Race Deck Vs Epoxy
08-21-2018, 07:35 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Race Deck Vs Epoxy
I live in WI and we get plenty of snow and Ice here. Anyone have this installed in their garage that deals with northern climates?
Does it hold up ok? How do you get under it to wash way the salt? I feel it would eat away at the concrete otherwise.
Any tips or help would be helpful. Trying to decide between Racedeck or having it Epoxy.
I am looking at the Racedeck Freeflow...
Does it hold up ok? How do you get under it to wash way the salt? I feel it would eat away at the concrete otherwise.
Any tips or help would be helpful. Trying to decide between Racedeck or having it Epoxy.
I am looking at the Racedeck Freeflow...
08-22-2018, 02:56 PM
#3
I had a similar question 5 years ago when I decided to redo my garage floor. You may want to check out this forum, which has discussions of epoxy vs. tile floors:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/...splay.php?f=20
I live in the southeast, and we get some ice and snow in the winter, with accompanying salt issues, though certainly not at a Wisconsin level.
After researching as much as I could, I decided against epoxy for 2 reasons. First, I wasn't convinced I would get a good installation. I read too many horror stories about chipping, flaking, melting, staining, discoloring, etc. If you are confident in your abilities to install, or have confidence in an installer, that's great; I just did not have that confidence. Second, even with a good installation, during the winter it's going to be wet and slippery, which I did not want.
In the end I decided on Swisstrax Ribtrax, which is a product similar to the Racedeck that you mention.
https://www.swisstrax.com/flooring-tiles/ribtrax/
They're both good products but several reviews led me to believe that Swisstrax is better, though naturally it's more expensive. I have been very happy with it. After 5 years it looks just like the day it was installed. Everyone who sees the garage compliments it. Because the tiles are open, dirt falls underneath, and the floor looks constantly clean. All I do is shop-vac it every month; whatever dirt or debris that is there shop-vacs right up. It stays very dry in the winter; whatever rain or snow falls from the car goes to the concrete underneath, and gradually dries, so the tiles themselves are never slippery. The tiles themselves appear to me to be indestructible and show no evidence of having 2 cars drive over them for 5 years.
I have kept the concrete bare underneath and have not had any problems with salt deposits over 5 years. If you would like to rinse the floor, I have read that people with Swisstrax just hose it down or pressure wash it, though I have not done this. But assuming your garage floor will drain, that should be an easy method to clean off salt debris. As bkrantz suggested, you could epoxy underneath the tiles, though that would be expensive.
good luck
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/...splay.php?f=20
I live in the southeast, and we get some ice and snow in the winter, with accompanying salt issues, though certainly not at a Wisconsin level.
After researching as much as I could, I decided against epoxy for 2 reasons. First, I wasn't convinced I would get a good installation. I read too many horror stories about chipping, flaking, melting, staining, discoloring, etc. If you are confident in your abilities to install, or have confidence in an installer, that's great; I just did not have that confidence. Second, even with a good installation, during the winter it's going to be wet and slippery, which I did not want.
In the end I decided on Swisstrax Ribtrax, which is a product similar to the Racedeck that you mention.
https://www.swisstrax.com/flooring-tiles/ribtrax/
They're both good products but several reviews led me to believe that Swisstrax is better, though naturally it's more expensive. I have been very happy with it. After 5 years it looks just like the day it was installed. Everyone who sees the garage compliments it. Because the tiles are open, dirt falls underneath, and the floor looks constantly clean. All I do is shop-vac it every month; whatever dirt or debris that is there shop-vacs right up. It stays very dry in the winter; whatever rain or snow falls from the car goes to the concrete underneath, and gradually dries, so the tiles themselves are never slippery. The tiles themselves appear to me to be indestructible and show no evidence of having 2 cars drive over them for 5 years.
I have kept the concrete bare underneath and have not had any problems with salt deposits over 5 years. If you would like to rinse the floor, I have read that people with Swisstrax just hose it down or pressure wash it, though I have not done this. But assuming your garage floor will drain, that should be an easy method to clean off salt debris. As bkrantz suggested, you could epoxy underneath the tiles, though that would be expensive.
good luck
08-23-2018, 01:46 PM
#4
Instructor
Thread Starter
I had a similar question 5 years ago when I decided to redo my garage floor. You may want to check out this forum, which has discussions of epoxy vs. tile floors:
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/...splay.php?f=20
I live in the southeast, and we get some ice and snow in the winter, with accompanying salt issues, though certainly not at a Wisconsin level.
