Let's talk flooring

Vehicle storage, tools, garage and shop organization
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Huzer
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Let's talk flooring

Postby Huzer » Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:14

You there? Have a garage? Have you done anything to the floor, or are you planning to? Let's hear it.

For me, preference is Epoxy. However, the prep work, cure time, etc seem almost prohibitive for my family. I can't see emptying the garage for a week to let the epoxy cure. The mess of diamond grinding, etc. For me to be confident it would be done correctly, that would mean hiring it out. That ends up making epoxy more expensive than...

Tile. Not VCT or Porcelain. I'm contemplating using Racedeck (or equivalent). It's a weekend project, move things in and out, and done. I've seen both, the solid and ribbed tiles, and have read reviews on them being in "working" garages and holding up well. I don't weld, but I do pretty much anything else on the car. I'm leaning towards going with the ribbed tiles, but still haven't 100% decided. My garage is a little over 500 sq ft, so that makes it anywhere between $1000-1500 depending on tile choice.

I'm still a month or so from tackling this, as the rest of my garage is a mess. Until I get things cleaned up, I'm not ordering tile.

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$crillaTor
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Re: Let's talk flooring

Postby $crillaTor » Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:14

I too have looked at the Racedeck in the past. We're in the midst of selling our house and buying a different one and I want to make sure I do something to the garage floor BEFORE we get all our crap in there.

I will be following this thread to see how it turns out for you.

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Shadowden
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Re: Let's talk flooring

Postby Shadowden » Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:14

I've run the gammut on flooring options for my current garage. I had used the homeowner applied epoxy floor with paint flakes in my previous garage. My first application was decent for 7 years or so, and then I finally redid it around year 9 or 10. It was holding up well when we moved out in year 12-13. For the $220.00 investment incurred over that time frame, it was pretty good. However, it was slippery (maybe add sand or more paint flecks) and expect to clean up the paint flecks for a while as they tear off.

For this garage, I originally thought about doing a very nice polished floor with a sealant. But as mentioned, I worried that a sealant would get burned off by welding slag. So considered foregoing a sealant. This meant that the porous concrete would still be subject to staining from lubricating fluids or to getting a lot of mashed in grind dust into it that gets difficult to clean well if it gets wet...also, rust on the floor if it gets wet.

From this, I went to racedeck. I considered both the mesh style tiles and the solid tiles. I leaned toward the mesh tiles originally. However, I worried that in the majority of the garage that the cars would be dropping water and that it would just fester and collect dirt under the tile, which would then need to be picked up and cleaned regularly. I think the solid tiles would be better for this, but water would still seep between the cracks. I didn't test it, but I think that the plastic would be somewhat susceptible to welding slag and to getting scuffed pretty badly by me dragging metal or metal shavings around on it. It also seemed like it could be slippery, but one tile wouldn't be a good way to evaluate it. I also regeret getting the silver tile as a sample. I just don't care for the looks of it. At this point, I also contemplated a variety of surfaces in the garage. Race deck for the car storage/work area and a polished floor in the fab/shop area. A sealant would be applied and I would try to always weld over welding blankets. Realistically, unless I was welding on the floor, I do not think that melting of the coating would be a huge issue. Having said that, a clear sealant is easier to redo than adding a colored epoxy in spots where it is damaged...or replacing a tile.

I've also considered a porcelein tile floor like at dealerships. Little to no grout lines. Would be baller, but seems rather expensive and cold. Would be great to slide under a car though. Like most of the above options, this requires a grind to some extent.

lastly, I was contemplating a very exotic metallic epoxy resin floor with an epoxy clearcoat. However, it makes little financial sense to me. Money that would be better spent on the car, the house, the yard, invested, etc. And thanks to this brain dump has brought me back to...the right floor in the right place that is easily replaceable and portable.

What I will likely pursue is a grind on the entire garage floor to remove spalling and to give it as level a surface as possible. I am not sure race deck prevents fluids from getting onto the concrete, so a good, but simple, epoxy floor covering on the garage would be the next step. I would want traction additives to keep the floor people and dog friendly even though it my make clean up a little more difficult. Race Deck provides portability, and it may be something I would consider down the road, but seems like an extra expense that may not aid in keeping the floor clean and preventing oil/fluid stains on the concrete.

