Steve 96C4S

I found this on my BMW 7 series web forum:
http://www.racedeck.com
Anyone use this stuff and know about long term durability? It actually looks easy enough to install that even a lazy dolt like myself could tackle it.

Or how about this? http://www.floorsurfaces.com/garage-01.htm

I know about the other methods: epoxy floors, Griot's painted floor, etc... but I'm most concerned with EASY application and low cost! This racedeck stuff looks very interesting, plus their website is ultra cool.

A guy did his in tile http://bimmer.roadfly.org/bmw/forums...4106973&page=1
but I don't have a week of evenings nor the talent to pull this off!

Thanks in advance.
I finally had the garage interior painted, put up the beautiful Porsche (nicely framed) posters, and repainted the wood shelving in the same color as the walls, but the flooring is the original smooth concrete with that awful grey paint barely remaining after years of it fading away.

Steve

TheOtherEric

I've seen numerous posts on this in the "other" 911 internet forum. Definitely a good idea to research it first.

Ray Calvo

Lots of bothersome things/questions to me:

- lay them loose on the floor. So over time what keeps them from loosening up and popping up at the edges, or in the interior at spots?

- if I use a jack stand with sheet metal edges, will it gouge it?

- if I dump oil/water/brake fluid/antifreeze/whatever on it, won't it leak down to between the tiles and garage floor? So, if I just "hose it down", what keeps water out from underneath it?

- if my garage floor is a bit uneven so that water an collect in areas after a hosing down, how do I get it up after "hosing the surface down"? Have to pull up tiles? Or just leave it and let fungus/mold collect?

Sorry, I'll stick with my bare floor.

ksjcorpus

steve i have race deck and i really like it .......... it looks sharp. im not sure how durable it is ........ but i don't do that much wrenching. btw i sent you a pic of my garage with the race deck installed.

Burt Goodwin

I have racedeck installed, checkerboard design in cream and tan. It's used in a lot of commercial and industrial auto sites; supposedly impervious to petrochemicals. Installer used a very thin sheet of padding underneath to make the floor quieter and "softer" underfoot. I have used jack with no damage. PM me for additional info, if you'd like.

Steve 96C4S

Thanks for the superb replies! How long did it take you to install your Racedeck? How hard/complicated would it be for a non-DIYer like myself? How much on average ($'s) would a standard 2 car garage be in the alternating black/white set up? And what about Ray's concern about water seeping under the "tiles" from hosing the garage down, causing rot, mildew or worse?

Good stuff. The pic that ksjcorpus sent me is fantastic! Looks like a million dollar garage.

Steve

Moose

I have been waiting for this topic... The racedeck and other interlocking tiles seem to be easy to install and yes you can take it with you but is it really worth the huge premium over epoxy? I have been researching and Behr has a garage floor paint that can be tinted over 40 colors and seems to be overall cheap. I have an oversized 2 car garage with workshop and with the cleaner, base, paint and floor cleaner rental, it still comes out to be around $600 or so. Of course that is a lot more labor and you can't take the floor with you if you move but at half the cost, seems worth it.
Any comments?

ApexL8

I've seen lots of people use these kinds of products at the track to set up a temporary parking/work area. They are a high quality product, and I don't think you should have any concerns about them loosening up or separating. Nor would I have much concern about fluids hurting them. For jack stand use I would probably put a piece of plywood or something under the stand for fear of gouging one of the tiles.

Ray's concerns about drainage are probably valid, water would probably make it's way out if the garage floor didn't have any low spots, but for an oil spill or similar you may need to pull tiles to get it cleaned up.

We have a similar product installed at work in the cleaning shop (larger tiles) and it is standing up to all kinds of abuse, but the floor there is a metal grating, so there are no drainage issues to cope with.

Burt Goodwin

Yes, you can DIY; dealer install runs about $1.00 sq ft. I would not use this product if I planned to hose down the floor, but for normal spills, it has been fine so far. Ten-year guaranty on product. My double garage was about 650 sq ft., and cost was right around $2000. That included dealer install., custom cutting/fitting around baseboards, doors, etc., as well as extra beveled edge pieces around the perimeter for a custom look. I really like the classy look whenever I open the door into the garage. The various epoxy coatings are multi-step, using toxic materials, and require that you relocate your garage contents somewhere else for a time until it "cures". The Racedeck install took about 3-4 hrs.

SkipSauls

Steve,

I've had RaceDeck for around 9 months and have been reasonably happy with it, but I think it's better suited for garage-queen storage than for real work. It cleans up nicely, but it gets dirty easily and is definitely higher-mantenance than I wanted. In dusty Colorado it typically looks like this:



It's also not as durable as I expected. Jacks don't hurt it, but the sharper edges of jackstands will cut into the tiles. Putting a board under the jackstand prevents the damage, but I learned this too late.

It was a DIY project for me and wasn't too bad. I did around 1000 square feet over the course of a few days, doing a few rows every night. Get a rubber mallet and the job is easy, and I certainly can't imagine paying someone $1.00 per square foot to do it!

I doubt that I'd do this again unless it was for some sort of showroom-style garage. My garage is for work and this stuff just doesn't cut it.

Greg D.

All the options I investigated were expensive or dangerous... If I were to do this agai, i'd leave the bare concrete as is and have a "spray-crete" treatment, they spray colored and textured concrete on top of your base one, can make it into tiles or whatever shape, and coat it with a finish that makes it impermeable to oil... Costs under $1000... But too late for me ! I glued $%$$$# vinyl tiles which now look like crap, break off and slide when jacking the car, so I bought a lift ;-)

bet

I don't know if would classify race deck as inexpensive.

I just applied (2 weeks ago) UCoat it and UGloss-AF to my garage. It was realitively simple and easy to apply. Prep was the most difficult thing and then the application of UGloss-AF. I am doing a write up on my experience for another web board that I would be happy to share with you when I am done.

Obviously it is too early for durability analysis.

Randy M

I used the Behr garage floor paint in a house that I've since sold. I followed the directions precisely. Hot tire pick up the first time I drove a car in the garage, no joke. I also used the rust o leum 2 part epoxy and it is a much better product.

chris walrod

look up 'kiwi tile' on line. thats what all race teams use in CART and the IRL. Very durable and perforated. Only trouble is when you drop something very small and falls into one of the perforations....

I will have to try and find my contact for this stuff...

Joe@Fabspeed

I just redid the 4 cars garage fllors at Fabspeed Motorsport. I had professional estimates of $5000+ for custom epoxy floors that look like glass and are very cool and durable. I skipped that and didnot go with DUPONT IMRON like I did last time that required a respirator and a complete dry floor. I found the best stuff advertised and demonstrated at MAJOR cars shows around the country and have seen the stuff on TV enthusiasts shows. Go check this stuff out I did a 4 cars garage all by my self and it water soluble and is completely easy to do and "completely kick-***" looking.
I dont sell the stuff but is mail order with a video and all kinds of stuff.

www.ucoatit.com