Garage Flooring Options

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Garrison5

New member
Looking to do something with the garage floor. It has a lot of chips and knicks in it, so epoxy is not an option without a lot of patching.



I've considered plastic options like RaceDeck, but have concerns with the noise and how it would handle the snow in the winter.



Came across Vault flooring tiles, but @ $4.00/sq ft it's a bit more than I had budgeted for. However, it got me wondering if anyone has put in a porcelain ceramic tile similar to what you'd put in your bathroom? These can be found for about a third of the cost of Vault and half the cost of RaceDeck.
 
Those are very likely to be the Vault ceramic tiles. They are very nice, no doubt.



The question I'm hoping to answer is if another tile would work as well, at a bit lower price.
 
I have a 2 car garage, the former owner was a plumber and did a lot of pre-cut pipe for jobs in this garage. Needless to say the floor was both chipped, cracked, and oil soaked. I spent a LOT OF MONEY to get the oil & chips out. Even went as far as to rent a concrete grinder to prep for an epoxy finish. After all that work, seems the oil had permeated the concrete, and there's not an epoxy company that would guarantee I wouldn't have problems with summertime, hot, sticky, performance tires pulling up the epoxy from lack of bond. Considered the plastic tiles, but after seeing (and hearing) them in other peoples homes, then reading about how some people are finding mold from trapped moisture under them, I banished that idea.

In my quest for alternative flooring I discovered some tile mastic that would bond to the now rough surface. Finding a tile warehouse, I offered to take any 500 sq. feet of porcelain tile they couldn't get rid of. Surprisingly, they had TONS of the stuff. I picked up 16 inch square tiles VERY cheap, and contracted with a local guy to put it in. He even cut pieces for a 6 inch base around the walls so hose down cleaning is a snap.

Unless you're going for a Dealer Showroom Floor look, just get a good strong tile in a neutral color. Stay away from 'clay' tiles, and 'thin' ceramic tiles. Porcelain tiles are very strong and have not let me down. Ask the installer to install them as tightly as possible and use the 'largest cut trowel' when applying the mastic as that's the base for the load on the tile and will prevent cracking under heavy loads. After the grouts cured, get a good grout sealer and apply liberally several times a year. This will keep the grout from staining.

OH ... you'll have to test for moisture coming through the concrete. Securely Duct Tape all sided of a 5 X 5 piece of plastic to the concrete floor, one edge against an outside wall. Leave there for one week. If you pull it up and there’s moisture on the plastic you can’t epoxy or tile the floor as the moisture will shortly erode any bonding. I’m luck I’m at the top of a hill & have good drainage.

Hope you do too. Good luck.
 
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'Thanks for all the good advise. Saintlysins, I had not thought about approaching a warehouse for leftover lots so I appreciate that input. My biggest concern with the moisture test is when the frost comes out of the ground in the spring. My garage floor gets damp for a few days. I don't know if it is coming up through the floor from below, or it it is moisture that may have settled in right before it freezes in the fall, which won't be there if I have it covered by tile in the summer.
 
You’re welcome Garrison. I may have read your concern wrong, so I’ll address it this way:

“when the frost comes out of the ground in the spring, my garage floor gets damp for a few days. I don't know if it is coming up through the floor from below, or it it is moisture that may have settled in right before it freezes in the fall�

Water does not ‘settle in’ or maintain a presence waiting for thaw. Unless there’s moisture getting on the “surfaceâ€� of the floor from above somehow (water flows in from the outside) … then it’s migrating up from below … which is thee reason to NOT put down tiles with mastic.

If you’ve got moisture issues (not to rain on your garage dreams here, but it sounds like you do), you’re better off putting down an Indoor/Outdoor tile. Winter freeze/thaw and any other moisture issues will pop any tiles put down with mastic and grout. Without getting into French Drains & Sump Pumps for cure of your garage slab and water table issues, it seems the best solution for your situation would be going with the plastic tiles. The one’s “CheapShot� put in his post would NOT be a good solution for you as they will trap moisture vapor underneath in their ‘grid’ supports, which will support mold & mildew. There are tiles that are ‘webbed’ or ‘breathable grid’ style and far more suitable to your situation as posted by “Holland Patrick�.

I am quite confident in my answers as my former career was in commercial flooring and I only want to be helpful, I say all this with one GIGANTIC DISCLAIMER … my answers are solely based by my interpretation to your post regarding moisture and I don't want anyone to spend good money without doing the proper prep and test first. (Do I sound like the side-labels of our detailing products or what?)
 
Just a fwiw, but epoxy can work on older pitted floors. I put some in my dads garage, it's self leveling so it smoothed the floor out. I really like it, enough that I am putting it in my new garage.
 
Holland how do you clean your floor?



Saintlysins, how do you test for moisture?



Would the tiles I posted work well, if I used some type of paint/concrete sealer?



Or would mold and mildew find it's way, simply because there not vented?



If there is no moisture (which I believe they may be) would the tiles I posted work well?
 
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