Painted/tiled garage floors, any feedbck?

[AKcharger]

Hi guys
Looks like we may have a new house in a month and I've always wanted to have a nice garage floor but I know they do take some work to keep clean so I was thinking:
- Are you happy you did it?
- Is paint better/worst than tile?
- What about durability...especially since we have studded tires 6 monthsout of the year

any other feedback appreciated

Thanks

AK

[69bronzeT5]

I'd like to see this too.  When we move, I wanna do my floor checkered. Not sure weither to paint or get flooring.

[C_stripes]

Most car dealer ship show rooms are tile.  So I would guess that tile is the way to go. Plus paint peals and is not as easy to clean.  Tile is easy to clean and the color dose not chip when you drive on it or clean it.  Also Oil does not soak into tile like it will paint. The show room at the Dealer I work at has a good quality tile and they have not needed to replace any of the tile yet. The building is ten years old and we drive new cars on and off of the show room floor at least weekly.  I would not go with cheap plastic tile but with GOOD TILE. It will cost more at first but will save you in the long run.  Just my 

[rusty lee]

when my garage was built I waited till the floor cured and then I put an epoxy/ paint on it. so far it has worn nicely I've spilled oil and grease and all sorts of crude from working on cars. and it cleans up well. it's been over a year now. I got it at Lowe's cost about $125. for 3 cans. oh and it is slippery when wet. as for spike tires I don't know.

[HDCharger]

I Used Epoxy also and it has held up very well.  It's been down a year.  Comes in different colors and you can sprinkle flakes in it to help with slip.  It will scratch if you drag something heavy or sharp across it.  Overall I'm pleased.  Be sure to do the prep work !  Dave

[bull]

Whatever you do just make sure it's a smooth, non-porous finish so it's easy to clean.

[6pkrunner]

Also temperature differential can play a part. Severe cold can destroy the bond between tiles and the concrete over time. And nothing looks lousier than a floor missing tiles.

[NHCharger]

AK. Check out this thread.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,14561.0.html

I had a friend paint his floor with the stuff you get from Sherwin Williams, the stuff with the pretty sprinkles/flakes. Even after cleaning the floor and acid etching it it is still peeling like a bad sunburn.

Been three years since I painted my shop floor, still no complaints.

[hemigeno]

VCT (Vinyl Composition Tile) is really easy to lay down in a checkerboard pattern, pretty inexpensinve, very durable and cleans up nicely.  However there is one major drawback to a garage/shop application.  Any oil/grease that you get on the floor will cause a residue buildup in the seams.  You just cannot clean out the seams.  That "disadvantage" might be offset if you lay the tile in a white/black checkerboard pattern since there is never a white-on-white seam, and perhaps that's why you see that pattern quite often in garages.  I definitely would not lay VCT down in a solid pattern for that application.  VCT still needs to be cleaned/scrubbed and waxed periodically to keep it looking decent, but it can look great for a long time if it's maintained.  I've put both VCT and ceramic tile in auto showrooms before - most recently, a new GM dealership I built went with all quarry tile in their showroom.

I'm actually going to use a combination of short napped carpet tiles (left over from a State office building project) and scraps from a gymnasium linoleum-type product in my little shop/room.  The seamless linoleum will just go underneath the car in about a 2-3' strip going from the radiator to the rear axle, to make cleaning up any driveline drips easier.  Everything else will be carpet tiles, which are a snap to replace if something does get spilled.  I dunno if I'd do that same treatment if the materials weren't readily available, but I think it'll work out alright.

On my home garage floor, I just used an industral-strength concrete hardner/sealer/dustproofer.  It is really durable and is pretty much impervious to scratch damage and isn't too slick, but it has still been stained up by oil, etc.  There's probably not a perfect (affordable) product out which is all things to all people.

[HITMAN 149]

there was some company that i got a brochure from at carlisle last year!!!  aghhhhh i can't find it or think of the name.... BUT... it was a (plastic type/or heavy vinyl) tile company that comes in all sorts of colors and different patterns.. looked real nice... they say it's very durable.. and you can just pull them up if you need to clean under them.. and then snap them back in to place. check out lowes... home depot..  i've seen brochures over there too i think for the same sorta stuff OH YEA DEFFINATLEY AT SEARS i saw it too.
good luck....
yea...one of these days my garage wil look as nice as keepat's!!! hahahaha i wish!!!

[Neal_J]

A couple of years ago, I too thought about tiling the garage with VCT in a checkerboard pattern.  I bought a few tiles of each color, duct taped them together on the back and tossed them on the floor for a week to see how it looked.  After a week, it looked like crap.  Not the tiles, per se, but the dirt, dog hair, mud and funk that accumulated.  I just couldn't see myself mopping the garage weekly to keep it looking good.  So I left left bare concrete...

Peace,

Neal

[AKcharger]

Thanks Guys, we sign papers on the 24th...my OWN gargage finally! still deciding what to do with floor though

Look, here it is...

