Your thoughts on VCT?

[The Frisco Kid]

I'm not looking for trendy or "style points" but I've got about 700 ft^2 of garage to put some type of flooring down. I've looked at stain and densifier, but I keep coming back to VCT. It can be found in the .20 a ft^2 range if you find it on clearance and wouldn't take a huge chunk out of my wallet. What are your thoughts? Durability & looks?

 

[JimVonBaden]

Works for me. It is reasonably durable, not slippery, and cleans up easily. I even do some lite welding on mine uncovered. (I do use a metal drip pan directly below the welding.)

Were I to do it again I would probably go with porcelain, but this is a cheap alternative that works well.

Jim

 

[FRS FAN]

I'm really drawn to this VCT idea too. It seems so cost effective and durable. I'm obviously comparing Racedeck, Epoxy and VCT.

How well does VCT hold up in cold temperatures? I'm in Canada where it hits -20 even -30 celcious in the winter.... I'm concerned about the tiles lifting in the cold???

Any input on this? (I may or may not heat my garage)

 

[mattthomas4444]

I'm pretty interested in VCT as well. Also being from Canada, I'm wondering if melting snow and water from cars will cause tiles to lift.

Matt

 

[HiHoSilver]

Use a good quality adhesive, you will not have any problems with lifting. I wash my cars while in the garage on a regular basis. I installed the tile in 2008.
There are several threads about this very topic, just do a simple search on VCT.

 

[bdamico]

meh...

 

[bobscogin]

Use a good quality adhesive, you will not have any problems with lifting.

Do you recall which adhesive you used?

Bob

 

[bobscogin]

What are your thoughts? Durability & looks?

I like it. VCT is under utilized in garages in my opinion. I like the ability to change individual damaged tiles, and to do patterns for appearance.

Bob

 

[Ch3No2]

Has anyone used the Tarkett spray on glue?...I am hearing it is mandated by WalMart when the flooring sub does one of their stores

 

[GShelton]

I was considering vct as well, and but I have backed away from the idea due to the fact that tires will stain it brown.

 

[Chuck W.]

I installed 900+ sq ft in my garage five years ago. The photos are from last September when I freshened it up after more than 4 1/2 years. I park four cars in it and it gets a lot of traffic. The brown tire marks are a PITA. I replaced 50 tiles that were marred, stained or installed over an area that was not prepped correctly.

These floors are not for everyone. They take some cleaning and polishing to keep them looking right. I bought a high speed buffer and clean and polish it once a week.

 

[Matt M PA]

One day I am going to do VCT in my detached. A friend of mine has had VCT in his abused shop floor for over 30 years. It's never been polished. So, it's dull...but it's wearing like iron. I also had VCT in some areas in our office building and held up very well.

When I do mine, I doubt I'll polish it to look like the above (which is beautiful). Tire stains? They're no more unsightly than the tire pull/marks on my floor done with concrete stain. (I got great referals about the product I used, too)

When the time comes, I'll likely use just one color...or maybe do some sort of design with a different color where cars park.

I'm not looking for a shiny shoowroom floor...just something that looks good and is easy to keep clean.

In my opinion...the durability and cost make VCT the best choice.

 

[SteveB]

I live in the Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada. My VCT floor has held up well since I installed it in July, 2006. My garage is insulated but not heated. One car is stored for the winter while the other is driven year round.

I have had no tiles lift, crack or need replacing. Tires will quickly stain the tile surface so I used a darker colour for the areas directly under our vehicles.

Every three years I rent a polisher from Home Depot and strip the finish before applying two fresh coats of liquid polish. This spring I am considering a permanent finish such as BondTite 1115 for my floor.

VCT was a cheap, easily installed product that nicely covered a stained 15 year old concrete floor.

Here are some photos of my install.
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/281382/1996-mazda-miata-mx-5/page-14/

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

What about a radiant heated floor. Cold/warm/hot in the winter? Oil and gear lube getting between the tiles and loosening them? Any problems with that?

How do the tiles hold up to floor jacks and jack stands? Do they dent? Chip easy?

Other than apparently getting "brown" from the tires ... what are the downsides?

 

[JimVonBaden]

Mine has only been down a year, but it is holding up well. If you strip and seal it after installation tire staining is not that bad. Stick with dark tiles where the tires will typically rest. My motorcycle tires do not stain the tile, only my car when parked hot.

