Garage floor

[NutmegCT]

After tens years of saving funds and jumping through the town's hoops, I've finally got a small garage. Yeehah!

It has a 3/4" pressure treated plywood floor, on 8" center joists.

If this were your garage, would you leave the plywood as is?

Or cover with some fancy tiles? or paint/pour some special surface covering?

Or ...?

Floor is ugly - but strong and serviceable. Serves the purpose.

Is there a worthwhile "upgrade"? (not interested in "pretty" - I'm a frugal Yankee. Just wondered if there's something that improves the situation).

Garage is for my soon-to-arrive 1953 MGTD.

Edit: I've found many topics already on covering concrete floors. I'm specifically wondering about the 3/4" treated plywood I have. I just spoke with a rep at RaceDeck, who says any of their covering tiles will be fine on my plywood; they don't glue down - just lock together as a "floating" floor.

Thanks.
Tom M.
PS - I am psyched!

 

[number6]

Although I don't know quite what to recommend, I think some kind of oil resistant coating to prevent oil from seeping in might be good. probably in a color that shows off small dropped parts etc.

 

[NutmegCT]

Thanks. You've got me thinking about just painting the plywood surface. A lighter color would help find lost parts, and would be less of a problem to sweep clean than covering with textured tiles.

Would be good to hear from someone who uses flexible tiles, to see if there was a practical reason beside just giving the floor a "professional" finish.

TM

 

[dklawson]

I cannot imagine a wooden floor in a garage. My mind keeps creating images of floor jacks punching through the plywood.

I agree with the idea of coating/sealing the plywood both to prevent it from becoming oily and to lock down any splinters. I would also look for some 1/8" to 1/4" steel plates to use under your jack and jack stands. You may also want to consider plates for under each tire.

 

[JPSmit]

I like the idea of plates also - would suggest a clear finish rather than painted as then you can see if the floor is deteriorating.

congrats BTW!

 

[HealeyRick]

I'm not an expert, but I think painting it might be slippery to walk on, especially if it got wet, and might crack from the car flexing the plywood as it moves over it. The race deck tiles seem nice, but are pretty expensive and might be prone to spilled liquids leaking between them. I might just leave it as is or maybe some kind of oil-based stain.

 

[NutmegCT]

Thanks gentlemen. Other than making the floor "pretty" or more comfortable to walk on/ lie on - what does a new surface over concrete (or wood) actually provide?

I can't see paying $500-1000 only for appearance.

Edit: I've been using steel plates under jacks for several years, so that's already on the list.

TM

 

[3798j]

Think I'd check out the rubber garage floor mats. They're made in many sizes and textures. Here's a 7.5' x 17' ribbed roll out mat for $130:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Better-L...75035&wl11=online&wl12=16829831&wl13=&veh=sem

 

[dklawson]

Regarding "slippery paint", I remember years ago painting my grandfather's garage floor with epoxy and mixing in a certain amount of "grit" to help him keep his feet after he had experienced a stroke. The add-in grit was great for preventing falls on damp surfaces.

 

[AngliaGT]

Epoxy floors work great.We had a dairy box done at work
years ago,& still works great.
When I was working on the MGA that went to Ohio,the owner
had a fibreboard floor.Made it difficult to move a jack on,& absobed gas,
oil,& cat odors.

 

[NutmegCT]

Now I'm thinking that rubber floor mat is a pretty good idea. Certainly appropriate for the plywood floor I've got. I took a look at some at Home Depot - various widths and lengths. Just a "ribbed" design, so sweeping would be easy. Impermeable rubber that's resistant to petroleum products. Might try one and see how it works.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/G-Floor...oor-Cover-and-Protector-GF55RB717SG/203450700

View attachment 49140

Funny - the one comment on the HD page about this is from a guy who bought it to protect his epoxy coated floor. I thought the epoxy was supposed to do the protecting!

 

[3798j]

Big fan of the two part epoxy floor here. Mine has been down more than 10 years and appears as it did when installed. Clean ups are a breeze and there is no staining. If the grease gun drops a dollop of grease...no big deal. If the main seal burps a bit of oil...so what. Afraid of carrying a pan of antifreeze for fear of sloshing some on the floor?...won't matter if you do, it won't seep in. Want to use a spray tire dressing?...any overspray cleans with a paper towel. A weekly pass with the dust mop and it looks beautiful (no concrete dust). A springtime bucket and mop patrol with Spic N Span and it's back as new.