There are a lot of pros and cons to each flooring type, so figuring out what is really going to work best in a given situation is full of compromise and is ;therefore, one of those tough decisions each of us get to make. Only the individual after the fact can determine if they made the right decision for themselves.

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RX-7 Chris
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Re: Let's talk flooring

Postby RX-7 Chris » Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:14

I wouldn't go with porcelain tile because of the grout joints. You can go with an epoxy grout which is sealed but it is really hard to put down. We spec it all the time for restrooms and the installers always complain.

If you want to go the tile route, I would recommend VCT (not the stick down crap, the real stuff). The floor will need to be really clean, no oil or they will pop. You shouldn't need to grind or anything that extreme. Armstrong Tile would be who I would recommend, it will last 50 years.
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Huzer
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Re: Let's talk flooring

Postby Huzer » Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:14

I was looking at a couple of competing companies, TrueLock and Racedeck. Truelock is basically unbranded RaceDeck (depending on the tile, the Ribbed tiles are not the same). Lower price, but shorter warranty. RD has a 15 year warranty, TL has a 10 year. I have samples on the way from both to check out. I have no idea on what I would use for a color scheme yet.

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Shadowden
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Re: Let's talk flooring

Postby Shadowden » Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:14

I would be interested in seeing your samples if they are not the silver color. I'll bring my silver tile for you to see.

Another option I considered, but failed to mention was rubber flooring. Much like gym floors (probably the same, actually). I wouldn't mind keeping that as an option in the 2-bay, especially since the garage may be used as a gym more regularly but unfortunately, the product I looked at would cost around $2,100.

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Huzer
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Re: Let's talk flooring

Postby Huzer » Mon Apr 10, 2017 9:14

I received my samples over the weekend...they are the alloy color. After having seen both, while I wouldn't have been unhappy with the ribbed tiles, I prefer the solid.I don't get direct sunlight, so I won't have to worry about expansion/warp issue that some people say is an issue with the solid vs freeflow style. I'll keep starting at the two on the floor a bit longer before I make a final decision. I do think the freeflow are more "photogenic", but that's not my priority.

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Shadowden
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Re: Let's talk flooring

Postby Shadowden » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:14

If you want a second tile to get a better look, you can have mine. Would be fun to have a board with enough active members getting sample tiles to lay a floor in a user's garage at no cost! Then again, if the board was that active, the company might sponsor a "contest" to do such a thing.

What did you not like about the ribbed version? I was worried about the mess that would accumulate underneath.

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Huzer
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Re: Let's talk flooring

Postby Huzer » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:14

I'm still going back and forth on it. I have both tiles sitting on the floor in the garage now, and it really depends on my mood when I look at them, apparently. Today, I'd say I prefer the ribbed version. I should've gotten a different color, as the colors are really similar to the color now. The ribbed have pros and cons...the pros are that the surface stays cleaner without any effort. Looks cool. The cons are just what you mentioned, although many people just use a leaf blower and blow out the garage once a year or so to remove the debris underneath.

I thought the same thing about samples...2 samples per person, have 250 people order up some samples, my floor is free!

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Shadowden
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Re: Let's talk flooring

Postby Shadowden » Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:14

I'm at a new address now, so maybe I'm good to go for another sample. I also only got a solid sample previously.

Regarding the leaf blower: Does it tend to want to blow out the tiles by uplift? Also, do you think it would take care of the mess caused by the rocks and other stuff that accumulates during the winter, or would the floor ned disassembled?

On a whole different item: my wife's cousin's son (bad start) works for a company that does floor polishing/grinding. Really likes spending time in the Denver Area. Wondering if other people might be interested in getting floors polished/ground. My thinking is that we could string together some jobs that he may be willing to come out and execute for a low rate. I have never seen his work. I would have to take the sacrificial first floor to make sure it is done well. If there is a couple people interested, I would look into it. I may look into it anyway to see if he would do it at my place.


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