[The70RT]

Thanks Guys, we sign papers on the 24th...my OWN gargage finally! still deciding what to do with floor though

I used the Rustoleum stuff. Holds up ok and has been down 5 years. It looks like it will last for ten years under moderate use. If you weren't doing any welding and sliding jacks or stands around it would last a lot longer. The first year mine took some hits from brake fluid and Dextcool that set overnite and slightly discolored it. After that it held up well.

[70charginglizard]

Hi guys
Looks like we may have a new house in a month and I've always wanted to have a nice garage floor but I know they do take some work to keep clean so I was thinking:
- Are you happy you did it?
- Is paint better/worst than tile?
- What about durability...especially since we have studded tires 6 monthsout of the year

any other feedback appreciated

Thanks

AK

I've seen this new stuff that you can just by in long sheets and roll out over your garage floor. That seems pretty smart to me. Easy to roll up and move if you need to yet nice to look at.

Heres the linky-
http://www.genuinehotrod.com/SearchResults.asp?PartNumSearch=CTU-KR-1020

Here are some more-
http://www.genuinehotrod.com/Section.asp?DepID=6&SecID=33

[AKcharger]

WOW never seen that stuff before...I like the crud catchers...that is EXACTLY what we need

Thanks!

[bandit67]

  I used VCT and the white really brighten up the place.  I do most of my "dirty" work outside so keeping it clean is not too big a deal.  I mop and spray buff it about every six months or so to keep it looking ok.  It is a bit costly but I think its worth it. When I build my next bigger shop I prolly will install the same type.  And now to try and post my first pix.........

[694spdRT]

We used the VCT tiles as well. They are fine but will show dirt and stuff if not cleaned regularly. We also use carpet pieces under the tires so they don't leave marks and drip pans under the cars to help with fluid leaks. For the cost they are a decent choice for a display/storage space but I would not use them in an area that will be used for resto work or daily drivers.

[Steve P.]

In Florida many people use the garage as an every day part of the house. Very many garage floors are painted. Most with the stuff from Home Depot or Lowes. Some are tiled. I used the Home Depot stuff at my last house. Did the job by the book and no cars were parked in the garage for more than a month after we did it. So plenty of curing time.  The first time I pulled into the garage and left it overnight I wanted to cry. When I had pulled in the tires were nice and hot from driving an hour home from work. I had perfect tire tracks on my beautiful floor after that.. The hot tread pulled up the epoxy paint. This is a common problem here.

The dealer I worked for hired some big company to strip and reseal our shop floor. It was a huge job. We closed early on Friday. Moved all our tool boxes down to the body shop and let those guys at it. When we opened the doors on Monday the shop looked incredible. They had stained the floor grey and white and sealed it. For months it sounded like someone was pulling the skin off a cat while driving on it. But it took all the abuse we gave it including a pissed off worker that lit them up right down the main isle. He was fired but the floor sealer stood up to it all.. I wish I knew what they used. I would use it in a heartbeat.  I do remember them hauling some huge fans in as we were moving our boxes out. Must be nasty stuff..

My driveway here is painted. (Done before I bought the place). It's an old paint job but is holding up very well.

One house we looked at a while back had commercial vinyl on the garage floor. It was hammered. The car that parked in that garage must have leaked like hell. Tiles were lifting and it just looked like hell.

I think I would talk to your local dealer and find out what they use.

Mobile garages used to use some kind of rubberized stuff. That was great. You didn't really slip on it either..

[dads_69]

Hey, what part of town are you moving to? Been busy plus its cold out right now to hook up and take four wheelers out sometime, this summer for sure, you'll have to come by the house also. Congratulations on the new home! We're looking to buy another also, but in Spokane,WA. area vs. Alaska.
Mark
BTW, my garage floor is plain old concrete w/carpeting for those days its to cold to work outside and lay on the ground.

[BMOTOXSTAR]

My pal has Nature Stone on his gargae floor. really nice.
http://www.naturestonefloors.com/

[The70RT]

My pal has Nature Stone on his gargae floor. really nice.
http://www.naturestonefloors.com/

How does it hold up with jacks / stands etc.? Or is it just for decoration?

[bill440rt]

I did mine with a Rust-o-Leum garage floor epoxy kit from Home Depot. That was about 4 years ago. So far, so good. It has flakes in it to keep from slipping. I also keep the cars parked on length of office carpeting, just for the sake of moisture. It took a lot of prep work, my garage floor wasn't the greatest to begin with. It needs to be completely free of grease, dirt, etc. I used an acid to etch the concrete as well.

My parent's garage is done with Griot's Garage floor coating. It seems to be more durable & harder than the Rust-o-Leum, but it is more slippery when it gets wet.

The stuff shown at Carlisle is made by U Coat It. VERY durable, but it was a multi-step process & seemed rather expensive. The Rust-o-Leum fit my bill just fine.

[BMOTOXSTAR]

My pal has Nature Stone on his gargae floor. really nice.
http://www.naturestonefloors.com/

How does it hold up with jacks / stands etc.? Or is it just for decoration?

It has held up great. No problems with heavy items falling onto the Stone, like throwing a hammer when pissed.