White Floor. Epoxy, porcelain or TuffShield?

[cautionjump]

Hey guys,

Ive been agonizing over this for a while, so hopefully someone can help push me in the right direction...

I have a 900 square foot garage. Its about 20 years old and it just bare concrete. Its going to be a working garage with moderate traffic. I want a durable, glossy white floor.

Initially I was going to go with a white epoxy. However Im worried about durability and upkeep. If I did decide to go with a porcelain tile later, then all the epoxy would have to be removed, especially if I switched because the epoxy was failing.

I like the RaceDeck tuff shield, but as the floor would be all white, Im mostly worried about how durable the tile would be and if there would be discoloration over time...

Ive really been torn on the porcelain. I love the look of white glossy tiles, but Im sure they would be slippery, even with an etch coating. The garage also has quite a few crack isolation joints to deal with, and of course if I laid the tiles down myself, hours of fun. I do think this option would be the most durable, and best looking if I could lay the tiles myself correctly....

So any advice?

Thanks!

Eric

 

[bdamico]

What would McLaren do?

 

[cautionjump]

haha McLaren was actually my inspiration for going with white tile...

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

If you go epoxy here is your system.....
White primer
White 100%solids epoxy
White pigmented urethane
Clear urethane.

It will look good and hold up nicely.


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[Garage Flooring]

Here is an article on our site that shows a Rust Bullet white floor in its various stages. They ended up using flake as well. Some cool shots of some model planes too

 

[pinkerton]

i vote white epoxy - urethane over the top for more protection and shine

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Good link for a white floor: White Epoxy Garage Floor

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_tid=331521&share_fid=20318&share_type=t


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[Armorpoxy]

We sell tons of white floors, mostly for aircraft hangar use.

 

[James-W]

For me, it helps to list the pros and cons when trying to decide on something.

Personally, I like the porcelain idea but the cost is going to be VERY high, especially if you hire it done. But doing a floor that large yourself is not something that I would tackle. A small bathroom, maybe, but not a floor that large.

 

[PoorOwner]

To set polished tiles over 900 square feet like in the picture above, if you are not a professional tile setter I would not attempt to DIY. Expect to spend about $10-$12 per square feet ($10K in tiles alone) plus labor.

 

[Angelfire]

Different options will obviously entail different costs. Porcelain is often disparaged because of it's cost yet if you shop around, you can find some really good deals on the stuff. You are correct in that polished would be more slippery than say one that had a bit of texture to it. Here's one that seems to have a decent wet coefficient:

https://www.builddirect.com/Porcela...Polished/ProductDisplay_6933_p1_10101033.aspx

Of course, it's running around $4-5/SF which for my blood is quite expensive (although not the $10-12 mentioned above). Shop around as you never know what you might find. I ultimately had settled on a tile from the outfit linked above but their price was just too much. Patience paid off and I got it on a clearance from them for a fraction of what I saw them originally advertise it as. Also, if you order from them, call them to place the order....they'll work with you on shipping....saved a few hundred by just calling.

Cheers.

 

[f1swk]

ceramic tiles every time,epoxy is not a long term option,after it a while it looks ****,then you have grind it off to lay tiles.

 

[bdamico]

To set polished tiles over 900 square feet like in the picture above, if you are not a professional tile setter I would not attempt to DIY. Expect to spend about $10-$12 per square feet ($10K in tiles alone) plus labor.

Think that quote is a little dramatic. Seen polished porcelain pei 5 tile at $2/ft

 

[Cave Creek Ray]

My Home Depot 2x4 tiles were $2 sqft new. They are now on markdown at $1.50 a sqft and there is a white version of that tile that is nice. Friendly when wet unless you have sponges on your feet like flip flops or cheap sandals.

Grout was $1 a sqft .

Labor is a good half of the install. Its good I work so cheap. I couldn't afford to hire myself.

 

[XAMfed]

My Home Depot 2x4 tiles were $2 sqft new. They are now on markdown at $1.50 a sqft and there is a white version of that tile that is nice. Friendly when wet unless you have sponges on your feet like flip flops or cheap sandals.

Grout was $1 a sqft .

Labor is a good half of the install. Its good I work so cheap. I couldn't afford to hire myself.

what tiles did you go with?

 

[Trey T]

Great choice of color. I have beige in my garage and I wished I chose white instead.

 

[japsfinest]

I tried the rust-o-leum tint base with white coloring and clear coat. It was horrible, I am sure that ist was user error but the clear turned all kinds of yellow as well as had a hard time cleaning it. After 2 months I had to rent a diamond plate finder and shaved the paint off and had to re do it.

I would love to have a white garage but I have a bad taste after my first experience.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi, white is a tough color for a garage. If you do want to do white its mandatory to topcoat with a white pigmented non yellowing topcoat. We carry this for anyone who wants a beautiful white floor.

 

[Onesip]

I have a 850sf garage I'm getting tiled right now... materials are in, tile guys come out on Saturday. Hopefully it will be done by the middle of next week. I found tile at $0.67/sf at Lowes, but I wasn't being too picky either with color or size. The tile option is not going to be cheap, but it doesn't have to be outrageous either. Labor is going to be your biggest cost. But tilling doesn't have to be more expensive then a higher end professionally installed epoxy floor. You are looking for a specific color of tile, so that's going to make things more expensive since you need to be selective. But, white tile would look bad ***!

http://www.lowes.com/pd/Style-Selections-Calacatta-8-Pack-White-Porcelain-Floor-and-Wall-Tile-Common-18-in-x-18-in-Actual-17-75-in-x-17-75-in/3806705