Flooring

[subie_dude05]

Looking for some reviews or at least opinions. I am planning on outfitting my garage this summer into a proper work space and not just a forgotten parking spot. I have most of it worked out but the flooring. It seems like it can be tricky since it will be seeing most of the abuse from hot tires and jacks...etc. what option sounds good?

 

1)

http://www.racedeck.com/residentialgarageflooring.html

 

2)

http://www.griotsgarage.com/product/grooved+garage+floor+mat.do?sortby=ourPicks

 

3)

http://www.ucoatit.com/2011web/pages/systems-for-residential.htm

 

Thanks!

[froggert]

i've got motofloor tile in my garage and like it a lot. when we moved two years ago, i just picked up all the tiles and brought them to the new house. imo epoxy looks the nicest, but is the most work to put down. prep is key. check out http://www.garagejournal.com.

[Wicked]

I hope to finish my small garage (16 X 20) this summer and will be looking for flooring ideas. I really like the options the Racedeck offers.

[subie_dude05]

Froggert thanks for the link!

 

I think the epoxy is the best looking but I also like the protection of the tiles. I might see if I can epoxy the entire floor and racedeck the part where the car sits.

[Gmachine]

Just cleaned up the winter crud off my Racedeck floor. Put it down a few years ago and it still looks good. No problems using a floor jack. I do place a board under the jack stand as a precaution.

Epoxy floors is all about the prep work. When done right it does look great.

[subie_dude05]

good, glad to hear it is durable. I see it is rated for something crazy like 80,000 lbs.

[Claw]

How does winter crud affect Racedeck? Does water seep into gaps?

 

Winter here is harsh.. -30C any given day... roads are sanded (but not salted) so there's a lot of crap that gets left behind.

 

Would I have to lift every tile up in the spring time and clean?

[subie_dude05]

From what I can see, yes. It looks like it would have to be pulled up once a season or something.

[jasejase]

Having installed (and removed) race deck at a buddy's house, i would choose option 2 or 3. (actually, i would leave it concrete!).

 

As people above have said, all sorts of stuff gets in the openings of race deck. You can vacuum some of it up, but once a year, you reallllly need to take it all up to get the subfloor properly cleaned.

 

I'm a fan of doing somethign once, and not having to worry about it again where possible. The Race deck looks cool, but i wouldnt want to pull it up once a year. I like the idea of a solid piece floor, with no cracks or crevices.

 

I personally have concrete flooring in my garage, with about 15 carpet squares ready to throw down when im on the ground.

[subie_dude05]

Good point, that might be a pain. I think i am leaning towards coating the concrete.

[froggert]

i just leave the stuff underneath the tiles. out of sight, out of mind.

[jasejase]

you get enough stuff down there, it will start to take on it's own life form every time it gets wet...

 

(talking about the floor still)

[Gmachine]

I have both solid and free flow tiles on either side of my garage. The free flow definitely let's a lot of stuff get under. The other side with solid coin top remains pretty clean underneath.

 

I will probably replace the free flow with solid tiles for lower maintenance . The only thing that really gets under the tiles are lost insects. Chase a cricket to the edge and it will dive underneath forever.

[stm25rs]

I actually used to work for an industrial flooring company, doing engineering/product development, and have experience installing a lot of different flooring systems as well. Once I buy a house and have a garage, I plan on doing a coating.

 

I don't have any personal experience with the residential brands, but if it's worth anything, Rust-Oleum is part of the same parent company as the flooring company I worked for. I quit that job for a variety of reasons, but I can say without reservations that they had great products.

 

As others have said, good prep is key. I see you're in York, PA...I live in Towson, MD, so if you go the coating route and need some help, let me know.

 

Floor coatings are most commonly epoxy or urethane based - good overview here. They can also be methylmethacrylate (MMA), but the only real advantage there is rapid cure for limited install windows.

[subie_dude05]

Hey, I appreciate the link and thanks for the offer! I will keep that in mind. I am glad to hear some confidence in the coatings route, I have heard some horror stories but I think the majority of it was prep not done right.

[ClimberDHexMods]

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-77753-Flooring-2-Feet-20-Feet/dp/B004RP3AW4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1RLZBRC9TVZTW&coliid=IE1ZHDJQTEZRA]http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-77753-Flooring-2-Feet-20-Feet/dp/B004RP3AW4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1RLZBRC9TVZTW&coliid=IE1ZHDJQTEZRA[/ame]

 

I've been considering something like this: [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-77753-Flooring-2-Feet-20-Feet/dp/B004RP3AW4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1RLZBRC9TVZTW&coliid=IE1ZHDJQTEZRA]http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-77753-Flooring-2-Feet-20-Feet/dp/B004RP3AW4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1RLZBRC9TVZTW&coliid=IE1ZHDJQTEZRA[/ame]

 

Mostly since I could mop it after each project, and not have to worry as much about fluid splashing and such.

[subie_dude05]

That's not a bad deal either.

[Dodik]

light color epoxy, yellow, orange, lime green basically seal the concrete from oil and gas and give it a color that when you drop a tiny nut, pin, clip etc you dont have to look for it for the next hour or so.

[jasejase]

I have a magnetic broom in my garage. Works great for lost parts!

[subie_dude05]

Me too, it works well if you have a good idea where it went. A lime green floor would keep it interesting. Lol. I like the light color idea also for dirt and stuff, so I can see how much is there.

[thefultonhow]

Old thread, but I put this stuff down in my garage:

 

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/g-floor-garage-floor-cover-protector-10-39-x-22-39/144557.ip?navAction=push

 

Super easy install (just roll out and cut to fit), and fairly durable and resilient -- seems like ripples and the like from moving stuff around mostly fix themselves. Also easy to clean, and easy to contain spills due to the ribbing. A downside is that it can be tough on your knees if you kneel on it. The only other problem with it in my garage is the floor does not slope properly, so we get huge puddles of snowmelt that don't flow out.

[jasejase]

I just use carpet squares. I have a stack of them. I throw em down when I need to get down on the concrete.

[ClimberDHexMods]

Old thread, but I put this stuff down in my garage:

 

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/g-floor-garage-floor-cover-protector-10-39-x-22-39/144557.ip?navAction=push

 

Super easy install (just roll out and cut to fit), and fairly durable and resilient -- seems like ripples and the like from moving stuff around mostly fix themselves. Also easy to clean, and easy to contain spills due to the ribbing. A downside is that it can be tough on your knees if you kneel on it. The only other problem with it in my garage is the floor does not slope properly, so we get huge puddles of snowmelt that don't flow out.

 

How does this hold up when you jack up the car or use jack stands? Does it gouge or return to normal after?

 

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk

[thefultonhow]

How does this hold up when you jack up the car or use jack stands? Does it gouge or return to normal after?

 

The jack doesn't deform it at all. Jack stands put indentations in it, but they seem to go away after a day or two. I've only had it down for a few months, though -- we'll see how it does as it gets older. My father-in-law has had it down for years now, but he doesn't work on cars.

[subie_dude05]

http://garagejournal.com/forum/

 

Great site for info on garage additions. Many reviews and ideas.