Jim

 

[SteveB]

Jack stands will leave permanent outline marks on VCT. I have some thin metal panels or carpet pieces I place on the tiles for such situations. If you aren't concerned about keeping your floor pretty such precautions aren't necessary.

For me the downsides are cosmetic. Anything I have spilled or dragged across my floor was wiped up or cleaned with a wet sponge mop, leaving no visible damage. I don't use electric polishers for routine cleaning but am happy with the overall look of my floor. The brown tire stains are there but on a darker tile not nearly as apparent

What sort of work will you be doing in your garage? I don't have heavy machinery, welding gear, that sort of thing. My garage is used for general car maintenance, winter storage and as a hang out area. VCT works for me.

 

[HiHoSilver]

Do you recall which adhesive you used?

Bob

Armstrong, the tiles are also Armstrong, bought them both from HD

 

[dipper]

I'm pretty interested in VCT as well. Also being from Canada, I'm wondering if melting snow and water from cars will cause tiles to lift.

Matt

It wont cause them to lift, but it will make them slippery.
best bet would be to see if you can use some kind of non-slip additive in the
polish if it's going to be a daily driver in the garage. I've had a few cars on my VCT floor in the winter for repairs and the snow/salt melting was quite slippery. But I don't park a daily driver in the garage for the winter so it's not bad.

 

[Cobra4B]

If I ever did a floor in my particular garage it'd be VCT. My slab sweats so I don't think any amount of prep would make an epoxy floor stick over time. Actually my sweaty slab is what's kept me from doing VCT as well. That and the fact that every time I get fired up to do the floor I do some work with a welder or plasma cutter and realize I'd screw up anything I put down in short order.

 

[rburke65]

As asked previously, what about a concrete floor with radiant heat? I'm in Ohio. Thanks.

 

[JimVonBaden]

I can't see how radiant heat would be an issue. It isn't like the concrete gets over 150°.

As for slippery. mine only is when I step on my stupid floor mat, the sisel (sp) one. Argggg I need to toos that thing.

Jim

 

[rburke65]

Now that I have heard that about the floor not being any hotter than that, I don't think that the radiant heat would be a concern. Thanks.

 

[Garage Flooring]

Here is a thread where the issue was discussed at length. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=154284

The bottom line for me was that the manufacturer states that it does not have the proper code approvals for use in a garage and that the glue may not hold up to freeze thaw cycles... BUT there are so many people in here that have done it and done it successfully.

Another thing to look at is if you could get some actual tile on clearance someplace in your area. Then you have a floor that's a little slick but will stand up to almost anything.

Of course you could come over to the dark side and look at some products that are actually made for the garage

 

[ChevyShak]

How does VCT hold up to welding splatter? (uncovered) The same question could be asked for Epoxy as well. I'm going to use VCT but have thought about Epoxy clear coating it also. So I'd like to know what the welding splatter would do to both.

 

[JimVonBaden]

How does VCT hold up to welding splatter? (uncovered) The same question could be asked for Epoxy as well. I'm going to use VCT but have thought about Epoxy clear coating it also. So I'd like to know what the welding splatter would do to both.

I've only done a little bit of welding over mine. I use a steel drip pan under it, but some spatter hits the floor. I use a flux core welder, so messy welds.

From my limited experience the small amount of splatter that hit the floor left no noticable marks. I am sure if I welded a lot I would use welding blankets or there would be marks. I have read that nothing short of bare concrete will hold up to heavy weling splatter though.

Jim

 

[bdamico]

I've only done a little bit of welding over mine. I use a steel drip pan under it, but some spatter hits the floor. I use a flux core welder, so messy welds.

From my limited experience the small amount of splatter that hit the floor left no noticable marks. I am sure if I welded a lot I would use welding blankets or there would be marks. I have read that nothing short of bare concrete will hold up to heavy weling splatter though.

Jim

love my porcelain tile on this point

 

[JimVonBaden]

love my porcelain tile on this point

I agree. Were I to do it again, I would go with porcelain tile. I could do it almost as cheap, and it would last longer with less maintenance.

