

I havent heard of this. Much of new England is on oil for heat and outdoor tanks won't work in the winter very well, at least without some form of heater. Every house I have seen with oil has the tank in the basement

Many were buried tanks outside the house here but the insurance company cracked down on them 15 plus years ago. We won’t even fill them any more due to liability and haven’t for 10 plus years.

Most all of them left are in the basement as well but the cost of a double wall tank that the insurance company is mandating to keep coverage is the deciding factor not the fact that it’s outside. The insurance companies are worried about the remediation cost of contained soil or wells if there is a leak. Same with old in-ground single post lifts.

The refined fuel driver has gone from around 300 home heat tanks 5 years ago to less than 30 now and a corresponding uptick in propane.

Not sure why it needs a heater? We have over a thousand of on road and off road tanks outside without issue. They are requiring new ones to be double wall as well, open dikes are being phased out due to issues with water filling them and required disposal if contamination is present but to many just drain them on the ground.

Heating oil is winter blend off road diesel here.

We have to put little heated sheds over the DEF tanks however.

 

[mike93lx]

Not sure why it needs a heater?

Single digit, or lower temps, is what comes to mind. How do you keep it flowing when sitting outside like that in the dead of winter?

I'm no expert in this, but know that diesel can gel at ~10 degrees

 

[Al G]

For that section next to the door, yes, cut the tiles to fill in. Don't get hung up on the exposed edge. It won't really be noticeable. Remember it's a garage, not a living room.

 

[SkinnyG]

In my garage, I only ran the edging in front of the garage door. On the other side of the rails I cut tiles to fill to the wall.

I don't think it would be a problem to cover over the end of that sunken ledge. I seriously doubt you'd be walking or placing anything on top of it.

 

[PCustoms]

Single digit, or lower temps, is what comes to mind. How do you keep it flowing when sitting outside like that in the dead of winter?

I'm no expert in this, but know that diesel can gel at ~10 degrees

Winter blend or K1

 

[moverton99]

In my garage, I only ran the edging in front of the garage door. On the other side of the rails I cut tiles to fill to the wall.

I don't think it would be a problem to cover over the end of that sunken ledge. I seriously doubt you'd be walking or placing anything on top of it.

@SkinnyG Thanks. Perfect answer to the issue.