Garage flooring

[CarDoodle]

Is it best to cut the garage floor tile company / eco tile / r-tech mats with a knife, or is it better to invest in a mini circular saw? I have a jigsaw already but not a mitre or circular (both of these seem potentially overkill thus interest in a mini circular). I will have quite a few to cut - roughly 50.

A Stanley with a few curved blades certainly seems cheaper but I’m happy to spend a little to get the job done with less swearing.

[OMITN]

I used a jigsaw and made a jig to try to keep it straight. Mini circular saw would be better (is straighter).

[Wildfire]

Jumping back to those who used carpet tiles, how did you secure them down?

I have a concrete floor and the edges “lift” a little. Maybe a 2” strip that gas 5mm of elevation.

Trying to work out how I secure them down as I like the idea of carpet tiles.

[Bowks]

My garage floor is ten year old concrete, it has small ridges from tamping the slab when poured. Is there a paint finish suitable for this floor? I can't justify the cost of tiles.

[sammyb349]

CarDoodle said:

Is it best to cut the garage floor tile company / eco tile / r-tech mats with a knife, or is it better to invest in a mini circular saw? I have a jigsaw already but not a mitre or circular (both of these seem potentially overkill thus interest in a mini circular). I will have quite a few to cut - roughly 50.

A Stanley with a few curved blades certainly seems cheaper but I’m happy to spend a little to get the job done with less swearing.

I used Stanley with regular knife (curved blade I couldn’t figure out) and with a steel rule and old chopping board three cuts pulling towards the body it was done.

That said my brother used a wireless circular saw and did his way quicker.

[Nola25]

For those that have used carpet tiles as flooring, did you stick it down with anything or just lay the tiles on the concrete?

[McGee_22]

Nola25 said:

For those that have used carpet tiles as flooring, did you stick it down with anything or just lay the tiles on the concrete?

I just brushed the concrete completely clear of debris and then just laid them down - you don't want anything (small stones/twigs/debris) underneath the carpet tiles as they are fairly inflexible ands best laid completely flat.

[Podie]

sammyb349 said:

CarDoodle said:

Is it best to cut the garage floor tile company / eco tile / r-tech mats with a knife, or is it better to invest in a mini circular saw? I have a jigsaw already but not a mitre or circular (both of these seem potentially overkill thus interest in a mini circular). I will have quite a few to cut - roughly 50.

A Stanley with a few curved blades certainly seems cheaper but I’m happy to spend a little to get the job done with less swearing.

I used Stanley with regular knife (curved blade I couldn’t figure out) and with a steel rule and old chopping board three cuts pulling towards the body it was done.

That said my brother used a wireless circular saw and did his way quicker.

I used a jigsaw with a PVC specific blade. Used 2 whilst doing a double garage

[Uggers]

Nola25 said:

For those that have used carpet tiles as flooring, did you stick it down with anything or just lay the tiles on the concrete?

I've just laid mine down on the concrete.

If you drive straight in and out the tiles will be fine, but if you do any maneuvering to get the car in a certain position they can tend to move. A lot depends on the weight of the car.

I'm thinking about sealing the surface then using a low adhesive 'tack' spray to maintain their position as I need to get the car into a certain position for a 2 post lift.

[Nola25]

Thanks

No car being parked on it so laying on the concrete should be fine for me

[Pistonsquirter]

I have been given a stack of 100x proper 70's grey tiles for mine, v exited to get them in.

We do office fitouts and they paint the floor with some kind of 'sealer' which I'm pretty sure is epoxy paint based on the tins say epoxy on them.. (lol).
And we apply a 'tackifier' which is like a non-setting carpet adhesive, it holds them in place well and allows future removal. If the concrete was rough we would self level the floor a minimal amount to get it flat.

Am liking the idea of 50% white and 50% black tiles for checkerboard effect, or maybe black/grey so the white ones don't go grim within 5 minutes. Or maybe black/red...

Regarding lifting at the edges, skirting/quadrant to hold it down?

[CarDoodle]

sammyb349 said:

I used Stanley with regular knife (curved blade I couldn’t figure out) and with a steel rule and old chopping board three cuts pulling towards the body it was done.

That said my brother used a wireless circular saw and did his way quicker.

Thanks - I might pick up a circular saw as it would be handy for a few other jobs as well.

Did you use ramps? If so did you start from them and work backwards? I’ve seen garage floor tile Co recommend that but most guides suggest using a straight line a meter or two in to the space

[Craikeybaby]

I started from the ramps, then did a line up the middle of the garage and out to the sides, like a + sign, and filled in the gaps.

FWIW I also used a jig saw and make a jig to cut straight.

[CarDoodle]

Thanks for the tips - I’ve made a start working back from the ramps.

Have you guys finished the edges with a seam of caulk? Saw it in the instructions and thought it could look pretty good if it doesn’t get impacted by expansion over time

[Craikeybaby]

I just left a gap to allow for expansion.

[CarDoodle]

Craikeybaby said:

I just left a gap to allow for expansion.

That’s what I was planning to do - but the instructions here (last page, cutting tile section) recommends a caulk edge. I’ve not seen anyone here talk about it though!

https://www.ecotileflooring.com/assets/uploads/202...

Did you seal them? For residential use I wasn’t planning to but maybe I’m being foolish…

Edited by CarDoodle on Saturday 1st October 21:41

[phumy]

Craikeybaby said:

I started from the ramps, then did a line up the middle of the garage and out to the sides, like a + sign, and filled in the gaps.

FWIW I also used a jig saw and make a jig to cut straight.

I did mine last year and started exactly the same as you, also used a jigsaw, it was so easy. I also bought the matching skirting and insert stripe from the same tile company and used that to cover the expansion gap at the edges. It worked out really well and looks great, finishes off a treat.

[sammyb349]

I’ve left the expansion gap - don’t notice it once you are up off your knees.

I also started with the ramp and lined it up to the door front and worked back - no issues for me doing that.

One OCD tip, like most porcelain tiles, the tiles are printed, so on the back they have a direction arrow if you are that way inclined you can get them all pointing the same way so the catch the light in the same way…

[RichB]

RichB said:

For months I've been pondering what to do with the bare concrete floor in my garage. I had settled on using a levelling compound and then an epoxy paint but I was taken with this photo in this month's Motorsport magazine - it's James Hunt's F3 car in Bubbles Horsley's workshop.

I have located some very cheap engineered wood floor and having received a sample it seems impervious to oil and very hard, time will tell. But at a cost on a par with, or less, than using resins and epoxy paint, and with no mess plus the advantage that I can do it in stages and move cars in and out as soon as it's completed I thought I would go for it. I'll let you know how I get on but meanwhile the supplier's mock-up of how it should look is good enough to keep me enthusiastic about starting the job!

After moving to our house 5 years ago it was finally time to convert it from a decorators/DIY/workshop/store into a nice garage for my cars. So, this week I made a start on my garage revamp and of course it started with two runs to the tip to get rid of years of accumulated junk. The panoramic view gives an idea of what started with. Today, I'm half way through laying the floor and I'm very happy with it. How it will stand the test of time is anyone's guess but it's only a garage and it's much cleaner than bare concrete. Next up it to panel the ceiling with the white boards you can see behind the Griff. I'll post a few more pics as the job progresses.


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[RichB]

Getting there, more tidying to do and next I will line the roof with white panels to brighten it up.