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Garage floor options

19K views 49 replies 33 participants last post by  sblvro 
#1 ·
#23 ·
You may not get snow, but how about hot tires in Texas? I live in Arizona were the summer temps can reach 115* and tire temps can be 130*+. Before I but the Race Deck flooring down, my garage floors had Epoxy Deck Paint, the hot tires would actually lift the Epoxy Deck Paint off the concrete exposing the raw concrete showing were each tire sat; so I covered both garage floors with Race Deck Flooring.


Jim
 
#10 ·
Mine is epoxy with multiple color chips distributed throughout for grip and aesthetics. Sort of a mocha/black/white theme. It's definitely not slippery and cleans up nicely. Many color options. I do notice it is a tad harder to sweep but it is extremely resistant to corrosive fluids.
 
#16 ·
If you damage a tile it is relatively easy to replace, just keep extra tiles around. I am not personally familiar with the stonhard product, but repairing coatings is easy but the appearance of the repair is obvious.
 
#17 · (Edited)
The durability is very dependant on what is below the product. If the floor has been previously sealed and you are applying on top of another coating then there is a risk of de-lamination.

When the product is applied to a virgin surface, it becomes part of the substrate. That being said anything that would damage the concrete will damage any coating.

Cost is very reasonable. the product cost per square foot is below $0.50 material only.
 
#22 ·
I have a 40' x 75' garage and looking to do epoxy with flake. Does anyone have an opinion regarding the cost per square foot I should expect to pay? Also, has anyone used "Shark Grip" and does it work with regard to making the floor not slippery when dealing with snow? Any draw backs to using "Shark Grip"? Thanks!
 
#24 ·
My neighbor here in SoCal had an epoxy floor put in four years ago and he's not happy. It has dulled and flaked, especially where there's sum exposure. I've looked at all the tile options and am going to use Nitro Tiles, coin pattern, because I have an issue with the height of the Racedeck and Swiss Trax tiles, and the others. Nitro Tiles are 3/8", so works for me.
 
#26 ·
I've had both race deck and epoxy floors. I didn't like the race deck because it moves around too much and is difficult to clean. I now have the epoxy and am very happy. It looks great and is easy to clean.
Just remember that there is full solid epoxy with flakes imbedded within, and then there's the epoxy paint. Mine is the first. I would not recommend the epoxy pain. That is cheap and will peel off.
My floor cost about $3.50 per square foot, but I got a discount due to a large garage. Make sure to get a good installer and a good warranty.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#28 ·
10 year old epoxy. It ought to be refreshed sometime soon though. Being a lighter color some staining occurs, especially when the cars come in wet.

The light in this picture makes it look like the finish tapers away but it is continuous right up to the asphalt

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Personal luxury car
 
#30 ·
Well thanks guys, I have a 1600sq ft garage floor that is 6 years old. I have a few places where it has lifted the size of a silver dollar but am sure it will not stop there. I have been living with it and thinking someday I might change it. After the pictures and conversation, it looks like the time in more near than I anticipated. Lol My wife is going to not be happy! Wonder what this will cost me with her?

Mike
 
#32 ·
Any comments on porcelain (etc.) tile?

I have a new house in Port Townsend, WA with an about 620 sq ft attached garage. The garage is currently uninsulated, so I plan to insulate walls and ceiling and add heat, plus a four-post lift to fit three cars in comfortably. This leaves the currently unfinished and uninsulated concrete slab to deal with.

I don't want a slippery finish as the garage will be a workspace for general woodwork/metalwork as well as for automotive stuff. Welding is also on the cards, so I don't want anything combustible on the floor.

With porcelain tile, there is the possibility of electric underfloor heat, using such underlayments as Schluter's "Ditra Heat". I'm not expecting to heat the garage with this alone, but to take the chill off the floor.


Does anyone have experience with porcelain tile, especially with underfloor heat? I gather that quality porcelain tile over concrete is as tough (if not tougher) than the concrete itself, but what about when applied over the underfloor heating substrate?
 
#34 ·
Normally you do not install tile directly to a concrete floor, they normally use Ditra mat so the tile kinda floats above the concrete floor. As a side note my Aston Martin dealer has tiles on their service bay floors, I know there are several grades of tiles for this purpose.
 
#33 ·
Race Deck is great for northern climates, I pull it out in the summer and mop it and that's it. It can handle fluids, tools, and jack stands but I always put a piece of plywood underneath to be safe. $2.25 sqf and very easy to install/cut.

However....

DO NOT spin your tires as you back out!! haha, Wife almost spit out half the flooring. Epoxy I feel is the best flooring to use though as it just looks so good and very easy to clean. My brother had it installed but our cold weather -63F this winter just ends up cracking everything. That could be due to the installer as well who knows but it looks terrible once you try and patch anything.
 

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#39 ·
It depends on whether you want to do this yourself or have a professional do the job. For it to be done well and the product to last you want to be off the floor for 10-14 days from beginning to end. I have used the UCoatit epoxy system (https://ucoatit.com). I disagree about winter and epoxy not working. The only time it peels or has an issue is with HOT tires either leaving tread marks or peeling the coating.
As with any paint job the outcome is all about the prep work. Floors need to be cleaned, possibly diamond grinder, and etched with Muriatic acid. UCoatit offers many options of finishes, colors, systems that work well. You do want to add some sort of grit to the finish because when wet it is slippery as hell.

Another option is to diamond polish the concrete, this involves using progressively finer heads to achieve a mirror like finish. (Which will be slippery as hell)

Lastly you could use a vinyl mat either diamond plate style or coin tile and adhere it to the floor with an adhesive.

All these have their plusses and minuses. The UCoatit stuff works pretty well and they are super helpful with any questions before you order. If you have the time, are creative and meticulous it would be a fun project. If you are going to hire someone park the Maserati and McLaren somewhere else lest your quote get inflated.
 
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