After researching as much as I could, I decided against epoxy for 2 reasons. First, I wasn't convinced I would get a good installation. I read too many horror stories about chipping, flaking, melting, staining, discoloring, etc. If you are confident in your abilities to install, or have confidence in an installer, that's great; I just did not have that confidence. Second, even with a good installation, during the winter it's going to be wet and slippery, which I did not want.
In the end I decided on Swisstrax Ribtrax, which is a product similar to the Racedeck that you mention.
https://www.swisstrax.com/flooring-tiles/ribtrax/
They're both good products but several reviews led me to believe that Swisstrax is better, though naturally it's more expensive. I have been very happy with it. After 5 years it looks just like the day it was installed. Everyone who sees the garage compliments it. Because the tiles are open, dirt falls underneath, and the floor looks constantly clean. All I do is shop-vac it every month; whatever dirt or debris that is there shop-vacs right up. It stays very dry in the winter; whatever rain or snow falls from the car goes to the concrete underneath, and gradually dries, so the tiles themselves are never slippery. The tiles themselves appear to me to be indestructible and show no evidence of having 2 cars drive over them for 5 years.
I have kept the concrete bare underneath and have not had any problems with salt deposits over 5 years. If you would like to rinse the floor, I have read that people with Swisstrax just hose it down or pressure wash it, though I have not done this. But assuming your garage floor will drain, that should be an easy method to clean off salt debris. As bkrantz suggested, you could epoxy underneath the tiles, though that would be expensive.
good luck
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/...splay.php?f=20
I live in the southeast, and we get some ice and snow in the winter, with accompanying salt issues, though certainly not at a Wisconsin level.
After researching as much as I could, I decided against epoxy for 2 reasons. First, I wasn't convinced I would get a good installation. I read too many horror stories about chipping, flaking, melting, staining, discoloring, etc. If you are confident in your abilities to install, or have confidence in an installer, that's great; I just did not have that confidence. Second, even with a good installation, during the winter it's going to be wet and slippery, which I did not want.
In the end I decided on Swisstrax Ribtrax, which is a product similar to the Racedeck that you mention.
https://www.swisstrax.com/flooring-tiles/ribtrax/
They're both good products but several reviews led me to believe that Swisstrax is better, though naturally it's more expensive. I have been very happy with it. After 5 years it looks just like the day it was installed. Everyone who sees the garage compliments it. Because the tiles are open, dirt falls underneath, and the floor looks constantly clean. All I do is shop-vac it every month; whatever dirt or debris that is there shop-vacs right up. It stays very dry in the winter; whatever rain or snow falls from the car goes to the concrete underneath, and gradually dries, so the tiles themselves are never slippery. The tiles themselves appear to me to be indestructible and show no evidence of having 2 cars drive over them for 5 years.
I have kept the concrete bare underneath and have not had any problems with salt deposits over 5 years. If you would like to rinse the floor, I have read that people with Swisstrax just hose it down or pressure wash it, though I have not done this. But assuming your garage floor will drain, that should be an easy method to clean off salt debris. As bkrantz suggested, you could epoxy underneath the tiles, though that would be expensive.
good luck
09-05-2018, 09:12 PM
#5
I was also thinking of this type of floor for my garage. Do you have any issues with the floor moving or shifting when driving on it? Also does it feel solid when you walk on it or hollow underneath your feet?
09-06-2018, 11:33 AM
#6
09-10-2018, 11:28 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
I live in one of the snowiest, saltiest areas in the country and have been using a parking mat for my daily. Autofloor guard is the brand, and it works very well at keeping the worst of the slop off the floor. I sweep it approx every other week to remove the snow melt, and am pretty happy with it. I can't imagine a rubber tile floor like the ones mentioned not becoming overwhelmed with the constant supply of slush dripping off the car. If you get a lot of snow, you may be best off with a parking mat.
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09-11-2018, 12:55 PM
#8
the ribtrax tiles are not rubber but an industrial strength polypropylene copolymer; they are resistant to oil, gas, acid or solvents including Skydrol and Alkalis; able withstand up to 70,000 lbs of rollover weight and a compressive strength of 3120 psi:
https://www.swisstrax.com/flooring-tiles/ribtrax/
https://www.swisstrax.com/flooring-tiles/ribtrax/
