help with floor paint/coating - please!

Cork said:
Luster, do you park your "daily driver" on the motormat? If so do the tires leave any stain marks, especially on the white? Also does the snow/ice drain through the tile? Thanks.
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This garage belongs to one of our KCCGP club members. He has two Grand Prix's. One (obvioulsy) is the daily driver an he drives it right into the garage and lets the snow and ice drip onto the tiles.........he also hoses it out regularly.



He has been asked all of these questions and said that there have been no problems with the tiny amount of water getting into the cracks of the tiles.



Also, he said the tires will leave marks, but a little Simple green and a terry towel takes them right off.



Jason won't mind if I post his web site......



There are before and after pics of the installation .........



Jason's MotorMat Floor Project ...click here...:cool:
 
I don't like this tile stuff. It appears to be high grade plastic. How long can this stuff last with your 3,000 pound car in and out? Your really just covering up your real problem which is ugly bare, cracked concrete. I'm guessing that walking on this stuff is like walking in your local gym bathroom-hard on your feet, the tiles.



The only way to really do it right is to epoxy the floor.... but you will pay out the A__ for the job done right and you still may have problems.



Extremely High grade epoxy and the best commercial grade painter in your state then you may have a job done right...... "may".



Luster: What did you buddy Jason pay for his set-up? I could not justify paying over $200.00 for tiles to fit a basic 2-car garage. They are plastic tiles, right? It's not a NASA space carbon plastic or anything...... The tiles could be an alternative but how does it work? You measure your floor then make the call to Motormat and that's it? It looks like the tile can go right up to be flush with the walls....... do you have to cut it yourself?
 
Ray said:
Luster: What did you buddy Jason pay for his set-up? I could not justify paying over $200.00 for tiles to fit a basic 2-car garage. They are plastic tiles, right? It's not a NASA space carbon plastic or anything...... The tiles could be an alternative but how does it work? You measure your floor then make the call to Motormat and that's it? It looks like the tile can go right up to be flush with the walls....... do you have to cut it yourself?
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He paid just under $1000. The tiles are not plastic, they are a hard rubber compound and they are specifically designed for car traffic. This is not your cheap-o Home Depot dollar-a-foot bargain tile.



They install exactly like a tile floor in your house. You measure, find the center. Start from the center and work your way out to all 4 sides. Cut the edges.



If you have ever done any tiling, it's pretty easy.



I am a construction manager for commercial projects and I have seen both the MotorMat and the Epoxy in commercial settings. I would much rather have the MotorMat. If I ever finish my garage floor, this is what I'll purchase. It's worth every penny of $1000.



You get what you pay for.



But everyone has a right to their own opinion, so you're entitled to do as you please.;)
 
If I didnt wash in my garage I would have some like motor mat or the others that are alot like them. I like the way they look:xyxthumbs
 
I checked out MotorMat's website; the product looks similar to Race Deck, which I've seen mentioned in the forums before. When I get a garage (hopefully with a decent house attached), this may be the route I go. It's not cheap, but it has a lot of advantages . . . most notably, if you should ever move, you can take your floor with you. The tiles just snap together.



I don't really have concerns about it standing up to car traffic, but I do wonder about using a floor jack on it. I would imagine that much weight concentrated on just the jack wheels would wreak some havoc . . . maybe a section in the middle of the field can be easily popped up and moved so you could use a jack on the concrete, and not risk damaging the tiles? If I get ambitious (hah!), I'll send an e-mail and ask.



Tort
 
TortoiseAWD said:
I don't really have concerns about it standing up to car traffic, but I do wonder about using a floor jack on it. I would imagine that much weight concentrated on just the jack wheels would wreak some havoc . . . maybe a section in the middle of the field can be easily popped up and moved so you could use a jack on the concrete, and not risk damaging the tiles?



what about just putting a piece of plywood under the jack? or a 1/4 in piece of metal? unless you are under the car all the time, wouldnt this work to spread out the weight?



The type of work I do usually means I am in one place for about 5 yrs at a time.. Motormat or Racedeck is prob the way for me, except I do wood working and am concerned about a possible buildup of sawdust under the tiles and in the tile joints.



Dana
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Heh heh, another thing I can coulda/shoulda/woulda about :D . For those of you who don't already have a "lifetime" :rolleyes: solution to your garage floor (as in I'm sorta stuck with mine for this lifetime!) they might be worth considering. The cost is a personal matter, but you can spend a LOT more; it's all relative.



ANYTHING can be damaged by certain styles of jacks/jackstands, especially the corners of them if they tilt (and they will). The only way to prevent it is to put something between them and the floor. Damage to bare concrete is an eye-of-the-beholder thing, but damage to anything else can be a functional problem as it opens a can of worms that won't get better, only worse.
 
Someone mentioned a stain. I think that may be the way I go. I'm going to be insulating and sheetrocking my garage this year and the floor should be done at the same time. I think I'll stain it. Anyone know of a good product?
 
