GARAGE FLOOR - MY CHOICE - DID MY RESEARCH - PICS

[WANTED]

thought all of you getting ready to do your garage floor would appreciate seeing
another choice. being a builder i see tons of floor choice's every year. i have been
looking to do my garage's, mine - 900 sq. ft., wife's - 750 sq. ft., so i didn't
want to rush into doing something i would regret later. i have been sitting on the fence
with purchasing race deck flooring but just didn't like the plastic feel of the floor.
i am not putting down race deck flooring as i think it is perfect for trade shows or a
temporary install, i loved the colors but not the feel. anyhow i found a commercial
vinyl composition tile 1/8" gauge with a static load of 250 PSI, perfect for a garage floor.
the tile comes in the size of 12"x12" and can be cut. I CANT STATE HOW NICE THIS FLOOR IS.
i will be doing a total of 1650 sq. ft. of tile AND THE BEST PART TOTAL PRICE LESS THEN $1200
. i own a building company which is how i found this and
the price i am able to purchase it for. i will be ordering my tile this week and will know better
the total cost including shipping and adhesive.

MY PRICE PER TILE IS $0.67 PLUS SHIPPING AND ADHESIVE

I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER THIS TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE VCA AT MY COST
its not difficult to install and if need be you can hire someone to install it for you.

CHECK OUT ALL THE COLOR CHOICE'S FROM THE PICS.

GREAT PRICE - GREAT TILE - LOTS OF COLOR CHOICE'S ( GLAD I WAITED )

I WILL POST PICS OF THE INSTALL, BEFORE AND AFTER PICS AS WELL.

BELOW ARE SOME SAMPLES I RECEIVED TODAY.

TOM

 

[ViperJohn]

Looks nice Tom.

It looks like Chip is going to be busy.

 

[FLOORIN04]

Tom make sure you get the mat for the salt and rain water.Also make pads for your cars tires to park on after driving.The tires will make your tile discolor due to heat and armorall.They also make a tile that is textured and multi colored should be on back side of that board.Pm me or call me on what shipping is $.May be able to help you out with local distributor.(Owings mills,Elkridge)let me know if your doing pick-up 15.00-30 "will call fee"

 

[97blue]

Hey Tom I live in Bel Air and would like to take a look at your floor when its done. I was thinking about the race deck but like the tile option better.

 

[GR8_ASP]

How does this compare to the tile from Home Depot? That is what I have installed.

One note. Beware of thermal effects. The concrete and tile material do not grow at the same rate (not a problem if you heat and air condition the garage), but I have noticed small areas where the tiles lift due to this and my garage is kept above 50 F in the winter.

The other thing is that salt from the cars will leach along the tile joints and look unsightly. The only solution I have found is a car mat to prevent the salt from getting on the tiles.

 

[Mr U-2]

Tom,

Currently building a new house...garage floor is already poured. I was looking for this kind of finished look versus the epoxy paint I've had before. I'd like to look at a dealers sample selection..are these guys available in retail stores? I can get my builder to get builders prices if these are sold in stores.

Thanks and keep us advised.

Paul

 

[Ulysses]

FLOORIN04 said:

Tom make sure you get the mat for the salt and rain water.Also make pads for your cars tires to park on after driving.The tires will make your tile discolor due to heat and armorall.

Is that a mat that sits on top of the tile? Do you think the dark colors will discolor?

TIA

 

[WANTED]

Hey Tom I live in Bel Air and would like to take a look at your floor when its done. I was thinking about the race deck but like the tile option better.

sounds great, your more then welcome to check it out. i will be installing
it soon, within 2 weeks and also plan on posting pics of the install.

I WOULD WAIT TO SEE IT BEFORE ORDERING RACE DECK TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE THE TWO.
I LIKE RACE DECK, JUST NOT FOR A GARAGE. I PLAN ON PURCHASING RACE DECK FOR THE
TIMES I SHOW MY CAR.

 

[WANTED]

Tom make sure you get the mat for the salt and rain water.Also make pads for your cars tires to park on after driving.The tires will make your tile discolor due to heat and armorall.They also make a tile that is textured and multi colored should be on back side of that board.Pm me or call me on what shipping is $.May be able to help you out with local distributor.(Owings mills,Elkridge)let me know if your doing pick-up 15.00-30 "will call fee"

thanks jamie, i will probably be calling you tonight.

 

[WANTED]

Tom,

Currently building a new house...garage floor is already poured. I was looking for this kind of finished look versus the epoxy paint I've had before. I'd like to look at a dealers sample selection..are these guys available in retail stores? I can get my builder to get builders prices if these are sold in stores.

Thanks and keep us advised.

