Garage flooring
Discussion
Our new build garage has a concrete floor which I assume is screed due to the amount of dust created when I sweep. I’m planning to have some vented tiles like the one below. I assume these can be laid directly onto the screed (it is level and smooth) but should I lay anything underneath such as a vapour sheet to keep the dust down? I assume that dust is only kicked up under movement so should stay more or less underneath the tiles even when there is movement on top of the tiles? I’ll be storing a car in the garage and will use for general storage of bikes and gardening equipment.
nammynake said:
Our new build garage has a concrete floor which I assume is screed due to the amount of dust created when I sweep. I’m planning to have some vented tiles like the one below. I assume these can be laid directly onto the screed (it is level and smooth) but should I lay anything underneath such as a vapour sheet to keep the dust down? I assume that dust is only kicked up under movement so should stay more or less underneath the tiles even when there is movement on top of the tiles? I’ll be storing a car in the garage and will use for general storage of bikes and gardening equipment.
Just a heads up, these are absolutely horrible to kneel on.ridds said:
nammynake said:
Our new build garage has a concrete floor which I assume is screed due to the amount of dust created when I sweep. I’m planning to have some vented tiles like the one below. I assume these can be laid directly onto the screed (it is level and smooth) but should I lay anything underneath such as a vapour sheet to keep the dust down? I assume that dust is only kicked up under movement so should stay more or less underneath the tiles even when there is movement on top of the tiles? I’ll be storing a car in the garage and will use for general storage of bikes and gardening equipment.
Just a heads up, these are absolutely horrible to kneel on.To kill the dust I used PVA emulsion, 1 part PVA to 2 parts water. ( Brand name was Sealocrete IIRC). First coat generously slopped on with a roller on a stick and it dried in a couple of hours. Second coat dried overnight.
No more dust. Ten years now.
Floor covering of your choice, or leave as is. I used grey floor paint.
Cheers.
nammynake said:
... but should I lay anything underneath such as a vapour sheet to keep the dust down? I assume that dust is only kicked up under movement so should stay more or less underneath the tiles even when there is movement on top of the tiles?
Everbuild 403 Concrete sealer. Works a treat.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everbuild-CHD5L-Concrete-...
Clean and vacuum up the dust, then spray on using a garden weed sprayer. 24hrs later apply a second coat. 2 x 5litre will do a double garage with some to spare. Fast and effective.
So our new to us house has a concrete slab for the garage floor. It is coming up 40 years old, bit dusty but in sound condition.
It has quite a few ripples and footprints from when it was laid so it isn't completely smooth. There is also no DPC so it does get a bit damp. No big pools or standing water but you can see and feel darker areas where it is a bit damp to touch.
I was planning on laying a liquid DPM, then some primer, then a self levelling and finally paint/epoxy paint on top. With all the curing times it will probably be around a week of work.
This thread has now got me thinking about tiles. I've contacted a couple of the manufacturers in this thread for samples and prices. Could anyone comment on their durability?
My garage is a bit of workshop but no car storage. Plenty of tools, push bikes and a motorcycle. I would put a car in their but only if I'm working on it, not storing it. How are the tiles with things like jacks etc? I guess the tiles would also add a bit of insulation and make the floor a bit warmer.
I'm also a bit unsure with the tiles and my damp floor. With all the tiles clipping together I can't see how the damp would evaporate and I don't want to end up damaging the tiles. I could always put a liquid DPM down before the tiles but then it would add extra cost to the tiles.
Obviously the big plus with the tiles is the time saved in putting it down. But I'd rather do a method properly if it will last. I can see us being at this house for 25+ years so need something that will last more than a couple of years.
It has quite a few ripples and footprints from when it was laid so it isn't completely smooth. There is also no DPC so it does get a bit damp. No big pools or standing water but you can see and feel darker areas where it is a bit damp to touch.
I was planning on laying a liquid DPM, then some primer, then a self levelling and finally paint/epoxy paint on top. With all the curing times it will probably be around a week of work.
This thread has now got me thinking about tiles. I've contacted a couple of the manufacturers in this thread for samples and prices. Could anyone comment on their durability?
My garage is a bit of workshop but no car storage. Plenty of tools, push bikes and a motorcycle. I would put a car in their but only if I'm working on it, not storing it. How are the tiles with things like jacks etc? I guess the tiles would also add a bit of insulation and make the floor a bit warmer.
I'm also a bit unsure with the tiles and my damp floor. With all the tiles clipping together I can't see how the damp would evaporate and I don't want to end up damaging the tiles. I could always put a liquid DPM down before the tiles but then it would add extra cost to the tiles.
Obviously the big plus with the tiles is the time saved in putting it down. But I'd rather do a method properly if it will last. I can see us being at this house for 25+ years so need something that will last more than a couple of years.
I did a RaceDeck triple garage floor about 10 years ago for a couple. It was a 2 day job for two guys, but very easy installation. Still looks great. My one suggestion is if doing a design with different colors or patterns in certain areas, make a scale drawing with every single tile plotted on the drawing. It will make your life a lot easier with a "roadmap." Below is a picture when we had just finished the floor before we even had a chance to clean it.
Edited by tberg on Saturday 8th July 20:27
Indecision said:
No complaints with Plasfloor, has been down 3 years - easy to lay and cheaper than most alternatives. I did install an insulated slab - so can’t comment on their relative warmth.
Plasfloor is cheaper than the other brands. Can’t say I’m a fan of the circle top, would prefer a smooth tile. Thread resurrection - after reading all 50+ pages, I decided on Ecotile x500/7, in graphite.
