Garage Floor Tiles
- Thread starter blair223
- Start date
I had built a new bay for my Mustang a couple years ago and am still struggling with what to do with the floor: paint, tiles, or mat. None are the 'perfect' solution.
I'm going to assume by interlocking, you are talking about the ones that kind of look like mini grates (i.e. have holes in them and are not solid). With those tiles, the biggest issue would be spills. You want to make sure you have a tile that can be 'easily' taken up from the middle, to wipe the affected area. Depending on the amount of spillage and slope of the floor, could be quite a few tiles. You have to clean the floor and the tiles. And, as mentioned, there is the issue of dropping things.
With paint there are SO many choices. The two biggest things with 'paint' is getting the floor really clean and how much mositure that may come through the floor. If there is too much moisture, the paint will eventually lift.
The issues with a mat is find the size you need (typically too small or too large). You can cut then down if too large, but then you are paying for stuff you will not be using. And the other is moisture getting trapped under it.
My opinion is that 'paint' would be the nicest, but there is just no way to know how long it will last. I think the map is a good compromise because it can be easily taken up, and you can see how much an issue moisture may be. And I believe they are a cheaper option that tile.
I'm going to assume by interlocking, you are talking about the ones that kind of look like mini grates (i.e. have holes in them and are not solid). With those tiles, the biggest issue would be spills. You want to make sure you have a tile that can be 'easily' taken up from the middle, to wipe the affected area. Depending on the amount of spillage and slope of the floor, could be quite a few tiles. You have to clean the floor and the tiles. And, as mentioned, there is the issue of dropping things.
With paint there are SO many choices. The two biggest things with 'paint' is getting the floor really clean and how much mositure that may come through the floor. If there is too much moisture, the paint will eventually lift.
The issues with a mat is find the size you need (typically too small or too large). You can cut then down if too large, but then you are paying for stuff you will not be using. And the other is moisture getting trapped under it.
My opinion is that 'paint' would be the nicest, but there is just no way to know how long it will last. I think the map is a good compromise because it can be easily taken up, and you can see how much an issue moisture may be. And I believe they are a cheaper option that tile.
The larger roll-up mats are too thin I think. I'm worried about them shifting around or bunching up. I like the 1/2" thick 12" square solid polypropylene tiles by race deck and MotoMat but have not been able to find much on the net from actual users to see how they hold up with the inevitable spills and drips. Cost looks to be around $2 to $4 per tile. I am just going to the Mustang bay so that keeps it around 300 or so sq ft.
You may also want to think about filling in the dimples of your garage floor, with those tiles I have heard of people having problems with them sagging on uneven floors. I don't think that is a big deal in my eyes but just some information. Also if something does drip in you will still leave stains in the garage floor but than again I am not sure if that is an issue with you or not.
Good luck, post up some pics when you are done!
Good luck, post up some pics when you are done!
I would assume that unless it was a smooth level surface, tiles wouldn't be the best choice. Is giving it a skin coat of concrete to smooth it out out of the question? I personally want to just fill a couple of cracks and mine and paint it so it would be easier to just soap it up and hose it out every now and then.