Epoxy paint or snap together tiles for the garage??

[Bill Wells]

dv: ohio = epoxy...commercially applied and commercially prepped floor . dont do it yourself for your shop, as it needs to reflect class and not peeling floor covering. in addition to my garage being done with epoxy, a neighbors shop was done at the same time and my father in law's garage too ...none of us have had any lifting/chipping etc despite motown salt winters, and the shop has commercial equipment running around on it all the time...ohio=epoxy. no other choice. bill.

[Tony Ripepi]

RaceDeck Epoxy
RaceDeck Epoxy
RaceDeck Epoxy
RaceDeck Epoxy

I had the two part Epoxy put down in my garage in 1994.....the only spots that are showing wear are where the steel wheels of the engine lift gouged out some of the finish when the 427, for my Unique, was hanging on the hook. One of the issues when you put the black and white floor finish down is finding stuff you drop ie. washers, nuts, blolts screws etc. with the light color finish of the epoxy this is not an issue.

The epoxy floor still looks great and is impervious to oil, gas, paint, radiator fluid etc. etc. simply fill the janitors bucket with hot water, degreaser and swab the decks....saw lots of sailors doing this in the service and shut the doord to the public when I clean the floor....would not do to have a Marine seen swabbing the decks !!!!!!!!

I am seriously considering Diamond Plate Race Deck for where the Cobras sit in the garage for the cool look of the product and then leaving the epoxy alone where the normal everyday drivers sit. I have a four car garage and will be installing a lift in the back garage area for the snakes.

Tony R.

[jazzee]

Personally I am going to go with the tiles, as I like the look, can easily replace one if it gets damaged, and can take them out to repair the floor if it continues to settle. They are about 50-60% the cost of having an epoxy finish professionally done on my 800 sq ft. floor and I can easily install them in half a day and be able to immediately use the floor. I don't do any work on my cars in my garage nor have any heavy machinery or equipment that I move around on the floor. So for me, I think the tiles are the best fit for my needs.

[Robert Evans]

Regarding the tiles being used in the winter climates;
We have a "Free-Flow" tile that was designed specifically for use in wintery climates with snow and ice. They also work well on floors with excessive moisture emission where a floor coating is out of the question. Every customer that has decided to go with the Free-Flow tiles has been very happy with the performance. I will be installing that style of tile in my new home next year.

[Wayne Maybury]

First off, I would like to say it is nice to see "Big Bob" posting here again, welcome back.

I live in an area where it is hot and humid in the summer and very cold in the winter. In the winter months, the Explorer comes in the garage covered in salt, slush, and crap which melts off and forms piles of salt and sand residue.

I have an epoxy finish on the garage floor that is about 5 or 6 years old and is really starting to show it's age. Lots or bare spots, especially where the Explorer is parked. The finish seems to like to stick to tires better than to concrete. I have considered putting down laminated vinyl tiles but this race deck sounds interesting. Will the race deck product work well under the conditions it will experience in my garage in the winter? What about clean up? Presently, I hose down the floor every few days and squeegee (sp?) it quite often.

Wayne

[rsimoes]

Have anyone of you looked into this:

http://www.kiwitile.com

My buddy has it on his garage:

http://www.corvettecavalry.com/andys-garage.html

[Ron61]

Rsimoes,

I looked at that tile before I did my garage and other than the name and a different pattern it seems to be the same as the Race Deck. At least when I called and talked to them from the way they described it to me it was the same and I can see from the pictures that it snaps together the same way. I went with Race Deck because it was closer and they sent me two sample pieces of the color I was thinking about. Back when I was looking at it, the person that I talked to from this company wouldn't send a sample to me. Probably just as good and maybe all made the exact same way.

Ron

[Helter]

I was just about ready to have a Pro epoxy floor done when somebody told me they have porcelain tiles in their garage which has held up great.

I'm planning to have mine installed next week.
A rated 5 tile unglazed porcelain which will also have sealant applied. My installer is charging me $3.50 sq ft and the tile is $2.29 sq ft from Lowes. I was quoted $5.75 a sq ft for epoxy job.

I'm guessing the tile should hold up a lot longer. Has anyone had porcelain tile installed in their garage?

[Mark Husar]

I went with the epoxy several years ago. My shop see's heavy duty use ans the epoxy held up well for about 2-3 years...then fell apart.
I want to recover the floor but haven't decided yet what to use. I probably will not do the job until next year sometime.

[Ron61]

Helter,

I think the porcelain tiles would be great but will they crack and break if you should drop something on them. Also how about when they are damp ? Do they get slick. Not trying to put them down, I have just never seen any in a garage that stood up well and am curious as to what improvements they have made. I used some in a shed and almost broke my neck the first time I walked in with damp shoe soles. Let me know what you do and how they work out if you don't mind.

Thanks,

Ron

[Helter]

Ron61

From what I'm told porcelain tiles are designed for outdoor use as well as dramatic swings in air temps.

