maximus001

I'm redoing the garage, new sheetrock, new door, storage, etc. I'm having a little difficulty deciding on the floor. I've looked at virtually every possibility out there. I've decided I don't want the days of prep needed to do a good epoxy job and have sort of settled on tiles or a wall to wall mat. I have an oversize 2 car garage and want it function as a man cave as well as house my Lexus and Benz (1994 E-320 Cabriolet).

What would you guys recommend? About 625 sq ft.

GS350Lexus

iTrader: (5)

Uuhh i think you posted this in a wrong thread. Try general discussions sub forum or something along the lines.

drewdogg80

Check out the garage journal forums, plenty of great info. Racedeck/garagedeck very popular options for ease of install. I haven't decided myself...even considering porcelain tiles. Mats generally are not as popular due to possible movement with wheel turns.

maximus001

Thanks for the link above. Looks like there is some good info there.

I heard that there can be an issue with mold with both mats and tiles, yuck. Has anyone had that problem?

Big Mack

iTrader: (1)

Obviously someone has or you wouldn't have heard about it. Where did you find that it would be days of prep to do an epoxy floor? Assuming you have virtually everything out if you're overhauling it like you say you are, now is the optimum time to do a resilient floor like epoxy creates since you've already got it clear. You must clean everything, sweep, vacuum, wash, then you etch the floor and wash it one more time, then put the epoxy down. It's usually about a 2-3 day total process, not just days of prep then more time to do the floor itself. Keep in mind that most of the kits available assume you have a standard garage, not a 25 x 25, so you may have a little added cost. Of course, if you have built a lot of storage in and taken up most of that additional space, that's all moot.

Another issue you run into with both mats and tiles are concerns about hot tires picking them up, or if you have a leak and it heats the tile or cooks it. Not something I'd be real gung ho about if I went to the trouble you are. An upside to tile/mats is that they will typically give a bit better when standing around and working on things, so you will be able to enjoy it a bit more if you're a garage putterer. Of course, if you have an epoxy floor, a standing work mat provides similar cushioning, but you won't squoosh it or cook it with hot car tires or liquids.

Big Mack

maximus001

"Obviously" I've also heard nightmares re: epoxy floors and it's not something I want to tackle by myself. Have some asthma problems and the fumes alone would kill me

My issues with the floor are that the concrete is very old, pitted and frequently gets wet with hard driving rains. I'm hoping to use tiles that breathe to deal with that. I'm guessing that the mats are likely to trap moisture and be a better mold medium.

You're right about the floor being cleared and cleaned.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

reseal the floor, epoxy it, then removable floor tiles.

i've heard stories of guys moving into homes with tiled garages to pull them p and find years of grease/gas/crap underneath :O