 

[JPSmit]

Big fan of the two part epoxy floor here. Mine has been down more than 10 years and appears as it did when installed. Clean ups are a breeze and there is no staining. If the grease gun drops a dollop of grease...no big deal. If the main seal burps a bit of oil...so what. Afraid of carrying a pan of antifreeze for fear of sloshing some on the floor?...won't matter if you do, it won't seep in. Want to use a spray tire dressing?...any overspray cleans with a paper towel. A weekly pass with the dust mop and it looks beautiful (no concrete dust). A springtime bucket and mop patrol with Spic N Span and it's back as new.

How scratch and scrape resistant is it? Not just jack stands but heavy axles etc?

 

[3798j]

How scratch and scrape resistant is it? Not just jack stands but heavy axles etc?

It's more scratch resistant than concrete. This engine stand's metal wheels will leave marks on concrete. It doesn't leave marks on the epoxy. Can it be scratched or scraped yes...but you've gotta make an effort. A dropped 10" adjustable from the workbench isn't going to mark it.

 

[Keith_M]

Tom,
You've got a garage! How did you get around the zoning? How the heck does it have a wood floor? When does the TD arrive?

Sorry, no help on the actual question that you asked.

Keith

 

[NutmegCT]

Hey Keith - after ten years of saving up $$ and jumping through the hoops (town, county, state), I was able to get a 12x16 garage. Nothing fancy, and has to be plywood floor due to proximity to septic leach field. Can't be larger than 12x16, due to proximity to adjoining property. But it's finally here.

TD should arrive some time this week. (I hope.) I'm going to write a book about this adventure, and describe each and every step - and each and every document - needed, when buying a car in Canada and bringing to the USA. Not for the faint of heart. Example: if the car is over 50 years old, the Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board has a say in whether it can leave Canada. Up to the buyer to prove it's not important to Canada history. Oh the stories I can tell.

https://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1458575435135

T.

 

[Popeye]

Congrats on the car and the garage!! As a car guy, these are the two things we all dream of - and you get both within a week! (Last I checked, Christmas was still a few months away...?)

In terms of floor covering, I am firmly in the epoxy camp. Two-part 100% epoxy, not the water-based stuff at your favorite box store (I have painted two garages, using Benjamin Moore and PPG). To answer JP's question, I find it does scratch easily but still looks great. The floor starts out glossy and becomes matte over time. (I have a uniform gray paint, no anti-slip additive.) I drag jacks, jackstands and other heavy tools across it, each creating small scratches.

Given your garage has a wood floor, it might require less preparation? The wood would not need to be etched, and perhaps oils soak deeper into the wood and stains do not need to be removed to get the epoxy to stick? Application is a bit tricky, as once you mix the paint, you have about 15 minutes to get it on the floor. (Pour the entire batch of mixed paint on the floor, squeegee it out, roll once to get it smooth, and walk away - any more touching and you will see it when finished.)

Having said all this, I like the mats. Easy-peasy to install. Obviously you can't weld on them without additional protection - but the wood floor kinda makes that a moot point. My one concern: how hard is it to roll stuff over the grooves (a creeper, rolling stool, or rolling table, etc.)? (How deep are the grooves?)

Bottom line, my opinion is to cover the floor. Finding a dropped rusty part on a wood floor (i.e. brown on brown) will be a challenge. Closing any gaps in the floor will be helpful - when you drop something you can sweep the floor. (Can be done with caulk.)

 

[NutmegCT]

I'm leaning more and more toward the simple ribbed rubber matting. Like this:

The ribbing is about 0.05" high. The garage is too small for any large tool sets or boxes, so the only thing I'd roll would probably be a floor jack if the scissor jack or King Dick isn't enough. The ease of pulling out the mat to hose it down if needed sounds good too - and I sure understand about losing a small part on a dull wooden floor. Memories of trolling with a magnet - or just my hands - are all too familiar.

TM

 

[Popeye]

"Trolling with a magnet"

Love it!

Enjoy the garage, the floor and of course the car (crazy what we all do for our cars... when is the last time we replaced our mattress - much less asked a large forum audience for advice on pillow tops and box springs? )

And of course we need to see a picture of the completed combination - hopefully in a week or so?

 

[CaptRandy]

It also absorbs moisture away from the car in rainy seasons. We used to (in the '60) store cars on wooden bases to keep rust away.