Garage Flooring

[andrewh]

I am trying to work out the best, and most value of money solution to covering my concrete flooring in the garage. Its a big garage, so things start to get expensive. About 90m 2. I have looked at painting it with a 2 pack made by a company called Watco. The only problem with this is apparently the floor needs grinding to remove the concete latence which produces the dust. Well apart from the hard work this will entail, the dust in the garage will be a lot as far as I can see. The grinding machines are not easily available either. Next up comes the various plastic tile companies, but they seem so expensive for effectively plastic. About £4000 to cover the floor. Has anyone sorted this conundrum out and found a solution? Or a reasonable source of the tiles?

[mgcjag]

Well timed Andrew....was looking at this myself....but have no answer yet....my concrete is very crumbly on top....was thinking of a self leveler top coat.....but no decision yet.....prefer a simple roll out vinyl or tiles....

[JagWaugh]

If it's an old floor which is uneven, or heavily oil soaked then you're probably going to struggle with the prep and the cost of any leveler/primer to get a surface to which the paint will stick. Keep an eye out for remaindered exterior floor tiles with a non stick surface - you'll need to work on heavily oil soaked areas, but the adhesive will solve your unevenness, and you won't need to recoat a tiled floor... ever.

[44DHR]

Andrew,
If you did want to paint your floor, you could use Dulux Floorshield as I shown in "My Dream Garage !!!" posted in February 2012 under the "Your Dream Garage" grouping here.
I had looked into having interlocking floor tiles - at least for the front area of the garage - but decided in the end to have the whole area painted. This Dulux Floorshield paint is for workshop floors and is extremely durable and in the event you drop something heavy and chip the floor, it is easily touched up. It required minimal preparation other than a clean level floor which was created by having a self levelling compound applied onto the new concrete once it had fully cured. Over 5 years later it remains as good as new.
I was only going to tile the areas that I did not intend to work on the car as I was concerned at the effect of using jacks on the tiles and getting dirt or oil into any gaps in the tiles. I can see the advantages of displaying cars on a tiled area, but for a work area, I choose to paint the floor.
I do use some grey soft foam interlocking tiles to kneel on - which I got from "Machine Mart" - which are easy to put down when needed, but would be unsuitable to try to jack a car on.
Regards,
Dave

[Simonpfhc]

Hi Andrew,

I went through this exact same process about 8 years ago when I had my garage built. In the end I went for plastic inter-connecting tiles from Dura. In fact I bought all the garage storage units/benches/cupboards from them also. The tiles they provided at the time were similar to quite a few other providers but they were quite competitively priced as they were able to provide me with a "package" price.

Eight years on and they are as good as new. There is no prep work required for the concrete, they do not need gluing or sealing and you can easily lay them all yourself. There is zero dust egress from the concrete, they seem to keep very warm under foot and nothing seems to stain them when spilled.

My next garage floor (when we finally move!) will definitely get the same treatment.

You are more than welcome to pop over for a look if you are ever in Surrey.

Cheers.

[Herzeg]

Andrew

When I had my garage renovated I had a self levelling screed put down on the concrete. I had intended to paint it but it's quite light in colour and didn't bother in the end. My garage is only E-Type plus a fraction in size but it makes it look lighter and bigger. I have a couple of old boys who do the work and it took them no time to do.

There is a picture of it somewhere here posted earlier this year, Feb or March

John

[andrewh]

thanks Chaps. Thats a great response. I laid my floor about 3 years ago, and its not badly affected with oil, surprising given the cars it houses! Watco showed me a oil remover they use for preparation before their epoxy high build coating. I like the finish a great deal and think it could remain bonded for a long while, but its the preparation I am not looking forward to. I also have skirting boards fitted all around the garage ( its going to be an office, holiday let, or gym for the next owner) the skirting boards have a small gap between them and the floor. Perhaps a couple of mm but its surprising how many creepy crawleys find their way through the gap. So tiles would butt up to that and close the gap or else I can fill with a silicone prior to painting. Summer being the time to do this work, one forgets when its winter and the wind blows its amazing what concrete dust gets blown around. I will contact Dura but have always thought of them, to be quite rightly, the Rolls Royce of garage fit out companies. Their products are superb. Simon, did Dura leave an expansion gap around the floor to wall of 5mm?

[neil4444]

I used levelling compound (Wickes fibrous one) on my rough concrete floor then laid sheets of vinyl flooring from costco straight on it ...

http://www.costco.co.uk/view/p/g-floor- ... tor-112281

It stays put without any glue & has been remarkably hard wearing.

It was only £99 a roll when I got it & has almost doubled since.

[andrewh]

Thats a new one on me Neil. Interesting. I guess I would have to have several seams width wise and length wise. Have you found that it stays put when steering cars. I would be a shame for the seams to ruck up or similar?

[neil4444]

I have a single seam running down the centre of garage.
I've not had any problems with creep but I only usually drive straight in & straight out although I do turn the wheels to work on car which hasn't caused any issues.
The only issue I have found with it is if petrol drips on it and gets left for a while it softens a little, but once wiped away it soon seems to recover.
It's been down for 5 years now and still looks good & functions well, although I'm currently installing a 4 post lift which has chewed it a little in places (my fault for dragging things).

[288gto]

Hi Andrew,

I'd been looking at these for mine.

https://duramat.co.uk/product/garage-fl ... ecker-5x3/

No affiliation. 15m Sq for £216 Inc vat so x 6 packs £1300 which to me doesn't seem bad.

