Armstrong floor tile in the garage?

P

Peter Crowl

New member
Adding to the plethora of Garage Floor Threads...



I was at Lowes the other day and looked at their Armstrong floor tile. 12 x 12...rather thick...installs with trowel adhesive...seems like they'd work well and just 58 cents per tile.



Anybody have any experience with these in the garage?



Peter..in Denver
 
I don't see why this wouldn't be fine, probably would wear some, but not that noticeable if you pick the right color/pattern. Think about what happens if you have ever seen a wheeled office chair damage this kind of tile, and think about the weight of your car and the kind of grit you could drag in. And then of course you have to keep it waxed...
 
Setec Astronomy said:
And then of course you have to keep it waxed...
Click to expand...



Hmmm...Zaino, Klasse Twins or Collonite? :rolleyes:



A friend has similar tile in his garage. He uses it as a shop and beats the cr*p out of it. When he cleans it it still looks pretty good.



I do know it isn't nearly as slippery when wet as the epoxy finishes a couple of friends have applied.



Peter..in Denver
 
Well, it's been a while since I've laid this kind of tile, but IIRC the adhesive is solvent based.. or I can make sure I get a solvent based adhesive.



Peter..in Denver
 
Ok...this is interesting...I was at Buds Warehouse in Denver which is a surplus outlet that takes donations of building materials , usually left overs from construction projects, and sells them at very good prices.



Anyway..I was there to look at some cabinets but they were gone. What I did find was Azrock commercial vinyl floor tile. They had 1350 sq feet -12 x 12 - half in a grayish white and half in black. They're a speckled black/white finish ... and they have a bit of a pebble grain to the surface. I think they'll be perfect. I bought it all for $300!



There's way more than I need but there's bound to be some damaged tiles in the boxes. and this way I'll have replacement tiles should the need arise.



So I'll be laying tile this weekend. I'll post a picture when it's done.



I hope it turns out well...the price sure was good..if this works I'll have a beautiful floor for about 25 cents / foot!



Peter..in Denver
 
Peel and Stick?



No...in my experience those don't work well in a kitchen let alone the garage. DAMHIKT.



These are a trowel adhesive install.



I just looked them up- they're indeed a commercial tile, they are a Slip Resistant design that's ADA approved for slip resistant level floors...and I see that they sell for around $3/ft. So I guess 22 cents/ft was an OK deal.





Now all I have to do is come up with a design. Trying to think up something other than the traditional checkerboard!



Here's the link to the manufacturer..



http://www.domcotarkettcommercial.com/floors/site/en-us/topic/azrock/product/794/product.asp



Peter..in Denver
 
The circles..yes..they were an adventure... especially since I've never laid tile before.



I mentioned earlier that I wanted to do something different by way of layout. I took tiles and tried a number of different patterns. All of them came back to checkerboard. I tried a few alternatives to that and then thought up circles.



The tile that I got - Azrock Granite Slip Resistant SR 120 and 123 - is a vinyl composite with a lot of mineral content. When you go to score and snap it you can do about 3 or 4 tiles before you have to change the blade in your knife..it's that aggressive.



So...with a friend ... we built a jig with an aluminum arm and a sharpened stainless steel bolt to score the tiles in a semi circle. Nice idea...didn't work worth a darn. Tried all sorts of other ideas. Then I thought of heating the tiles with a hair dryer and cutting them with a pair of utility shears. That worked. Not only allowing me to cut the semi circles, but this method also left me with a good "negative" piece which I needed to complete the circles.



All in all the circles added a day to the job...but I think they add some style to the floor.



Peter..in Denver
 
Let us know how it holds up.



I emailed Armstrong asking their advice for tile in my garage and they thought that VCT would't hold up in the garage.



I would like to do the same as you did and hope you report good things.



Sam
 
Longevity.....indeed.



Only time will tell. Compared to the Armstrong at HoDo this tile is much heavier...but I can only hope for good results.



Of course the adhesive is also an issue. I used the water based adhesive that is sold at HoDo...it's a water clean-up when wet, but once it sets up it takes Goof Off to remove it. I had to lift some tiles due to operator error and I'll tell you...they were really stuck to the floor! I had to use my heat gun to get them up.





I have a friend who has laid the Armstrong type tiles in his garage and they have stood up to everything including welding sparks... but he seldom parks in there - it's more of a shop.



Peter..in Denver
 
another good idea is to use an epoxy paint by U-Coat-It. You can go to their website www.ucoatit.com and check it out. Im going to do it in my new house after i get all of my wifes tirnkets put away. lol.
 
Yes...I considered that but for my size floor I'd have spent easily as much..and I would have had the extra expense and work of removing a sealer coat I had on the slab.



I put it down shortly after it was poured. I would have had to rent a surfacing machine and grind the top to remove the sealer prior to epoxy.



Friends have used epoxy on fresh slabs with good results...but as other threads have mentioned...you have to use the non-slip additives.



Peter..in Denver
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top