Sweet Garage Flooring

So far, I’ve mentioned a lot about epoxy garage floor paint, mainly because it can be a very cheap and easy option. It’s low to no maintenance, and is far less expensive than pretty much any other garage flooring. However, there are situations where paint may not be the best option, or just may not be preferable. In this case, another solution could be garage floor coverings.

For our purposes, we will define “coverings” as things that can be moved, and “coatings” as solutions that cannot.  Keep in mind, interlocking garage floor tiles can easily be moved, while peel and stick tiles cannot.

Garage Floor Coverings Can Be Moved If Desired

There are a few different situations that come to mind where a garage floor covering may be a better idea than painting the garage floor. Permanency is a big factor. Do you need something that is going to protect the floor forever, or something that you can just pick up when you’re done? Some people like the look of a clean concrete garage floor as opposed to paints, mats, or tiles. Of course, this preference obviates the need to keep said the concrete very clean, which is where garage floor mats come in quite handy.

Garage Floor Coverings Are Quick To Install

Even a garage floor mat that is designed to cover the entire garage is faster to install than paint. Most of the time, it’s just a matter of cutting the mat to fit, then throwing it down onto the floor, and you’re all done. This is opposed to paint, which takes hours to install, or tiles, which can sometimes take even longer, depending on their design.

Garage Floor Coverings Are Easily Tossed If Needed

When it comes to garage flooring, sometimes you just have to anticipate taking losses. There are some things that even the toughest paints, tiles, or garage floor mats simply are not going to survive without taking some damage. Although it can be an expensive proposition, a garage floor mat can easily be thrown away and replaced if damaged or stained. Interlocking garage floor tiles are even better in this situation because you can just take out the damaged or stained tiles while keeping the good ones. For these reasons, some people who paint their garage floors use mats or interlocking garage floor tiles as well – to protect their paint! They may cover their entire garage when they get ready to work, or just the area likely to be contaminated. Even if not anticipating damage or stains, it’s much easier to clean a mat than it is to clean an entire painted floor. Just be careful that you do not get into any anti-environmental habits as it becomes very easy to just dump everything out of your garage floor mat onto the ground outside.

Garage Floor Coverings Are Easy To Install

For those of us whose backs or knees are not up to kneeling or stooping for hours, a big garage floor mat may actually be cheaper, even though paint by itself is far less expensive. This is because even those with physical issues can generally install garage floor coverings on their own. When you factor in the cost of install, suddenly the price savings of using paint go right out the window.

Instead of actually installing an entire floor, you may want to go the route of containment mats.  They’re less expensive, to be sure, but you don’t get the effect of covering the entire garage.  Of course, you have to ask yourself, is it really worth it to cover the entire garage?  If you’re only going to be working in one area, or if you just want to protect the garage floor from the oozings of one car, then maybe it would make more sense to just buy a containment mat.  Garage floor containment mats are nice in that they can be moved about and taken out of the garage for easy cleanup.  They’re also very easy to replace should you somehow destroy or damage it.  Generally speaking, a garage floor containment mat is only going to be a good idea if you’re only protecting a small part of your garage floor.  If you want to protect the entire garage floor, you’ll want to do something more comprehensive, such as tiling or possibly a full garage floor mat; one that covers the entire garage floor instead of just a part.

Garage floor containment mats can also be combined, often snapping together so that you could eventually cover the entire garage, or at least a good bit of it.  They are lightweight, making them easy to move around, and very easy to clean.  Just take them out of the garage and spray them off, and then you’re done.  Like any other type of garage floor, containment mats will do a good job of protecting the concrete on which they are placed; it’s just that they won’t be placed on quite as much concrete.  So it really depends on exactly how much of your garage floor you expect to dirty and/or destroy as to which type of garage floor you would want to use.

Garage floor mats come in various types of patterns and materials.  These garage floor protectors are some of the most varied available, and are also often the best at doing their job, provided they can cover enough of your floor to suit your purpose. It will take you some work and research to decide exactly which type is going to be best for your purposes.

There’s ribbed mats, mats with coin or diamond patterns, and some places sell less expensive matting that has almost no pattern at all.

Most of the time, when you buy garage floor mats, they come in one big size that you just cut with a pair of scissors or utility knife and lay out on the floor.  This is easy installation at its finest.  If you do need to split the mat, you can overlap or connect the mats together for a seamless look, as long as the mats have those types of edges.  No adhesives are required.  They’ll protect the concrete, prevent soil and water contamination, and channel liquid and debris out of the garage for easier cleanup.

Garage floor mats are cushioned for comfort when either walking, standing, or working.  They’re coated so as not to absorb liquids or chemicals, and they have a fresh scent that will keep the garage smelling great.  Garage floor mats are ultra durable, generally lasting years, and provide a slip resistant surface.  They’re anti-static and non-conductive as well.  The mats can even be laid in doubles where extra cushion is needed, such as under a car where you might be laying on your back, or on the sides where you may be doing a lot of kneeling.  Anyone who has done any major work on a car can appreciate the idea of having some type of cushioning under the body part that’s making contact with the hard, cold concrete.

Many places offer free, fast shipping, and prices are generally pretty reasonable, generally under $2 per foot.  It’s obviously much faster to lay out a rubber mat than it would be to paint the entire garage floor or install a epoxy kit, and often it’s quite a bit cheaper as well.

Garage floor mats are probably your best option if you’re planning on doing a lot of work in your garage and want the ability to just chunk it and start over if it gets ruined by something, though they’re durable enough that they’re not likely to be ruined.  There are other types of garage floor protectors, but they also have their downfalls. Although not as durable as epoxy, mats are much easier to install, and although not as mobile as containment mats, regular floor mats are designed to be driven upon and will, by nature, cover more area.