Simon

[ralphr1780]

Andrew, if I were to chose today I would trim the choice to 2 options:
1. In terms of durability + ease of maintenance and cleaning, ceramic tiles are difficult to beat, and I guess pretty effective in terms of cost. But this remains a very hard and cold surface.
2. Self levelling epoxy screed, more expensive than the tiles and more technical to apply, seamless, high durability and ease of cleaning and maintenance.

[Gfhug]

I'd be interested to hear from anyone with the floor tiles how good they stand up to the use of trolley jacks and axle stands. Do they allow a trolley jack to move easily when raising/lowering a car? Do you get permanent dents where the jacks or stands have been used, especially for any length of time?

Similar to Steve's comments about oil stains, my garage has old stains that would need either a reliable sealant or digging out before using any floor paint. Again, any experiences of these problems being solved?

Geoff

[JagWaugh]

I'd be interested to hear from anyone with the floor tiles how good they stand up to the use of trolley jacks and axle stands. Do they allow a trolley jack to move easily when raising/lowering a car? Do you get permanent dents where the jacks or stands have been used, especially for any length of time?

Similar to Steve's comments about oil stains, my garage has old stains that would need either a reliable sealant or digging out before using any floor paint. Again, any experiences of these problems being solved?

Geoff

I worked in a ceramic tiled private space for about 5 years. The only damage to the tiles was a small divot when a spring compressor broke while I was taking a saloon front suspension apart - but that also took a chunk out of a wall, bent a rolling toolchest badly enough that that drawer never worked correctly again, and very nearly removed my right knee. Zero problems with positioning jacks, or them chipping the tiles, or soaked in oil. Cleanup with a powerwasher and a rotary brush head was a doddle.

The place I work in now has a professionally coated epoxy floor which is about 10-15 years old now. Pretty hard wearing, but it is a lot more slippery than the ceramic tiles if you get coolant, soap, or lubricant on it. It's got a bit of wear in some of the high traffic area, and near the lathe. Cleans up with a squeegee and soap (also a doddle).

[Simon P]

I've got one painted garage floor (standard 'garage grey' from B&Q/Wickes) and one with interlocking foam tiles (Rolson, I think, from Halfords). Very happy with both. The painted floor is pretty durable. I think I've repainted it once in 12 years or so because it was starting to looking a little tired (the integrale has so much grip its tyres can pull paint off the floor ). The foam tiles are also excellent - cheap and fitted in next to no time. The foam does compress slightly over time under the weight of the car, but this is actually quite a good thing because if you're tight for space like me it provides a sensory cue as to when you're back in the correct position (it also helps with the OCD ). The foam tiles are also excellent for lying on if life all gets a bit much.

Both tiles and paint are great for spotting any fluid leaks or for making sure nothing gets lost if you accidentally drop it. I haven't tried it but I would doubt that you would want to use a jack or axle stands on the foam tiles though.

[mgcjag]

Hi Geoff...asume you are refering to PVC tiles.......have noticed that there are different types on sale for garages...the PVC being the more robust......but will depend on the concrete......if its rough and you put pvc over it you will get more indentations than if it is smooth....

[christopher storey]

I have been having the same debate with myself for my garage which is very slightly smaller ( about 80 sq.m)

I have painted it using professional floor paint on about 4 occasions over the last 35 years . It really does not last well because when hot tyres get on it after a run, they tend to pick up the surface. I thought of ceramics, but the surface would require levelling , would be cold, and most problematic of all would be vulnerable to damage from spanners or heavy parts dropped on it. The result is that I am thinking of using the interlocking tiles already mentioned which are both durable and easy to lay, and look good as well as being warmer because of the degree of insulation they provide. Probably the cheapest solution as well

[andrewh]

Even more great replies. I will take a look at the Duramat and try to find out a bit more about it. The price is certainly right, but it has to be worthwhile, and I always have in the back of my mind the "you get what you pay for". Dura are sending me a quote today, so will have something to compare. I was told 7 mm is best as the 5mm can be more susceptible to expansion and contraction. For this reason one of the suppliers suggests a 5mm expansion gap at the back edge. I guess one could fill that with a silicone perhaps ?

Going off the painting option at the moment as the dust from the preparation seems too hard to contend with plus cars have to be left out for 3 or 4 days..i.e a week!

[andrewh]

I have been having the same debate with myself for my garage which is very slightly smaller ( about 80 sq.m)

I have painted it using professional floor paint on about 4 occasions over the last 35 years . It really does not last well because when hot tyres get on it after a run, they tend to pick up the surface. I thought of ceramics, but the surface would require levelling , would be cold, and most problematic of all would be vulnerable to damage from spanners or heavy parts dropped on it. The result is that I am thinking of using the interlocking tiles already mentioned which are both durable and easy to lay, and look good as well as being warmer because of the degree of insulation they provide. Probably the cheapest solution as well

OK this is sort of where I am , but we need to hone in on the best value for money. When I look at large dealer groups with this sort of flooring I am sure they dont pay the price we are being quoted. Maybe there is a commercial supplier. I have seen the floor in gyms and leisure centres I am sure.

[Gfhug]

I've used the Rolson from Halfords that Simon P has and found them no use for jacks or axle stands as both dig in too much, the trolley jack doesn't move easily once settled into a dent.

So it'll be interesting to see how good the harder interlocking tiles cope. And at what cost? Do I leave a concrete floor with the firm base it provides for jacks and spend the several hundred pounds (35 sq m) saved on parts for the car? Conundrum

Geoff