When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
A member asked me if I had any tips on porcelain tile install. So I thought I would post here. For mortar I used Mapei Kerabond/Keralastic system. It's two-part and from what I could research the best way to go especially given the weight issue. Using slip pads on joints too (or whatever they call them)
Note on both of these: My installer didn't speak a lot of English and was about to completely f*ck up the install had I not looked over his shoulder. He was going to use water for the mortar, and you don't. They have instructional videos for both products in Spanish on Youtube. Make sure they watch them. Also some tile guys want to charge extra for epoxy grout and that's bullsh*t because it's as easy or even easier to use. You just have to CLEAN UP QUICK. .
But the beautiful thing is the grout is waterproof, oil proof I can use anything to clean it but it won't stain anyway from my experience.
Quotes go all over for labor. From (as I recall) $40 a sq ft to $6 which is about what I paid. I got the tile from Arizona Tile and they referred me to an amazing installer who even saved me 20% on the tile.
Epoxy (or Urethane) is actually more difficult to install than traditional grouts but they are more flexible/much less likely to stain and resist chemicals better than traditional grouts. Clean up takes more work or you risk having to do additional cleaning with chemicals to remove grout haze. That doesn't mean you should let the contractor take advantage though. Make sure the guy has used the product before or be sure to educate yourself (as it looks like you did) so they don't screw it up.
I’ve visited a huge garage that holds 50+ cars that’s done with the distressed wood porcelain tile that you mentioned, it looks great. Hopefully this IG link works. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_pShz4l...d=3olrl7jkweor
Wow that distressed wood porcelain tile looks amazing!
When its time for cabinets/flooring for the garage I already know itll be tile! Super durable if done right.
What I did looks like stone and I'm happy, but after doing a bathroom in non-slip wood finish it's is soooo bad-*** wish I'd thought of it for the garage.
As to epoxy grout they talk about the cleanup being more difficult but in practice I watched the guy and he even mentioned how easy it was.
What I did looks like stone and I'm happy, but after doing a bathroom in non-slip wood finish it's is soooo bad-*** wish I'd thought of it for the garage.
As to epoxy grout they talk about the cleanup being more difficult but in practice I watched the guy and he even mentioned how easy it was.
Are you worried the wood finish peaks would get chipped or scratched from say using a floor jack?
Are you worried the wood finish peaks would get chipped or scratched from say using a floor jack?
Thanks for the links!
There are no peaks. It looks like reclaimed wood and it has enough texture to be non-slip but I would not worry about that. Never heard of floor jacks damaging tile but make sure you get a PEI rating of 4 or up. Highest is 5.
Just finished a Swisstrax install on our garage redo - Very impressed with the product and Swisstrax’ support! Sales Manager Kyle even gave me his personal cell
#....Pretty impressive!
Just finished a Swisstrax install on our garage redo - Very impressed with the product and Swisstrax’ support! Sales Manager Kyle even gave me his personal cell
#....Pretty impressive!
Looks great! Was the install as straightforward as they make it seem? Did you have to cut any tiles?
I am seriously considering Swisstrax. They have some great discounts for the holidays.
Hey Gator. - very easy so lay down the tiles, but yes, it can be a bit time-consuming to cut the edge pieces. A table saw and jigsaw ( for the fine cuts) made it go much quicker.
As my garage is small in an old house in Montreal, and the floor was not leveled at all, I had no choice. I went with tiles…
Looks great, porcelain tiles are the best option if the budget will allow. Check out your Porsche dealer showroom and most likely the service shop as well.
I epoxied my garage floor when I bought my present house about 10 years ago. If your concrete is old you have to acid etch it, which is not fun. One of the side effects of an epoxy floor is the concrete is now sealed and will not allow any water to soak in, so if you pull in during a rain, you will get lots of puddles on your floor. After slipping on the smooth flooring a couple times, even though it had traction flecks in it, I bought three parking mats, which solved the issue with the water.
After researching the subject of garage flooring for a long time, I chose epoxy flooring. This floor is really easy to clean, and it is scratch and damage resistant compared to a regular concrete floor.
I polished the cement floor in the newly constructed Garage. Mid-Century Modern design to match house. Excuse the slight mess, I am still organizing things.
Its an option to look into, generally runs $6-8 a square foot for the service. Super high durability and strengthens/seals the concrete with the use of hardeners, Low maintenance also.
I read that sand is not recommended. It is better to sprinkle fine wood.
Like sawdust? Wood decomposes and would turn into a mess. How would you not ruin the whole project if you threw sawdust on the epoxy? Do you have any pics as an example?
Sand adds grip and you won’t slip when its wet. By the time it dries the sand gets pulled into the epoxy and still looks clean. We’ve had it done where i work.
Last edited by 991Targa4S; 09-13-2021 at 11:08 AM.
12-16-2020, 01:41 AM