Paul

paul the company's name is CONGOLEUM. the solid color tiles are in the
SPECIAL EFFECTS SERIE'S - ***ITS COMMERCIAL TILE FLOORING***

SOLID COLORS ARE - WHITE,BLACK,RED,YELLOW,DEEP GREEN,DEEP BLUE.
***SOLID COLORS ARE VERY BOLD***

hope this helps.

tom

 

[FLOORIN04]

FLOORIN04 said:

Tom make sure you get the mat for the salt and rain water.Also make pads for your cars tires to park on after driving.The tires will make your tile discolor due to heat and armorall.

Is that a mat that sits on top of the tile? Do you think the dark colors will discolor?

TIA

They will oxidize and get hazy the darker color show faster.

The mat is like a tarp and collects all water and ect even comes with curbing and drain hose about 150.00.


The best thing is to keep the floor polished and even temps.All year long.You can pick up the tile almost anywhere.

 

[bwhitmore]

Just a word of caution.. VCT does not do well in areas were it might come in contact with moisture. It tends to buckle the tile.

You can actually go to just about any fast food restaurant and see this. We have Quizno's here in California that like to use commercial VCT on their floors. The mopping of the floor will actually cause the edges of the tile to lift up at the seams. Now linoleum and sheet vinyl products actually do very well in conditions were something might get spilt on them. The problem is, they are not available in tiles.

VCT is also prone to scuffing, just from walking on it repeatedly, or sliding something over it and requires buffing to keep up the sheen.

As a licensed architect, I often ask our commercial clients to look at other options than VCT. The allure is the price... It is very inexpensive.

 

[FLOORIN04]

ceramic

 

[Knight Viper]

Hey Tom, Let me know if you need a hand with anything from clean up, layout, install or just celebrating/admiring with your car on top when it's done. Kevin

 

[Scott M]

I wonder if anyone on this board, when building a new house, has had the concreted colored when it was poured, then polished (or acid-etching) - see link: www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/acid_etch_staining/index.html

To me, if building a new house this would be the best option with no real concerns about peeling, lifting, etc and it looks the best (IMO).

Again, just curious if anyone has done this and how well it stood up (I would assume no different than regular concrete)

Thanks...

 

[plumcrazy]

i like the acid etching myself. but i think id go with a high quality urethane coating if it was for MY garage.

coloroed (shake on) concrete is good, its about 1/4" thick and almost always a harder topping than the standard 3000 psi concrete which is important to me. so any gouging would be ok. then the polishing can be re done if ya ever need it.

 

[Turbo50Mike]

paul the company's name is CONGOLEUM. the solid color tiles are in the
SPECIAL EFFECTS SERIE'S - ***ITS COMMERCIAL TILE FLOORING***

SOLID COLORS ARE - WHITE,BLACK,RED,YELLOW,DEEP GREEN,DEEP BLUE.
***SOLID COLORS ARE VERY BOLD***

hope this helps.

tom

In the application chart it says "Not recommended for automotive maintenence areas or Automotive showroom unless flooring is protected from oil spills and contact with rubber tires."

Hmmm..

 

[GR8_ASP]

Like I indicated above I went with the tile (commercial tile from Home Depot). Low cost and easy to lay, but not perfect. Polishing is an annual event and it does not like salt (leaches along the tile edges). But it is noce looking amnd has been quite durable. This is now 4 years old and still great.

Note the pads under the wheels (actually entrance floor mats) to protect from the tires. I also park the lawn tractor on a carpet piece. The tires stain the tiles quickly, even with no heat. No problems with oil or even brake fluid. Seems impervious to the fluids if cleaned reasonably quickly.

 

[TCKTPLZ]

Here are a couple of pics of my VCT floor:

It looks real nice when clean, but like crap when it's dirty. And it gets dirty quite quickly. It also scratches very easily as well. If I had to do it all over gain, I would go with ceramic. It may be more in terms of cost, but like the ceramic in my house, it is very durable and looks like new with minimal maintenance.

Speaking of maintenance, I need to clean that floor and those cabinets. Both of them always need cleaning. Quite the couple. lol.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

Note the pads under the wheels (actually entrance floor mats) to protect from the tires. I also park the lawn tractor on a carpet piece. The tires stain the tiles quickly, even with no heat.
___________________________________________________
Some nice garages! I'm having custom made stainless steel tire stops made for my garage. The floor will be Chicago brick, carrying it in from the driveway to give it a closed in carport look. Old world.

 

[Andrew2KRT10]

Sounds like a lot of trouble to go through. It should wear better than that. Park on rug? I think not.

 

[Leslie]

wow NICE garage!!!! I would be LIVING out there haha!

Like I indicated above I went with the tile (commercial tile from Home Depot). Low cost and easy to lay, but not perfect. Polishing is an annual event and it does not like salt (leaches along the tile edges). But it is noce looking amnd has been quite durable. This is now 4 years old and still great.

Note the pads under the wheels (actually entrance floor mats) to protect from the tires. I also park the lawn tractor on a carpet piece. The tires stain the tiles quickly, even with no heat. No problems with oil or even brake fluid. Seems impervious to the fluids if cleaned reasonably quickly.