Sweet Garage Flooring

What is the cheapest garage floor cover for garages?

That’s a question that a lot of people ask, especially as winter hits, when there will be tons of nasty stuff being dragged into their garage with the snow.  Mud, sand, twigs…dog poop…you name it, will all be mixed in with the snow, so having a good, solid garage covering of some sort is very important.  However, no matter how important it is, it doesn’t mean people suddenly have a ton of money to spend on something like garage flooring.  With Christmas just around the corner, everyone has less money, and most can’t justify spending a ton on their garage floors.

Back to the original question.  There are really two answers, and I’ll explain that.

Generally, when someone mentions a garage floor covering, I immediately think of mats, or maybe tiles.  Garage floor tiles either use traction like mats, or stick to the concrete, and a garage floor mat just lays on top of it as well.  I usually consider epoxy garage floor paint more of a garage floor covering.  However, if you lump them all together under the even more generic “cover” term, I would have to conclude that garage floor paint is definitely going to be the cheapest, with a few caveats.

For one thing, it has to be installed.  If you plan to do it yourself, that means getting on your hands and knees to apply it, waiting for the various coats to dry, and so on.  There are also temperature (in general, the temperature needs to be between 55 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit) and moisture limitations that apply even if you have someone else do it, so think long and hard before you decide to take this route.  Depending on your area, this may not even be an option until March or April.

Now, if paint isn’t an option, or you just don’t want to mess with it, then you’ll be looking at tiles or mats.  Both will be much easier to handle here in the winter months, especially a garage floor mat, which you can just lay out on the floor and be done with.  Tiles do take some installing, especially the peel and stick variety.  The garage floor tiles that stick to each other can be installed no matter the temperature, but the peel and stick ones generally have some sort of temperature requirement.

In the complete opposite end of the spectrum would be interlocking garage floor tiles. They’re usually among the most expensive, so be sure not to confuse them with the peel and stick type. They will also give you unmatched flexibility, though.

Another option would be garage floor tiles.  Peel and stick tiles beautify garages, but can also be used in pretty much any other work areas or shops.  They’re easy to install and custom fit.  They also hide stains and cracks in concrete floors, just like mats.  Garage floor tiles can also be used to protect floors so that they don’t get stained or cracked in the first place, which is, of course, the better idea, but hindsight is always 20/20, right?  I suppose after you’ve already dropped the car onto its axles, oil pan, and transmission pan, the condition of the garage floor is the least of your worries.  Not that I would know anything about that.

Garage floor tiles often have a patterned design that will keep dirt and debris from being tracked into the home, again, much like the garage floor mats.  They also provide cushioning and are very durable.  By the time they’re installed, you’ll have a virtually sealed, non-porous surface on which to work.  There are types of garage floor tiles that have sticky backing so that you simply remove the cover and slap them onto the concrete.  These are better if you’re in a situation where you’ll be turning wheel, as a garage floor mat can bunch up, depending on circumstances.  Interlocking garage floor tiles can also bunch up, but it’s not very likely.  They’re designed to grip the concrete, just like tires.

Burning out on either tiles or mats is not recommended, as you run the risk of losing control of the car, ramming the back of the garage, having the garage collapse on the car (ruining your nice new garage floor, as well as your car), setting the car on fire and alighting the entire garage and any nearby structure into a huge fireball of death.  Boom.  No one likes boom.  Well, some people like boom, but those people are either ballistics experts or in jail.  Or they will be in jail.  It really depends on what they’ve already tried to blow up.