Garage Floor Advice

[MadRiver]

Either the concrete's getting harder or my knees are getting older -- I spent about five or six hours working on the Tiger on Saturday evening, and my knees still hurt! I was wearing running shoes with nice cushy socks, too. Any advice from the collective on "orthopedic" floor coverings? I've always liked the look of the black and white tiles, but some of our cars are known to, er, well, drip a bit of oil now and then, and I've always wondered if those modular floors let the oil seep under them.

Any wisdom would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[GregW]

Hi Bill,
You can start HERE, I seem to remember a couple threads about this in the past.

 

[Stewart]

Thick cardboard works wonders and is really nice when the floor is cold. Toss it when it gets oily.

 

[tony barnhill]

I'm beginning to lean towards this stuff for several reasons - Knees is one: https://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=142298

 

[Stewart]

thanks tony now I have to measure the garage

 

[tony barnhill]

Well, you should also have a heavy box package sitting around somewhere in a day or so....took me several times to get it so FEDEX would take it & I'll bet your home delivery guy or gal still complains!

 

[Stewart]

Heheh your just going to complete the trilogy of hate. Post office hates me. The ups guy hates me and now the fedex guy will hate me.

 

[tiga2]

....I have mentioned this before, but I bought some cheap indoor / outdoor carpet that the carpet store wanted to get rid of, it is fantastic, easy on the feet, made the garage sooo much warmer, nice to crawl around on, if your car drips oil just put down a pan or =, I have had the same carpet for 5 years now, best thisng I ever did!

 

[vagt6]

Tiga, great idea with the old carpeting, and the cardboard, too. Sure, the new epoxy finishes and fancy plastic checkerboard squares are all the rage nowadays, but for most amateur wrenchers this stuff is pure overkill.

The good old masonry/concrete sealers are just fine unless you're doing really heavy work in the garage.

IMHO, save the hundreds or thousands of bucks (and headache, if the floor prep work for the epoxy isn't done just right) and put down some plastic, cardboard or old carpet.

However, having said all that, sometimes it's all about the overkill . . . :lol:

 

[MadRiver]

I love the old carpet idea. I'm always browsing the local garage sales for old rugs to stick under the cars. Cardboard sounds interesting, but I'm afraid it might not have enough give for my creaking, rapidly aging knees!

 

[DNK]

The heck with old carpet. Under my 6 I have a piece of 100/yd wool left over from a construction job.
Why think low rent

 

[GregW]

Cardboard and carpet - not so good if you like to weld.

 

[Darwin]

Gel filled kneepads from HF. Super cheap at $8-10, portable for use in multiple settings,durable (so far mine show little wear), no worries about long term absorbsion issues (yes the get dirty and will abosorb fluids in the outter covering, but you won't be walking in it or driving on it. Did I mention cheap?

 

[MadRiver]

Alas, it's gotten to the point where my knees hurt not from kneeling on the floor, but simply from standing for prolonged periods of time on the concrete. Yes, I'm that creaky. :frown:

 

[tiga2]

.....You take it out to weld ;-) This is when I first put the carpet down, 5 years ago.

 

[Brosky]

If it only didn't snow here, I'd carpet mine in a heartbeat. But when I bring a car in after a snow storm and driving 250 miles, it wouldn't be pretty all winter while it sat there all wet and salty.