Garage Floor Protection - Coatings or Tiles, etc.

[Inzane]

I'm considering options for flooring for my new garage. It's a triple with an approximate floor area of about ~650 sq ft.

I'd like to hear from fellow car enthusiasts (as opposed to garage enthusiasts, like on garage specific forums) who have more than one priority. As opposed to the guy that just has a show winning garage, I need it to be practical, functional and hopefully look good too. Between my wife and I we have two daily driver vehicles, which will see full Alberta winter conditions. My third vehicle is the toy which I do a lot of DIY maintenance and modifying of.

I'll consider cost in the equation, but "affording" the more expensive options is not a problem for me. If I get the results I want, it'll be worth it to me. My main priorities will be durability and looks.

Option 1) DIY epoxy coating, ~$100-200 from a hardware store. I know several people that have done this. One friend did it recently and doesn't know what to expect or how long it will last but was impressed initially with his results. I know other people though that haven't gotten more than a couple years out of their, even with meticulous prep. This is the cheapest option, but I'm not fond of the idea of having to do repeat applications. (The long cure time before you can park on it too is a concern ~ 1-3 weeks).

Option 2) The more expensive professionally installed advanced polymer floor coatings (polyaspartic? polyurea). They are supposed to last much longer than the epoxy, cure amazingly fast (you can apparently be parking on it in 24hr), be very abrasion and chemical resistant. But it's quite pricey, in the range of ~$4-5 per sq ft from what I've seen.

Option 3) Tiles. I've seen racedeck tiles which are really nice. (And Costco sells them too, and for cheaper). Pricey though... anywhere from $3.5-5 per sq ft. And I've heard they can dent from jacks & jackstands use, unless you can protect the floor with plywood or something. And I'm not sure how they behave on a less than perfect surface (no concrete pour is ever perfect, so a typical garage pad may have the odd dip or slop, etc.)

Option 4) Roll-up vinyl.

Any thoughts and personal experiences with any of the above mention garage floor protections?

Thanks.

[garyhgaryh]

I have garage tiles I bought from costco. It's kinda expensive (garage is about ~950 sq ft), but I think it's worth it. I have some pics posted here somewhere. I'll have to search.

[AwesomeM3]

Check this thread:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130562

I posted pics of my garage in post #2. Good luck!

[Neurorad]

Number 5 would be ceramic floor tiles, though more expensive.













DIY:
http://www.slk32.com/pages/garage/Garage2/garage2.html

[Neurorad]

If you can't afford tile, I'd go with vinyl (big sheets not tiles) or industrial epoxy.

[garyhgaryh]

I'm post #15:

http://www.m3post.com/forums/showpos...6&postcount=15

[MMMazing07]

Originally Posted by Neurorad

Attachment 188188

[oldaccount]

Here is a good comparison of the different types.

http://www.motivemag.com/pub/feature..._for_you.shtml

[Inzane]

Interesting article. Thanks.