Jim

 

[bochnak]

Mine has only been down a year, but it is holding up well. If you strip and seal it after installation tire staining is not that bad. Stick with dark tiles where the tires will typically rest. My motorcycle tires do not stain the tile, only my car when parked hot.

Jim

Jim,

Do motorcycle kickstands leave any impressions in the VCT?

 

[Garage Flooring]

Jim,

Do motorcycle kickstands leave any impressions in the VCT?

I know with the BLT product we send people an extra 'sample piece' they use under their kickstand... Just take an extra tile, attache some rug grip to the underside and use it for the kickstand... Of course you could always get a 'puck' as well

 

[Chuck W.]

The bottom line for me was that the manufacturer states that it does not have the proper code approvals for use in a garage and that the glue may not hold up to freeze thaw cycles... BUT there are so many people in here that have done it and done it successfully.

Because of the issues with VCT (brown marks from tires & mares from jack stands) and the fact Armstrong never meant for their VCT to be used in the garage, it is no wonder that they say it doesn't have the proper code approval.

But, those issues are a small price to pay for such a versatile and attractive floor.

 

[bobscogin]

Jim,

Do motorcycle kickstands leave any impressions in the VCT?

None of mine have left an "impression", but of course if you push them around with the stand dragging I suppose it would leave scrape marks. Easy enough to place something resilient between the stand and tile if you have concerns.

Bob

 

[JimVonBaden]

Jim,

Do motorcycle kickstands leave any impressions in the VCT?

No, not even centerstands on 600 pound bikes. Compression strength is very high on VCT.

Jim

 

[Garage Flooring]

Question for all the vendors out there: Does your tile meet "Code Requirements" and is it approved by an agency? I would think that any floor coating including paints and epoxys would burn in a fire which would be my thought for rejection of not meeting a code.

Generally speaking a code authority does not approve or disapprove a specific product but may require a specific UL test ASTM rating etc. it gets complicated because various areas adopt different codes and different versions of those codes. Then the AHJ has final say locally. The only time we ever had a code issue was NYC board of health when the product was used in a commercial kitchen. The Armstrong issue frankly caught me off guard. I have a hard time believing it is flammable.

 

[regancc]

So here is my question since we are talking VCT...can I glue them to a "big box" cheap epoxy coating or do I have to strip it all off? I was strongly considering a full solids epoxy but am concerned about prep and thought VCT may ease that burden...but if I have to strip all my previous coating off for VCT, I may as well go full solids epoxy...?

Thoughts?

 

[Cobra4B]

I'd go for it... clean and scuff up the epoxy and slap down the VCT.

 

[Garage Flooring]

I'd go for it... clean and scuff up the epoxy and slap down the VCT.

Again, I do not sell this product so I cant make a suggestion. I have a question on yours. With some of our adhesives they are moisture cure and going over a primed substrate creates an issue. Do you think the epoxy would be the same problem with the VCT?

 

[regancc]

Again, I do not sell this product so I cant make a suggestion. I have a question on yours. With some of our adhesives they are moisture cure and going over a primed substrate creates an issue. Do you think the epoxy would be the same problem with the VCT?

Justin,

Is that question directed to me or Cobra?

If me, I am not sure I understand what you are asking...if directed at Cobra, well, then, I guess it makes sense that I don't understand what you are asking! LOL

Chip

PS: I am still looking for anyone's perspective on whether or not the VCT glue will stick to my cheap rustoleum water-based epoxy coat or do I have to strip it all off?

Anyone know?

 

[bobscogin]

I am still looking for anyone's perspective on whether or not the VCT glue will stick to my cheap rustoleum water-based epoxy coat or do I have to strip it all off?
Anyone know?

I'd put my money on the adhesive manufacturer's answer.

Bob

 

[CyclePimps]

These floors are not for everyone. They take some cleaning and polishing to keep them looking right. I bought a high speed buffer and clean and polish it once a week.

@Chuck - with you spending time cleaning/polishing your garage floor every week, how do you find time to clean/polish your BMW F10 (Bimmerfest)?

I've always wondered how many cars you can get into your garage. 4 cars!

 

[Chuck W.]

@Chuck - with you spending time cleaning/polishing your garage floor every week, how do you find time to clean/polish your BMW F10 (Bimmerfest)?

There is always time for the finer things in life.