I installed RaceDeck tiles in my two car garage in November 2002. I initially wanted to epoxy the floor, so I contacted a commercial installer (does floors for dealerships, truck repair garages, etc.). Although my floor was in great shape (no cracks, flaking, etc.), they installers recommended that I not install an epoxy system as I have too much moisture transfer through the slab. They would still install it, but would only warrant for 1 year instead of 5. Here's been my experience with the RaceDeck system.



Pro's:



1) Very simple to install. I used a table saw with a carbide blade and a hack saw. That's it.

2) Floor is warmer than concrete as each tile has a grid pattern on its underside that keeps the tile surface elevated appox. 1/2".

3) Looks very good. I installed a custom pattern using gray, black and white tiles, but you can do all sorts of patterns. Customize to whatever you like.

4) Wash my cars on it. The diamond plate to the surface keeps me from slipping.

5) As someone mentioned above, if I move I take it with me.

6) Did I mention I like the looks.

7) Can easily replace damaged tiles individually. However, the color goes all the way through the product, so nicks or scratches don't show.

8) Haven't found anything that leaves stains on it (oil, gas, etc.).



Con's



1) Pricey - although not much more than having a professional etch the concrete and install a commercial grade epoxy system.

2) If your concrete floor isn't perfectly flat (and mine isn't), the tile "click" when you walk on it and it makes contact with the concrete underneath. Not in all places, but enough to bug me.



I have a Nissan Z that is a garage queen. It has set in the same place on the tiles for over two months without being moved. When I moved it last weekend, I checked specifically to see if it had left any indentation to the tiles (checked it with a 4' straightedge). None, Zero, Zilch. The Z isn't a light car. I had read that this deflection or sagging can be a problem with tile sytems, so I bought several extra tiles in each color, just in case I do have to replace some down the road. So far, so good.



I also read that the diamond plate to the tiles can be a problem when running creepers over the bumpy surface. Actually, I've found just the opposite. When using both my sit on and lay on creepers, I like the fact that their wheels are braced a bit by the diamond plating. I can get a little better leverage that way without the creeper rolling the other way.



I do use a 20"x25" piece of scrap 3/4" plywood when using the floor jack and some scrap 12"x12" plywood when using the jack stands.



I don't have a floor drain, but RaceDeck also makes a tile in a mesh pattern that it would seem to me could be placed directly over a floor drain so you wouldn't end up with a missing tile in the center of your floor. The mesh tiles match the solid tile colors.



So that's been my short experience to date. Once I parted with the money, I have had no regrets. Talk to me again in six months.



Bill
 
what about griots epoxy garage paint? It says it needs to be acid etched first, can you get the materials to do that yourself?
 
I've painted the garage floors at both the houses I've lived at.



I work in heavy industry and managed to get some of the 'proper' 2 pack heavy duty epoxy paint for *ahem* very little cost.



Anyways, it seemed to work pretty well, lasted a good 5 years, tho oil stains did start to lift it in places due to me taking shortcuts on the surface prep beforehand.



I think any competent individual could paint the floor successfully as long as theyre careful about the prepwork beforehand.



Clean, etch and seal the concrete surface, then roller on 2 or 3 layers of the proper stuff nice and thick, itll 'self level' to quite a high degree, and with it chemically curing you dont have to worry about it not setting if you put it on too thick.



Alot of 'professionals' prolly have less clue and will take less care about it than if you did it yourself.





Basically, get the right stuff, take time and effort (this IS a detailing forum after all) and I think youll be surprised at the outcome.
 
igneous- Yes, you can get the stuff to etch the floor yourself. It's not THAT big a deal, really. BUT.. I had Griot's paint professionally applied to a new concrete floor by a painter who does things right. It still didn't stay down 100%, there were a few little spots where it chipped off pretty easily. Not bad, and in my situation better than bare concrete, but it's not perfect. It's not as impervious to damage as the ad copy implies, either. AND it's slippery when wet. So consider adding sand/friction media. It DID hold up MUCH better than the OTHER epoxy paint that the OTHER painters used in other areas, and I get the feeling it was a combination of Griot's paint and my second painter both being better.
 
To etch the floor you need to use a muratic acid mix. You MUST wear long sleeves, long pants, no open toe shoes and rubber gloves when doing this. You don't want that stuff coming in contact with your skin.



I would also suggest wearing a respirator to aid in breathing, the fumes can be some what overpowering. Acid fumes are not nice to be breathing in.
 
Mr. Accumulater said it best again. Look, it's too much a damn hassle. I say leave it alone. I did it and regret it.



My 2 cents
 
I have the ucoat flooring down and it's well over two years old and it hasn't chipped or and flaked. I don't have any pictures because I'm currenlty in the process of having the paint and the concrete gound off , becasue there was a low spot in my floor and the water would puddle their. I do intend to use U Coat it again , I already have the paint here. I highly reccomend it.
 
Detailbarn:



Thanks for your reply. Did you use their products for preping the floor? From all I read this seems to be the crucial step. Can you share how you went about on the prep work? How much time did it take you. I had my garage extend 8 feet and they are just about done. My space will be aproximately 21X28.



Thanks
 
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