As has been mentioned already, the “Garage Floor Tile Company” is simply Ecotile’s retail outlet. Their price is currently £30.95 per pack (1 square metre)
I did a Google search and found that Screwfix also sell Ecotile. Interestingly, they also list Garage Floor Tile Company as a supplier, and their 4-tile pack is only £29.99. My eldest son works at Screwfix, so I can get a 20% discount, bringing it down to £24 per pack.
The Yorkshireman in me thought there was a better deal to be had, so I contacted Ecotile directly and they’ve done me a deal for ‘batch-end’ tiles at under £20 per pack. Delivery is on top, but it’s still cheaper than post-discount at Screwfix.
I’ve over-ordered by about 10 tiles, so if any of the batch-end tiles have colour defects, I’ll simply keep them back
I’ll do some before, during and after photos of my modest little garage
As has been mentioned already, the “Garage Floor Tile Company” is simply Ecotile’s retail outlet. Their price is currently £30.95 per pack (1 square metre)
I did a Google search and found that Screwfix also sell Ecotile. Interestingly, they also list Garage Floor Tile Company as a supplier, and their 4-tile pack is only £29.99. My eldest son works at Screwfix, so I can get a 20% discount, bringing it down to £24 per pack.
The Yorkshireman in me thought there was a better deal to be had, so I contacted Ecotile directly and they’ve done me a deal for ‘batch-end’ tiles at under £20 per pack. Delivery is on top, but it’s still cheaper than post-discount at Screwfix.
I’ve over-ordered by about 10 tiles, so if any of the batch-end tiles have colour defects, I’ll simply keep them back
I’ll do some before, during and after photos of my modest little garage
Edited by Nigel_O on Friday 22 December 20:40
renmure said:
No adhesive. They stay in place with their own weight and supported by the others around them and obviously the walls.
We popped some cheap ‘eBay unused but secondhand’ carpet tiles down, but used a little spray tackifier just to encourage them to stay down.
Added some rubber edging for the door to close on.
7 years on, seems to have worked, still looks decent
The cheap wood (effect) floor I put down last year is working well. The cardboard under the cars is to catch oil drips but small amounts do wipe up anyway. I don't think it would be good in a working type garage but it's fine for my purposes. I've just got to finish paneling the roof now. Something I started last winter but got distracted when spring arrived and I wanted to be in the garden not clambering in the rafter of the garage.
Edited by RichB on Friday 4th August 09:26
My 'garage' isn't a patch on some of the stuff in this thread - it was originally just two strips of concrete along the side of the house, used as an extended drive. The previous owners put a carport up and a few years after I moved in, I filled in the centre of the two concrete strips to form a solid (if uneven) floor. Eventually, I put walls up down the length of the carport and then a door on the front to create a garage.
It still has the polycarbonate roof that I put up while it was a carport, so it can get pretty warm in there. The previous floor covering was the cheap 10mm 'chequerplate' foam matting - quite comfortable to walk on, but it marked very easily and buckled really badly in the heat.
The gaps are where my Westfield's wheels use to sit - never got round to filling them in after I sold the car.
First job was to level the floor - I estimated it would take 2 x 20kg bags of levelling compound - it took 5...
I spent a long time reading this thread and ended up choosing the Ecotile X500/7 tile in graphite. Hailing from Yorkshire and always keen for a bargain, I called Ecotile (aka The Garage Floor Tile Company). Conveniently, they had some batch-end stock of the tile I was after, so rather than the usual £31 per square metre, I got them at just under £20. I ordered a few extra, just in case their warning of the occasional colour mis-match turned out to be accurate.
Once the floor was level, the first few tiles went down really quickly. leaving the fiddly stuff around the edges.
Ecotile make a big point of leaving an expansion gap around the edges. However, my garage has a 'guide rail' bolted to the concrete, so that I can park the car really close to the side of the garage without touching anything. This means that I had to lift the rail slightly so that it wasn't clamping the tiles - a few 10mm thick aluminium blocks made sure the rail cleared the 7mm thick tiles.
I only had one mis-coloured tile (which I didn't notice until after it was down, but it only took five minutes to replace
|https://thumbsnap.com/yeSjb6X6[/url]
In total, two weekends of tinkering - job done - really pleased:
It still has the polycarbonate roof that I put up while it was a carport, so it can get pretty warm in there. The previous floor covering was the cheap 10mm 'chequerplate' foam matting - quite comfortable to walk on, but it marked very easily and buckled really badly in the heat.
The gaps are where my Westfield's wheels use to sit - never got round to filling them in after I sold the car.
First job was to level the floor - I estimated it would take 2 x 20kg bags of levelling compound - it took 5...
I spent a long time reading this thread and ended up choosing the Ecotile X500/7 tile in graphite. Hailing from Yorkshire and always keen for a bargain, I called Ecotile (aka The Garage Floor Tile Company). Conveniently, they had some batch-end stock of the tile I was after, so rather than the usual £31 per square metre, I got them at just under £20. I ordered a few extra, just in case their warning of the occasional colour mis-match turned out to be accurate.
Once the floor was level, the first few tiles went down really quickly. leaving the fiddly stuff around the edges.
Ecotile make a big point of leaving an expansion gap around the edges. However, my garage has a 'guide rail' bolted to the concrete, so that I can park the car really close to the side of the garage without touching anything. This means that I had to lift the rail slightly so that it wasn't clamping the tiles - a few 10mm thick aluminium blocks made sure the rail cleared the 7mm thick tiles.
I only had one mis-coloured tile (which I didn't notice until after it was down, but it only took five minutes to replace
|https://thumbsnap.com/yeSjb6X6[/url]In total, two weekends of tinkering - job done - really pleased:
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