Linoleum garage floor

[keeney]

I looked at the Racedeck and similar stuff, and for the price they want, you could put down a marble, slate, granite or porcelain tile floor! (assuming DIY on the labor). I think the Racedeck stuff was like $5 per sq-ft and you can find granite, marble, slate, or porcelain tile sometimes under $2 per sq-ft (plus maybe another $0.50 for thin-set and grout).

The other flooring I was looking at would be an epoxy or cement-based terazzo, but I have not found any DIY systems for that or pricing.

Another idea would be to put a top-coat of thin self-leveling cement which could be dyed to any color.

Another idea would be to chemically stain the surface of the concrete to a nicer color.

If I was to do my garage floors over again, I would have just poured them with color-dyed concrete to start with.

- Rick

 

[wolfe1]

There are products out there that are very good floor coatings. "Paint" is not one of them. So much crap has been put out there, epoxies ect. most people have lumped everything together as "paint" I am doing my garage floor this spring- time permitting, and I am using a blend of DCPD & Isothalic polyester resin, filled with playsand. This will be catalyzied at about 2.5 % with MEK-9. I will apply it over lightly scarrified concrete sweeped and blown clean. I might even throw some grey tinit in it or leave it a natural dark amber. I will pull my toys in the next day and have a almost bullet proof floor for less than a $1.00 a square that is easy to clean and will touch up if need be. Oh ya- I think the tile is great idea if you are super clean and don't get any moisture- I am just way to big of a slob to use tile-

 

[PineRidge]

Have a neighbor that wouldn't drive on his new concrete in his garage until he painted it first with epoxy containing ground up rubber for traction. He swore the stuff would hold up for years. Within the 1st 6 months it was already flaking off the floor. It now looks like the devil and is going to take a lot of labor to get the rest cleaned off the concrete.

 

[LBrown59]

<font color="blue"> If I was to do my garage floors over again, I would have just poured them with color-dyed concrete to start with.

- Rick </font>

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GOOD IDEA
My policy is never paint concrete or brick it prevents all of the hassles discussed in this thread.
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MY FIRST CAR http://chevy.tocmp.com/chevyscrapbook/files/kamp50.jpg

 

[ccdck20hst]

Like you I am thinking of putting down tile in my garage. I know my response is not right on point but my experience might help. If I did it I would use the same material I used in the house to cover 700 square feet of concrete floor - commercial grade Armstrong vinyl composition tile glued down with Armstrong Premium Floor Tile Adhesive S-750. This glue is supposed to be moisture and alkali resistant. That is as opposed to other glue sold by Armstorng that is not moisture reistant. (purchsed these materials at Homechepo). Cool tile colors are available - Armstong has a good web site. For those few areas where the floor was not flat, that I did not want to fix, I used a torch to gently so to speak heat the tile up as I laid it to make it conform to the floor (In one area I used a jack hammer and floor leveler instead to level the floor). The floor must be waxed two or three times with other Armstong products to give it a gleam and protect it. So far I have had a few slightly loose tiles but nothing unacceptable. The tiles I put down are in my family room, spare bed room, bathroom and in the basement laundry room (12X12). So far I am very happy. Tiles I put in are right at the entrance to the garage and get fair degree of traffic have hled up well. To me I look for value - tiles cost me as I recall 4 years ago .56 each. Glue was I think about $34 per 1 gallon container. They are composite - color all the way through. As I recall 1/8" thick. Yup, they can break after you install them if you have surface imperfections under them. A pebble under a tile will eventually push up a small are of tile and can cause a tiny crack. These tiles are used in schools and other very high traffic areas. Yea I wonder how they would hold up in my garage here in Connecticut under my tractor and car as snow melts and the water gets in the seams between tiles. Or after the car is out in the rain. I also wonder about tire scuffs and oil - but how do the alternative floor coverings handle this? Break or damage a tile - pull it up and replace it .56 (now might be up to .67) plus glue and time. But gewiz .56-.67 a square foot, plus glue and trowels? I have looked at other surface treatments or tiles and the cost to me is really high even epoxy aint cheap - heck for what I have seen you could almost put down grade B hardwood floors (just kidding) for the same cost. Looks to me like some of the local car dealers have this tile in their show rooms too. Finally, even a desk jocky like me can put this tile down. So your idea has real merit from my view and I very well might do this soon myself.

 

[Nasty135]

Miltrade , I think you are meaning something like this guys floor scroll down ...(dial-up forget it) /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Vinyl tiles or VCT??

Not a bad idea for parking but can possibly present a problem with lifting if too much moisture is allowed to stand or oil ,antifreeze or other fluids get between cracks... A possible solution might be to seal it with a ureothane or other sealer designed for such applications, But you would have to ask someone with a better knowledge base on this matter... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[jim_wilson]

I found this site a while ago - and they have a forum specifically dedicated to what type of flooring to use in a garage - you might check it out for some good ideas:

http://www.garagejunkies.net/forumdisplay.php?f=19

 

[miltrade]

Nasty135, that guys floor in the link you provided is EXACTLY the stuff I was thinking about using. Not the soft, highly laminated, household linoleum tiles, but the more durable kind that you would find in govt buildings etc. Looks like he did the same thing. I think I might just try it. If, after use, any of the tiles lift or crack, will only cost me a few bucks to replace a few here or there.

 

[Nasty135]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( any of the tiles lift or crack, will only cost me a few bucks to replace a few here or there. )</font> <font color="blue"> </font>
EXACTLY, BTW garage junkies.net is where I got the link to those pics as the previous poster reccomended... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I'm an Old gearhead so I like that site also, But not as much as this site /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif