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Garage Tile instead of Paint

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PAUL161

PAUL161

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I'm sure some of you fellas have had experience with garage floor tile. Last garage I painted the floor with epoxy paint, 2 times, and it didn't hold up under hot tires and eventually would show tire tracks, so I'm thinking of tiling the floor, any suggestions? I found 1/4 inch thick tile 18" square, pretty expensive but easy to lay and guaranteed to hold up. PJ
 
I think you want porcelain - will you need to scrape up the paint to get a good bond?
 
Porcelain tile? JP, I've never heard of porcelain floor tile, sounds a little over the top for a garage floor. I have to etch the floor regardless of what I put down, just to make sure the mastic sticks properly. Hard decision as there are so many brands, colors and patterns to choose from. PJ
 
Paul - I considered garage floor coverings myself.

First question: Will you use the garage for actually working on the car? (jack, jack stands, fluid changes, etc.)

Or just for storing the car.

Big difference in what covering you'll want/need.

Tom M.
 
I bought a pallet load of office carpet tiles (more substantial than domestic ones) from a recycle company online. Had enough to do a double garage with some to spare. Cost ÂŁ50 including delivery. Admittedley they were a bit grubby. I could have spent a bit more and got better condition ones but all i wanted was somthing to keep my butt off cold concrete and provide some relief for my knees.
 
Tom's comment is spot-on... what is the intent of the floor?

Tiles would look great. You can use a pattern of tiles if you want a "designer" floor. (E.g. checkerboard.) You can repair a tile floor, should a tile crack. Oil will not soak in (use dark grout), and times are amazingly tough in general (resistant to scratching). My concern would be rolling things with small wheels over the grout lines, e.g. a creeper. Maybe the really small, e.g. bathroom, tiles could help?

Tiles are fairly easy to install - once the surface is prepped. I enjoy laying tile, as the progress is fast and the result looks beautiful. For my last job (kitchen backsplash with a lot of odd corners) I bought a tile cutter, then sold it on Craigslist for half of what i paid. Not cheap, but comparable to rental without the time restriction for a weekend-warrior. And it is great for compound shapes.

Another thing to consider is lighting. I prefer white or light gray, as it helps to brighten the space.

Personally, I am a fan of epoxy paint - not saying it is "the best", just that it works for me. Mine looks "terrible", as I drag things all around it, get occasional weld spatter (try to avoid that), but eventually the floor becomes an even matte finish. Surface prep is king. Bare concrete and zero oil (including tire marks) are necessary in my experience (requiring a nasty amount of grinding). 100% solids epoxy is not affected by tire heat, unlike the water-based stuff from the box stores.
 
Hmmm jack stands, never gave them a thought, thanks Tom. I could cut pieces of 3/4 inch plywood to fit under the stands and distribute the weight over a larger area. Room for thought there. They are just to get the car off the tires when idle for the winter.

Steve, If the car ever needs any major work, I'd take it out to my shop and work on it there, but that has a painted cold concrete floor, covering it is not an option, 40X60 feet! :highly_amused:

NutmegCT said:
Paul - I considered garage floor coverings myself.

First question: Will you use the garage for actually working on the car? (jack, jack stands, fluid changes, etc.)

Or just for storing the car.

Big difference in what covering you'll want/need.

Tom M.
Click to expand...
 
40x60! Wish i had access to that sort of space. My garage is faily large by uk standards, around 18x18, but still not big enough.
 
Concrete?
 
NutmegCT said:
Paul - I considered garage floor coverings myself. dri

First question: Will you use the garage for actually working on the car? (jack, jack stands, fluid changes, etc.)

Or just for storing the car.

Big difference in what covering you'll want/need.

Tom M.
Click to expand...

My driveway is quite visible since it is the entrance to my apartment and attached to the garden so I had to make it look nice.

I put large grey tiles on the driveway several years ago, park on it daily and have used jacks, stands etc on it many times. I haven't bothered with plywood and there are no signs of damage. I just power wash it when the van has leaked enough to be noticeable stains will come off with engine cleaner. Get GOOD quality tiles , and make sure that they are slip resistant.
 
70herald said:
My driveway is quite visible since it is the entrance to my apartment and attached to the garden so I had to make it look nice.

I put large grey tiles on the driveway several years ago, park on it daily and have used jacks, stands etc on it many times. I haven't bothered with plywood and there are no signs of damage. I just power wash it when the van has leaked enough to be noticeable stains will come off with engine cleaner. Get GOOD quality tiles , and make sure that they are slip resistant.
Click to expand...

Got pictures?
 
PAUL161 said:
Porcelain tile? JP, I've never heard of porcelain floor tile, sounds a little over the top for a garage floor. I have to etch the floor regardless of what I put down, just to make sure the mastic sticks properly. Hard decision as there are so many brands, colors and patterns to choose from. PJ
Click to expand...

Porcelain is not necessarily more expensive - but, it is much harder than regular tiles and the colour goes all the way through the tile. Typically a better choice for industrial locations.

We have a number of tile outlets in the area that sell cheap job lots - and, we've actually done quite well at Home Depot.
 
JP, Your not speaking of ceramic tile are you, we have a lot of that in the house, but not porcelain. Porcelain is usually fired to metal as in antique bath tubs and sinks, that's what's throwing me off. PJ
 
Had to read up on this and this is a very short piece on the differences, which isn't much, but they are different to a point. PJ

For many of us, the terms "ceramic" and "porcelain"are used interchangeably, as if they were the same thing. Tileshop salespeople often claim a vast world of difference between the two in order to justify porcelain's cachet--and its higher prices.
Asit turns out, the common idea of these materials is closer to the truth. Ceramic and porcelain are composed differently and do behave accordingly upon installation--but withonly slight differences, the chief difference being that porcelain is more impervious to water infiltration than ceramic.
All Part of the Family of Ceramic

Porcelainand ceramic tile are both are part of the larger category of tiles we can call ceramic.For modern tile specifications, it is more a case of reverse-naming,whereby manufacturers take tiles that have certain qualities and then assign the ceramic or porcelain titles to them.

Also found how one is called Ceramic and the other is called Porcelain. During the manufacturing process, they take tiles and immerse them in water, if they absorb 5% water in weight, their called porcelain, less than that there called ceramic, the finish is the same, go figure.
 
I just used self-stick vinyl floor tiles. Looks better than the old concrete, and is easier to sweep, but not overly durable. Oil will loosen the adhesive, but then LBC's don't leak oil. :rolleye: My jackstands have six sharp points on the bottom and they will leave matching dents in the tile.
 
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