If you are sliding on the tiles, your not using the right ones. You want unglazed with a rough surface. Not the slick shiny stuff you see in kitchen ceramic tiles.

Several tile stores have told me many upscale car dealerships like Lexus use porcelain tiles in their showrooms as well as some car collectors in their garages.

My friend who has it in his garage says once it's installed he has hit it with a hammer and it hasn't cracked.
If a tile should get damaged you only have one to replace instead of redoing the whole floor like epoxy.

Also you want to use tile rated #5 for maximum strength for commercial, residential use.


Anyone else have any experience with porcelain tile, I would be interested to hear from you.

[Bill Wells]

now, if traditional grout is used with these non skid tiles i can only imagine how that will look after a period of time of oils/fluids/water/dirt getting into it..or if no grout and the tiles are butted next to each other with any kind of indent between them, the same mess will apply between the tiles . i have seen tiles in car dealeships that hold up quite well, but the cars are new cars, dont leak, and they are not brought in wet and are moved infrequently. now, would they hold up as well 'appearance' wise in a garage, dunno. also, perhaps in calif or fla or other warm climate areas the tiles would be more tolerable due to less water/snow/road grime, but in the midwest. nope, not for me. epoxy, professionally applied. or perhaps some of the other interlocking rubber tiles etc once i find someone near me that has used them as a guinea pig example and i can see how they hold up after one full year. bill.

[KobraKarl]

Helter ,

I have been in construction most of my life , There are definately tile that are very tough and non skid , it is typically called "Quarry tile"it will hold up to almost any thing exept say dropping a #2 hammer on it, I dont know how well it would hold up to floor jacks over the long run either.another issue is the inherent unevenness of a tile job with its grouted joints, it could be a bit of a pain to move a car on a floor jack, or even your rollaway.

KK

[Helter]

There's a new grout on the market, a type of epoxy grout which is suppose to be stain resisitant. I think Lowes or Home depot carrries it. I was planning on using a dark colored grout so stains shouldn't be a problem.

As far as using heavy duty equipment on porcelain tile, I don't know anyone doing that. I'm not sure how well it would be in shop conditions. I'm just parking my car there. I can't see road salts being a problem if you live in a cold region like I do. especially with a sealant applied.

[Helter]

So many posters on this board have stated how epoxy floors are falling apart after a short time, I guess that's why the porcelain appeals to me. Why not get something that holds up a lot longer for the same price. $3000.00 is a lot of money to pay for epoxy if it only last a couple years.
The epoxy installer told me it should last 10 to 15 years. Judging by what I read here, I don't believe them.
That's why I decided to go with the porcelain.

[Bill Wells]

helter, i think if you poll the epoxy folks who have experienced failures or problems you will find that they were not professionally applied epoxy coatings vs the 'do it yourself type'. the KEY is the surface PREP ! the folks here who used same epoxy installer as i did, who does commercial buildings/airport hangers / auto assembly plants etc, have had NO problems. those who did it themselves DID ! my guy zapped the floor with a media blaster machine using bb's for surface prep thus removing all stains, prior paint which didnt work at all etc. . the do it yourselfers i know of used an acid prep . the 'lifting' they experienced was deemed to be the result of improper prep. maybe others have experienced problems, but like car paint jobs, some work and some peel or bubble now and then. maybe i got lucky but mine is 5 yrs old now and looks brand new, like photos in my gallery. cars come in / out on the floor all day long, all year long. winter road salt, water, dripping car fluids etc has had NO negative effect on it , nuttin ! reputable firm. long time in business, professional install...i remain pleased with the results. but like anything else, ie my car paint example, some do good work and some do not i suppose. good luck with whatever ya cover the floor with. bill.

[Mark Husar]

That is correct. I used a commercial kit and installed it myself over a new (but cured) concrete slab. I did not have prior stains or residue on the floor but the epoxy did not hold up like I expected it would.
I am not sure what I will do about the floor in a couple years. Perhaps...keep us posted on how your floor holds up thru the years. Maybe tile in the future.

[Ron61]

Bill,

Not trying to start a big war but I did have my garage flood did twice by what was supposed to be the best floor people in our area. Now remember this is Calif. and anyone that can get across the border is a pro. Both did all kinds of prep work and of course both told me it was the others fault as they didn't do it correctly. After spending all that money for a floor that lasted almost 3 years and doing it twice I just gave up. That is why I went to the tiles. Easy to put in. easy to replace if one gets messed up, and I like the look. I liked the Epoxy look too until I kept having to replace it. And I know that a lot of people have no trouble with these floors. Maybe it is just a Northern Calif. thing.

Ron

[randall]

If anyone wants to order Racedeck, contact me. I'll give Club Cobra members a discount. Trying to pay for my Cobra.

[Bill Wells]

ron, like painting cars i guess...some come out ok and some don't. they all dont look good despite same price paid in many cases. flooring is obviously the same. five years of no problems for me so far and counting. hope to keep on counting...bill