LexVan

XLOR8T, did you see this?:

https://rennlist.com/forums/off-topi...or-finish.html

XLOR8T

Hi Lex

thanks for the link. I just read it. I have two old cracks in concrete and the patch repair will likely crack and ruin the beautiful epoxy finish.

I read the cons. My garage is small so I don't get to walk around or do much other than park the two cars 19.5x19.5ft. Cars are awd so no rear tire kicking tiles out and garage door is always closed so no sun warp.

I think I'm leaning Swiss tracks.

addysdaddy

I agree, Swisstrak is the way to go.

pfbz

I know the snap-together tile floors are very popular and they look great, but I think they work much better for a 'store your car' garage rather than a 'work on your car' garage. Spill a liter of oil on it and you will be cleaning for days... Plus I really don't like the sound they make when walking on them..

For working garages, it's hard to beat just a coating like an epoxy finish. Lots of prep work needed, especially on an older garage, to get the finish properly applied, but once done they look good, jacks and roller seats roll around easy on them, they don't dimple with applied pressure from motorcycle kickstands, jackstands, etc. and are reasonable priced.

If you've never visited www.garagejournal.com, spend a few hours over there for more opinions and options than pretty much anywhere else! They have an entire forum section dedicated to flooring!

ace37

Is the purpose of these coatings primarily aesthetic, or what additional functions does it serve? It does look good to me so if that's the answer, great, but I want to make sure I'm not missing something.

If it's primarily aesthetic, on our next house I'd consider decorative concrete as an alternative. The concrete treatments can look really good.

drcollie

Well, I like the Racedeck because it has a "cush" to it so its much softer than concrete. It's also MUCH warmer in the winter time. Parts are easy to find on it when dropped (though they can bounce twice as far). Oil spills are no problem cleaning up, they don't stain like on concrete. The only negative is they can dent, so I have to use a steel plate under the floor jack wheels when putting a car up. Even it you dent one, its no big deal - Racedeck will send you one free of charge and you can replace it in less than 5 minutes.

NoGaBiker

^^ Weird -- 13 years in and I have no dents or dimples on my Racedeck, and I've floor-jacked and jackstanded all manner of cars and trucks on it. I even jacked up my 991GTS, pulled all four wheels to be painted, and left the car on the four stands for two weeks while the wheels were painted. I have a nice aluminum floor jack now, but for years worked with an old steel one with skinnier wheels than the big barrels on the aluminum guy.

Archimedes

Mine don't make any noise at all and they cleanup very easily. Pull them up, wash them off, put em back down. Easy peasy. If you find them making noises it likely means that you have a problem with the foundation or don't have them set flat.

Also, at least the Race Deck Free Flow I have is super comfy on bare/socked feet. Way nicer than walking on concrete. Stuff slides really easily on them too.

And they only cost like $3.50 a piece, so if you damage one (which I've never had happen) you can just swap the tile out. And if you move, you just pull em up and take them with you.

The best part about the RD FF and the Swiss Trax is that they always look good because the dirt falls through. So you only have to vacuum/sweep once a year, rather than constantly on a concrete floor.

addysdaddy

What he said! Had a roller dolly which also worked with no problem. The Swisstrax was simply a fantastic surface and when we sold the house, it was one of the features that locked in the deal. The guy took one look and was sold.

pfbz

As said, the interlocking tile has lots of enthusiastic fans... Personally, I hate the stuff. If you haven't checked it out in person, I'd suggest doing so before making the investment.

When folks say 'it's easy to clean, just pop out the tiles, hose them off...' etc. I think perhaps they haven't done many oil changes, brake flushes, don't spray brake cleaner on greasy parts frequently, etc. I can't imagine having to 'pop out tiles' every time I need to clean up a minor spill.

Could be why you never see commercial garages done with it.

mikeearly

All reasonable points ... I'll be the first to admit that my garage is NOT anywhere close to a commercial garage, nor do I do oil changes, brake flushes or spray brake cleaner around. I can see why you would not be a fan of tiles.

I do use my garage as a place to store my cars and occasional detail-type work. And for that I find the interlocking tile approach absolutely wonderful. No problems with using jacks or rolling stuff around. And for what I do very easy to keep clean and nice looking.

But it is like you said -- check it out in person -- and make sure you understand what criteria are important to you in making the decision....

sracer

I do a fair amount of race car prep, drop small parts, spill stuff, scale and align, etc. and never considered interlocking tiles for that reason...epoxy has worked well.

Aaronr

RaceDeck Free Flow for me, I love it.

Floor is 5 years old and looks new.

Snow, sand, and salt here in Indiana and it works great.

I love washing with no squeege or clean-up when done.

PLom

The problem with epoxy is that if it's not done absolutely right, like ground down etc. - it just gets worse than it was. There are unfortunately lost of not so great "companies" out there that offer deals on epoxy. I've heard many horror storises about it. Check Matt with Obsessed Garage - also here on RL. Sure it can be done right, but how do you know? Never had a problem with SwissTrax - but I also do not run a commercial shop - as has been pointed out. Horses for courses....

Cheers, -Peter

bkrantz

Here are some photos, about a year after applying sealer. The floor then was well cured (about 8 months since poured). The finish was between smooth and polished. I did not stain, just washed. The sealer darkened the original concrete a bit, and certainly shows the variation in finish.

I am very happy so far. All spills so far cleaned up easily without staining. Welding and grinding leave no trace. And not slick when wet.

(Pardon the mess. I have all my son's stuff pile up here for a few weeks.)